My 48 hours in Tokyo: fashion designer Limi Yamamoto shares some of her favourite haunts

Fashion designer Limi Yamamoto is brutally honest about her relationship with Tokyo. At first, she insists it's just a place of work to her. "It's very convenient, but commercialised and congested. There is no space to play or find relief." However, she does gradually unwind and lets us in on some of her secret and favourite corners.

Her father is the master dressmaker and fashion designer Yohji Yamamoto, but her label, Limi Feu, which is approaching its 15th anniversary, is very much her own creation.

At first sight you have to agree with Limi: Tokyo comes alive at night as a neon playground, the exciting advertising contrasts with the pendant lanterns of small restaurants and bars. During the day it's very much a concrete conurbation. It took until 2012 when the Skytree opened for it to have an internationally recognisable tall building, which means unlike Hong Kong or Shanghai there are few tall landmarks to help a tourist navigate their way around. Instead, because of the city's rather challenging address and building numbering system, you need to acclimatise to Tokyo's street level details and its low-level sights — and tastes.

One thing you learn quickly about Tokyo is the high standard of food — it has more Michelin restaurants than any other city — but even when you order a simple fresh pastry or salad you'll find it excellently prepared and packaged.