When it comes to the most intriguing cities in the world, Japan’s capital must surely rank at the top of the list. New York and London may share frantic urban energy, but Tokyo will astound even the most ardent city slicker.

Alongside the city’s jaw-droppingly futuristic architecture and shopping there are many contradictions. One minute you’re walking down a main street, hemmed in by massive buildings featuring four-storey high video screens and the next you’re in a labyrinth of narrow alleys lined with tiny, traditional shops and surrounded by old ladies wearing kimonos and geta slippers.

And you’re never more than what seems like 50 metres from vending machines that sell everything from hot coffee in cans to ties and schoolgirls’ underwear (used, apparently). You’re also never very far from Tokyo’s temples and parks.

It’s no secret Tokyo is one of the world’s most expensive cities, and while you can enjoy the city on a budget — although not the type of budget you’d anticipate throughout the rest of Asia — you’re far better off saving some cash to splurge on, well, everything.

Tokyo is consumer heaven and while even just browsing through the many shopping centres and alarmingly large department stores is fun, it’s much more fun if you can buy yourself that ridiculously cute T-shirt or that quirky Japanese novelty toy.

Apart from electrical goods, don’t expect anything to be cheap. If you are on the lookout for a cheap mini-disc or camera accessory, head to the Akihabara district where the choice will dazzle you.

If you’re not after anything in particular, fear not, you’ll no doubt come home with a finger-massager or a Hello Kitty toaster.

A trip to just one of Tokyo’s department stores can be a day out in itself and among the best for browsing is Seibu in Shibuya (21-1 Udagawacho) where there are eight floors of everything you’ve ever wanted — and things you can’t believe they’ve invented. It’s best to take cash as credit card usage is actually quite rare in Japan. But fear not about carrying around wads of yen — Tokyo is one of the safest cities on earth.

Shibuya is the hot spot for shopping, be it for crazy toys and robot dogs or designer fashions.

Most of Tokyo’s urban districts have their own shopping characters. Harajuku and Aoyama, like Shibuya, tend to be fashion and department store-based, while Jimbocho in Kanda is an area of bookshops.

If you grow tired of shopping — difficult given the range of amazing items on offer — there are lots of non-consumer sights in and around the city.

It’s not all shiny new skyscrapers here — there are dozens of temples and gardens throughout the city, probably the most popular of which is the Imperial East Palace Garden. Head to Ueno-koen Park, you can enjoy the gardens and many of the city’s largest galleries and museums, including the Tokyo National Museum, which holds the world’s largest collection of Japanese art.

It’s easy to exhaust yourself in this busy city, but you can always rest up by grabbing a meal and partaking in a spot of people-watching.

Tokyo is full of traditional Japanese and international restaurants and Western fast food outlets. Decent local food can set you back, but lovers of good Japanese cuisine will find there’s no shortage of choice.

Unlike most aspects of Tokyo life, it is possible to find yourself a budget meal, with the best option being one of the common ramen shops. The cheapest dish is the ramen itself, a bowl of noodles with a few condiments or noodle shops serving udon and soba noodles.

The truly thrifty should look for a tachi-kui ‘eat-and-stand’) place, usually found inside bus and train stations. Choose your desired dish from a vending machine (which usually comes complete with pictures of the dishes) and the machine will issue a plastic token which you take to the staff inside.

There are lots of middle-range restaurants around and while it’s rare for the staff to speak much English, this is rarely a problem as most places feature the immaculately detailed plastic replicas of the meals on offer — simply point and smile, and you should get by.

After dinner, you’re more than likely going to spend a fortune in one of the city’s many bars or nightclubs, so buy yourself a beer from a vending machine and wander down to a pachinko parlour for a while.

To experience some true Japanese drinking, head to a karaoke box or one of the other places that welcome gaijin — these are izakaya and yakitori joints, purely for drinking and nomiya. These display red lanterns outside and are essentially pubs for the working class, with modest decor and prices.

The cheapest option of all are the places known as tachi-nomiya, where it’s so no-frills that there aren’t even chairs — simply stand around and knock back the piss.

When it comes to turning in for the night, you’ll be hard pressed to find dirt-cheap accommodation. There are only a few youth hostels, minshuku (Japanese B&B), ryokans, or, the cheapest and definitely most novel option, the love hotels and capsule hotels.

These are designed purely for sex and are frequented by all sorts of people, including married couples who just want to get out of their small houses for a night (or even just a few hours) of passion. Naturally, they’re also used by co-workers having illicit affairs and most of the hotels have entrances tastefully shrouded by shrubbery to reduce patron embarrassment.

You can book in for a night or you can take the cheapest option, euphemistically called a kyuke (break), for just two or three hours.

More often than not, you won’t even have to look the concierge in the eye — he is usually hidden behind a screen and you’ll just hear his voice.

Apart from the excellent novelty factor, these are a good budget accommodation alternative in Tokyo, however it’s really only a short-term option. You can’t check into most love hotels before 10pm and it’s not somewhere you can make a base — you can’t come and go as you please, but it’s well worth spending a night just for the experience.

Not only can you get a reasonably-priced double (possibly themed) room, you’ll also get a clean bathroom and loads of extras like condoms, clean underwear, porn videos, karaoke equipment, sex toy vending machines and possibly even a sauna. Spend a bit more and take away even more souvenirs with you.

The best districts for love hotels are Shibuya, Shinjuku and Ikebukuro.

If you’re not claustrophobic, you could opt for one of Tokyo’s capsule hotels, although despite being stuck into a room the size of a coffin, prices aren’t cheap.

These hotels mostly service drunken office workers who have missed their trains home and are often men-only. The capsule you get has enough room for a small bed, reading light, TV and an alarm clock.

It’s rare for gaijin, or foreigners, to visit these hotels, but if you’re after a uniquely Japanese experience (and you’re a man), check one out.

Be wary of waking up and thinking you’ve been cryogenically frozen and transported to the future — this feeling may well continue even after you’ve left your capsule and walked out into the never-ending Tokyo bustle.