Japan Travel

Japan.com - Travel - Travel in Japan - Japan Travel Search : on the web in Japan.com Powered by Home News Business Travel Travel Cities Flying to Japan Hotel Japan Overview Airports Climate Weather - Tokyo - Osaka - Other Cities Leisure Technology Living in Japan Study Job in Japan Immigration you@japan.com Login Address Password © 2001 Japan Inc. Communications K.K. All Rights Reserved. webmasters click here SONY Cyber-shot Digital Camera T1 (JE) Newly designed optical 3x zoom. Large 2.5-inch LCD and 5.1-million-pixels CCD. Meet the new, fully flat Cyber-shot with high-performance functions in a compact body : Click here to see more... JAPAN.COM FRIENDS Sign up for FREE and meet ADVERTISEMENT Free Newsletters Email : J@pan Inc Newsletter Wireless Watch Gadget Watch Terrie's Take Music Media Watch More NEWSLETTERS English OK Key Areas: » Kichijoji » Shinjuku » Harajuku » Omotesando » Shibuya » Ebisu » Shinagawa » Roppongi » Azabu » Akasaka Overview Japan, like any country, isn't something you can describe in just a few sentences. Below we have presented just some basic facts about the country, just to get things started. Japan (Nippon or Nihon) The four major islands of Japan are Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu, covering a total area of 377,829 square kilometers (or 145,880 square miles). According to the National Census of 2000, the total population of Japan was 126.92 million, and there were ten prefectures with more than 3 million residents. The average size for households is approximately 2.7 persons, with the average life expectancy for males being 77.64 years, and 84.62 years for females. http://www.mhlw.go.jp/english/index.html As of 2000, Japan's highly skilled workforce consisted of 64.46 million workers. The number of unemployed individuals, however, had exceeded 3 million per year for two consecutive years, and stood at 3.2 million. http://www.stat.go.jp/english/1.htm NATURAL FEATURES OF JAPAN The chief feature of the Japanese archipelago is its geological instability, resulting in frequent volcanic activity and earthquakes. Another distinctive characteristic of the topography is the fact that the Japanese archipelago is made up almost entirely of steep mountain districts with very few plains. Mountains and hills account for 73% of the land area, making Japan a very mountainous island country. MAJOR MOUNTAINS Mountains m Prefecture 1. *Fuji-san(Kenga-mine) 3776 Yamanashi Shizuoka 2. Kita-dake (Shirane-san) 3192 Yamanashi 3. Okuhotaka-dake 3190 Nagano Gifu An asterisk denotes a volcano. MAJOR LAKES A small number of large rivers, such as the Ishikarigawa, Shinanogawa, Tonegawa, Kisogawa, Yodogawa, and Chikugogawa, have large deltas at their mouths. A lake is defined as having an area of 10 kms2 or more and according to a 1999 survey, the lakes listed below are three of Japan's largest: lakes m Prefecture 1. Biwa-ko 670.3 Shiga 2. Kasumi-gaura 167.6 Ibaragi 3. Saroma-ko 151.9 Hokkaido FACTS IN BRIEF National Symbols Although Japan does not have an official national anthem, "Kimigayo" (His Majesty's Reign) is considered to be the 'de facto' anthem. Similarly, the "Hinomaru" ("the sun disk") has gained worldwide recognition as the 'national flag' of Japan, although it has never been officially designated as such. There is also no national flower of Japan, although many people believe it to be the cherry blossom for its overwhelming popularity or the chrysanthemum for its association with the Imperial Household. Japan has, however, officially recognized national entities such as the national butterfly (oomurasaki), national bird (pheasant), and the national sport (sumo). The national currency of Japan is yen (¥). Japanese language The Japanese language (known as nihongo in Japanese) has a complex writing system, comprised of Kanji and Kana. Kanji is derived from Chinese characters, with each character holding specific meaning, while Kana is a phonetic syllabry of characters, each character containing no inherent meaning in abstract. Hiragana and Katakana, two types of Kana, are used for locally derived Japanese words, and words initially 'imported' from other languages, respectively. It is not uncommon for students of the language to reach a level of fluency in spoken and written Japanese only after several years of dedicated study. World Heritage Sites in Japan In addition to Yakushima and Shirakami-Sanchi, which were both awarded World Natural Heritage status in December 1992, Japan also boasts nine World Cultural Heritage landmarks, including several well-known temples and shrines (see below). World Cultural Heritage Sites Buddhist Monuments in the Horyu-ji Area (listed in Dec. 1993) Himeji-jo (Dec. 1993) Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto (Kyoto, Uji and Otsu Cities: Dec. 1994) Historic Villages of Shirakawa-go and Gokayama (Dec. 1995) Hiroshima Peace Memorial (Genbaku Dome: Dec. 1996) Itsukushima Shinto Shrine (Dec. 1996) Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara (Dec. 1998) Shrines and Temples of Nikko (Dec. 1999) Gusuku Sites and Related Properties of the Kingdom of Ryukyu (Dec. 2000) J@pan Inc Magazine Get all the news on the Business - Technology and People in Japan. Aims to tell the real story of Japan's move... http://www.japaninc.com

vacation package to Europe

NWA WorldVacations - Offers air and hotel vacation packages to destinations around the world like Las Vegas Hawaii Maui Mexico Cancun Riviera Maya Jamaica the Caribbean Orlando Florida Disney World Europe Asia Hong Kong with Northwest Airlines airline tickets and WorldPerks vacations Say "Sì" to 25% Savings on European Vacations! Purchase your qualifying air and hotel vacation package to Europe by January 31, 2006 and save up to 25%! WorldVacations Package Specials View all specials Search by: Price Schedule Package Type: Air and Hotel Air and Car Departure City: Choose a City Aberdeen,SD Akron/Canton, OH Albany, NY Albuquerque,NM Alexandria, LA Allentown,PA Alpena, MI Amarillo,TX Anaheim/Orange County, CA Anchorage, AK Appleton,WI Arcata/Eureka, CA Aspen, CO Astoria,OR Atlanta,GA Austin, TX Baltimore, MD Bangor, ME Baton Rouge, LA Bellingham,WA Bemidji,MN Benton Harbor,MI Bethel, AK Billings,MT Binghamton,NY Birmingham,AL Bismarck,ND Bloomington,IL Boise,ID Boston, MA Bozeman,MT Brainerd,MN Buffalo,NY Burlington,VT Butte, MT Calgary, Canada Cedar Rapids,IA Champaign,IL Charleston,SC Charleston,WV Charlotte,NC Charlottesville,VA Charlottetown,PR ED IS Chattanooga,TN Chicago, IL (Midway) Chicago, IL (O'Hare) Cincinnati,OH Cleveland,OH College Station, TX Colorado Springs, CO Columbia, SC Columbus,GA Columbus,MS Columbus,OH Cordova, AK Corpus Christi, TX Dallas/Ft. 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ID Port Angeles,WA Portland, ME Portland, OR Presque Isle, ME Providence, RI Pullman, WA Quebec City, Canada Raleigh/Durham, NC Rapid City, SD/Black Hills Redding, CA Redmond, OR Regina,Canada Reno, NV Rhinelander, WI Richmond, VA Roanoke, VA Rochester, MN Rochester, NY Rockford, IL Sacramento,CA Saginaw, MI Salida, CO Salt Lake City, UT San Antonio, TX San Diego, CA San Francisco, CA San Jose, CA Santa Barbara, CA Sarasota, FL Saskatoon,Canada Sault Sainte Marie, MI Savannah, GA Seattle, WA Shreveport, LA Sioux City,IA Sioux Falls,SD Sitka, AK South Bend, IN Spokane,WA Springfield Springfield, MO St. Cloud, MN St. Louis, MO State College, PA Steamboat Springs, CO Sun Valley,ID Syracuse,NY Tallahassee Tampa, FL Thief River Falls, MN ThunderBay,Canada Toledo,OH Toronto, Canada Traverse City,MI Tri Cities Regional, TN Tucson, AZ Tulsa,OK Tupelo,MS Vail/Eagle County, CO Vancouver, Canada Victoria, Canada Walla Walla,WA Washington, DC (Dulles) Washington,D.C.(National) Waterloo,IA Watertown,SD Wausau, WI Wenatchee,WA West Palm Beach, FL White Plains,NY Wichita,KS Wilkes Barre,PA Winnipeg,Canada Wrangell, AK Yakima,WA Yakutat, AK Youngstown,OH Destination City: Choose a City Acapulco, MX Amsterdam Netherlands Anaheim/Orange County, CA Anchorage, AK Atlanta,GA Baltimore, MD Banff/Lake Louise, Canada Bangkok,Thailand Barcelona, Spain Beijing, China Berlin, Germany Boston, MA Brussels,Belgium Burbank,CA Cabo San Lucas, MX Calgary, Canada Cancun, MX Chiang Mai, Thailand Chicago, IL (Midway) Chicago, IL (O'Hare) Clearwater Beach, FL Cozumel, MX Denver, CO Detroit, MI Edmonton, Canada Florence,Italy Fort Lauderdale, FL Fort Myers, FL Fort Walton Beach, FL Frankfurt, Germany Grand Cayman, BWI Guilin Gulfport/Biloxi, MS Hamilton, Bermuda Hawaii - Hilo (Big Island) Hawaii - Honolulu (Oahu) Hawaii - Kahalui (Maui) Hawaii - Kona (Big Island) Hawaii - Lanai Hawaii - Lihue (Kauai) Hawaii - Molokai Hong Kong, China Ixtapa, MX Jasper, Canada Key Largo, FL Key West, FL Kyoto, Japan Las Vegas, NV Liberia, Costa Rica London, Gatwick Long Beach, CA Los Angeles, CA Madrid, Spain Manzanillo, Mx Marco Island, FL Mazatlan, MX Memphis, TN Merida, MX Mesa, AZ Mexico City, MX Miami, FL Milan, Italy Minneapolis/St.Paul, MN Montego Bay, Jamaica Montreal, Canada Munich, Germany Napa, CA Naples, FL Nashville,TN Nassau, Bahamas Negril, Jamaica New Orleans, LA New York,NY (JFK Airport) New York,NY (La Guardia) Newark, NJ Nice, France Ocho Rios, Jamaica Ontario, CA Orlando, FL Osaka, Japan Ottawa, Canada Palm Springs, CA Paris, France Pensacola, FL Philadelphia, PA Phoenix, AZ Phuket,Thailand Portland, OR Puerto Plata, Dom Republic Puerto Vallarta, MX Punta Cana,Dominican Republic Quebec City, Canada Rapid City, SD/Black Hills Reno, NV Rome,Italy San Diego, CA San Francisco, CA San Jose, CA San Jose, Costa Rica San Juan, Puerto Rico Santa Barbara, CA Sarasota, FL Scottsdale, AZ Seattle, WA Sedona, AZ Seville, Spain Shanghai,China(Pu Dong Arpt) Singapore, Singapore St. Petersburg, FL Tampa, FL Tokyo, Japan Toronto, Canada Tucson, AZ Tulum, MX Vancouver, Canada Venice, Italy Victoria, Canada Washington, DC (Dulles) Washington,D.C.(National) West Palm Beach, FL Whistler, Canada Departure Date: Return Date: # of Adults: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 # of Rooms: 1 2 3 4 Children's ages: Ages 0-2 Promo Code/MLT E-Cert: More package options: • Purchase a Gift Card • Book using your WorldPerks miles • Visit our Ski Vacation Packages web site View all WorldVacations destinations • Cash & Miles! 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Golf Vacation pacakges. ARIZONA

Esplendor Resort at Rio Rico, Arizona Golf, Weddings, Meetings The Esplendor Resort & Golf Club, Arizona Arizona luxery resort just 45 minutes outside of Tucson, Az, is one of Arizona's top golf resort offerring world class PGA Golf School. Full Meeting and convention facilities, Wedding receptions and romatic vacations. Visit Arizona vacatgion packages offer a hotel and resort stay for every budget. Contact Us By EMAIL or by Phone 800 288-4746 Esplendor Resort @ Rio Rico © 2005 The Esplendor Resort & Golf Club, Arizona The Esplendor in Rio Rico, Arizona is a luxery resort just 45 minutes outside of Tucson, Az, is one of Arizona's top golf resort offerring a world class PGA Golf School. Formally the Rio Rico Resort historic resort, it has been completley restored and updated, with the latest in hotel internet technology, wedding reception and catering and meeting facilities. Each Esplendor guestroom is adorned with its own private patio or balcony overlooking the breathtaking panoramic views of the Santa Cruz mountains, valley and spectacular Arizona sunsets. Enjoy hi-speed internet access, in-room coffee and movies, refrigerator, work and sitting area, full bath, hair dryer, and iron and ironing board. One of Arizona's best kept secrets is our Robert Trent Jones championship golf course - one of the top three rated golf courses in Arizona and located only 45 minutes south of Tucson. PGA's Qualifying School. Classed as one of Arizona's top course, and one of the best in the U.S. every round is memorable. Esplendor Golf Club offers PGS Golf School and Golf Vacation pacakges. ARIZONA MEETINGS: Successful Arizona meetings and Events start with the Right Environment and Great Service. We are experts in leisure, business & incentive group programs and can accommodate small groups to full scale meeting as, themed events, group parties, banquets, family & special functions, educational & team building programs, corporate/executive events & company conventions. Mexico Day Trips: Then take a tour with our Executive Chef, Warren Weeks. He has designed the tour to introduce guests to the authentic culture from which he derives the culinary masterpieces featured at the Resort's San Cayetano Dining Room. Arizona Tennis Center features 4 lit, hard courts overlooking the Santa Cruz Valley. For our Esplendor Resort guests, we feature our Arizona Guest Players Package.

Travelers Trust City: Check-in:

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Switzerland Travel Guide @

Switzerland Travel Guide @ TravelNotes.org Car Hire Cruises Flights Hotels Tours Vacations About Travel Notes™ Destinations Budget Travel Feedback Search Travel Forums Travel Writers Africa Asia Caribbean Europe Middle East North America South America Oceania Switzerland Switzerland Travel Guide @ TravelNotes.org Around Switzerland , Basle , Bern , Geneva , Hotels in Switzerland , Languages in Switzerland , Luzern , Map of Switzerland , Swiss Alps , Swiss Tourism , Swiss Tours , Swiss Travel Agents , Switzerland Directories , Travel in Switzerland , Zrich . Round The World Flights - Free TravelNotes e-mail Flag of Switzerland Switzerland is also called La Suisse in French; Schweiz in German; and Svizzera in Italian. Local Currency Convert your currency into Swiss francs. Buy a Map of Switzerland Countries neighbouring Switzerland are: Italy , France , Germany , Austria and Liechtenstein . National Anthem of Switzerland. Food Travel Fiction Health Kids Bios Humor Mags Software Gifts Tech Business Other Your Ad Here Travel Notes Mailing List News Headlines World News Directory of newspapers and news sources from around the world. Hotel City Search : Hotels in Switzerland Find and Book a Hotel in Austria Hotels in Switzerlad by City : Bern , Geneva , Lugano , Zurich . Popular Destinations in Switzerlan d : Crans-Montana , Davos Klosters , Lake Lugano , Les Quatre Valles , St. Moritz , Zermatt . Languages in Switzerland There are four national languages in Switzerland, and English isn't one of them. German -- or a Swiss dialect of it (Schwyzerttsch) -- is the most widely spoken. French is the spoken language of the Romand cantons: Geneva, Vaud, Neuchtel, Fribourg, Jura, and the western part of Valais. Italian is mainly reserved for the southern canton of Ticino, but is still heard in the major cities. The fourth national language, Romansh , is spoken by less than 1 per cent of the people -- mainly in the mountainous canton of Graubnden (or Grisons, in French). Around Switzerland Geneva and Zurich are important cities in Switzerland, but Bern is the capital. Bern The capital of Switzerland , also spelt Berne, is on the Aare River towards the west of the country. A bear is the emblem of Berne, and the bear pit -- maintained since 1513 -- is a popular tourist attraction. Bern was founded in 1191 and still has a medieval feel to it. Bern Tourismus : Bern is quieter than Zurich or Geneva, but there's still more to the capital than a bear pit and the houses of parliament. Geneva Situated on Lac Leman, or Lake Geneva, the city is in the French-speaking part of Switzerland, right on the border with France . Ville de Geneve : Geneva is widely recognised as the city of peace and major international negotiations. The Red Cross was set up here, and Geneva also hosts the UN European headquarters, the World Health Organisation, and the High Commission for Refugees. Zrich Zurich : Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the financial capital of the country. The Swiss stock exchange is here, and the elegant shops in Bahnhofstrasse still smell of money. Hotel Alexander, Zurich : Centrally located, three-star hotel in Zurich's Niederdorfstrasse, 5 minutes from Zurich main station. The best deal in town. Zuri Cam : See the Limmatquai from the top of Hotel Central in Zurich. Swiss Alps As one of the most mountainous countries in Europe, Switzerland has plenty of Alpine resorts and mountain peaks to choose from. Tourist Mountains : The Matterhorn is in the Valais, above Zermatt, while the Jungfrau and the Eiger are in the Bernese Oberland, near Interlaken. The Eiger is notorious for its fearsome North Face. Gimmelwald : Not to be confused with Grindlewald, Gimmelwald is a tiny, timeless, sleepy village at the far end of the Lauterbrunnen valley, accessible by train and car from Interlaken. Gimmelwald.com : Alex visited Gimmelwald during his four country tour of Europe, fell in love with the place, bought the domain name and created this wonderful tribute. Meet the people through Alex's eyes and find out how to get to this little part of Alpine paradise. Interlaken Tourism : Situated between Lakes Brienz and Thun, in the Bernese Oberland, Interlaken is a popular resort all year round. You can even see the Jungfrau peak from the town. Grindelwald Grindelwald is an Alpine village in the Bernese Oberland. Its world-famous attractions include the Eiger, the Jungfraujoch and the longest glacier in the Alps - protected by the UNESCO Natural World Heritage. Hotel Kreuz & Post : Located in the centre of Grindlewald (near the train station, sport complex and main shopping district) the Hotel Kreuz andPost offers tastefully equipped rooms, junior suites and panorama suites with bath/shower/WC, radio, telephone, minibar, colour TV and hair dryer. All south facing rooms come with a balcony and magnificent view. Luzern (Lucerne) Luzern : The old wooden bridge was destroyed by fire a while back, but has been beautifully restored. Basle (Ble) Note the different names for the city: German -- Basel French -- Ble English -- Basle Italian -- Basilea Basel Tourismus : Often overlooked by visitors to Switzerland, Basle is on the border with Germany and France and is an important cultural centre. Travel in Switzerland By Car -- There are no tolls on the motorways in Switzerland, although you will need to buy a vignette to stick in the windscreen if you drive your own car in the country. These are available at service-stations and at the border -- Switzerland is not in the European Union. If you hire a car in Switzerland, there will already be one in the windscreen. By Train : Travel by rail is very convenient in Switzerland, and the trains -- cog-railways -- take passengers up some of the steepest, snowiest slopes; even in winter. If a train doesn't go there, to Saas Fe for example, then yellow PTT busses will. You can catch them from from post-offices in the smallest villages and near train station in the larger towns. By Boat -- There are also many lakes in Switzerland and you can travel between the towns on a boat. On Lake Contstance, Bodensee in German, you can go across the lake, from Romanshorn, to Germany or Austria . If you're in Lausanne, an interesting day trip is across Lake Geneva to Evian, France -- don't lose all your money in the casino though. Swiss Tourism Swiss Castles : The castles are sorted by canton, although the descriptions and further information are written in French. At least you can view the photographs. Swiss Club International : Summer camps in Switzerland for 12-18 year olds; learning and cultural enrichment through travel and direct involvement in a great variety of fun activities. Switzerland Tourism : Choose the country you're travelling from. Organised Tours in Switzerland Alps by Motorbike : Beach's Alpine adventure takes in the mountains of Germany, Austria, Italy, Switzerland and France. You may not hear the cow bells through the helmet, but the scenery is breathtaking. Bosenberg Motorcycle Excursions : Scheduled 12-day tours on 3 Alpine routes start at Frankfurt/Main, Germany. Tours are for discriminating motorcyclists where the destination is almost as important as the ride itself and are described in a 16-page full-colour brochure. 3% discount to Travel Notes members . Switzerland Directories Swiss Telephone Book : You can search the whole of Switzerland if you think that someone has moved. Swiss Travel Agents Last Minute Travel : If you're in Switzerland and want to get away for a week or two, these are some of the travel options on offer. Searches the major Swiss tour operators and seems to power the flight search engine that the others use. Esco : Provides holiday packages around the Mediterranean, Canary Islands, and Caribbean. Founded in 1953 and based in Basel. Helvetic Tours : Part of the Kuoni Group -- available in French and German. Hotelplan : Founded in 1935, you'll usually find a Hotelplan office near some of the larger Migros chains. Imholz : Book last minute holidays, flying out of Zurich or Geneva, or choose to tour one of Europe's other major cities. Kuoni : Founded by Alfred Kuoni in 1906, the holding company is headquartered in Zurich and has subsidiaries around the world. In 2001, Kuoni won the World Travel Award as best Tour Operator for the 4th time in a row. Passepartout : RBM's flight ticketing specialists. RBM : Based in Zurich with a nice selection of catalogues. Reisen Netto : The premise of this new brand is to lists prices that are truly all-included prices (no airport taxes and other surcharges although you'll have to pay your own bar bill) -- launched in 2002, by Kuoni. Vgele Reisen : Founded in 1988 as a sister firm of the Charles Vgele clothing retailer, soon to be swallowed up by TUI along with Imholz -- for Kuoni to come along and buy a 49% stake in the group. The Vgele catalogue does have a few more exotic destinations to choose from, than the average sun and sand package holiday company. Europe Travel Forum : From Albania to Vatican City, Scandinavia to the Mediterranean, Europe is culturally eclectic and full of lavish history. Join us in the travel forums if you have a question about Europe or would like to share your experiences about travelling or living in Europe. The Internet TravelNotes.org Switzerland Travel Guide Flight Tickets : Save money on Round The World flight tickets. Travel News : Get the inside scoop with the latest travel features and tips. Past Articles . Airlines & Airports : This travel article points you to airlines and the three letter airport codes with links to their websites. Cyber Cafes : The Internet Caf Guide. Weather Outlook Car Hire Cruises Flights Hostels Tours Vacations Destinations Budget Travel Feedback Meta-Travel Travel Forums Travel Writers Africa Asia Caribbean Europe Middle East North America South America Oceania Travel Directory : Europe : Switzerland Travel Guide -- Submit to Travel Notes | Advertise on TravelNotes.org | Favourite Destinations | Magun'sCompass | Travel Articles | Writers | | Airlines | Airports | Car Hire | Cruises | Flights | Hotels | Online Reservations | Vacation Rentals | | Casinos | Olympics | World Cup | General Disclaimer | Meta-Travel | Search Resources | | TravelNotes is a Trademark of TravelNotes.org | Travel Notes Blog | Add URL | Add to Favorites The URL for this page is: http://www.travelnotes.org/Europe/switzerland.htm