Back on the tourist trail with a 10am walking tour of central Tokyo, starting in Akihabara, famous as a destination for fans of anime, manga, video games, and idol culture.

Before that, it was known as the place to shop for discount electronics — in fact, Akiba’s original nickname was “Denki-gai” or Electric Town.

We were greeted by our local guide Horashi, a fun loving forty something who was wired, witty and wildly entertaining.

The area has gained recognition as the centre of Japan’s otaku ‘diehard fan’ culture.

Many shops and establishments are devoted to anime and manga dispersed amongst the electronic stores in the district.

As today was Sunday, Chuo Dori, the main street through the district was closed to car traffic and we ended up walking down along with thousands of other tourists and shoppers.

Akihabara has seen some redevelopment over the last decade, with the most prominent being the huge Yodobasbi electronics store next to the station.

The area offers everything from the newest computers, cameras, televisions, mobile phones, electronics parts and home appliances to second-hand goods and electronic junk.

Our next stop Yushima Seidō, located in the Yushima neighbourhood of Bunkyō, was established as a Confucian temple in the Genroku era of the Edo period.

From there we headed to Kanda Shrine, a Shinto shrine located in Chiyoda. The shrine dates back 1,270 years, but the current structure was rebuilt several times due to fire and earthquakes. It is situated in one of the most expensive estate areas of Tokyo.

The shrine attracts a lot of local families and weddings, and whilst we were there, at least two bride and grooms appeared in traditional dress looking incredible.

We then walked on through the maze of narrow streets, passing a few unusual offerings including a rabbit cafe, which was a change from the numerous cat cafes we’ve seen in both Japan and China.

Then it was time to visit the Ameyoko shopping street, although more a bazaar, selling trinkets, souvenirs, street food and lots more. The place was packed with people, not just Japanese but from all around the world.

There was street food on offer, in all its various forms from fried chicken to smoked and dried fish.

Saigo was one of the most influential samurais and often described as the quintessential hero of modern Japanese history.

Before we knew it, the 3hr walking tour had reached its conclusion and we felt a little more informed about Japanese and Tokyo history and had met a few interesting people in the process.

Having found ourselves in Ueno Park we decided to go and explore and centred on Shinobazu Pond and the Hasumi Deck.

From here we had great views over the huge lotus covered lake, which looks like it’s permanently blanketed in a green layer of leaves.

Within the centre of Shinobazu Pond is a Buddhist temple called Benten Do, where locals go to place offerings and seek guidance on their fortunes, with notes advising them if they are in luck or not. For those not receiving the right advice, they leave these less helpful notes tied to a fence to wash away the bad karma.

We then headed to Tosho-gu Shine and the Five Storied Pagoda, the former Kan’ei-ji temple.

It was initially built in 1617, during the Edo period and was enlarged during the time of the third shōgun.

The Karamon is a type of gate seen in Japanese architecture. It is characterized by the usage of kara-hafu, an undulating bargeboard peculiar to Japan. They are often used at the entrances of castles, Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines and have historically been a symbol of authority.

We decided to return to Akihabara to witness the venues specializing in manga, anime, and video games including Tokyo Anime Centre.

Along the way we caught a demo Japanese basketball game, which brought great excitement to the watching public. So great to see all of this entertainment as a passerby.

Akihabara pedestrian paradise happens every Sunday with the main highway closed to traffic and letting pedestrians walk freely. It meant for a very hectic and buzzing atmosphere intermingled with shoppers buying their electronics and visiting the themed cafes like heavens gate, where young girls dress as maids….sounds very odd, but the Japanese see it as being cute.

With some time to spare we walked through Kanda, a wealthy part of the city, full of financial offices and big skyscrapers before arriving next to the moat of the imperial palace. Unfortunately as it was late afternoon, the park and palace grounds were due to close so we plan to return for a guided tour on Tuesday.

The Imperial Palace grounds are surrounded by a historic moat and gardens leading up to the former Edo castle & Omiya Palace. It’s a stunning place even from the outside.

Tonight we had booked tickets to TeamLab planets, an immersive light and art exhibition that was recommended to us via a travel blogger. With this lined up for 7pm, we decided to grab dinner beforehand and found a great restaurant selling pork katsu and meso soup.

Whilst the place was definitely bijou, with seating for 15 at best, the service and food proved excellent and we soon cleared our plates ready for the evening’s immersive entertainment.

After catching the underground to Toyosu, it was a short walk to the park where the TeamLab Planets is based.

For anybody who hasn’t been to one of these before, we would definitely recommend visiting. Pretty sure there is one similar in London.

On entering you are required to remove your footwear and roll up your trousers and prepare yourself for a body and mind experience. The first immersive stop, was a waterfall with water flowing down a steep slope which you climb indoors in the dim light. It’s all unexpected and takes you out of your comfort zone. We then went into a room with soft spongy flooring and were encouraged to lie down and enjoy the sensation.

From there we went into an illuminated mirrored room with long thin lights hanging from the roof that changed as with light colours varied. Hard to properly explain but very cool and intoxicating.

The reflections created in the mirrored room from the walls and floor was hypnotic and changed your perspective to the space you were in.

The next room was filled with water to knee height, with illuminated lights and fish shapes swimming around. Again mind altering and a weird sensation.

Next room giant white balls that bounced around on the ground and above your head.

One of our favourites was a 360 degree doomed room with flowers and petals floating above your head creating this otherworldly feel.

The last room included live flowers, hanging from the ceiling, that go up and down and go as low as being just a foot above the ground. With the room being mirrored on the floor and the walls it created a fully immersive environment of flowers all around. Not sure that description does it justice, as it was such a beautiful space.

Decided to let the flower pictures do the talking as it was truly beautiful and amazing.

After a great evening we headed back to the hotel around 10pm for a well earned rest and to plan our next days adventure and our change of hotel to the Shinjuku area.