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I am going to be the first to admit, I know nothing about Tokyo. I spent the first 20 years of my life thinking that ‘konnichiwa’ meant thank you and I haven’t even seen any of the Karate Kid movies. When my boyfriend put the idea in my head that it would be a good stop over destination on our way to Europe I only agreed because he promised we would go to Disneyland. I would now name Tokyo as one of my favourite cities in the world – even if I did get scammed by a monk. It isn’t just the tourists that are in awe of this great city of bright lights and loud Pachinko machines, but also the locals. Spend one afternoon in Harijuku watching the teenage pop-culture enthusiasts or the Saturday anime markets in Akihabara and you will understand. The Japanese love Tokyo, and I could not agree with them more. The Sengaku-ji Temple in the Minato -ku neighbourhood gives visitors a deeper understanding of the importance of honour and loyalty that underlines the Japanese way of life. Made famous by the movie ’47 Ronin’ staring Keanu Reeves, the temple is the burial ground of 47 masterless samurai (Ronin) who gave their lives to avenge their fallen master after he was sentenced to seppuku (ritual suicide) after assaulting another Lord in the Edo Castle. Although it is free to enter the temple’s grounds, pay the extra museum admission (around 200 yen) to get an even deeper understanding of these men and their sacrifice for the sake of the samurai code of honour. The story is essential to Japanese heritage and identity and is a humbling experience like no other. Returning to the modern day, there is nothing like Shibuya Crossing at night to remind you that you are still in the 21st Century. Flashing billboards, masses of people, Batman driving a Mario Cart – no one does organised chaos quite like the people of Tokyo. Once you have embraced the shamble, taken your celebratory ‘I survived Shibuya Crossing’ photos and stopped obsessing over the bright shiny things above, the best, or at least cheapest, views are from the Starbucks right above the crossing. For the cost a small English Breakfast tea (around 150 yen) you can have perfect, undisrupted views of the action, and enjoy a warm beverage. There is no way of explaining the vibrancy, culture and excitement that is Tokyo except that it is just life on steroids. If you are thinking of heading to the great Japanese city, do it – I promise that you will not be disappointed!