Tako-Yaki was my favorite street food. A savory octopus gobstopper, you bite through a crispy pancake shell, swallow down runny batter till you get to the chewy chunk of octopus in the center. Stalls selling this tend to have a cute cartoon octopus waiving its legs invitingly at you.

You can buy it from stalls at festivals or in parks (there‘s one in front of Yoiyogi park).

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Tokyo is, after all, the home of edomae sushi, the succulent cuts of fish perched on tiny blocks of vinegared rice that will be familiar to many Western diners. The uninitiated should start with the staples, such as maguro (tuna), ika (squid), tako (octopus), ebi (prawn), but for a more authentically Japanese meal, try awabi (abalone), uni (sea urchin) and anago (broiled eel). If sushi rolls are your thing, forego the rather pedestrian California rolls and go for mashed tuna and spring onion. The incurably incautious should sample natto maki. Don’t be put off by the pungent smell and the slimy texture, the flavour is unforgettable for all the right reasons.

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Atmospheric Buddhist temple leads into a colourful market selling food, clothes, souvenirs, etc. If you want to buy fans, wood-block prints, chopsticks, kimonos, Edo dolls, combs, incense burners or even a coat for your dog - this is the place to come. Many local craft shops and not a western designer store in sight.

Asakusa station

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Try this traditional restaurant in an alley two blocks east of the Sony building. Serves kamameshi - rice cooked in a metal bowl inside a wooden holder complete with lid. Choose your own toppings - we had chicken, mushrooms, bamboo shoots and prawns. Inexpensive. Helpful waiters and locals and English menu.

Ginza station

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Sawai is out in the rural west of Metropolitan Tokyo and offers a perfect contrast from the wonders of downtown life. The sake brewery with its restaurants overlooking the River Tama is a great spot to take a breather from what thrills Tokyo has to offer. Tours are in Japanese only but the English pamphlet is well handy and doesn't get in the way of sampling the liquid on offer. There are 4 tours a day.

Sawai is about 90 minutes from Shinjuku Station. Take the Chuo Line to Tachikawa and change to the Ome Line. The Brewery is 5 minutes down the hill from the station. Reservations for a tour can be made on 0428 78 8215.

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