Tokyo is basically a laundry list of world superlatives. Most populated metro area, largest economy, most efficient public transportation everything, largest fish market, most Michelin Stars, home of minimalist design, TripAdvisor’s World’s Best Overall Experience, RAMEN/SUSHI — after eating them both in this perfectionist city I can’t even decide which has more clout anymore. It shouldn’t take much convincing for Tokyo to climb to the top of anyone’s world bucket list, but much like I felt when I first got there, since returning from my three-week visit last month, I’ve been most overwhelmed about how to approach breaking down the whole experience! So, we’ll start from the top.

If you’ve read around here before, you’ve started to pick up on my enthusiasm about views (see: Aruba by horseback and hiking the Seoul Fortress Wall. It’s the flat-land Florida girl in me, but views get me every time — views from rooftops, views of mountains, views in valleys, views of oceans, sunsets… I just can’t get enough of them. So of Tokyo’s many, many qualities that make it a must, for me, the views are the easiest sell. Let’s take a look: