Russia Travelogues for Russia

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Mexico Travel Information Site

Mexico Travel - Information Site For Travelers - by mexico_travel RSS | ATOM | FOAF OPERA COMMUNITY  Log in | Sign up Skip navigation . Mexico Travel Information Site For Travelers Blog Photo album Links About Mexico Travel: Mexican Cinema Wednesday, 28. December 2005, 06:10:06 Mexican Movies The history of Mexican cinema goes back to the beginning of the 20th century, when several enthusiasts of the new medium documented historical events most particularly the Mexican Revolution – and produced some movies that have been only recently been rediscovered. During the 1920s very few movies were produced, especially given the political climate that was still very unsettled. In the 1930s, once peace and a degree of political stability were achieved, cinematography took off in Mexico and several movies still experimenting with the nascent medium were done. It is important to notice how early Mexican cinematographers were influenced and encouraged by Sergei Eisenstein's visit to the country. During the 1940s the full potential of the industry developed. Actors, actresses, and directors became popular icons and even figures with political influence on diverse spheres of Mexican life. The industry received a boost as a consequence of Hollywood redirecting its efforts towards propagandistic films, which left an open field for other industries. Mexico dominated the film market in Latin America for most of the 1940s without competition from the United States film industry. The golden era of Mexican cinema took place during the 1940s. Actors like Pedro Infante, Jorge Negrete, Cantinflas, Joaquin Pardave, María Felix, and Dolores del Rio gained recognition. Gabriel Figueroa became an internationally acclaimed cinematographer and Emilio Fernandez and Luis Bunuel directed some of Mexico's most important movies. During 1990s the era of the Nuevo Cine Mexicano took place with high quality films by Arturo Ripstein, Alfonso Arau, Alfonso Cuaron and Maria Novaro. The most famous films produced at this time were Como Agua Para Chocolate (Like Water for Chocolate) and Sexo, Pudor y Lagrimas. Comments (0) Travel Mexico: Mexican Baby Names Tuesday, 27. December 2005, 08:40:37 Mexican Name Keep in mind that these names come from various parts of the country and can be derived from different cultures. The spellings and meaning may vary slightly from region to region - check with your family or other resources if this is important in naming your child. Mexican Baby Boy Names - Antonio - Carlos - Cesar - Crespin - Cruz - Daniel - DeMario - Doroteo - Eber - Elbanco - Eleazar - Elieis - Emilio - Enrique - Enriqueta - Ernesto - Eru - Erubiel - Felix - Filiberto - Flaco - Francisco - Gabriel - Graciano - Hector - Heraclio - Humberto - Ignacio - Isdel - Isidoro - Ivan - Izek - Jaimenacho - Jarini - Javier - Jesus-Ernesto - Jesus - Joel - Jorge - Jose - Juan-Carlos - Juan - Juaquine - Kasper Mexican Baby Girl Names - Beatriz - Berenice - Bertha - Cecilia - Christina - Cierra - Crotilda - Dominga - Dora - Elodia - Elsa - Elvia - Encarnacion - Erendira - Esmeralda - Eufemia - Eva-Yolanda - Flaca - Gabriela - Geavonna - Graciela - Grizelda - Guadalupe - Guliana - Hilda - Inez - Irma - Ivonne - Juana - Juanita - Katia - Katiana - Kristina - Leahonia - Leandra - Leticia - Lilia - Liliana - Manuela - Maria - Maricruz - Marilu - Marlina - Martha - Materia - Michaela - Michelle - Miranda - Myra - Nailea - Ofelia - Olademis - Pasha - Patricia Cheers.... Comments (0) Mexico Travel: About Its Music Monday, 26. December 2005, 07:36:25 Mexico Music The music of Mexico is extraordinarily diverse and features a wide range of different musical styles. The most well known Mexican genre by far is mariachi, a style of traditional Mexican son which is considered old-fashioned but respected traditional music and is usually listened to as modern music. Mexican ranchera the ranchera is a type of Mexican song. Although closely associated with the Mexican mariachi groups which evolved in Jalisco in the post-revolutionary period. (country music) styles, including norteno and banda, are not only popular within Mexico itself, but they are also frequently enjoyed by Mexican immigrants in both rural and urban American communities. Norteno, similar to Tejano music and Tex-Mex , which may refer to:, arose in the 1930s and 40s in the Rio Grande border region of southern Texas. Influenced by Bohemian immigrant miners, its rhythm was derived from the European polka dance popular during the 1800s Banda, similar to norteno in musical form, originated from the Mexico state of Sinaloa during the 1960s. Other new styles such as cumbia, pop. , and rock have seen increased popularity as the music of Mexico faces a new generation of young people. Southern Mexican folk music is centered around the marimba, which remains popular in Chiapas and Oaxaca. In Yucatan the traditional Jarana music and dance is popular. Modern Mexican musical styles are also changing Mexican music. Cumbia, pop, hip-hop, and rock, which are heavily influenced by music from the Caribbean islands and the United States, are increasingly becoming popular among Mexican youths on both sides of the border good link: Made in Mexico Comments (0) Transport in Mexico Saturday, 24. December 2005, 10:51:18 Mexico Transport Mexico The United Mexican States or Mexico 's land transportation network is one of the most extensive in Latin America. More than 4,000 kilometers (2,400 mi.) of four-lane highway have been built through government concessions to private sector contractors since 1989, of which 3,500 kilometers (2,100 miles) have been constructed since 1994. The vast majority of these expressways are toll roads, like in most other developing countries. (Originally awarded under Build-Operate-Transfer concession schemes, most of these private highways have since been "rescued" by central government financial intervention to save the operators from bankruptcy.) The 26,622 km (16,268 mi.) of government-owned railroads in Mexico have been privatized through the sale of 50-year operating concessions. In the 1980s and 1990s, the government allowed the private operators to abandon nearly all passenger rail service. A plethora of private intercity bus lines serve the nation. Passenger rail service to the Copper Canyon region still operates, due to the remote nature of the area and tourist ridership. Tampico, Tamaulipas, and Veracruz , on the Gulf of Mexico, are Mexico's two primary seaports. Recognizing that the low productivity of Mexico's 108 ports poses a threat to trade development, the government has steadily been privatizing port operations to improve their efficiency. A number of international airlines serve Mexico, with direct or connecting flights from most major cities in the United States, Canada, Europe, Japan, and Latin America. Most Mexican regional capitals and resorts have direct air services to Mexico City or the United States. Airport privatization, based on Mexico's successful experience with seaports, is nearly complete. Comments (0) Important DaysTo Remember Friday, 23. December 2005, 08:34:45 holidays Mexico * 1st Jan: Ano nuevo (mexican name) - New Year (english name) - New Year's day * 5th Feb : Dia de la Constitucion - Constitution Day - Celebrates the ratification of the Constitution of 1917, adopted after the Mexican Revolution. * 18th Mar: Expropiacion Petrolera - Oil Expropriation - President Lazaro expropriated foreign-held oil wells to facilitate Mexico's industrial development * 21st Mar: Natalicio de Benito Juarez - Benito Juarez's Birthday - Birthday of Benito Juarez president and statesman who stood against the French occupation * 1st May: Dia del Trabajo - Labour Day - Commemorates the Haymarket Riot of 1886 * 5th May: Batalla de Puebla - Cinco De Mayo - Celebrates the victory against French forces in the city of Puebla. (not an official holiday) It is also widely celebrated in the United States among Mexican-Americans. * 16th Sep: Dia de la Independencia - Independence Day - Celebrates the Grito de Dolores an event that marked the start of the independence war against Spain on the eve of 1810 * 12th Oct: Dia de la Raza - Day of the Race - Commemorates the discovery of America in 1492 by the Italian navigator Christopher Columbus, who was sponsored by the Spanish sovereigns, Isabella of Castille and Ferdinand of Aragon. * 2nd Nov: Dia de los Muertos - Day of the Dead - Mexicans honour their dead relatives and/or friends with candles, food offerings, altars and pre-Hispanic rituals. * 20th Nov: Dia de la Revolucion - Revolution Day - Celebrates the beginning of the Mexican Revloution in 1910 * 12th Dec: Dia de la Virgen de Guadalupe - Day of virgin Guadalupe - Celebrates the day that our lady of Guadalupe appeared on Tepeyac hill to the native. * 25th Dec: Navidad - Christmas - Celebrates the nativity of Jesus also celebrated as secular winter holiday Comments (0) Mexico Travel: Religion Thursday, 22. December 2005, 07:27:08 Mexico Religion Mexico is predominantly Roman Catholic (about 89% of the population), with 6% adhering to various Protestant faiths (mostly Pentecostal), and the remaining 5% of the population adhering to other religions or professing no religion. Some of the country's Catholics (notably those of indigenous background) syncretize Catholicism with various elements of Aztec or Mayan religions. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormonism) enjoys a growing presence in the major border cities of northeastern Mexico. Judaism has been practiced in Mexico for centuries, and there are estimated to be 100,000 Jews in Mexico today. Islam is mainly practiced by members of the Arab, Turkish, and other expatriate communities; Mexico's indigenous Muslims number only a few thousand or less, although recent years have seen some growth of Islam in Chiapas. Comments (0) Mexico States and Cities Wednesday, 21. December 2005, 21:37:23 Mexico City Mexico is divided into 31 states (estados) and a federal district. Each state has its own constitution and its citizens elect a governor as well as representatives to their respective state congresses. 1.Aguascalientes 2.Baja California 3.Baja California Sur 4.Campeche 5.Chiapas 6.Chihuahua 7.Coahuila 8.Colima 9.Durango 10.Guanajuato 11.Guerrero 12.Hidalgo 13.Jalisco 14.Mexico 15.Michoacan 16.Morelos 17.Nayarit 18.Nuevo Leon 19.Oaxaca 20.Puebla 21.Queretaro 22.Quintana Roo 23.San Luis Potosi 24.Sinaloa 25.Sonora 26.Tabasco 27.Tamaulipas 28.Tlaxcala 29.Veracruz 30.Yucatan 31.Zacatecas Distrito Federal The following is a list of the biggest Metropolitan Areas of Mexico in order of population: * Mexico City * Guadalajara, Jalisco * Monterrey, Nuevo Leon * Puebla, Puebla * Tijuana, Baja California * Leon, Guanajuato * Toluca, Mexico * Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua * Torreon, Coahuila Comments (0) Mexican Jokes Wednesday, 21. December 2005, 10:16:21 Mexican Jokes » The American investment banker was at the pier of a small coastal Mexican village when a small boat with just one fisherman docked. Inside the small boat were several large yellow fin tuna. The American complimented the Mexican on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took to catch them. The Mexican replied, "Only a little while." The American then asked, "Why didn't you stay out longer and catch more fish?" The Mexican said, "With this I have more than enough to support my family's needs." The American then asked, "But what do you do with the rest of your time?" The Mexican fisherman said, "I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, take siesta with my wife, Maria, stroll into the village each evening where I sip wine and play guitar with my amigos, I have a full and busy life." The American scoffed, "I am a Harvard MBA and could help you. You should spend more time fishing; and with the proceeds, buy a bigger boat: With the proceeds from the bigger boat you could buy several boats. Eventually you would have a fleet of fishing boats. Instead of selling your catch to a middleman you would sell directly to the processor; eventually opening your own cannery. You would control the product, processing and distribution. You would need to leave this small coastal fishing village and move to Mexico City, then Los Angeles and eventually New York where you will run your ever-expanding enterprise." The Mexican fisherman asked, "But, how long will this all take?" To which the American replied, "15 to 20 years." "But what then?" asked the Mexican. The American laughed and said that's the best part. "When the time is right you would announce an IPO and sell your company stock to the public and become very rich, you would make millions." "Millions?...Then what?" The American said, "Then you would retire. Move to a small coastal fishing village where you would sleep late, fish a little, play with your kids, take siesta with your wife, stroll to the village in the evenings where you could sip wine and play your guitar with your amigos." » There was a German, an American, and a Mexican. They were walking in the woods. Suddenly a heard of buffalo came at them. They ran and ran until they saw a shack and went in it. 2 days later the buffalo left. The men got out of the shack only to find layers of crap everywhere! They were forced to jump in because there was no way out. The German took a leap and said, " It's not bad, it's only up to my waist. " The American took a leap and said, " It's not bad, it's only up to my knees. " Then the Mexican took a leap and said, " It's not bad, it's only up to my ankles. " The American asked, " How did you do that. " The Mexican replied in a muffled voice, I jumped in head first. » What kind of cans are there in Mexico? Mexicans. Comments (0) Mexico Travel: Currency Converter Tuesday, 20. December 2005, 07:57:15 » Currency Converter, where you can convert to and from major foreign currencies. Can't keep all those rates in your head? Create a wallet-sized currency cheat sheet to take with you on your trip. Please select the currencies you'd like to use for your exchange from below. Then choose the category of conversion results you would like to see; Select the Convert Currency button once you have made your selections. Links Travel Calculator & Currency Converter » GCI Trading » X-Rates » Yahoo Finance These sites are reliable and offers free but accurate currency conversion tools or calculators. Tourists or Travellers can use these calculators to see the latest currency conversions. Enjoy your Mexico trip. Comments (0) About Mexico Friday, 9. December 2005, 07:33:56 The United Mexican States or Mexico is a country located in North America, bordered to the north by the United States , to the south-east by Guatemala and Belize , to the west by the Pacific Ocean and to the east by the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea. » It is the most northerly and most westerly,and third largest country, in Latin America and is at the same time the most populated Spanish-speaking country. Mexico is divided into 31 states (estados) and the Mexican Federal District (Distrito Federal). The Mexico City Metropolitan Area, which includes the Federal District and adjacent parts of México State , is one of the most populous cities in the world. » Capital : Mexico City » Language : English & French » Currency : Mexican Peso » National anthem : Mexicanos, al grito de guerra source: Travel World ................................ The culture of Mexico reflects the complexity of Mexico 's history through the blending of Pre-Hispanic Mesoamerican civilizations and the culture of Spain , imparted during Spain 's 300 year colonization of Mexico. » In Mexican culture, it is usually considered undesirable to show weakness or open oneself to others outside of the family. As a result, a strong sense of community is not a trait of Mexican culture, because strong friendships cannot be built without some level of closeness. Relationships are generally approached with a gauge of disbelieve because of fear of betrayal, which for a Mexican is one of the most humiliating experiences one could go through. » Mexico is known worldwide for its folk art traditions, mostly derived from a combination of indigenous and Spanish crafts. Mainly distinguished among handicrafts are the clay pottery made in the valley of Oaxaca and the bird and animal figures made in the village of Tomala . Colorfully embroidered cotton garments, cotton or wool shawls and outer garments, and colorful baskets and rugs are seen everywhere. » With an estimated 2003 population of about 104 million, Mexico is the most populous Spanish-speaking country in the world. Nominally, the country is predominantly Roman Catholic (89%), with 6% adhering to various Protestant faiths and the remaining 5% either adhering to other smaller religions or remaining unaffiliated. | U s e f u l L i n k s :- » Mexican - Embassy » Ancient Mexico .......................................... Mexico Hotels » Hotels differ from motels in that most motels have drive-up, exterior entrances to the rooms, while hotels tend to have halls with interior entrances to the rooms. The cost and quality of hotels are usually relatively indicative of the range and type of services available. Due to the enormous increase in tourism worldwide. » Basic accommodation consisting of a room with a bed, a cupboard, a small table and a washstand only have largely been replaced by rooms with bathrooms. Other features many travelers do not want to do without today are a TV, a telephone, an alarm clock, a small refrigerator. » Mexico hotels. The cost and quality of hotels are usually relatively indicative of the range and type of services available. Due to the enormous increase in tourism worldwide, during the last decades of the 20th century common standards, especially those of smaller sstablishments have improved considerably. For the sake of greater comparability, various rating systems have been introduced, with the one to five stars classification being the most commonly used. | Top Mexico Hotels » Hotels of Mexico » Andale Mexico » Different World » Planet Holiday » Trip Advisor » Mexico Travel Net ............................ Mexico Restaurants A restaurant is a business that serves ready food and beverages to be consumed on the location. The term covers a variety of scene and a range of cuisine styles. Restaurants are sometimes a feature of a larger complex.There exist many likely businesses for restaurants, depending on local traditions and the procedure and price of the meal; *0ne sits down, a waiter comes to take one's order, and later brings the food; one pays after finishing eating *0ne orders at the counter; after preparation the food is brought to one's table; paying may be on ordering or after eating *0ne collects ready portions » Mexico restaurants range from unpretentious lunching or dining places catering to people working nearby, with simple food served in simple settings at low prices, to expensive establishments serving refined food and wines in a formal setting. In the former case, clients are not expected to wear formal attire. In the latter case, clients generally wear formal clothing, though this varies between cultures. | Top Mexico Restaurants » Cancun Blast » Appetite Net » Mexico Resturants » Citi-Guide ...................................... Mexico: Climate & Weather Mexico 's climate is less uneven and warmer. The key aspect in Mexico 's climate variation is that of its geography. Bordering the Gulf of Mexico are lowlands characterized by hotter, more humid climate than the higher elevations of the country. » Mexico has distinct wet and dry seasons. Nearly all of the country experiences a rainy season from June to mid-October and notably less rain during the rest of the year. February and July generally are the driest and wettest months. Mexico City , for example, receives an average of only 5 millimeters of rain during February but more than 160 millimeters in July. Coastal areas, especially those along the Gulf of Mexico , experience the largest amounts of rain in September. | Role Of Mexico Climate - Gulf of Mexico will provide insight into the role of tropical climate system on global climate. » Rainfall varies widely both by location and season. Arid or semiarid conditions are encountered in the Baja Peninsula, the northwestern state of Sonora, the northern altiplano, and significant portions of the southern altiplano. » Mexico faces noteworthy ecological threats upsetting almost every section of the country. Vast expanses of southern and southeastern tropical forests have been striped for cattle raising and agriculture. » Mexico's vast coastline faces a different, but no less difficult, series of environmental problems. | For Latest Mexico Weather Updates; » M e x i c o W e a t h e r » M e x O n l i n e .................................... Mexico Heritage Mexico is most prominent to tourists for its many prehistoric ruins, popular beach resorts, generally warm-to-hot climate, and unique culture. Tourism in Mexico peaks during December and mid-summer. A one hour drive to the northeast of Ruta Puuc are the surviving remains of the city of Mayapan . This settlement was controlled by Chichen Itza to the east, now a large archaeological site with many interesting ruins. » The central and southern parts of Mexico was host to several pre-Hispanic civilizations, with the most prominent being the Aztec, Mayan , and the Olmec. There are numerous tourist destinations where these ruins can be viewed. Along the gulf coast area in the state of Veracruz are more archaeological sites, with the Olmec ceremonial center of Tres Zapotes, the ruins of the large Totonac city of Zempoala , and the ruins of El Tajín with the Pyramid of the Niches. The city of Xalapa contains the Museo de Antropología, a notable museum featuring a collection of massive Olmec head sculptures. » Moving to the north, the central region about Mexico City contains several archeological sites. To the southwest are the massive ruins of Teotihuacán , including the Pyramid of the Sun and the Temple of Quetzalcoatl . To the southeast near the city of Cholula is the Great Pyramid, visible from the city center. Just to the north of Cholula are the well-preserved ruins of Cacaxtla city. | Mexico Heritage Resources » Travel Mexico » Our Mexico » Mexico Expo » World Heritage your comments @ Travel T World Comments (1) Showing posts 1 - 10. 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Japan Travel

Japan - Wikitravel Japan From Wikitravel Asia : East Asia : Japan Flag Quick Facts Capital Tokyo Government constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary government Currency yen (JPY) Area total: 377,835 sq km water: 3,091 sq km land: 374,744 sq km Population 126,974,628 (July 2002 est.) Language Japanese Religion observe both Shinto and Buddhist 84%, other 16% (including Christian 0.7%) Electricity 110V/50 or 60Hz (American plug) Calling code +81 Internet TLD .jp Time zone UTC+9 Map of Japan Japan , known as Nihon or Nippon (??) in Japanese , is an island nation in East Asia . Table of contents 1 Regions 2 Cities 3 Other destinations 4 Understand 4.1 History 4.2 People 4.3 Culture 4.3.1 Holidays 4.3.2 National holidays 4.3.3 The Japanese calendar 4.3.4 Religion 4.3.5 Amusement 4.4 Climate 4.5 Further reading 5 Get in 5.1 By plane 5.2 By boat 6 Get around 6.1 By rail 6.1.1 JR Network 6.1.1.1 Japan Rail Pass 6.1.1.2 Seishun 18 Ticket 6.1.1.3 Buying a ticket 6.1.1.4 Train types 6.1.1.5 Making a reservation 6.1.2 Private railways 6.2 By plane 6.3 By boat 6.4 By bus 6.4.1 Highway buses 6.4.2 Local buses 6.5 By taxi 6.6 By car 6.7 By thumb 7 Talk 8 Buy 8.1 Costs 9 Eat 9.1 Restaurants 9.1.1 All-around eateries 9.1.2 Noodles 9.1.3 Sushi and sashimi 9.1.4 Grilled and fried dishes 9.1.5 Stewed dishes 9.1.6 Pseudo-Western dishes 9.1.7 Beer gardens 9.2 Fast food 9.3 Coffee shops 9.4 Convenience stores 9.5 Eating vegetarian 10 Drink 10.1 Sake 10.2 Shochu 10.3 Beer 10.3.1 Happoshu and third beer 10.4 Western wine 10.5 Tea 10.6 Coffee 10.7 Soft drinks 11 Bathe 11.1 Onsen 11.2 Sento and spas 11.3 Etiquette 12 Sleep 12.1 Hotels 12.1.1 Capsule hotels 12.1.2 Love hotels 12.1.3 Business hotels 12.2 Inns 12.2.1 Ryokan 12.2.2 Minshuku 12.2.3 Kokuminshukusha 12.2.4 Shukubo 12.3 Hostels and camping 12.3.1 Youth hostels 12.3.2 Camping 12.3.3 Nojuku 12.4 Long-term 12.4.1 Gaijin houses 12.4.2 Apartments 12.5 Last resorts 12.5.1 Internet cafés 12.5.2 Karaoke bar 13 Study 14 Work 15 Stay healthy 16 Stay safe 17 Respect 18 Contact 18.1 By phone 18.1.1 Pay telephones 18.1.2 Mobile phones 18.2 By mail 18.3 By net 19 External links [ edit ] Regions Japan consists of four main islands and many smaller islands, notably Okinawa . Honshu , by far the largest and most populated island, is typically divided into five (or more) regions. The other islands are not divided into sub-regions in this section, so they will constitute one region each. Thus, in total, the regions most commonly used are: Hokkaido - the snowy northern frontier of Japan Tohoku - northeastern Honshu, for seafood, skiing and hot springs Kanto - coastal plain including the cities of Tokyo and Yokohama Chubu - mountainous middle region dominated by the Japan Alps and Japan's fourth-largest city Nagoya Kansai - ancient capital of culture and commerce, including the cities of Osaka , Kyoto , Nara and Kobe Chugoku - westernmost Honshu, a rural region best known for the cities of Hiroshima and Shimonoseki Shikoku - the smallest of the Big 4, a destination for Buddhist pilgrims Kyushu - birthplace of Japanese civilization; largest cities Fukuoka and Kitakyushu Okinawa - semi-tropical southern island chain reaching out toward Taiwan [ edit ] Cities Japan has thousands of cities; these are some of the most famous ones. Tokyo - the capital of Japan, modern and densely populated. Fukuoka - the largest city on Kyushu Hiroshima - a large port city, the first city to be destroyed by an atom bomb Kanazawa - a historic city on the west coast Kitakyushu - not just an industrial city, much more than this Kobe - a large port city in the Kansai region Kyoto - an ancient capital of Japan, considered the cultural heart of the country, many ancient Buddhist temples and gardens Nagasaki - an ancient port city in Kyushu Nagoya - a large industrial city in the Chubu region Nara - the first capital of a united Japan, many Buddhist shrines, and historical buildings Osaka - a large and dynamic city located in the Kansai region Sapporo - the largest city in Hokkaido, famous for its snow festival Sendai - the largest city in the Tohoku region, known as the forest city due to its tree lined avenues and forested hills Shimonoseki — the southwestern tip of Honshu, one of the famous cities. It is known for fugu (globefish/pufferfish/blowfish). Yokohama - a large port city near Tokyo [ edit ] Other destinations See Japan's Top 3 for some sights and places held in the high esteem by the Japanese themselves, and Off the beaten track in Japan for a selection of fascinating but less well known destinations throughout the country. Mount Fuji — 3776 meters high which is the highest mountain in Japan and is it the iconic snow-topped volcano 88 Temple Pilgrimage — an arduous 1,647-kilometer trail around the island of Shikoku Narrow Road to the Deep North — a route around northern Japan immortalized by Japan's most famous haiku poet [ edit ] Understand Cherry blossoms in Kichijoji , Tokyo Japan is the country where East meets West and the past meets the future. Japanese culture stretches back millennia, yet has also adopted (and created) the latest modern fashions and trends. Japan is a study in contrasts and contradictions. Many Japanese corporations dominate their industries, yet if you read the financial news it seems like Japan is practically bankrupt. Cities in Japan are as modern and high tech as anywhere else, but tumbledown wooden shacks can still be spotted next to glass fronted designer condominiums. On an average subway ride, you will see childishly cute character toys and violent pornography- sometimes enjoyed by the same passenger! Japan has beautiful temples and gardens which are often surrounded by garish signs and ugly buildings. In the middle of a modern skyscraper you might discover a sliding wooden door which leads to a traditional chamber with tatami mats, calligraphy, and tea ceremony. These juxtapositions mean you may often be surprised and rarely bored by your travels in Japan. [ edit ] History While geography is not destiny, the fact that Japan is located on islands on the outermost edge of Asia has had a profound influence on its history. Just close enough to mainstream Asia, yet far enough to keep itself separate, much of Japanese history has been the alternation of periods of closure and openness. Until recently, Japan has been able to turn on or off its connection to the rest of the world, internalizing foreign cultural influences in fits and starts. It is comparable with the relationship between Britain and the rest of Europe, but with a much wider channel. Recorded Japanese history belongs in the 5th century, although archeaological evidence of settlement stretches back 500,000 years and the mythical Emperor Jimmu is said to have founded the current Imperial line in the 7th century BC. The first strong Japanese state was centered in Nara (8th c.), moving later to Kyoto and Kamakura until Japan descended into the anarchy of the Warring States period in the 15th century. Tokugawa Ieyasu finally reunified the country in 1600 and founded the Tokugawa shogunate , a feudal state ruled from Edo, or modern-day Tokyo . A strict caste system was imposed, with the Shogun and his samurai warriors at the top of the heap and no social mobility permitted. Tokugawa rule kept the country stable but stagnant, with an enforced policy of total isolation enforced, while the world around them rushed ahead. U.S. Commodore Matthew Perry's Black Ships arrived in Yokohama in 1854, forcing the country to open up to trade with the west. The resulting shock led to the collapse of the shogunate in the Meiji Restoration of 1867. Japan launched itself headlong into a drive to industrialize and modernize, which soon turned into a drive to expand and colonize its neighbors, culminating in the disastrous Second World War that saw 1.86 million Japanese and well over 10 million Chinese and other Asians die in battle, bombings, starvation and massacres. Forced to surrender in 1945 after the nuclear attacks of Hiroshima and Nagasaki , Japan was for the first time in its history occupied by the victorious Allies. The Emperor kept his throne but was turned into a constitutional monarch. Thus converted into pacifism and democracy, with the U.S. taking care of defense, Japan now directed its prodigeous energies into peaceful technology and proceeded to conquer the world's marketplaces with an endless stream of cars and consumer electronics, rising from the ashes to have the second-largest gross national product in the world. [ edit ] People As an island nation shut off from the rest of the world for a long time, Japan is very homogeneous , with around 98% of the population ethnically Japanese. The largest minority are Koreans, around 1 million strong and many brought to Japan by force during World War II, who until very recently were not allowed to adopt Japanese citizenship — even in the third generation — unless they also gave up their Korean name. There are also sizable populations of Chinese and Filipinos. The indigenous Ainu , driven north over the centuries and now found only on Hokkaido , number around 50,000 (although the number varies greatly depending on the exact definition used). The attitude to foreigners — commonly known as gaijin (??, outsider), or gaikokujin (???, foreigner--a more polite phrasing) — is also full of contradictions. Many road signs, station names and so on are written in Western characters as well as in Japanese ones, but at the same time you can turn around and suddenly everything is in Japanese and nobody will understand a word you say. Many Japanese are thrilled to have visitors to their country and they will be incredibly helpful to a foreigner looking lost and bewildered. However, many Japanese are uncomfortable dealing with foreigners and will be reluctant to communicate in any way with them. The mass media is full of stories about the "foreigner crime wave", which seems focused mostly on Chinese and other East Asian ethnicities. The Japanese government constantly trumpets the goal of "internationalization", but employer and landlord discrimination against foreigners is commonplace. This kind of cognitive dissonance can seem confusing, but in Japan it is hardly unique to attitudes towards foreigners. [ edit ] Culture [ edit ] Holidays Festival procession in the neon-drenched alleys of Shinjuku , Tokyo The most important holiday in Japan is New Year (??? Oshogatsu ), which pretty much shuts down the country between December 29 and January 3. Japanese head home to their families (which means massive transport congestion), eat festive foods and head out to the neighborhood temple at the stroke of midnight to wish in the New Year. Many Japanese often travel to other countries as well, and prices for airfare are very high. In March or April, Japanese head out en masse for hanami (??, lit. "flower viewing"), a festival of outdoors picnics and drunken revelry in parks, cleverly disguised as cherry blossom (? sakura ) viewing. The exact timing of the famously fleeting blossoms varies from year to year and Japan's TV channels follow the progress of the cherry blossom front from south to north obsessively. The longest holiday is Golden Week (April 27 to May 6), when there are 4 public holidays within a week and everybody goes on extended vacation. Trains are crowded, flight and hotel prices are jacked up to multiples of normal prices, making this a bad time to travel in Japan, but the weeks immediately before or after GW are excellent choices. Summer brings a spate of festivals designed to distract people from the intolerable heat and humidity (comparable to the US Midwest). There are local festivals (? matsuri ) and impressive fireworks competitions (?? hanabi ) through the country. Tanabata (??), on July 7th (or early August in some places), commemorates a story of star-crossed lovers who can only meet on this day. The largest summer festival is Obon (??), held in mid-July in eastern Japan ( Kanto ) and mid-August in western Japan ( Kansai ) to honor the departed spirits of one's ancestors. Everybody heads home to visit village graveyards, meaning that transport is packed. [ edit ] National holidays The following list shows the dates of Japanese national holidays. Lunar holidays such as equinoxes may vary by a day or two; the list below is accurate for 2006. Holidays that fall on a weekend may be observed with a bank holiday on the following Monday. Keep in mind that most Japanese people take additional time off around New Year's, during Golden Week, and during Obon. In 2007, Greenery Day will be moved to May 4th, and the holiday on April 29th will be renamed "Showa Day", in honor of the former emperor. January 1 - New Year's Day ( ganjitsu ??) Second Monday of January - Coming-of-Age Day ( seijin no hi ????) February 11 - National Foundation Day ( kenkoku kinenbi ??????) March 20 - Vernal Equinox Day ( shunbun no hi ????) April 29 - Greenery Day ( midori no hi ???) May 3 - Constitution Day ( kenpo kinnenbi ?????) May 4 - Citizen's Holiday ( kokumin no kyujitsu ?????) May 5 - Children's Day ( kodomo no hi ????) Third Monday of July - Marine Day ( umi no hi ???) Third Monday of September - Respect-for-the-Aged Day ( keiro no hi ????) September 22 - Autumnal Equinox Day ( shuubun no hi ????) Second Monday of October - Sports Day ( taiiku no hi ????) November 3 - Culture Day ( bunka no hi ????) November 23 - Labor Thanksgiving Day ( kinro kansha no hi ??????) December 23 - The Emperor's Birthday ( tenno tanjobi ?????) [ edit ] The Japanese calendar The Imperial era year, which counts from the year of ascension of the Emperor, is often used for reckoning dates in Japan, including transportation timetables and store receipts. The current era is Heisei (??) and Heisei 17 corresponds to 2005. The year may be written as "H17" or just "17", so "17/6/5" is June 5th 2005. Western years are also well understood and frequently used. [ edit ] Religion Buddhist temples, Mount Koya Japan has two dominant religious traditions: Shinto is the ancient animist religion of traditional Japan. At just over twelve hundred years in Japan, Buddhism is the more recent imported faith. Christianity , introduced by European missionaries, was widely persecuted during the feudal era but is now accepted, and a small percentage of Japanese are Christian. Generally speaking, the Japanese are not a particularly religious people. While they regularly visit shrines and temples to offer coins and make silent prayers, religious faith and doctrine play a small role (if any) in the life of the average Japanese. Thus it would be impossible to try to represent what percentage of the population is Shinto versus Buddhist, or even Christian. According to famous poll, Japan is 80% Shinto and 80% Buddhist, and another oft-quoted dictum states that Japanese are Shinto when they live, as weddings and festivals are typically Shinto, but Buddhist when they die, since funerals usually use Buddhist rites. Most Japanese accept a little bit of every religion. At the same time, Shinto and Buddhism have had an enormous influence on the country's history and cultural life. The Shinto religion focuses on the spirit of the land, and is reflected in the country's exquisite gardens and peaceful shrines deep in ancient forests. When you visit a shrine ( jinja ) with its simple torii gate, you are seeing Shinto customs and styles. If you see an empty plot of land with some white paper suspended in a square, that's a Shinto ceremony to dedicate the land for a new building. Buddhism in Japan has branched out in numerous directions over the centuries. Nichiren is currently the largest branch of Buddhist belief, and many westerners are introduced to Japanese Buddhism through Soka Gakkai, a Nichiren sect that is somewhat controversial for its evangelical zeal and its involvement in Japanese politics. Westerners are probably most familiar with Zen Buddhism, which was introduced to Japan in the 14th and 15th centuries. Zen fit the aesthetic and moral sensibilities of medieval Japan, influencing arts such as flower-arranging ( ikebana ), tea ceremony ( o-cha ), ceramics, painting, calligraphy, poetry, and the martial arts. Over the years, Shinto and Buddhism have intertwined considerably. You will find them side by side in cities, towns, and people's lives. It's not at all unusual to find a sparse Shinto torii standing before an elaborate Buddhist o-tera (temple). [ edit ] Amusement Karaoke and Pachinko (Japanese-style pinball) are famous throughout Japan. You can enjoy them in virtually every Japanese city. [ edit ] Climate The Japanese are proud of their four seasons (and a surprising number believe the phenomenon is unique to Japan), but the tourist with a flexible travel schedule should try to aim for two of them. Spring is one of the best times of year to be in Japan. The temperatures are warm but not hot, there's not too much rain, and March-April brings the justly famous cherry blossoms ( sakura ) and is a time of revelry and festivals. In early March, the Japan Meteorological Agency announces predictions about when the blooming will begin [1] ( http://www.jma.go.jp/JMA_HP/jma/indexe.html ) . Summer starts with a dreary rainy season in June and turns into a steambath in July-August, with extreme humidity and the temperature heading as high as 40°C. Avoid, or do as the Japanese do and head to northern Hokkaido or the mountains of Chubu and Tohoku to escape. There are many fireworks displays, for example, yodogawa, biwako and sirahama. There are also many festivals including gion and tenzin. Fall , starting in September, is also an excellent time to be in Japan. Temperatures and humidity become more tolerable, fair days are common and fall colors can be just as impressive as cherry blossoms. Winter is a good time to go skiing or hot-spring hopping, but as the Japanese have yet to figure out the wonders of central heating, it's often miserably cold indoors. Heading south to Okinawa provides some relief. There is usually heavy snow in Hokkaido and northeast Japan due to the cold wind blasts from Siberia. [ edit ] Further reading There are multitudes of books written on Japan. Some great, some absolute crap. A good place to begin is one of the many recommended reading lists such as this one on Amazon ( http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/guides/guide-display/-/3BBOVAFYLBSYZ/ref=cm_bg_dp_m_1/002-0724845-1200831 ) or sites like The Crazy Japan Times ( http://www.crazyjapan.com/CJGuide%20Read.html ) , Japan Review ( http://www.japanreview.net/reviews.htm ) or Japan Visitor ( http://www.japanvisitor.com/books/books.html ) . Some recommended books include: ' Untangling My Chopsticks' ( http://www.untanglingmychopsticks.com/ ) , by Victoria Abbott Riccardi. Set mainly in Kyoto . ' My Mother is a Tractor' ( http://www.klarbooks.com/mmiat ) , by Nicholas Klar. A former English teacher with a witty and informative take on Japanese society. Written from the depths of the Japanese countryside. ' Dave Barry Does Japan' ( http://www.davebarry.com ) , by Dave Barry. The very funny Dave Barry with his take on Japan . Written during a rollicking three week tour. Not much cultural insight, but an excellent introduction to Japan's wacky side. [ edit ] Get in Citizens of 59 countries, including most Western nations, do not need a visa to visit Japan and can obtain a 90-day "landing permission" on arrival (many European nationalities are permitted up to 180 days). All others must obtain a visa prior to arrival. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs maintains an online Guide to Japanese Visas ( http://www.mofa.go.jp/j_info/visit/visa/ ) with the current information. One customs issue that trips up some unwary travellers is that some over-the-counter medications, notably pseudoephedrine (Actifed, Sudafed, Vicks inhalers) and codeine (some cough medications) are prohibited in Japan. Some prescription medicines are also banned, even if you have a prescription . See Narita Airport Customs ( http://www.narita-airport-customs.go.jp/e/index_e.html ) for an overview, or check with the nearest Japanese embassy or consulate for details. [ edit ] By plane Almost certainly you will fly into and out of one of the two main international airports, either Tokyo's Narita Airport or Kansai International . However, there are other international airports including New Chitose Airport ( Sapporo ), Fukuoka , and the newly opened Chubu International Airport near Nagoya . All airports serve flights from around the world, with Narita being the busiest and most crowded. The three major international airports are connected to the rail network and all also have numerous limousine bus services to nearby destinations. Kansai serves primarily Osaka , Kobe and Kyoto and the south of the country, while Narita serves the greater Tokyo area including Yokohama and the north, and Chubu handles the middle region near Nagoya . Note that Kansai and Narita are a significant distance away from their respective city centres. Both Narita and Kansai airports are generally easy to get through and not particularly crowded assuming you avoid the main holiday periods - namely New Year's (end of December - beginning of January), Golden Week (end of April - beginning of May) and Obon (Mid-August). If you travel during these busy periods expect things to be both more hectic and more expensive. Note that Narita and Kansai handle very few domestic flights: most domestic flights from Tokyo leave from Haneda (HND) to the south of the city, while most domestic flights from the Kansai region use Itami (ITM) to the north of Osaka. The airports are quite far apart, so if you are planning on flying within Japan allow at least two and preferably three hours to transfer . Chubu, on the other hand, does have many domestic flights and was built from the ground up for easy interchange. [ edit ] By boat There are ferries to Japan from South Korea ( Busan ), Russia ( Vladivostok ), Taiwan and some Chinese cities. Except for the ferries from Busan to Fukuoka and Shimonoseki (which normally cost ¥8000-10000 yen one way), these are generally uncompetitive with discounted air tickets, as prices are high, schedules infrequent (and unreliable) and travel times long. There is also daily hydrofoil service (called the "Beetle") between Fukuoka City and Busan, which takes about 3 and a half hours. The respective ferry takes about 8, however if overnightthe ferry may stop and wait in front of the Busan port in the morning until Korean Immigrations opens up. [ edit ] Get around Tama Monorail in Tokyo — just one of Japan's many futuristic transport systems In Japanese cities, a place's address is useful for mail, but it's nearly useless in actually getting there. Most places are described in terms of the walking distance from the nearest train station, and relative to local landmarks. Business cards very often have little maps printed on the back to make navigation easier (at least if you can read Japanese). In addition, many train stations have maps of the local area that can help you find a destination if it is reasonably close to the station. For sorting through transport schedules and fares, Hitachi's Hyperdia ( http://www.hyperdia.com/ ) program is an invaluable companion, with versions available for most major operating systems. Jorudan ( http://www.jorudan.co.jp/english/norikae/e-norikeyin.html ) and NTT Townpage ( http://ekimae.itp.ne.jp/tra-bin/jrtrageng.cgi ) both provide a useful English-language web version. The paper version of this is the Daijikokuhyo (????), a phonebook-sized tome available for browsing in every train station and most hotels, but it's a little challenging to use as the content is entirely in microscopic Japanese. [ edit ] By rail Japan's railways are fast, highly efficient and cover the majority of the country, making this the transport mode of choice for most visitors. The first and most confusing aspect of Japan's railway system (especially within large cities like Tokyo ) that you will encounter is the overlap of several private railway networks with the JR network. Being aware of this one fact will substantially reduce the confusion you experience trying to understand railway maps and find your way around. Note that most trains do not operate 24 hours, for example in Tokyo they do not run between 1:00 AM and 5:00 AM roughly. If you are planning to be out late and are relying on the train to get home, be sure to find out when your train is. Many bars and clubs are open until the first train runs again in the morning, so keep this in mind as another option. [ edit ] JR Network The Shinkansen (bullet train) network, as of 2005. Lines in gray are under construction or planned. The JR network is extensive as one would expect from what used to be the national rail system (now privately owned). If you have a JR Pass, you will almost certainly figure out that even in large cities such as Tokyo or Osaka, there is a JR station fairly near where you want to go. In the countryside JR also runs bus services to connect places that don't have a rail service. However, the JR network is not a monopoly and particularly within major conurbations there are other private rail networks. [ edit ] Japan Rail Pass By far the best option for visitors who plan to do a lot of travelling is the Japan Rail Pass [2] ( http://www.japanrailpass.net ) , which allows unlimited travel on almost all JR trains, including the Shinkansen, for a fixed period of 7, 14 or 21 days. The main exceptions are the Nozomi superexpress (not allowed), sleeper seats (surcharge payable) and the rare case where JR trains travel on non-JR track. Whereas a single round trip from Tokyo to Kyoto costs almost ¥30,000, the 7-day Rail Pass is ¥28,300. The 14-day/21-day pass is ¥45,100/55,100. This can only be purchased outside of Japan from specific vendors — at the time of purchase, you will need to have your passport with you, and know the date upon which you will want the Rail Pass to start. Upon purchase, you are given a Exchange Order, which can be exchanged at most larger JR stations in Japan, including all of the stations nearest to airports, for the Rail Pass itself. The JR East Rail Pass [3] ( http://www.jreast.co.jp/e/eastpass/index.html ) also permits essentially unlimited travel on its trains. There are three durations, 5-day pass (¥28,000), 10-day pass (¥48,800) and a 4-day Flex Pass (¥28,000). The 4-day Flex Pass can be used any four days within a one-month window. The JR East pass can be used on Shinkansen north-bound from Tokyo, but cannot be used on the Tokaido Shinkansen to go to Kyoto and Osaka. JR West has two types of rail passes [4] ( http://www.westjr.co.jp/english/english/travel/con04/index.html ) . The JR West San'yo Area Pass allows essentially unlimited travel in eastern Japan and part of Kyushu, including the Shinkansen. The 4-day/8-day pass is ¥20,000/30,000. The JR West Kansai Area Pass can be used for travel on regular trains only; express trains require the express fee, and cannot be used on the Shinkansen. The 1-day/2-day/3-day/4-day pass is ¥2,000/4,000/5,000/6,000 and can be used in an area which includes Kyoto, Osaka, Kobe and the Kansai airport. Unlike the Japan Rail Pass, the passes for JR East and JR West can also be purchased after you have arrived in Japan. All passes, including the Japan Rail Pass, are only available to people entering Japan with "temporary visitor" status. The Kyushu Rail Pass [5] ( http://www.jrkyushu.co.jp/english/kyushu_railpass.html ) offers unlimited travel on JR Kyushu's lines, including the Kyushu Shinkansen but not the San'yo Shinkansen to Hakata . As of 2005, the pass costs ¥16,000 for five days; you'll have to travel quite a lot to make this pay off and most visitors, especially those not flying in directly to Kyushu , will find the ordinary Japan Rail Pass a better deal. When you make any rail journey, you will need to show the Rail Pass at the manned ticket barrier. This is inconvenient if there is a queue, but it is usually acceptable to flash your pass at the ticket-taker as you slip past the other customers transacting business with JR. JR Central [6] ( http://jr-central.co.jp/english.nsf/ ) , which operates the Tokaido Shinkansen does not have a rail pass; the Japan Rail Pass is the only pass which permits travel between Tokyo and Kyoto/Osaka. [ edit ] Seishun 18 Ticket The Seishun 18 Ticket (??18??? Seishun juhachi kippu ) is the best deal for travel in Japan, offering five days of unlimited train travel for just ¥11,500. Better yet, unlike the Rail Pass, the days do not have to be consecutive. You can even split a ticket so that (for example) one person uses it for two days and another for three days. The main catches are that tickets are valid only on local trains (no expresses and certainly no Bullet Trains) and that tickets are valid only during school holidays (March-April, July-September, December-January), so you need good timing and plenty of time on your hands to use it. See also : Seishun 18 Ticket [ edit ] Buying a ticket If you do not have a JR pass then buying a ticket is probably the most complicated thing you can do. If you are travelling long distances and you are at a major station then there will be an obvious travel section where you can buy your ticket from a human being — look for the little green sign of a figure relaxing in a chair or ask for the midori no madoguchi (??????, literally "green window"). Since you probably need to know the train times and may want to reserve a seat as well this is a good thing. Generally speaking you can make your desires known by means of handwaving and pointing at destinations if the staff are unable to speak English. Writing down information helps as most Japanese can read English much more easily. On the other hand if you are at a local station (or a subway station) you will have more difficulty as you nearly always have to buy it using a machine whose instructions are in Japanese (although newer machines have an English mode). These machines do not take credit cards . Fortunately this is exactly the place where looking utterly bewildered is liable to lead to some nice Japanese offering to help. If they do then you are in luck, if not then here are some hints. Firstly there is usually a big map above all the machines which shows the current station in red, often marked with "当駅" (toeki). Around it will be all other stations you can get to with a price below them. The nearer stations have the smaller numbers (e.g. the closest stations will probably be about ¥140, more distant ones rising to perhaps ¥2000. If you recognise the characters of the station you want to get to then make a note of the amount you should pay and place that amount (or more) into the machine using coins or notes (most machines take ¥1000 notes, some also take ¥5000 and ¥10000 notes) the price you want will show up as one of the buttons to press. Note that some machines have large black buttons with nothing written on them. These are for different fare levels. Press the buttons until your fare level shows up, insert the money, and take your ticket. If you can't figure out the price then buy a minimum fare ticket and pay when you arrive at your destination. You can either present your ticket to the staff at the gate, or pay the balance at the "Fare Adjustment" machine. Look for a small ticket vending kiosk near the exit, but still inside the gate. Insert your minimum fare ticket and pay the balance indicated on the screen. At bigger stations, you will probably have the choice of more then one train line, or more than one company operating the lines. Therefore, always first find the line you want to use, and then get your ticket from the nearest machine, instead of jumping on the first ticket machine next to the station's entrance. Otherwise you might end up with a ticket for a different company and/or line. While you can usually choose your platform after going through the gate, and thereby activating your ticket, at smaller stations this might not be the case. If you notice too late that you need to get to another platform, you might not be able to get out anymore without invalidating your ticket. So always have a good look at the signposts at every station. [ edit ] Train types Express train to Shibuya JR pioneered the famous Bullet Train , known in Japanese as Shinkansen (???), and with speeds nudging 300 kilometers per hour these remain the fastest way to travel around the country. On the most-traveled Tokaido route between Tokyo , Nagoya , Kyoto and Osaka , there are three types of shinkansen, reflecting the number of stops that the train makes: Nozomi - the fastest and most expensive type of Shinkansen. 13 cars (including 2 first class cars) out of 16 reserved seating. Small surcharge on top of the Shinkansen fare required, and the Japan Rail Pass is not valid. Hikari - the next fastest, but still pretty fast, and Rail Pass is OK. Kodama - makes more stops, and generally only covers small stretches of the Shinkansen lines. Other JR services, particularly suburban ones, use the following generic labels: Regular (?? futsu or ?? kakueki ) - local service, stops at every station Rapid (?? kaisoku ) - skips approximately 2 out of 3 stops, no surcharge Express (?? kyuko ) - skips approximately 2 out of 3 stops, requires a surcharge Limited Express (?? tokkyu ) - skips approximately 2 out of 3 kyuko stops, requires a surcharge and usually a reserved seat as well Express services may offer first-class Green Car seats. Given that the surcharge of almost 50% gets you little more than a bit of extra leg room, most passengers opt for regular seats. However, if you really need to ride a particular train for which the regular seats are full, the Green Car is an alternative. [ edit ] Making a reservation Reservation for the Hikari 17 from Tokyo to Hiroshima on March 18th, departure 1:00 PM, arrival 5:35 PM, seat 11B (non-smoking) in train car 6 On Shinkansen and tokkyu trains, some of the carriages require passengers to have reserved their seats in advance (??? shiteiseki ). For example, on a typical 16-carriage Shinkansen, only five of the carriages permit non-reserved seating, and only two of those are non-smoking (??? kin'ensha ). On a busy train, making a reservation in advance can ensure a comfortable journey. Making a reservation is surprisingly easy, and is strongly advised for popular journeys (such as travelling from Tokyo to Kyoto on a Friday evening, or taking a train from Nagoya to Takayama). Look out for the JR Office at the train station, which bears a little green logo of a figure relaxing in a chair - and ask to make a reservation when you buy your ticket. The reservation can be made anywhere from a month in advance to literally minutes before the train leaves. If you are a Japan Rail Pass holder, simply go to the JR Office, and present your Rail Pass when requesting a reservation for your journey. The ticket that you are given will not allow you to pass through the automated barriers though - you'll still need to present your Japan Rail Pass at the manned barrier to get to the train. [ edit ] Private railways If they exist to provide a full journey, then the private railways are often cheaper than JR for an equivalent journey. However this is not always the case as changing from one network to another generally increases the price. Most private railways are connected to department store chains of the same name (e.g. Tokyu in Tokyo) and do an excellent job of filling in the gaps in the suburbs of the major cities. Also note that private railways may interpret the service classes above differently, with some providing express services at no additional charge. Kobe , Kyoto , Nagoya , Osaka , Sapporo , Sendai , Fukuoka , Tokyo and Yokohama also have subway (underground) services. For seeing the sights within a particular city,many offer a one day pass, often between 500 and 1000 yen for an adult. Tokyo has several types of day passes, which cover some subway lines but not others. The full Tokyo subway pass (which does not include the JR Yamanote Line) is 1000 yen. [ edit ] By plane List prices for domestic flights are very expensive, but significant discounts are available if purchased in advance. Both of Japan's largest carriers, Japan Airlines ( JAL , ???? Nihon Koku , [7] ( http://www.jal.co.jp/en/ ) ) and All Nippon Airways ( ANA , ??? Zennikku , [8] ( http://www.ana.co.jp/eng/ ) ) offer "Visit Japan" fares where the purchaser of an international return ticket to Japan can fly a number of domestic segments anywhere in the country for only about ¥10,000 (plus tax) each. These are a particularly good deal for travel to Hokkaido or the remote southern islands of Okinawa . Some blackout periods or other restrictions during peak travel seasons may apply. The low-cost carrier concept has yet to make significant inroads into Japan, but Air DO ( [9] ( http://www.airdo21.com/index.shtml ) ) provides a little much-needed competition for routes from Tokyo to Sapporo and Asahikawa on Hokkaido , while Skymark ( [10] ( http://www.skymark.co.jp/ ) ) flies from Tokyo to points in Kyushu and Shikoku . ANA, JAL, and their subsidiaries offer a special standby card, the Skymate Card , to young passengers (up to the age of 22). With the card, passengers can fly standby at half of the full published fare, which is usually less than the equivalent express train fare. The card can be obtained from any JAL or ANA ticket counter with a passport-sized photo and a one-time fee of ¥1,000 [ edit ] By boat Given that Japan is an island nation, boats are a surprisingly uncommon means of transport, as all the major islands are linked together by bridges and tunnels. While there are some long-distance ferries linking Okinawa and Hokkaido to the mainland, the fares are usually more expensive than discounted airline tickets and pretty much the sole advantage is that you can take your car with you. For some smaller islands, however, boats may well be the only practical option. Hovercrafts and jet ferries are fast but expensive, with prices varying between ¥2000-5000 for an hour-long trip. Slow cargo boats are more affordable, a rule of thumb being ¥1000 per hour in second class, but departures are infrequent. These boats are typically divided into classes, where second class (2? nito ) is just a giant expanse of tatami mat, first class (1? itto ) gets you a comfy chair in large shared room and only special class (?? tokuto ) gets you a private cabin. There is typically a simple restaurant on board, but on longer trips (particularly in second class) the primary means of entertainment is alcoholic — this can be fun if you're invited in, but less so if you're trying to sleep. [ edit ] By bus [ edit ] Highway buses Long-distance highway buses (??????? haiwei basu ) serve many of the inter-city routes covered by trains at significantly lower prices, but take much longer than the Shinkansen. Especially on the route between Tokyo and Kyoto - Osaka - Kobe triangle the high competition broke down the prices: as low as ¥3900 one-way. Many of these are overnight runs (???? yako basu ) which allows you to save on a night's accommodation. It may be worth it to pay a premium to get a better seat; remember that it's less fun to sightsee after a sleepless night. Look out for 3???? sanretsu shiito , meaning there are only three seats per row instead of four. Major operators include Star Express [11] ( http://www.nightbus.info/ ) , Kansai Bus [12] ( http://www.orion-tour.co.jp/kansaibus/busplan2.htm ) and, surprisingly, train operator JR [13] ( http://www.jrbuskanto.co.jp/mn/ceindex.cfm ) . [ edit ] Local buses You won't need to use local buses (???? rosen basu ) much in the major cities, but they're common in smaller towns and the idiosyncratic payment system is worth a mention. On most buses, you're expected to board from the back and grab a little numbered slip as you enter, often just a white piece of paper automatically stamped by the dispenser as you pull it. In the front of the bus, above the driver, is an electronic board displaying numbers and prices below, which march inexorably higher as the bus moves on. When it's time to get off, you press the stop button, match your numbered slip to the electronic board's current price, deposit the slip and corresponding payment in the fare machine next to the driver, then exit through the front door. Note that you must pay the exact fare: to facilitate this, the machine nearly always has bill exchanger built in, which will eat ¥1000 bills and spew out ¥1000 worth of coins in exchange. If you're short on change, it's best to exchange before it's time to get off. The electronic board almost always includes a display and recorded voice announcements of the next stop — usually only in Japanese, although some cities (like Kyoto ) make a welcome exception. However, if asked most drivers will be glad to tell you when you've reached your destination. [ edit ] By taxi You will find taxis everywhere in Japan, not only in the city, but also in the country. Taxis are clean and completely safe, though a bit expensive: starting fees are usually in the ¥300-500 range and the meter ticks up frantically after the first 2 kilometers or so. But sometimes, they're the only way to get where you're going. Taxi meters are strictly regulated and clearly visible to the passenger. If you're not sure if you have enough money for the trip, your driver may be able to guess the approximate cost of a trip beforehand. Taxi fares are also higher at night, and there is no custom of giving tips to the driver. In the city, you can hail a taxi just about anywhere, but outside train stations and other transfer points you should board at taxi stand. (The taxi stand will usually either have a long line of patient passengers, or a long line of idle taxis.) If the destination is a well-known location, such as a hotel, train station, or public facility, the name alone should be enough. Note that extremely few taxi drivers can speak English, so carrying a pamphlet or card of your hotel or destination with the address on it can be very helpful. An interesting feature of Japanese taxis is that the driver controls the opening and closing of the rear left passenger door. Try to avoid the habit of closing your door when you board the taxi. Taxi drivers also have a reputation for speeding and aggressive driving, but there are very few accidents involving bad drivers. [ edit ] By car Unless you have a very peculiar planned itinerary which makes usage of public transport unsuitable, driving in Japan is not something you want to do since public transport is generally excellent and gets you almost everywhere. Rental costs are high, English signage in the more remote locales (where a car would be most useful) is spotty and Japanese driving habits at times leave much to be desired. Especially not recommended unless you are used to driving on the left (i.e. same as UK/Australia/NZ, opposite to Europe/USA/Canada). Also you really, really do not want to drive within the major conurbations unless you enjoy getting lost or have been there before. Finally, tolls for the expressways (???? kosoku-doro ) are generally double or triple the cost of a train ride, even on the bullet-train (??? shinkansen ); so unless you have a van full of people, it's just not cost-effective. [ edit ] By thumb Japan is an excellent country for hitchhiking, although there is no Japanese custom for this, and some Japanese ability is almost mandatory. See Hitchhiking in Japan for a more detailed introduction and practical tips for this fine art. [ edit ] Talk Japanese writing on a temple lantern, Asakusa , Tokyo The language of Japan is Japanese . Most Japanese have studied English for at least 6 years, but conversational ability tends to be poor. If lost, one practical tip is to write out a question on paper in simple words and give it to someone young. Probably they can point you in the right direction. It can also be helpful to carry a hotel business card or matchbook with you, to show a taxi driver or someone if you lose your way. Japanese is a language with several distinct dialects, although standard Japanese ( hyojungo ???) is understood everywhere. Areas like Kagoshima prefecture and the Tohoku region have dialects that are nearly incomprehensible to other Japanese. On the southern islands of Okinawa , many dialects of the the closely related Ryukyuan language is spoken, mostly by the elderly, while in northern Hokkaido a rare few still speak Ainu . [ edit ] Buy The Japanese currency is the Japanese yen , abbreviated ¥ (or JPY in foreign exchange contexts). The symbol ? is used in the Japanese language itself. As of December 2005, 1 USD is about 116 yen. Coins : 1, 5, 10, 50, 100, 500 yen. There are two 500 yen coins, distinguishable by their color. (The new ones are gold, the old ones are silver). Bills : 1000, 2000, 5000, and 10000 yen. 2000 yen bills are rare. New designs for all the bills except 2000 yen were introduced in November 2004, so there are now two versions in circulation. Most merchants will not object to receiving a 10000 bill even for a small purchase. Japan's consumer economy is heavily based on cash , rather than credit. Although stores and hotels serving foreign customers take credit cards , many smaller businesses such as cafes, bars, and grocery stores do not . Even businesses that do take cards often have a minimum as well as a small surcharge over cash. Carrying around the equivalent of hundreds of dollars in cash is common, reasonably safe, and almost a necessity, especially in smaller towns and more isolated areas. Almost any major bank in Japan will provide foreign currency exchange from US dollars (cash and traveler's checks). Rates are basically the same whichever bank you choose. Having to wait 15-30 minutes, depending on how busy the branch gets, is not unusual. Other currencies accepted are Euros, Canadian, Australian, and New Zealand dollars, and British Pound Sterling. Other Asian currencies are generally not accepted. Most Japanese bank ATM machines do not accept foreign cards and credit card acceptance is spotty. You will in fact have better luck at a post office ATM, as Japan's postal system doubles as a bank, providing a huge network of ATMs. Most postal ATMs provide instructions in English as well as Japanese. Accepted cards are a Visa, Mastercard, American Express or Diners Club credit card, or ATM card in the Plus or Cirrus networks, or debit cards in the Visa Electron or Maestro Networks. Japanese post offices also can cash traveler's checks or exchange cash for yen, at a slightly better rate than the banks. Traveler's checks also have a better rate of exchange than cash. Citibank ATMs will accept ATM cards in the Plus and Cirrus networks. There are not many Citibank locations across Japan (see here ( http://www.citibank.co.jp/en/shpatm/index.html ) for a list), but you can find them in the Narita, Kansai and Chubu airports. You can withdraw Japanese currency, debited directly from your US bank account, just a few minutes after clearing customs. Vending machines in Japan are known for their pervasiveness and the (notorious) variety of products they sell. Most will take 1,000 yen bills, and some types such as train ticket machines will take up to 10,000; none accept 1 or 5 yen coins, nor 2000 yen notes. And even the most high-tech vending machines do not take credit cards. Prepaid electronic cards are quite popular in Japan for small purchases. There are cards for train fares, convenience stores purchases, and public telephones, though they aren't interchangeable. There is a 5% consumption tax on all sales in Japan. As of April 2004, the tax must now be included in all displayed prices. Tips are not customary, but some expensive restaurants will add a 10% service charge. [ edit ] Costs Japan has a reputation for being extremely expensive — and it can be. However, many things have become significantly cheaper the last decade. Japan need not be outrageously expensive if you plan carefully. For long-distance travel, in particular, the Japan Rail Pass and Visit Japan flights (see Get in ) can save you a bundle. As rough guidelines, you will find it very difficult to travel on less than ¥5,000 per day, and can only expect a degree of comfort if you double the budget to ¥10,000. Staying in hotels, eating fancy meals or just traveling long-distance will easily double this yet again. [ edit ] Eat Fancy Japanese multi-course dinner Japanese cuisine, renowned for its emphasis on fresh, seasonal ingredients, has taken the world by storm. The key ingredient of most meals is white rice , usually served steamed, and in fact its Japanese word gohan (??) also means "meal". Soybeans are a key source of protein and take many forms, notably the miso (??) soup served with almost every meal, but also tofu (??) bean curd and the ubiquitous soy sauce (?? shoyu ). Seafood features heavily in Japanese cuisine, including not only creatures of the sea but many varieties of seaweed as well, and a complete meal is always rounded out by some pickles (?? tsukemono ). One of the joys of getting out of Tokyo and traveling within Japan is to discover the local specialties. Every region within the country has a number of delightful dishes, based on locally available crops and fish. In Hokkaido try the fresh sashimi and crab. In Nagoya don't miss the okonomiyaki stuffed with green onions. Japanese eat all their traditional food with chopsticks (? hashi ), the primary exceptions being curry rice and fried rice (for which a spoon is used). Eating with chopsticks is a surprisingly easy skill to pick up, although mastering them takes a while. Some chopstick taboos to be aware of: never place or leave chopsticks upright in a bowl of rice, and never pass something from your chopsticks to another person's chopsticks. These are associated with funerary rites. If you want to give a piece of food to someone, let them take it from your plate, or place it directly on their plate. When you are done using chopsticks, you can rest them across the edge of your bowl or plate. Most nicer restaurants put a small wooden or ceramic chopstick rest ( hashi-oki ) at each place setting. Disposable chopsticks ( wari-bashi ) are provided with less expensive meals, bento and other take-out foods. It is a myth that you should "whittle" your chopsticks after breaking them apart. Many Japanese dishes come with different sauces and garnishes. Japanese never put soy sauce on their rice, though they do dip their sushi in it before eating, and they pour it on grilled fish as well. Tonkatsu (pork cutlet) comes with a thicker sauce, tempura comes with a lighter, thinner sauce made from soy sauce and dashi (fish and seaweed soup base), while gyoza (potstickers) are usually dipped in a mixture of soy sauce, vinegar and chili oil. [ edit ] Restaurants Fugu (blowfish) restaurant, Osaka The number of restaurants in Japan is stupendous, and you will never run out of places to go. For cultural and practical reasons, Japanese almost never invite guests to their homes, so socializing nearly always involves eating out. Most Japanese-style restaurants have lunchtime teishoku (??), or fixed set meals. These typically consist of a meat or fish dish, with a bowl of miso soup, pickles, and rice (often with free extra helpings). These can be as inexpensive as ¥600 yet ample enough even for large appetites. Menus however will for most establishments be in Japanese only; however many restaurantshave models (many in exquisite detail) of their meals in their front window, and if you can't read the menu it may be better to take the waiter or waitress outside and point at what you would like. Restaurants will present you with the check after the meal, and you are expected to pay at the counter when leaving — do not leave payment on the table and walk out. The phrase for "check" is kanjo or kaikei . If it's getting late, a server will usually come to your table to tell you it's time for the "last order." Many cheap chain eateries have vending machines where you buy a ticket and give it to the server. At most of these restaurants, you'll have to be able to read Japanese to use them, though. At some of these restaurants, there will be plastic displays or photographs of the food with varying prices in front of them. It is often possible to match the price, along with some of the kana (characters) to the choices at the machine. If you're open-minded and flexible, you might get shoyu (soy sauce) ramen instead of miso (fermented soy bean) ramen or you might get katsu (pork cutlet) curry instead of beef curry. You'll always know how much you're spending so you'll never overpay. If your Japanese language skills are limited or non-existent, these restaurants with vending machines are really quite comfortable places because there is limited or no conversation required at these establishments. Most of the customers will be in a hurry, the hired help will usually not be interested in making conversation and will just read your order when they take your ticket and the water/tea, napkins, and eating utensils are either supplied automatically or self-service. Some other places have all you can eat meals called tabehodai (????). Tipping is not customary in Japan. 24-hour "family restaurants" such as Denny's and Jonathan usually have a 10% late-night surcharge . [ edit ] All-around eateries While most restaurants in Japanese specialize in a certain type of dish, each neighborhood is guaranteed to have a few shokudo (??), serving up simple, popular dishes and teishoku sets at affordable prices (¥500-1000). A closely related variant is the bento-ya (???), which serves takeout boxes known as o-bento (???). A staple of the shokudo is the donburi (?), literally "rice bowl", meaning a bowl of rice with a topping. Popular ones include: oyakodon (???) — lit. "parent-and-child bowl", usually chicken and egg (but sometimes salmon and roe) katsudon (???) — a deep-fried pork cutlet with egg gyudon (??) — beef and onion chukadon (???) — lit. "Chinese bowl", stir-fried vegetables and meat in a thick sauce You will also frequently encounter Japan's most popular dish, the ubiquitous curry rice (?????? kare raisu ) — a thick, mild, brown paste that would leave most Indians scratching their heads. Often the cheapest dish on the menu, a large portion (??? omori ) is guaranteed to leave you stuffed. At the other extreme of the spectrum are super-exclusive ryotei (??), the Michelin three-star restaurants of the Japanese food world, which serve gourmet kaiseki (??) meals prepared from the very best seasonal ingredients. Should they condescend to let you in — and many require introductions — you will be looking at upwards of ¥30,000 per head for an experience which, quite frankly, will go right over the heads of most mere mortals visiting Japan for the first time. [ edit ] Noodles Even Japanese want something other than rice every now and then, and the obvious alternative is noodles (? men ). Practically every town and hamlet in Japan boasts its own "famous" noodle dish, and they are often well worth trying. There are two major noodle types native to Japan: thin buckwheat soba (??) and thick wheat udon (???). Typically all dishes below can be ordered with either soba or udon depending on your preference and a bowl will only cost a few hundred yen, especially at the standing-room-only noodle joints in and near train stations. kake soba (????) — plain broth and maybe a little spring onion on top tsukimi soba (????) — soup with a raw egg dropped in named "moon-viewing" because of the resemblance to a moon behind clouds kitsune soba (?????) — soup with with sweetened thin sheets of deep-fried tofu zaru soba (????) — chilled noodles served with a dipping sauce, shallot and wasabi, popular in summer Chinese egg noodles or ramen (????) are also very popular but more expensive (¥500+) due to the greater effort involved and the condiments, which typically include a slice of grilled pork and a variety of vegetables. The three major styles of ramen are: shio ramen (?????) — salty pork broth shoyu ramen (??????) — soy broth miso ramen (??????) — miso (soybean paste) broth tonkotsu ramen (????????), thick pork broth Slurping your noodles is not only acceptable, but expected. The exception to this is young ladies who do not want to draw attention to their eating and will often eat their noodles in silence. According to the Japanese it both cools them down and makes them taste better. And pick up a manga comic book to protect yourself from soup spray! [ edit ] Sushi and sashimi Sushi breakfast in Tsukiji , Tokyo Perhaps Japan's most famous culinary exports are sushi (??), raw fish over rice, and sashimi (??), plain raw fish. These seemingly very simple dishes are in fact quite difficult to prepare properly: the fish must be extremely fresh, and apprentices spend years just learning how to making the vinegared rice for sushi correctly. Additionally, a career-long learning experience for all apprentices and beginning sushi chefs is the skill of selecting the fish/seafood at the local wholesale fish market. This skill is largely overlooked and little known by those outside of the trade. The very important morning selection largely determines the overall quality and dining experience for the shop's customers that day. There is enough arcane sushi terminology to fill entire books, but the most common types are: nigiri — the canonical sushi form consisting of rice with fish pressed on top maki — fish and rice rolled up in nori seaweed and cut into bite-size chunks temaki — fish and rice rolled up in a big cone of nori gunkan — "battleship" sushi, like nigiri but with nori wrapped around the edge to contain the contents chirashi — a large bowl of vinegared rice with seafood scattered on top Nearly anything that swims or lurks in the sea can and has been turned into sushi, and most sushi restaurants keep a handy multilingual decoding key on hand or on the wall. A few species more or less guaranteed to feature in every restaurant are maguro (tuna), shake (salmon), ika (squid), tako (octopus), and tamago (egg). More exotic options include uni (sea urchin roe), toro (fatty tuna belly, very expensive) and shirako (fish sperm). If you somehow ended up in a sushi restaurant, but can't or don't want to eat raw fish, there are usually several alternatives. For instance the above mentioned tamago , various vegetables on rice, or the very tasty inari (rice in a sweet wrap of deep fried tofu). Even in Japanese, sushi is a bit of a delicacy and the most expensive restaurants, where you order piece by piece from a chef, can run you bills into ten of thousands of yen. You can limit the damage by ordering a fixed-price moriawase (?????) set, where the chef will choose whatever he thinks is good that day. Cheaper yet are the ubiquitous kaiten (??, lit. "revolving") sushi shops, where you sit by a conveyor belt and grab whatever strikes your fancy, at prices that can be as low as ¥100 per plate; note that, even in these places, it's quite acceptable to order directly from the chef. When eating sushi, it's perfectly acceptable to use your fingers, just dip the piece in soy and pop it in your mouth. In Japan, the pieces will typically already have a dab of fiery wasabi radish lurking inside, but you can always add more according to your taste. Slices of pickled ginger ( gari ) refresh the palate and infinite refills of green tea are always available for free. [ edit ] Grilled and fried dishes The Japanese didn't eat much meat before the Meiji era, but they have picked up the habit and even exported a few new ways to eat it since then. Some options, usually served by specialist restaurants, include: okonomiyaki (?????) — Japanese pancakes/pizza with a variety of condiments and strong flavored sauce, dried sea weed and dried bonito flakes on it. teppanyaki (????) — meat grilled on a hot iron plate tempura (???) — battered shrimp and vegetables deep-fried very quickly so that it is crispy and not too oily with dipping in broth or salt on it yakiniku (??) — Japanese-style barbeque( a little similar to Korean-style (but Japanese includes vegetables instaed of wrapping meats with leaves like Koreans do.) yakitori (???) — various parts of chicken kebabs One Japanese specialty worth seeking out is eel (??? unagi ), reputed to give strength and vitality in the drainingly hot summer months. A properly grilled eel simply melts in the mouth when eaten — and takes over a thousand yen from your wallet in the process. [ edit ] Stewed dishes Particularly in the cold winter months various stews (? nabe ) are popular ways to warm up. Common types include: chankonabe (?????) — a hotchpotch hotpot much favored by sumo wrestlers oden (???) — fish soup simmered for days on end, often sold on the street (and convenience stores) in the winter sukiyaki (????) — a hotpot of beef, tofu, noodles and more, often somewhat sweet shabu-shabu (??????) — much the same, but with a savoury broth and dipping sauces [ edit ] Pseudo-Western dishes Throughout Japan you can find cafes and restaurants serving Western food (?? yoshoku ), ranging from molecular-level carbon copies of famous French pastries to hardly recognizable Japanized dishes like corn-and-potato pizza and spaghetti omelettes. A few popular only-in-Japan dishes include: hambaagu (?????) — not to be confused with the McDonalds-style hambaagaa , this is a standalone hamburger patty with fixings omuraisu (?????) — rice wrapped in an omelette with a complimentary dollop of ketchup wafu suteeki (??????) — steak served Japanese-style with soy korokke (????); deep fried mashed potato with some meat and onion. kare- (???); Japanese-style curry, it is not as spicy as Indian curry [ edit ] Beer gardens During the summer months (when it is not raining) many buildings and hotels have restaurants on theirrooftops which serve dishes like fried chicken and french fries, as well as light snacks. The specialty though is of course draft beer, and you can order large mugs of it or pay a fixed price for all you can drink. [ edit ] Fast food Japanese fast food restaurants offer decent quality at reasonable prices. Some chains to look out for: Yoshinoya (???), Matsuya (??), and Sukiya (???) are gyudon (beef bowl) specialists. All have been hit hard by the recent BSE scare, and have switched much of their menus to pork. Tenya (???), the best tempura you'll ever eat for less than ¥500 Mos Burger seems like just another fast food chain, but actually has a pretty interesting menu — for hamburgers with a twist, how about grilled eel between two rice buns? Notice also the list of local produce suppliers posted in each shop. Freshness Burger tries to be a bit less fast-foody and more like an "all-American" joint. The food's decent, but just be prepared for the tiniest burgers you've ever seen. Beckers Operated by JR, these fastfood burger restaurants are often found in and near JR stations in greater Tokyo and Yokohama. Beckers offers made to order burgers and Menchi burgers (minced black pork). Unlike most shops, their buns are fresh and baked inside the stores. Unused buns are thrown away if not used 1.5 hours after baking them. Their Pork Teriyaki burger is awesome. They also offer Poutine, which is of course a French Canadian snack. French fries with cheese. The chilli topping needs to be tried. More often then not, you can pay with the JR Suica pre-paid re-chargeable multi use traincard. The other domestic burger chains should probably just be skipped. Ooto-ya (???) is really too good to call fast food, with a menu and atmosphere that matches any "home-style" Japanese restaurant. While there are illustrated menus on signboards, ordering can be confusing: at some stores you order at the counter before taking a seat, while at others servers come to your table. American fast food chains are also ubiquitous, including McDonald's, Wendy's, and Kentucky Fried Chicken. There are also a number of Japanese "family restaurants", serving a wide variety of dishes, including steak, pasta, Chinese style dishes, sandwiches, and other foods. Though their food is relatively uninteresting, these restaurants usually have illustrated menus, so travelers who cannot read Japanese can use the photos to choose and communicate their orders.Some chains across the country are: Jonathan's is probably the most ubiquitous local chain and vies with Denny's . Skylark is owned by the same company and much the same. Royal Host - tries to market itself as a bit up-scale Sunday Sun - reasonable, decent food and menus Volks - owned by Daiei, and with a large salad bar [ edit ] Coffee shops Though Starbucks has planted its flag in Japan almost as well as in the United States, the Japanese kissaten (???) has a long history. If you're really looking for a jolt of caffeine, go to Starbucks or one of its Japanese predecessors such as Doutor. But if you're trying to get out of the rain, the heat or the crowds for a while, the kissaten is an oasis in an urban jungle. Most coffee shops are one-of-a-kind affairs, and reflect the tastes of their clientele. In a Ginza coffee shop, you'll find a soft "European" decor and sweet pastries for upscale shoppers taking a load off their Ferragamos. In an Otemachi coffee shop, businessmen in suits huddle over the low tables before meeting their clients. In Roppongi 's all-night coffee shops, the night owls pause between clubs, or doze until the trains start running again in the morning. A peculiar kind of kissaten is the jazz kissa (?????), or jazz coffee shop . These are even darker and more smoke-filled than normal kissaten, and frequented by extremely serious-looking jazz buffs who sit motionless and alone, soaking in the bebop played at high volumes from giant audio speakers. You go to a jazz kissa to listen; conversation is a no-no. Another offshoot is the danwashitsu (???, or lounge). The appearance is indistinguishable from a pricy kissaten, but the purpose is more specific: serious discussions over matters such as business or meeting prospective spouses. All tables are in separate booths, reservations are usually required, and the drinks are pricey. So don't wander into one if you're just looking for a cup of coffee. [ edit ] Convenience stores If you're travelling on the cheap, Japan's numerous convenience stores (???? konbini ) can be a great place to grab a bite to eat, and they're almost always open 24-7. Major chains include 7-11, Lawson, and Family Mart. You can find instant noodles, sandwiches, meat buns, and even some small prepared meals, which can be heated up in a microwave right in the store. An excellent option for food on the go is onigiri (or omusubi ), which is a large ball of rice stuffed with (say) fish or pickled plum and wrapped in seaweed, and usually cost around ¥100 each. One little known fact about 7-Eleven is that they have not outsourced their food preparation and everything served in the store is prepared by 7-Eleven and delivered to stores directly from 7-Eleven food preparation facilities. [ edit ] Eating vegetarian Despite its image as light and healthy cuisine, everyday Japanese food can be quite heavy in salt and fat, with deep-fried meat or seafood being prominent. Vegetarians (much less vegans) may have difficulty finding a meal that does not include animal products to some degree, particularly as the near-ubiquitous Japanese soup stock dashi is usually prepared with bonito. An excellent option is the kaiten sushi shop. Westerners tend to associate sushi with fish, but there are several kinds of rolled sushi available in these shops that does not include fish or other marine creatures: kappa maki (cucumber rolls), natto maki (sushi filled with stringy fermented soy beans, an acquired taste for many), kanpyo maki (pickled-gourd rolls), and, occasionally, yuba sushi (made with the delicate, tasty 'skin' of tofu). These types of sushi tend to be less popular than the sushi using marine animal products, so you may not see them revolving in front of your eyes on the conveyor belt. Just shout out the name of the type of sushi you want and the sushi chef will prepare it for you right away. When you are ready to leave, call the waitress over and she'll count your plates. The vegetarian sushi options are always inexpensive. Whether eating vegetarian (or otherwise), kaiten sushi shops offer good value and are lots of fun. While considerably harder to find, it's worth looking out for a restaurant (often run by temples) that offers shojin ryori (????), the purely vegetarian cuisine developed by Buddhist monks. [ edit ] Drink Difficult decisions at Meiji Shrine, Harajuku , Tokyo The Japanese drink a lot: not only green tea in the office, at meetings and with meals, but also all types of alcoholic beverages in the evening with friends and colleagues. Many social scientists have theorized that in a strictly conformist society, drinking provides a much-needed escape valve that can be used to vent off feelings and frustrations without losing face the next morning. If you're looking for an evening of food and drink in a relaxed traditional atmosphere, go to an izakaya (???, Japanese-style pub). Many of them have an all-you-can-drink (???? nomihodai ) deal which is about ?1000 (US$10) for 90 minutes (on average), although you'll be limited to certain types of drinks. Very convenient. Vending machines (????? jidohanbaiki ) are omnipresent in Japan and serve up drinks 24 hours a day at the price of ¥100-130 a can, although some places with captive customers, including the top of Mount Fuji , will charge more. In addition to cans of soft drinks, tea and coffee, you can find vending machines that sell beer, sake and even hard liquor. In winter, some machines will also dispense hot drinks — look for a red label with the writing ????? ( atatakai ) instead of the usual blue ???? ( tsumetai ). Vending machines that sell alcoholic beverages are usually switched off at 11PM. Also, more and more of these machines, especially those near a school, require the use of a special "Sake Pass" obtainable at the city hall of the city the machine is located in. The pass is available to anyone of 20 years of age or over. [ edit ] Sake The beverage known as "sake" in the West is called nihonshu (???) in Japan, where sake means any kind of alcoholic drink. A transparent rice-based beverage (often called a wine, although technically it's brewed and thus a beer), usually around 15% alcohol, sake can be served hot (?? atsukan ) or cold (??? hiyashi ), but connoisseurs drink theirs cold. Sake is generally not cheap: expect to pay at least ¥500 per measure in a restaurant. Sake has its own measures and utensils. The little ceramic cups are called choko (???) and the small ceramic jug used to pour it is a tokkuri (??). Alternatively, particularly when drinking it cold, you can sip your sake from the corner of a wooden box called a masu (?), occasionally with a dab of salt on the edge. Sake is typically measured in go (?, 180 mL), roughly the size of a tokkuri , ten of which make up the standard 1.8L isshobin (???) bottle. The fine art of sake tasting is at least as complex as wine, but the one indicator worth looking out for is nihonshudo (????), a number often printed on bottles and menus. Simply put, this "sake level" measures the sweetness of the brew, with positive values indicating drier sake and negative values being sweeter, the average being around +2. Other labels often flung about include ginjo (??, from highly milled rice) and daiginjo (???, even more highly milled), honjozo (???, with added alcohol) and junmai (??, pure rice), which at least for the amateur are more useful for determining the price than the taste. Worth a special mention is amazake (??), the lumpy, often rather foul-smelling homebrewed version of sake, drunk hot in the winter. Amazake has very little alcohol and it tastes pretty much like the fermented rice glop it is, but at least it's cheap. If you're curious about sake, the Japan Sake Brewers Association has an online version of its English brochure ( http://www.japansake.or.jp/sake/english/index.html/ ) . You can also visit the Sake Plaza in Shinbashi and taste a flight of different sakes for just a few hundred yen. [ edit ] Shochu Shochu (??) is the big brother of sake, a stronger drink which is often served as a kind of cooler mixed with juice or soda known as a chu-hai . Shochu is typically around 25% alcohol (although some varieties can be much stronger) and is often served straight or on the rocks. Once solely a working-class drink, and still the cheapest tipple around at less than ¥1000 for a big 1L bottle, shochu has seen a resurgence in popularity in recent years and the finest shochus now fetch prices as high as the finest sakes. Umeshu (??) is prepared by soaking Japanese ume plums (actually a type of apricot) in shochu so it absorbs the flavor, and the uniquely sweet and bitter taste is a hit with many visitors. [ edit ] Beer There are several large brands of Japanese beer (??? biiru ), including Kirin , Asahi , Sapporo , and Suntory . A bit harder to find is an Okinawan brand, Orion which is also excellent. Yebisu is also a popular beer brewed by Sapporo. Microbrewed beers are also starting to appear in Japan, with a few restaurants offering their own micros or ji-biiru (????) but these are still few in number. You can buy beer in cans of all sizes, but in Japanese restaurants beer is typically served in bottles (? bin ), or draft (? nama meaning "fresh"). Bottles come in three sizes, of which the largest is the most common. The large bottle gives you the opportunity to engage in the custom of constantly refilling your companion's glass (and having yours topped off as well). If you order draft beer, you each receive your own mug ( joki ). In many establishments, a dai-joki ("big mug") holds a full liter of brew. Some Japanese bartenders have an annoying habit of filling half of your mug with head so that you only have half a glass of actual beer. Though the Japanese like their draft beer poured that way, you may find it irritating - especially when you're paying ?600 for a glass of beer as in many restaurants and bars. If you have the gumption to ask for less head, say awa o sukoshi dake kudasai ("please, just a little foam"). You will baffle your server, but you may get a full glass of beer. Guinness pubs have started appearing all over the country recently, which is nice for those who like Irish drinks. For those with a more humourous tastes in beer, try kodomo biiru (??????, literally Children’s Beer ), a product that looks just like the real thing but it was actually invented with children in mind. [ edit ] Happoshu and third beer Thanks to Japan's convoluted alcohol licensing laws, there are also two almost-beers on the market: happoshu (???), or low-malt beer, and the so-called third beer (?3???? dai-san no biiru ), which uses ingredients like soybean peptides or corn instead of malt. Priced as low as ¥120, both are considerably cheaper than "real" beer, but lighter and more watery in taste. Confusingly, they are packaged very similarly to the real thing with brands like Sapporo's "Draft One" and Asahi's "Hon-Nama", so pay attention to the bottom of the can when buying: by law, it may not say ??? (beer), but will instead say ??? (happoshu) or, for third beers, the unwieldy moniker ??????(2) ( sono hoka no zashu(2) , lit. "other mixed alcohol, type 2"). Try to drink moderately as both drinks can lead to nightmare hangovers. [ edit ] Western wine Japanese wine is actually quite nice although it costs about twice as much as comparable wine from other countries. Several varieties exist, and imported wine at various prices is available nationwide. One of Japan's largest domestic wine areas is Yamanashi Prefecture, and one of Japan's largest producers, Suntory, has a winery and tours there. Most wine, red and white, is served chilled and you may find it hard obtaining room-temperature (?? jo-on ) wine when dining out. [ edit ] Tea The most popular beverage by far is tea (?? o-cha ), provided free of charge with almost every meal, hot in winter and cold in summer. There is a huge variety of tea in bottles and cans in convenience-store fridges and vending machines. Western-style black tea is called kocha (??); if you don't ask for it specifically you're likely to get Japanese brown or green tea. Chinese oolong tea is also very popular. The major types of Japanese tea are: sencha (??), the common green tea matcha (??), soupy powdered ceremonial green tea, bitter and expensive hojicha (????), roasted green tea genmaicha (???), tea with roasted rice, tastes popcorn-y mugicha (??), a drink of roasted barley, served iced in summer [ edit ] Coffee Coffee (???? kohi ) is quite popular in Japan, though it's not part of the typical Japanese breakfast. It's usually brewed to the same strength as European coffee; weaker, watered down coffee is called American . Canned coffee (hot and cold) is a bit of a curiosity, and widely available in vending machines like other beverages for about 120 yen per can. The regular stuff is rather sweet, so there are black varieties as well. Decaffeinated coffee is practically unheard of in Japan, even at Starbucks. There are many coffee shops in Japan, including Starbucks, but major local chains include Doutor and Excelsior . [ edit ] Soft drinks There are many uniquely Japanese soft drinks and trying random drinks on vending machines is one of the little joys of Japan. A few of note include Calpis (????), a kind of yogurt-based soft drink which tastes better than it sounds and the famous Pocari Sweat (a Gatorade-style isotonic drink). A more traditional Japanese soft drink is Ramune (???) which is nearly the same as Sprite or 7-Up but is noteworthy for its unusual bottle, where one pushes down a marble into an open space below the spout instead of using a bottle opener. Most American soft drink brands (Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Dr. Pepper, Mountain Dew) are widely available in Tokyo. In other cities, even Coca-Cola can be difficult to find. The only choices for diet soda will be Diet Coke or Diet Pepsi. Root Beer is nearly impossible to find outside of speciality food shops for foreigners or Okinawa. Ginger ale is very popular however, and a common find in vending machines. Caffeinated energy drinks are available in many local brands (usually infused with ginseng), but Red Bull is not sold in Japan. In Japan, the term "juice" (???? jusu ) is catch-all term for any kind of fruity soft drink -- sometimes even Coca-Cola and the like -- and extremely few are 100% juice. So if it's fruit squeezings you want, ask for kaju (??). [ edit ] Bathe Bathing is a big deal in Japan, and be it a scenic onsen hot spring, a neighhorbood sento bath or just an ordinary household tub, bathing Japanese style is a pleasure. Japanese wax lyrical about the joys of hot water (? yu ) and dub even the ordinary tub with a honorific (??? o-furo ), and a visit to a Japanese hot spring — marked as ? on maps — should be on the agenda of every visitor. [ edit ] Onsen Rotenburo outdoor bath in the Oku-Hida Onsen Villages Onsen (??), quite literally " hot springs ", are the pinnacle of the Japanese bathing experience. Cluster of hot spring inns pop up wherever there's a suitable source of hot water, and in volcanic Japan, they're everywhere. The most memorable onsen experience is often the rotenburo (????), literally "dew sky bath", which is located outside with views of the surrounding natural scenery. While the baths are usually large and shared, some swankier accommodations offer, often for an additional fee, reservable baths for you and yours alone, known family baths, racier "romance baths" or just plain old reserved baths (???? kashikiri-furo ). Onsen baths can be either in standalone buildings available for anybody (?? sotoyu ), or private guest-only baths inside your lodgings (?? uchiyu ). While most onsen are run commercially and charge fees for entry (¥500-1000 is typical), especially in remote areas there are free publicly maintained baths that offer minimal facilities but, more often than not, stunning views to make up for it. Many of these are mixed (?? kon'yoku ), but while men still happily traipse into these naked, if holding a towel in front of their dangly bits, it's a rare woman who'll enter one without a bathing suit these days — not that anybody will object if she does! Commercial operations with konyoku baths tend to enforce bathing suits for both sexes. Note that many onsen prohibit the entry of visitors with tattoos . Intended to keep out yakuza gangsters (who often sport full-back tattoos), the rule is usually applied with a modicum of common sense, but heavily tattood visitors will, at the very least, receive curious looks and may be asked to leave. A good idea to avoid some stares is to cover a tattoo with a bandaid before going into an onsen, but even the bandaid might gain some stares from a few people. [ edit ] Sento and spas Sento (??) are communal bath houses found in any large city. Intended for people without their own home tub, they are typically quite utilitarian and are slowly dying out as Japan continues its break-neck modernization. Some, however, have gone upmarket and turning into spas (?? supa ), which in Japan do not mean Balinese huts offering Ayurvedic massage while getting sprinkled with orchids, but public baths for stressed-out salarymen, often with a capsule hotel (see Sleep ) bolted on the side. As you might expect, these come in varying degrees of legitimacy — in particular, beware any place advertising "esthe", "health", or "soap" — but most are surprisingly decent. [ edit ] Etiquette The layout of a typical sento Japanese are understanding of the funny ways of foreigners, but there's one rule where no exceptions are made: you have to wash yourself and rinse off all suds before entering the bath . The water in the tub will be reused by the next person, and the Japanese consider it disgusting to soak in someone else's dirt! Basically, wash up as well as you hope the guy next to you has done. Be it a fancy onsen or a barebones sento, the choreography of an entire visit goes roughly as follows: Shared bathing areas are usually sex-segregated, so look for the characters "man" (?) and "woman" (?) to pick the right entrance. Men's baths also typically have blue curtains, while women's are red. Enter the changing room, leaving slippers at the doorway. Pick an empty basket and undress, placing all your garments in the basket. If there are lockers, place your valuables in them and take the key. Take your teeny-weeny towel (usually provided) and enter the bath room. Take a little stool, sit down, and clean yourself really, really well. Shampoo your hair, soap your entire body, repeat. Rinse all suds off once clean. Only then can you enter the bath tub. Do so slowly, as the water can often be very hot indeed; if it's unbearable, try another tub. If you do manage to get in, note that it's considered mildly bad form to let your towel touch the water, so you may wish to fold it atop your head. When sufficiently cooked, wash yourself once again and repeat the process in reverse. After your bath is finished, you can nearly always find a relaxation lounge (??? kyukeishitsu ), inevitably equipped with a beer vending machine, nearby. Feel free to sprawl out in your yukata , sip beer, talk with friends, take a nap. [ edit ] Sleep In addition to the usual youth hostels and business hotels, you can find several kinds of uniquely Japanese accommodation, ranging from rarefied ryokan inns to strictly functional capsule hotels and utterly over-the-top love hotels . When reserving any Japanese accommodations, bear in mind that many smaller operations may hesitate to accept foreigners, fearing language difficulties or other cultural misunderstandings. This is to some extent institutionalized: large travel agency databases note which (few) hotels are prepared to handle foreigners, and they may tell you that all lodgings are booked if only these are full! Instead of calling up in English, you may find it better to get a Japanese acquaintance or local tourist office to make the booking for you. Alternatively, for cheap Internet rates, Rakuten ( http://www.mytrip.net/en/en_kensaku.html ) 's English search tool is an invaluable utility. One thing to beware in wintertime: traditional Japanese houses are designed to be cool in summer, which all too often means that they are freezing cold inside in winter. Bulk up on clothing and make good use of the bathing facilities to stay warm; fortunately, futon bedding is usually quite warm and getting a good night's sleep is rarely a problem. [ edit ] Hotels In general hotels of any kind are uniformly expensive. Luxury hotels, on the other hand, turn pampering into an artform, but room charges tend to start at ¥20,000 per person (not per room). [ edit ] Capsule hotels Space-efficient sleeping in Sapporo Capsule hotels are the ultimate in space-efficient sleeping: for a nominal fee (often under ¥2000), the guest rents himself a capsule , sized about 2x1x1 meters and stacked in two rows inside a hall containing tens if not hundreds of capsules. Capsule hotels are invariably segregated by sex and only a few cater to women. On entry to a capsule hotel, take off your shoes, place them in a locker and put on a pair of slippers. You will often have to surrender your locker key at check-in to insure that you do not slip out without paying! On checking in you will be given a second locker for placing your belongings, as there is no space for them in the capsule and little security as most capsules have simply a curtain, not a door. Beware though if there is a curtain, since probing hands may enter it. Many if not most capsule hotels are attached to a spa of varying degrees of luxury and/or dubiosity, often so that entry to the spa costs (say) ¥2000 but the capsule is only an additional ¥1000. Other, cheaper capsule hotels will require feeding in 100-yen coins even to get the shower to work. This being Japan, there are always vending machines on hand to dispense toothpaste, underwear and such sundries. Once you retire into your capsule, you will usually find a simple control panel for operating the lights, the alarm clock and the inevitable built-in TV. Sweet dreams! But don't oversleep or you may be hit with another day's charge. In Tokyo's Shinjuku and Shibuya districts the capsule hotels run at least ¥3500, but have excellent free massage chairs, saunas, public baths, disposable razors and shampoo, magazines, and coffee in the morning. Despite all that, keep in mind that your capsule "door" is just a curtain that keeps light out. You will likely hear a steady stream of drunk and sleepy business men crawling into their capsules above and across from you before falling into a mild snore. [ edit ] Love hotels Love hotel is a bit of a euphemism, the more accurate term would be sex hotel . They can be found in and near red light districts, but most are not in those areas. Many of them are often clustered around highway interchanges or main train stations out of the city and back to the suburbs. Basically you can rent a room by the night (listed as "Stay" or ?? shukuhaku on the rate card), a couple of hours ("Rest" or ?? kyukei ), or off hours ("No Time Service") which are usually weekday afternoons. They are generally clean, safe, and very private. Some have fantastic themes like castles, Disney, sports, whatever. As a traveler, not a tryster, you (usually) cannot check in, drop your bags, and go out exploring. Once you leave, that is it, so they are not as convenient as proper hotels. "Stay" rates also tend to start only after 10 PM, and overstaying may incur hefty additional "Rest" charges. Many rooms have simple food and drinks in a refrigerator, and often have somewhat high charges. Before entering a love hotel, it would be wise to take some food and drinks with you. Popular love hotels may be entirely booked up in the cities on weekends. Why are they everywhere? Consider the housing shortage that plagued post-war Japan for years, and the way people still live in extended families. If you are 28 years old and still live at home, do you really want to bring your mate back to your folks' house? Or, if you are a married couple in a 40 square meter apartment with two grade school children, do you really want to get down to it at home? Thus, the love hotel. They can be seedy, but mainly they are just practical and fulfill a social need. One word of caution: There has been an increase in hidden cameras being planted in public and private spaces, including love hotels, either by other guests or even occasionally the hotel management. Videos of these supposed tosatsu (hidden camera) are popular in adult video stores, although many such videos are actually staged. [ edit ] Business hotels They are usually around ¥10,000 per night and have a convenient location (often near major train stations) as their sole saving grace, but rooms are usually unbelievably cramped and facilities minimal. Local, "unadvertised" business hotels, further from major stations, can be significantly cheaper (from ¥6000/double room/night) and can be found in the phonebook (which also tells prices!), but you will need a Japanese-speaking assistant to help or — better yet — book online in advance. For two or more, the price can often compete with youth hostels if you share a twin or double room. [ edit ] Inns [ edit ] Ryokan Ryokan (??) are traditional Japanese inns , and a visit to one is the highlight of many a trip to Japan. Since some knowledge of Japanese mores and etiquette is required to visit one, many will hesitate to take non-Japanese guests (especially ones who do not speak Japanese), but some cater specially to this group. A night at a ryokan for one with two meals starts at about ¥8000 and goes up into the stratosphere. Ryokan usually operate on a fairly strict schedule and you will be expected to arrive by 5 PM. On entry take off your shoes and put on the slippers you will wear inside the house. After checking in you will be led to your room, which is invariably simply but elegantly decorated and covered in tatami matting.Be sure to take off your slippers before stepping on tatami. Before dinner you will be encouraged to take a bath — see Bathe for the full scoop. You will probably wish to change into your yukata bathrobe before bathing and it's a simple enough garment, just place the left lapel atop the right when closing it. Once you have bathed dinner will be served in your room. In most ryokan dinner is very elaborately prepared and presented from carefully chosen seasonal ingredients; by all means ask if you are not sure how to eat a given item. After you have finished you are free to head out into town; in hot spring towns it is perfectly normal to head out dressed only in yukata and geta clogs, although doing so as a foreigner may attract even more attention than usual. (Hint: wear underwear underneath.) Many ryokan have curfews, so make sure you don't end up locked outside. When you return you will find that futon bedding has been rolled out for you on the tatami. While slightly harder than a Western bed, most people find sleeping on a futon very pleasant. Note that a real Japanese futon is simply a mattress, not the low, flat bed often sold under the name in the West. Breakfast in the morning is usually served communally in a dining hall at a fixed time. Note that some establishments with the word "ryokan" in their name are not the luxurious variety at all, but just minshuku (see below) in disguise. The price will tell you which type of lodging it is. [ edit ] Minshuku Minshuku (??) are the budget version of ryokan : the overall experience is much the same but the food is simpler, dining is communal at dinner, bathrooms are shared and guests are expected to lay out their own futon (although an exception is often made for foreigners). Consequently minshuku are also cheaper and rates hover around ¥5000 with two meals (???? ippaku-nishoku ). Cheaper yet is a stay with no meals (???? sudomari ), which can go as low as ¥3000. Minshuku are more often found in the countryside than in cities. [ edit ] Kokuminshukusha Kokuminshukusha (????), a mouthful that translates quite literally into "People's Lodges", are government-run guest houses . They primarily provide subsidized holidays for government employees in remote scenic spots, but are usually happy to accept paying guests. Both facilities and prices are usually more comparable to ryokan than minshuku standards; however, they are almost invariably large in size and can be rather impersonal. [ edit ] Shukubo Shukubo (??) are lodgings for pilgrims , usually (but not always) located within a Buddhist temple or Shinto shrine. Again, the experience is broadly similar to a ryokan, but the food will be vegetarian and you may be offered a chance to participate in the temple's activities. Shukubo can be reluctant to accept foreign guests, but one place where this won't be a problem is the major Buddhist center of Mt. Koya near Osaka . [ edit ] Hostels and camping [ edit ] Youth hostels Youth hostels (??????? yusu hosteru , often just called yusu or abbreviated "YH") can be comparatively expensive in Japan, especially if you opt for dinner and breakfast and are not a HI member, in which case the price for a single night may be over ¥5000. As elsewhere, some are concrete cellblocks run like reform schools, while others are wonderful cottages in scenic spots. There are even a number of temples that run hostels as a sideline. Do some groundwork before choosing where to go, the Japan Youth Hostel ( http://www.jyh.or.jp/english/ ) page is a good place to start. Many have curfews and dorms are sex-segregated. Camping in scenic Iya Valley [ edit ] Camping Camping is the cheapest way to get a night's sleep in Japan. There is an extensive network of camping grounds throughout the country, although naturally most are away from the big cities and information in English is sparse. Transportation to them can also be problematic, as few buses may go there. Most charge only nominal fees (¥200-500). Camping wild is illegal in most of Japan, although you can always try to ask for permission — or simply pitch your tent late and leave early. Many larger city parks may in fact have large numbers of blue tarp tents with homeless in them. [ edit ] Nojuku For the real budget traveller wanting to get by on the cheap in Japan is the option of nojuku (??). This is Japanese for " sleeping outside ", and although it may seem quite strange to westerners, a lot of young Japanese do this when they travel. Thanks to a low crime rate and relatively stable climate, nojuku is a genuinely viable option if you're travelling in a group or feel confident doing it on your own. Common nojuku places include train stations, michi no eki (road service stations), or basically anywhere that has some kind of shelter and public toilets nearby. Those worrying about shower facilities will be delighted to know that Japan is blessed with cheap public facilities pretty much everywhere - notably onsen , or hot springs. Even if you can't find an onsen, sento (public baths), or sauna are also an option. Bear in mind nojuku is only really viable in the summer months, although in the northern island of Hokkaido even in summer the temperature may dip during the night. On the other hand, there's much more scope for nojuku on Okinawa (although public facilities on the smaller islands are lacking). Nojuku is not really recommended for first-time travellers to Japan, but for those with some experience, it can be a great way to get into the 'onsen' culture, meet other fellow nojuku travellers, and most of all travel very cheaply when coupled with hitchhiking . [ edit ] Long-term [ edit ] Gaijin houses If you're staying for a longer period, say a month and longer, you might be able to drastically reduce your living costs by staying in a "gaijin house". These establishments cater specifically towards foreigners and offer at least minimally furnished and usually shared apartments at reasonable prices, and without the hefty deposits and commissions of apartments (often up to 6-8 months rent worth) paid before moving in. Nearly all are only in the Tokyo area, however. It will almost certainly be cheaper than staying in a hotel for a month. Gaijin houses can be anything from ugly cramped apartment complexes with new tenants every week, to nice family run businesses in private houses, so try to get a look at the place before you decide to move in. One of the biggest letting agencies for gaijin houses in Tokyo is Sakura House ( http://www.sakura-house.com/ ) , others can be found here ( http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2032.html ) . [ edit ] Apartments Traditionally, renting an apartment in Japan is a ridiculously complex and expensive process, involving getting a Japanese resident to act as your guarantor (literally — trash up the place and run away, and they'll get stuck with the bill!) and paying half a year's rent or more in advance. This is thus essentially impossible for anyone who isn't familiar with the culture and there to live and work for a few years at least. In recent years, though, weekly mansions (short-term apartments) have become popular for residents (typically businessmen on long-term assignment or young singles) and are accessible even to visitors. Most are 1 or 2 person rooms, though larger ones for 3 or 4 are sometimes available. Apartments fees are around 5000 yen for a single, around 6000-7000 yen for a two person room per day. Most of these apartment rental agencies will offer all apartments with shower, toilet and bath. They usually have air-conditioning, microwave and cooking ameneties. A great company that also accepts and replies to English E-Mail is Weekly Mansion Tokyo ( http://www.wmt.co.jp/ ) . Please allow some days for a reply, as only one employee is fluent in English. WMT has more than 50 apartment buildings in Tokyo and Yokohama. Recently they opened buildings in Nagoya, Osaka and most recently in Sapporo. Sometimes a deposit is required for some of the apartments. Without exception the apartments are kept clean and often have much more space and flexibiliy than a hotel and are priced in the Youth hostel range. [ edit ] Last resorts Even in Tokyo, the trains completely stop running around 1am, so if you're out after than and don't want to pay for a cab or even a capsule hotel, there are a few options for killing the hours until the first morning train. [ edit ] Internet cafés In bigger cities around the major stations you can find internet cafés. Here you not only can access internet but watch TV, play video games, read comics and enjoy the free drink bar. Price varies but usually around ¥400/hour. They often have a special night fare for the period when no trains are running (from around 12pm until 5 am for ¥1500). Sometimes they have massage chair, a mat to sleep on or even a shower. It isn't a comfortable option but perfect for checking the next day's train schedule, downloading pictures from your digital camera, writing home and resting a bit. [ edit ] Karaoke bar This is only an emergency option in case you can't find anything else and you are freezing outside. Karaoke bars offer entertainment rooms until 5 am ("free time") for ¥1500-2500. Only works with at least 3-4 people. [ edit ] Study The cheapest way to stay in Japan for a longer period of time is to study at a local school or university, hopefully with a generous Monbusho (Ministry of Education) grant to pay for it all. Contact your local Japanese embassy or home university's exchange program department for information on how to proceed. In many situations though one prerequisite to obtaining a Japanese student visa is showing Japanese Immigration that you have at least a million yen in a bank account to cover your living expenses. A Japanese student visa an additional special permission form from Immigration will allow you to legally work up to 20 hours per week to help with expenses. [ edit ] Work Obtaining a work permit in Japan is difficult, especially without a firm job offer from an established company willing to guarantee you. The most common form of employment among foreigners is teaching English , especially in afterhours English conversation schools known as eikaiwa (???). Pay is fairly good for young adults, but rather poor compared to a qualified educator already at work in most Western countries. Working conditions can also be quite strict compared to western standards, and some companies have very bad reputations. An undergraduate degree or ESL creditation is essential for most desirable positions. The JET ( http://www.jetprogramme.org/e/index.html| ) Program (Japan Exchange and Teaching) offers young university graduates a chance to work in Japan. The program is run by the Japanese government but your employer would typically be a highschool somewhere. Pay is slightly better than the language schools and, unlike at such a school, if you have a serious problem with your employer you can appeal to the JET program people for help. Foreigners with postgraduate education may be able to find jobs teaching English (or even other subjects) at Japanese universities, which offers better pay and working conditions than the eikaiwa industry. Quite a few young women choose to work in the hostess industry, where they entertain Japanese men over drinks in tiny bars known as sunakku (????) and are paid for their time. While pay can be good, visas for this line of work are difficult if not impossible to obtain and most work illegally. The nature of the work also carries its own risks, notably poor career prospects, alcoholism, smoking, potential problems from clients such as groping and lewd questions, and even harassment or worse, exemplified by the abduction and murder of hostess Lucille Blackman in 2000. Website for bilingual jobs in Japan ( http://www.workinjapan.com ) Japan's English Teaching Job Site ( http://www.japanenglishteacher.com ) [ edit ] Stay healthy Japan is a country obsessed with cleanliness and health hazards are few and far between. Tap water is potable everywhere and food hygiene standards are very high. There are no communicable diseases of significance, as despite the name Japanese encephalitis has been all but eradicated. With this said, it is also not uncommon to use restrooms which have no towel, hand dryer or soap facilities. Since the Japanese tend to carry a hand towel with them everywhere these aren't as important. It's not clear why restrooms wouldn't be equipped with soap dispensers, but don't let it surprise you. Stay clean by carrying a small bottle of hand cleaner or disposable wipes. Japan has it's share of dirty areas. Because of the sheer magnitude of traffic, the streets and curbs are just as dirty as anywhere. The obsession of cleanliness and removing shoes before entering someone's home makes sense because of the conditions of the outer world. If you do become ill with a co