Tokyo

Like everywhere else I found in Japan, hotels are your best bet for a short-term stay. The cost of accommodation in Tokyo was notably higher than in any other city I visited, yet there are still some reasonably good value options on the market, if you're willing to stay a little out of the most popular areas. Like London, New York, or any other global city, your chances of finding genuine good value in the city centre are non-existent.

I spent 8 nights at the Presso Inn Akasaka, which was a solid base at £62 per night. The rooms were comfortable but unremarkable, yet you're within a 2-minute walk to the metro station, and Shibuya and Shinjuku are easily accessible on foot. While the room size is modest, you've got a decent-sized desk, ideal for any inevitable late work that may pop up.

Within Akasaka itself, you've got a reasonable range of food and drink options and are within walking distance to the Imperial Palace, the shopping hub of Ginza, and numerous well-connected metro lines.

A comparable room in Shibuya or Shinjuku would easily be over £100 per night. If you're planning on staying for a week and primarily working, the cost would be by no means justified.

You won't struggle to find somewhere to work from in Tokyo. WeWork has 29 sites across the city, and having the All Access Pass is an ideal way to see as much of the vast city as possible. Chain coffee shops are open late, and like the country as a whole, WiFi was generally excellent.

Accomodation aside, prices in Tokyo were not dramatically out of line with the rest of the country with plenty of budget friendly options for food, as well as endless more upmarket options.

Shibuya and Shinjuku epitomise what you'd expect from a trip to urban Tokyo—loud, bold, and brimming with energy. Few cities globally can match the intensity of these districts, with enough restaurants, bars, and nightlife to occupy you for months. It’s hard to imagine these areas falling short of even the highest expectations for an electric atmosphere.

Japan observes Japan Standard Time (JST), which is 9 hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). However, the time difference reduces to 8 hours during the summer months as Japan does not observe daylight saving time.This large gap in time zones has advantages and disadvantages, but planning a trip during the summer would reduce the likelihood of having to work past midnight to maintain alignment with European schedules.