It’s almost a cliché to say that the future starts in Tokyo, but you may not be aware that this metropolis of nearly 12 million has a 400-year history and a pre-history that dates back millennia. It’s the kind of place where ageless Shinto traditions blend seamlessly with the latest fashions, where shops in business for generations sell the newest in high-tech—and calculate prices on an abacus. Amid crushing crowds, it’s possible to find moments of serenity, and let’s not forget the great food.

In just three days, or three blocks, you’ll travel centuries. Leave the grounds of the Meiji Shrine and you’re in the fashion-forward youth culture scene around Harajuku station. Take an innovative train without a conductor across the Tokyo Bay to the futuristic Odaiba district and then back to the Kabuki-za Theater to view this ancient performance tradition. Immerse yourself in the neon of the Shibuya district or catch a glimpse of Japan’s eternal natural treasure, Mt. Fuji. Tokyo’s excesses and simplicities create an ideal balance.

Roppongi Hills highrises

This is the city for ultramodern high-rise hotels, like the Park Hyatt Tokyo (featured in “Lost in Translation”), which occupies the top fourteen floors of Pritzker Prize-winner Kenzo Tange’s Shinjuku Park Tower and features such high-tech amenities as flat screen TVs and automatic blackout curtains. Another futuristic option is the Grand Hyatt Tokyo, whose 398 rooms are outfitted with the latest gadgetry. The hotel anchors the Roppongi Hills complex, a culinary nerve center and architectural landmark. In such a sprawling city, location and access to public transportation are also key considerations to enjoying the capital. The moderately priced Asia Center of Japan is on a quiet block just two minutes’ walk to the subway or ten minutes to the nightlife of Roppongi. At the north end of the city center, the Metropolitan has 815 rooms at mid-range prices just a minute’s walk from Ikebukuro station, affording easy access to the loop train line that encircles the city center.

DAY 1

Anybody who has ever spent that first night in Tokyo after arriving from overseas had to be pitying Bill Murray's character in "Lost in Translation," wide awake in his bathrobe, sitting on the edge of the bed while it was still dark out. Your pity might have been sympathetic (jet lag is horrible), but if you know Tokyo you were probably also tsk-tsk-ing because obviously nobody told him that if you're up early, the place to be is the fish market.

Tsukiji fish market

Before you wrinkle your nose, know that the fish market at Tsukiji is the world's largest and one of the quintessential Tokyo experiences. Massive frozen tuna from around the globe are auctioned at around 5 a.m. in a frenzy of noise and motion. The auctions are over by 7 a.m., but even if you arrive later it is still plenty busy, as wholesalers prepare hundreds of varieties of fish and seafood for shipment internationally—the din of voices and vehicles is disorienting and exhilarating. Browse Tsukiji's somewhat calmer outer market for a sushi breakfast; fruits, vegetables and prepared foods you never knew existed; handsome dishware and elegant papers to serve them on; or a perfectly poured coffee at a tiny counter.

All this, and it isn't even 9 a.m. yet. Welcome to Tokyo!