Japan is a fascinating country and I feel very lucky to have lived there, albeit only for three years. I recently went back, ostensibly for research reasons, but a little retail therapy was of course also necessary (although perhaps five suitcases full might be considered just a little bit OTT?).

I love everything about Japan - the food, the people, their orderly way of doing everything - and Tokyo is a great place to start. I'm always amazed at the way skyscrapers and modern buildings co-exist happily with traditional places like temples and shrines. You never know what you're going to encounter next, which makes every excursion exciting. The Sensoji temple at Asakusa is definitely worth a visit, as is the fish market at Tsukiji, Harajuku with all its crazy shops (and shoppers!) and Yoyogi Park where one can find anything from 50's style boppers jiving to their favourite music to heavy metal bands playing to an audience of three. Great stuff!