Hit town. And get your skates on

Fancy a change of scene? Take a city break. Ian McCurrach crams in the sights on a whistlestop tour of Tokyo

If you're looking for a city break that is stimulating and rewarding, try Tokyo. With a population of 26 million, it's the biggest metropolis in the world and amazes from the start.

I reach my hotel, the Four Seasons in Chinzan-so in the north, after a three-hour taxi ride on elevated roads, bright neon signs snapping into life as dusk approaches. Red lights flash at the tops of the multitude of towers. Elevated roads, walkways and railway lines criss-cross the scene like a jumble of luminous knitting. I suddenly realise where I have seen all this before: Ridley Scott's futuristic movie Blade Runner.

Tokyoites are shy about speaking English, so to make the most of your visit you need to keep your wits about you. The extensive subway is the quickest and cheapest way of getting about. It is also fun. The ticket machines are suitably space age, in a city choc-a-bloc with vending machines peddling everything from coffee and alcohol to vitamins. Have your destination written in both Western and kanji characters. Avoid taxis - traffic is frequently at a standstill and the meter ticks over at an alarming rate.

A good place for your visit to start is at Asakusa, the historic eastern part of town, packed with temples and curious, old-fashioned neighbourhoods. The top sight is Senso-ji Temple, established in 645 and dedicated to Kannon, Buddhist goddess of mercy. Enter through Thunder Gate under an immense red lantern and make your way down Nakamise Dore, a long avenue of stalls. Stop at the incense burner and join the throng "bathing" in the smoke, said to bestow wisdom.

Part of Tokyo's charm is the backstreets. Here you find tradition sitting cheek by jowl with contemporary life. I join a queue of office workers and temple visitors outside a restaurant, Daikokuya. After taking off my shoes I am ushered upstairs and join the diners, sitting cross-legged on tatami mats, tucking into a tasty mix of prawn, pork and vegetable tempura served by an army of old ladies. I drink green tea, which tastes like spinach soup, and a beer.

Tokyo is a great place to stock up on the latest technology and Akihabara is bargain city. Most stores do not close until 8pm and here the neon is at its brightest. Avoid the mêlée of street-sellers and make for one of the big shops such as Bic Camera, which sells every kind of appliance under the sun.

I spend my second two nights at the new Four Seasons Hotel in Maranouchi, the business district. As I watch the 42in plasma-screen TV in my minimalist room, Bullet trains speed silently past outside my triple-glazed floor-to-ceiling windows. From here I wander into Ginza, one of the main shopping areas, which has big stores such as Mitsukoshi (the Japanese equivalent of Harrods), fashion stores, the impressive Sony Centre with its hands-on gizmos, and the glass-and-steel shrine of the Tokyo International Forum - definitely worth a visit.

For the best views take a trip to Tokyo Tower Observatory or to the 52nd-floor viewing platform in the tower in the new Roppongi Hills cultural complex in the south. Roppongi Hills is a vast expanse of concrete and glass, home to the Grand Hyatt Hotel, and more than 200 restaurants, clubs, bars and shops.

Tokyo cuisine is centred on fish, and a trip to Tsukiji fish market is not to be missed. If you want to see the tuna auction (believe me, you do) you need to be there early - trade begins at 5am. The covered market is filled with all kinds of fish, dead and alive, and thousands of men wielding long knives, who fillet and cut. Strange little vehicles like palettes on wheels hurtle up and down.

At 7am I make my way to one of the aisles at the edge of the market for breakfast. At Sushi Dai in aisle six, I down the most delicious and freshest sushi I have ever tasted. Raw fish is not my normal breakfast. But heck, this is Tokyo.

Ian McCurrach flew as a guest of ANA (020-7224 8866; www.ANA-europe.com), Asia's largest airline, which offers return flights from London from £720. He was a guest of Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts group (00800-6488 6488; www.fourseasons.com). Double rooms at the Four Seasons Hotel Tokyo at Chinzan-so start at £299 per night and at the Four Seasons Hotel Tokyo at Maranouchi from £373 per night. Japan National Tourist Organization (fax only: 020-7734 4290; www.seejapan.co.uk).

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