Not many would disagree that the best sushi is made in Japan. Nor that its high-speed “bullet” trains are an engineering marvel, transporting more than 10 billion people in 50 years across some of the world’s most seismically active land. Whether borne out of centuries of cultural refinement or barefaced necessity, there’s no denying it: Japan is a nation of perfectionists.

But what if we said that the greatest Neapolitan pizzaioli have met their match in a Tokyoite? And that the denim spun in the city of Okayama has sent America’s iconic Cone Mills running for the Californian hills. Or even that the finest whiskies are not only distilled in the Scottish Highlands but at the foot of the Japanese Alps.

During Japan’s post-war boom years, especially its 1980s heyday, when saying “It’s a Sony” carried no hint of irony and when every Walkman-toting salaryman wiped his brow with ¥10,000 notes, a number of staples of Western life were simply imported.

That economic bubble burst decades ago – but the Western influences remain. What’s emerged is a post-boom and bust melting pot brimming with DIY cosmopolitanism. Today, Tokyo’s zelkova-lined streets boast some of the world’s very best streetwear brands, burger joints and coffee bars – and this time around they’re home-grown.

Here, we take you through some of our favourite convention-crushing spots.

When the boom went bust in the 1990s, Japan swapped a love of very expensive French cuisine for an obsession with comforting Itameshi (Italian food) – which got a firm footing in Tokyo via the Italian-American soldiers stationed there during the post-WWII occupation. It might be the culinary equivalent of partying with a French girl you couldn’t afford, getting dumped and then returning to the embrace of a warm and loving Italian aunt – but at least they’ve done it perfectly. Today, there are estimated to be thousands of Japanese chefs-in-training in Italy, and many Italians consider the countless pasta and pizza eateries in Tokyo better than those back home.

If it’s pizza you want, then Pizzeria e Trattoria da Isa should be top of your list. The owner, Mr Hisanori Yamamoto, picked up trophies three years running between 2007 and 2009 at the World Pizza Championships in Naples. His trattoria, which opened in trendy Nakameguro in 2010, is permanently busy, yet he manages a quick turnover by stone-baking the most sublime pizzas in less than 40 seconds each.

Are! Nande doner ga toppingu no menu ni naindesuka!? “Why in the world is doner meat not on your extra toppings menu?!”

Tokyo’s Harajuku district is Japan’s subculture Mecca, but those of us not massively into Lolita (doll fashion on humans) or cosplay (dressing up as your favourite cartoon character) should look to its streetwear brands, which trace their roots back to a 1980s hip-hop-meets-punk zeitgeist. Cat Street, and the meandering passageways leading off it, is where everything from A Bathing Ape to Undercover set up shop first – and where every Japanese streetwear trend has begun ever since.

1. The Pool Aoyama, a just-opened lifestyle store set in the disused swimming pool of a 1970s apartment block, sells everything from ultra-limited-edition bomber jackets and gym towels to Porter-Yoshida & Co bags and highly sought-after Fragment x Nike sneakers. It is the brainchild of Mr Hiroshi Fujiwara, the arbiter of tastes who was part of Dame Vivienne Westwood’s King’s Road motley crew in 1980s London. The Harajuku area’s reputation as a global trendsetter owes much to the discerning eye of Mr Fujiwara, making The Pool Aoyama an essential visit.

2. visvim, which is new to MR PORTER this fall, was founded in 2001 by Mr Hiroki Nakamura. Obsessive to the minute detail and something of a nomad, he travels the world to source bygone techniques – Native American moccasin construction, Japanese indigo dyeing and an elderly French crocheter called Simone are but three – for what has become streetwear’s benchmark in terms of quality and design. Stop by visvim’s new F.I.L. (Free International Laboratory) store along Omotesando (the elegant broadway bisecting Harajuku) and sample the coffee at Mr Nakamura’s Little Cloud Coffee café terrace – beautifully served in the traditional Japanese pour-over style.

Sumimasen, moyori no Superdry wa dokodesuka? “Pardon me, but where is the nearest Superdry store?”

Be it hot or cold, from a vending machine, café chain or ubiquitous convenience store, getting a decent cup (or is that a can?) of Japanese Joe is notoriously tricky – and this in a nation proudly among the world’s top three bean importers. But hold that thought: in the past five years or so, Tokyo’s coffee lovers have started calling the shots.

1. Mr Katsuyuki Tanaka opened Bear Pond Espresso in 2009 in Tokyo’s Bohemian Shimokitazawa area. Having lived in New York for almost 20 years, he fell in love with American espresso culture and once made a canned coffee ad in Argentina with Mr Diego Maradona. He sets himself strict rules in order to retain his reputation as Tokyo’s best: only he can make espressos, and none is ever made after 2pm (that’s when fluctuations in the power grid affect his customised La Marzocco machine’s performance). The result is a remarkably thick, potent shot that has Bear Pond on every coffee connoisseur’s must-visit list.

2. Japanese etiquette can be daunting, and the eviction warnings at Mr Hiroshi Kiyota’s four-seat Coffee-Ten-Irukaya establishment suggest it’s a place only for the brave (or brazen): no photos, no groups larger than two, no phones and no talking to him while he’s working. Taste your flannel-filtered, stove-heated creation, though, and such strict codes seem worthwhile. The experience, involving glass beakers, scales, single-origin beans and instructions on how to sip your order, is like an afternoon science class – but one you’ll not want to skip in future. Irukaya opens from 2pm (bookings only) and is well worth the trip west to Tokyo’s Mitaka.

Sumimasen, ko-hi ni satou wo irete kuremasenka? “Excuse me, would you drop a sweetener in mine please?”

From those familiar Golden Arches (the first appearing in upscale Ginza in 1971) and Colonel Sanders logos right through to the local Lotteria chains, fast food is inescapable in Tokyo. What’s more, there’s a market for some frankly bizarre takes on America’s most famous culinary export, including jet-black hamburgers and, more recently, an artery-choking, five-patty-strong Tower Cheese Burger. But, similar to coffee, Tokyo’s burger scene has enjoyed a sharp spike in “artisans” since the turn of the millennium – and they’re giving their Stateside peers a serious run for their money.

Japan’s cattle breeders famously go to extreme lengths – including massaging and plying their cows with beer – to ensure the beef they produce (known as Wagyu) is as marbled and melt-in-the-mouth delicious as possible. To find out what a patty of this stuff tastes like in a bun replete with Jack cheese, bacon and avocado, head to Blacows in Ebisu, which is just south of Shibuya. Run by Yazawa, a leading black Wagyu cattle supplier, this is Tokyo’s next-level burger – and for the equivalent of around £9 is a steal when you consider Kobe beef burgers from London’s Zuma have sold for a hefty £55.

Sumimasen, Quorn burger arimasuka? “Excuse me, do you sell Quorn burgers?”

Japan’s insatiable appetite for American culture stems from the years just after WWII when US troops showed the young locals how to let loose. As those youngsters became a part of the corporate “Japan Inc” generation, their dreams of James Dean-like rebellion grew stronger – and they demanded the weekend wear to match. While America’s manufacturers focused evermore on mass production, Japan’s vintage purists started their own American workwear and Ivy League-style brands – the point being they’ve become so good at it that they rival, if not better, the real thing…

1. Ameyoko in east Tokyo is an historic, bustling market, its name partly referring to the “Ame” in “American”. Stroll around today and you’ll find both Japanese and American Americana in abundance – from selvedge denim jeans right through to vintage MA-1 flight jackets. If you’re on holiday (your mates won’t be judging) you could attempt to channel Mr Ryan Gosling in Drive – and more recently Mr Pharrell Williams – with a satin bomber known as the Yokosuka jacket. These came about when US troops, set to return home from Yokosuka Naval Base, got their bombers customised by the local embroidery experts – mostly dragons, koi, skulls and other “badass” mementos.

2. Selvedge denim, which the US stopped producing around the late 1950s upon the advent of more efficient looms, owes its current revival to Japan. The southern city of Okayama – a hotbed of artisanal indigo dyers and shuttle loom plants – is today’s premium denim capital of the world. The “Osaka Five”, a selection of denim brands including Evisu, Denime and Fullcount, which sprang up in the area between the late 1970s and mid-1990s, became de rigueur for men all over the world who like their jeans raw and ready for whatever comes their way. Today, some of Europe and America’s most respected casual brands, from A.P.C. to Jean Shop, source their denim from Japan.

Watashi wa Ryan Gosling desu. Sono sukajan makete kuremansenka? “I am Ryan Gosling. Can I have a discount on that Yokosuka jacket please?”

Japan’s oldest distillery, Yamazaki, is approaching its 93rd year, and it’s taken almost as long for the West to pay it due notice. But Japanese whiskies, once regarded as bootlegged and overloaded with spices, are now stealing a lot of thunder (and the top awards) from their Scottish counterparts. The peat might be imported from Scotland, but the perfect climate and meticulous blenders are entirely local. Whether it’s Tokyo’s staple after-work mixer – the highball – or a premium malt you’re after, everyone’s increasingly talking about Hibiki as much as they are Highland Park.

1. Shot Bar Zoetrope, hidden down a backstreet just away from the neon-lit chaos of Shinjuku, combines owner Mr Atsushi Horigami’s passion for cinema with his favourite tipple. And in typical Japanese fashion this is a project with perfection in mind: the interior was designed by movie art director Mr Takeo Kimura and the menu features 300 varieties of whisky from every distillery in the country. Sample Yamazaki’s Hakushu 12-year-old, a subtly peaty yet bright and citrussy single malt, or the far lesser-known Ichiro's Malt King of Diamonds, while watching a silent movie in the best bar of its kind.

2. In Japan’s post-war years, rows of beaten-down office types would prop up Tokyo’s bars and loosen their ties while sipping a highball – a whisky-soda once considered cultured but then associated purely with such men. Around five years ago the drink enjoyed a phoenix-like revival – mainly due to a huge PR push from mega-distiller Suntory, which set about targeting a hipper demographic. There’s something nostalgic yet alluring about highballs, and Mr Kazunari Maguchi, the legendary barman at Rockfish in Ginza (2F, 26 Polestar Bldg, 7-2-14 Ginza, Tokyo. 03-5537-6900), is the perfect man to show you why they are back on the list.

Bill Murray_-san, koko ni kita koto aru?_ “Has Mr Bill Murray ever dropped by?” (He hasn’t.)

Five Japanese inventions that may (or may not) have changed your life

Penned in the 11th century by Ms Murasaki Shikibu, The Tale of Genji observes aristocracy in Japan’s Heian period. It is regarded as the first novel for its characterisation, psychological complexity and remarkable consistency (remarkable meaning there are 400 nameless characters for you to get to know).

Life-change rating: 10

How? By growing them in glass boxes, of course. Why? So they fit better in your refrigerator, silly! How much? Around ¥10,000 (£58) each – which might seem unreasonable for a fruit until you consider melons from Yubari in Hokkaido can go for ¥2.5m (£14,500) a pair. And they aren’t even square…

Life-change rating: 4

They were invented in 1958 and Japan, in a poll from the year 2000, considers them its biggest 20th-century contribution to mankind (ahead of, for example, the compact disc or portable electrocardiograph). Well, the 95 billion instant noodle packs eaten each year don’t lie.

Life-change rating: 7

The laconic, gun-slinging cowboy famously played by Mr Clint Eastwood in the mid-1960s was actually a laconic, katana-wielding samurai first, portrayed by Mr Toshiro Mifune in Mr Akira Kurosawa’s 1961 “Ramen Eastern” Yojimbo. There was a copyright lawsuit, from which we imagine Mr Kurosawa walked away with a fistful of dollars.

Life-change rating: 7 if you’re you (10 if you’re Mr Eastwood)

A control panel bestows the sitter an arsenal of functions – from cleaning wands, warm massages and air-drying to heated seating, deodorizers and a simulated flushing sound (known as the otohime – “sound princess”) – the purpose of which we’ll let you figure out. Toto, the company that invented the washlet in 1980, opened a store in London in 2010. To find out if they’ll take off in the West, you’ll have to wash this space…

Life-change rating: 2