If a contest were held for the World's Most Entertaining City, Tokyo would certainly rank among the finalists. Night and day, on a shoestring budget or on a big expense account, you can find fun here at every corner.

Those who enjoy sightseeing may want to begin with a view from the top. The best observation decks are located at Sunshine 60 (Ikebukuro), the Municipal Government Building (Shinjuku), the World Trade Center (Hamamatsucho), and Tokyo Tower (Shiba), for four very different perspectives of this sprawling metropolis. Among the many famous landmarks are the Kasumigaseki Building at the heart of the nation's government, Tokyo Dome (the so-called "Big Egg") at Korakuen, the Imperial Palace grounds in the very center of the city, Ueno Zoo to the northeast, colorful Rainbow Bridge spanning Tokyo Bay, and picturesque Mt. Fuji on the southwest horizon.

For those who require more active entertainment, the city teems with amusement parks and recreation centers. Tokyo Disneyland is the biggest attraction to the east; Toshimaen with its water park and carnival zone stakes out the west. At mid-town is Korakuen, featuring roller coasters, parachute rides, off-track betting and much more. For family adventure indoors, there is an enclosed amusement park at Sanrio Puroland in Tama City. Take the kids to the National Children's Castle in Omotesando. Or how about a swim in a real Olympic pool at Yoyogi Stadium or some indoor snow skiing near Makuhari Messe? Having fun yet?

Thanks to an incredible array of museums and galleries, Tokyo on a rainy day can be extremely entertaining. From the best in Western art to relics of Japanese history, from bicycles and dolls to buttons and postage stamps, you can find collections, exhibits and displays to keep you busy for days on end. In the evening you can sample some unique indoor relaxation at the National Noh Theater (Sendagaya) or the Puk Puppet Theater (Yoyogi). Of course, there are cinemas all around the city, showing first-run road-show films, as well as art movies and classics. Tokyo has its own opera house, a Shakespearean playhouse, venues for ballet, huge concert halls, and several theaters.

Sports buffs will be happy to find all their favorite pastimes here. Professional baseball, sumo, soccer and volleyball are the major spectator sports of Tokyo. Betting is allowed on horse races, cycling and speedboat racing. Visiting teams from the USA come here regularly for exhibition football, basketball and baseball. Rugby and tennis, ice hockey and boxing, all have their seasons here, and many of the world's top athletes make regular stops in Tokyo for track and field events. There are marathons for amateurs and pros alike; locations abound for bowling, golf, billiards, darts, mah-jongg and even ballroom dancing.

Adult entertainment reaches its crescendo in Tokyo at night. The most popular playground among visitors is Roppongi, where you will find every form of fun known to man (and woman). You can strut your stuff on the dance floor at Velfarre. Enjoy the world's most wondrous "eye candy" at Seventh Heaven. You can stop at numerous piano bars, jazz spots, karaoke clubs and mock casinos (note: gambling for money is illegal in Japan, although playing for prizes is not). And if you happen to tire of Roppongi's dusk-till-dawn excitement, there are always the urban play zones of Shibuya, Akasaka, west Ikebukuro, Yoshiwara (near Asakusa) and that notoriously bawdy section of Shinjuku known as Kabukicho. Oh yes...please do hang on to your billfold in Kabukicho!

Now you are just beginning to see why so many LOVE Tokyo. Plenty to see from sacred temples and avant-garde architecture to crowded alleyways and spacious green parks, and plenty to do with pachinko (vertical pinball) parlors and geisha shows, video game arcades and top-class nightclubs. Within this paradoxical blend of chaos and regimentation, you are sure to find the entertainment you seek.