Tokyo defies easy definition. Though commonly associated with the flashing neon lights and concrete canyons of its high-energy Shinjuku and Shibuya districts, Japan’s vast capital city has a gentler, more serene side found in its many peaceful parks and gardens, austere Shinto temples, and quiet residential areas well-suited to aimless wandering.

All told, few cities leave stronger lasting impressions on visitors than Tokyo. From the high fashion shopping and upscale dining of Ginza and Marunouchi to the kinetic gaming and electronics wonderland that is Akihabara, wildly different experiences are usually waiting just around the corner.

Modern art galleries and museums, deafening pachinko parlours, world-class cuisine, traditional Japanese theatre, rambunctious late-night carousing—Tokyo has it all.