Tokyo is a complex city. Actually, it’s not just one city, but a combination of - hold your breath- 26 smaller cities, 7 towns and 8 villages- covering, in all, more than 2000 sq km, with a proportionately large population. Tokyo, to put it bluntly, has little of the beauty, serenity and dignity one tends to associate with Japan and the Japanese. It’s a harsh city, a concrete jungle where the leading concern is money- it’s probably one of the most affluent cities on earth, where millions change hands virtually every second.

Tokyo can be insensitive and ugly- but somewhere under the hard outer shell, you can find beauty- in the hidden gardens, in the old streets where part of traditional Japan still lingers; in the ancient buildings which once comprised the imperial castle. Look for it- and Tokyo will still reveal a charm which can endear itself to you- a charm which is elusive no doubt, but definitely not extinct.