Japan Travel Guide


The latest travel Information on Japan, includes ideas on Things to See and Do, Local Events, Consulate & Embassy Contact Addresses and much more, all from a first-time visitors point of view.

Japan Information

Overview

The contrasts of Japan are startling - Tokyo dazzles with bright lights and high-tech gadgetry while the cherry blossoms in Kyoto’s Maruyama Park are symbols of peace and beauty, as they have been for over 1,000 years.

Since 1950, Japan has seen exceptional economic growth, becoming one of the world’s most powerful economies. Bustling cities burst with skyscrapers, bullet trains and trendy nightlife. The brief economic dip in the 1990s is starting to recede into the distance, as rampant consumerism again picks up pace.

Yet beneath the brash modernity beats an ancient heart. This is still the realm of the exquisite art of the geisha and the skill of the sumo wrestler; where ancient festivals are celebrated and food is elevated to an art form. And Japan is still a land of great natural beauty, from the snow festivals and lavender farms of the northern isle of Hokkaido to the sun-drenched beaches of the subtropical south. Whether you choose to climb Mount Fuji or relax at volcanic hot spring resorts, Japan is unforgettable.

Author

Lucy Moss


Top Things To See

Visit Tokyo’s Imperial Palace (website: www.kunaicho.go.jp/eindex.html) (open to the public on 1 January and the Emperor’s birthday, 23 December) with its impressive moat. The East Gardens (Higashi Gyoen) are open year round. For more ‘Old Tokyo’, explore Shitamachi and the Asakusa-Kannon Temple.

The coastal town of Kamakura, one hour south of Tokyo, was the seat of Japan’s medieval feudal government and abounds in historic sights. Highlights include the giant bronze Great Buddha, colourful Hachimangu Shrine and picturesque Enoshima Island.

See the inspiring sight of Japan’s highest mountain at 3,776m (12,388ft) tall, Mount Fuji, which may be climbed at the height of summer. You won’t be alone, in high season there are queues along parts of the route!

Step onto the island of Hokkaido - for a long time, Japan’s ‘Wild West’, and still retaining a distinct pioneer feel. Hokkaido is home to the last of Japan’s indigenous Ainu people, and the remnants of their distinct culture are a must-see (website: www.ainu-museum.or.jp).

Don’t miss the capital of Japan for over 1,000 years, Kyoto. Founded in AD794, sights include the Golden Pavilion (Kinkakuji), the Zen rock garden of Ryoanji, Kiyomizu Temple and the medieval Nijo Castle . The historic Gion geisha district makes a great afternoon wander.

At Nara, one hour south of Kyoto, don’t miss the ‘great Buddha’ of Todaiji Temple, the world’s largest wooden structure at 57m (187ft) high, and the sacred deer in Nara Park. Nearby, the 7th century Horyuji Temple is the world’s oldest wooden structure.

See Osaka, renowned for its abundance of excellent restaurants, historic Osaka Castle and the performing arts of Kabuki and Bunraku. The city’s Namba and Umeda districts are renowned for their nightlife and the Dotonburi area is particularly vibrant after dark. 

Universal Studios Japan (website: www.usj.co.jp), a 60-hectare (140-acre) theme park in Osaka, and Tokyo Disneyland (website: www.tokyodisneyresort.co.jp) are both enormously popular and unsurprisingly kitsch - worth taking children too.

Go to the gorgeous island of Miyajima and see its famous red Shinto torii gateway, which seemingly floats on the sea at high tide. Itsukushima Shrine, the cable car up the central mountain for panoramic views and the tame deer are all major attractions.

Dogo Spa is famous as being among the oldest in Japan. Ibusuki Spa, on the southern tip of Kyushu, also boasts some of the most famous hot springs in Japan and is renowned for its hot-sand saunas.

See Contact Addresses for further tourist information.


Top Things To Do

Watch Japanese martial arts - or take part. S umo and judo are national sports, both drawing huge crowds. Large sumo tournaments are held in Tokyo (website: www.sumo.or.jp/eng). To try Karate, contact the Japan Karatedo Federation (website: www.karatedo.co.jp). Kendo, Japanese fencing, is practised in numerous clubs.

Go skiing (website: www.skijaoanguide.com), especially in the Japanese Alps and Hokkaido - where most resorts have hot springs. Various resorts in Nagano offer facilities for night-skiing. The southernmost natural ski slope in Japan is the Gokase Highland Ski, which offers grass skiing out of season.

Between January and March, go whale or dolphin watching (website: www.h2.dion.ne.jp/~owa/english/e_content.html).

Enjoy a cherry blossom party when they are in bloom in April and May. During this time, impromptu parties are held under the blossoms where everyone drinks too much. The most famous are in Ueno Park in Tokyo and Maruyama Park in Kyoto.

Visit Sapporo, Hokkaido’s vibrant capital, famous for its great nightlife and the extraordinary Snow Festival (website: www.snowfes.com) in February. The ice party lasts for seven days, and is marked by huge, elaborate snow and ice sculptures.

Book a seat to see some bunraku, a unique form of puppet theatre, and the very best in traditional entertainment. For more traditional forms of theatre, can noh and kabuki are dramatic forms with participants dressed in medieval costumes (website: www.bunraku.or.jp).

Witness the Gion Festival in Kyoto, which reaches its climax at the Yasaka Shrine in mid July. A street parade takes place with the participants in costumes and carrying portable shrines.

Go shopping. In Tokyo, Ginza is one of Asia’s shopping paradises. Check out the Sony Shop for the latest gadgets. And get up early to witness the world’s largest fish market at Tsukiji (website:www.tsukiji-market.or.jp).

Visit Sado Island: rural, unspoilt, and home to the Kodo Drummers (website: www.kodo.or.jp). The Kodo Drummers are referred to as ’samurai percussionists’, since their world-famous troupe is selected on the basis of a rigorous two-year training apprenticeship in a remote area deep in the mountains.

Stay out late in Tokyo, especially in Akasaka and Roppongi, which offer vibrant nightlife of every kind, from geisha tea houses to clubs and bars. For a younger scene, head to Harajuku and Shibuya.

Take part in a Japanese tea ceremony; you can arrange to do so through the tourist information centres in Kyoto and Tokyo. The elegant ritual takes place in a room designed and designated for tea, called a chashitsu, and is steeped in symbolism.

See Contact Addresses for further tourist information.


Going Out

Food and Drink

Japanese cuisine involves fresh, delicate flavours. The best place to try sushi is a Kaiten Sushi Bar, where many varieties pass on a conveyor belt allowing choice over which  to try, at more reasonable prices than a traditional sushi restaurant. A variety of international restaurants are also available, catering for every taste and budget, from French and Italian to Chinese, Indian and Thai. Western dishes in expensive places are good, but cheaper restaurants may be disappointing. The Japanese are very fond of whiskey, and saké (rice wine) is still regularly served.

Things to know: Restaurants have table service and in some places it is customary to remove footwear. There are no licensing hours. Drinking is subject to long-standing rituals of politeness. The hostess will pour a drink for the visitor, and will insist on the visitor’s glass being full. It is bad manners for a visitor to pour one for himself.

National specialities:
• Teriyaki (marinated beef/chicken/fish seared on a hot plate).
• Tempura (deep fried seafood and vegetables).
• Sushi (slices of raw seafood placed on light and vinegary rice balls – very tasty and refreshing).
• Sashimi (slices of raw seafood dipped in soy sauce).

National drinks:
• Green tea is by far the most popular beverage amongst the Japanese. The quality of the tea varies greatly from houjicha (a common brown-coloured tea) to matcha (a bitter green tea used in tea ceremonies).
• Sake, rice wine served hot or cold according to the season, is strong and distinctively fresh tasting.
• Shochu, a strong aquavit, is an acquired taste.
• Japanese wines are inconsistent, but improving.
• Popular brands of beer are Asahi, Kirin, Sapporo and Suntory.

Legal drinking age: 20.

Tipping: Tips are never expected since a 10 to 15% service charge is added to the bill.

Nightlife

Tokyo has an abundance of cinemas, theatres, bars, coffee shops, discos and nightclubs. Karaoke bars are also a very popular form of entertainment. A wide range of bars are available, from the upmarket and stylish to cheap street stalls , with the key areas being Shibuya, Roppongi and Shinjuku. In the summer, rooftop beer gardens are popular. Some clubs have hostesses who expect to be bought drinks and snacks. In bigger nightclubs and bars, a basic hostess charge is levied. However, there are thousands of other bars and clubs that do not charge entry and do not offer hostess service. In Tokyo there are concerts of all styles of music almost every night. Foreign opera companies, ballet companies, orchestras and rock / pop stars visit Japan all year round. Some live jazz houses are also available. For those who would like to try the traditional Japanese performing arts, there is kabuki and noh theatre in Tokyo and Kyoto. The Tokyo English-language guide Metropolis (website: http://metropolis.co.jp) is a good source for finding out what’s on. It is advisable to purchase tickets in advance because shows are quickly sold out. Osaka is also renowned for its nightlife.

Shopping

A blend of Oriental goods and Western sales techniques confronts the shopper, particularly at the big department stores, which are more like exhibitions than shops, and almost always have a bowing shop assistant to welcome you through the doors. Playgrounds for children are available. Special purchases include kimonos, mingei (local crafts including kites and folk toys); Kyoto silks, fans, screens, dolls; religious articles such as Shinto and Buddhist artefacts; paper lanterns; lacquerware; hi-fi equipment, cameras, televisions and other electronic equipment. Bargaining is not usual. Tax exemptions are available in authorised tax-free stores. Certain items costing more than ¥10,000 are exempt from tax. Remember when buying electronic goods that they may not be compatible with UK or US voltage.

Shopping hours: 1000-1900/2000 every day of the week and on public holidays.


Climate

Except for the Hokkaido area and the subtropical Okinawa region, the weather is mostly temperate, with four seasons. Winters are cool and sunny in the south, cold and sunny around Tokyo (which occasionally has snow), and very cold around Hokkaido, which is covered in snow for up to four months a year. Summer, between June and September, ranges from warm to very hot, while spring and autumn are generally mild throughout the country. Rain falls throughout the year but June and early July is the main rainy season. Hokkaido, however, is much drier than the Tokyo area. Rainfall is intermittent with sunshine. Typhoons are only likely to occur in September or October but rarely last more than a day.

Required Clothing

Lightweight cottons and linens are required throughout summer in most areas. Light- to mediumweights during spring and autumn; medium- to heavyweights for winter months, according to region. Much warmer clothes will be needed in the mountains all year round. There is much less rainfall than in Western Europe.


Public Holidays

Below are listed Public Holidays for the January 2008-December 2009 period.

2008
1 Jan New Year’s Day.
2-3 Jan* Bank Holiday.
14 Jan Coming of Age Day.
11 Feb National Foundation Day.
20 Mar Vernal Equinox.
29 Apr Showa Day.
3 May Constitution Memorial Day.
5 May Greenery Day (forwarded from 4 May).
5 May Children’s Day. 
21 Jul Marine Day.
15 Sep Respect for the Aged Day.
23 Sep Autumnal Equinox.
13 Oct Sports Day.
3 Nov Culture Day.
24 Nov Labour Thanksgiving Day (forwarded from 23 Nov).
23 Dec Birthday of the Emperor.
31 Dec* Bank Holiday. 

2009
1 Jan New Year’s Day.
12 Jan Coming of Age Day.
11 Feb National Foundation Day.
20 Mar Vernal Equinox.
29 Apr Showa Day.
3 May Constitution Memorial Day.
4 May Constitution Memorial Day *(observed).
4 May Greenery Day.
5 May Children’s Day.
20 July Marine Day.
21 Sept Respect for the Aged Day.
23 Sept Autumnal Equinox.
12 Oct Sports Day.
3 Nov Culture Day.
23 Nov Labor Thanksgiving Day.
23 Dec Birthday of the Emperor.
31 Dec* Bank Holiday.

Note

* Bank and government employees only.
(a) With the exception of New Year Bank Holidays, if a holiday falls on a Sunday, the following day is treated as a holiday instead. (b) When there is a single day between two national holidays, it is also taken as a holiday. (c) Between 29 December and 3 January government offices and many shops and offices are closed.


Health

Diphtheria

Special Precaution: No

Hepatitis A

Special Precaution: No

Malaria

Special Precaution: No

Rabies

Special Precaution: No

Tetanus

Special Precaution: Yes

Typhoid

Special Precaution: No

Yellow Fever

Special Precaution: No

Health Care

Health insurance is strongly recommended, owing to the high cost of treatment. The International Association for Medical Assistance to Travellers (website: www.iamat.org) provides English-speaking doctors. There are hospitals in all major cities.

Further Health Information

We advise you to check health requirements for the country you are traveling to with your GP, practice nurse or travel health clinic as health requirements and vaccinations can change at short notice.

Money

Currency

Japanese Yen (JPY; symbol ¥). Notes are in denominations of ¥10,000, 5,000, 2,000 and 1,000. Coins are in denominations of ¥500, 100, 50, 10, 5 and 1.

Note: Japan has a strong cash culture, and it is usual to see people carrying large amounts of cash with them because of the low crime rate. It is only recently that credit cards have begun to become more popular. However, travellers may still encounter difficulties with foreign credit cards.

Currency Exchange

All money must be exchanged at an authorised bank or money changer.

Credit/Debit Cards and ATMs

American Express, Diners Club, MasterCard, Visa and other major credit cards are widely accepted in towns. ATMs are available although only international banks accept foreign credit or debit cards, and these are hard to find outside of towns. They are generally open Mon-Fri 0700-2300, Sat-Sun 0900-1900, though some only operate during normal banking hours and on Saturday mornings. Citibank machines are the most likely to have ATMs, and also to accept foreign credit cards (and are usually open 24 hours). Almost 12,000 7-eleven stores began to accept foreign cards from July 2007. Some post offices also have ATMs which accept foreign cards.

Traveller's Cheques

These can be exchanged at most major banks, larger hotels and some duty-free shops. To avoid additional exchange rate charges, travellers are advised to take traveller’s cheques in Japanese Yen or US Dollars.

Banking Hours

Mon-Fri 0900-1500.


Passport/Visa

British

Passport Required: Yes
Visa Required: No/1
Return Ticket Required: Yes

Australian

Passport Required: Yes
Visa Required: No/2
Return Ticket Required: Yes

Canadian

Passport Required: Yes
Visa Required: No/3
Return Ticket Required: Yes

USA

Passport Required: Yes
Visa Required: No/2/4
Return Ticket Required: Yes

Other EU

Passport Required: Yes
Visa Required: No/1/2/3
Return Ticket Required: Yes

Passport Note

(a) Whether or not they hold a visa, visitors who do not possess visible means of support for their stay, onward or return tickets, or other documents for their next destination, may be refused entry. (b) All foreign nationals now entering Japan will be photographed and have their fingerprints taken; nationals will also be subject to a short interview regarding their purpose of stay.

Passports

Passport valid for the duration of intended stay in Japan required by all nationals referred to in the chart above.

Visas

Not required by all nationals referred to in the chart above for the following durations:
(a) 1. nationals of Austria, Germany, Ireland and the UK who although initially granted a 90-day stay may apply, while in Japan, to the local immigration department for an extension of up to a further 90 days, making the visa-free stay up to six months;
(b) 2. nationals of Australia, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovak Republic and the USA for stays of up to 90 days;
(c) 3. nationals of Belgium, Canada, Cyprus, Denmark, Finland, France, Greece, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden for stays of up to three months.

Note: Nationals not referred to in the chart above are advised to contact the embassy to check visa requirements (see Contact Addresses).

Visa Note

4. Journalists from the USA must obtain a visa regardless of intended length of stay.


Contact Addresses

Embassy of Japan in the UK

101-104 Piccadilly, London W1J 7JT, UK
Tel: (020) 7465 6500 or 6565 (visa section).
Website: www.uk.emb-japan.go.jp
Opening hours: Mon-Fri 0930-1330 and 1430-1730; 0930-1330 and 1430-1630 (consular section).

Japan National Tourist Organisation (JNTO) in the UK

Heathcoat House, 20 Saville Row, London W1S 3PR, UK
Tel: (020) 7734 9638.
Website: www.seejapan.co.uk

Embassy of Japan in the USA

2520 Massachusetts Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20008, USA
Tel: (202) 238 6700 or 6800 (visa section).
Website: www.us.emb-japan.go.jp

Japan National Tourist Organisation (JNTO) in the USA

1 Rockefeller Plaza, Suite 1250, New York, NY 10020, USA
Tel: (212) 757 5640.
Website: www.japantravelinfo.com


Travel Advice

Warning

Most visits to Japan are trouble-free but travellers should be aware of the global risk of indiscriminate international terrorist attacks, which could be against civilian targets, including places frequented by foreigners.

Possession of small amounts of drugs will lead to detention and prosecution. Possession of large amounts earns long sentences of rigorous imprisonment and very heavy fines.

The typhoon season in Japan normally runs from June to October.

The country is also in a major earthquake zone with frequent quakes of varying sizes.

This advice is based on information provided by the Foreign & Commonwealth Office in the UK. It is correct at time of publishing. As the situation can change rapidly, visitors are advised to contact the following organisations for the latest travel advice:

British Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Tel: 0845 850 2829.
Website: www.fco.gov.uk

US Department of State
Website: http://travel.state.gov/travel  




Disclaimer
We've tried to make the information on this page as accurate as possible, but it is provided 'as is' and we accept no responsibility for any loss, injury or inconvenience sustained by anyone resulting from this information. You should verify critical information with the relevant authorities before you travel.