Travel destination Japan

- some basic information -

Before you come to Japan

Japan National Tourist Organisation (JNTO) provides...
"Your guide to Japan": Go and get this very helpful booklet! With comprehensive coverage of all topics it's the perfect basic guide for all your traveling.

"Japan Travel Updates": keep yourself at the edge!
Overseas Offices in... (with phone numbers)
New York (212-757-5640) Chicago (312-222-0874) San Francisco (415-989-7140)
Los Angeles (213-623-1952) Toronto (416-366-7140) Sao Paulo (011-214-6487)
Seol (02-732-7525) Beijing (010-6513-9023) Hong Kong (2968-5688)
Bangkok (02-233-5108) Sydney (02-9232-4522) London (020-7734-9638)
Paris (01-42-96-20-29 Frankfurt (069-20353)

Travel Plans

UNESCO Natural Heritages UNESCO Cultural Heritages

Being in Japan

Tourist Information Centers (TIC)
Opened from 9a.m. to 5p.m. on weekdays and 9a.m. to 12 noon on Saturdays. Closed on Sundays and national holidays: Open from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. (Narita) / 9 p.m. (Kansai) every day year-around: "i" Tourist Information Offices Japan Travel Phone (daily 9a.m. to 5p.m.)

Accommodation

Welcome Inn Reservation Center
The center, operated by International Tourism Center (ITCJ) of Japan (03-3252-1717), makes bookings for accommodations that cost less then Yen 8,000 per person a night (excluding taxes and service charges). There are about 730 "Welcome Inns" in Japan, which ranges from Ryokan (traditional inns) and Minshuku (family-run inns) to business hotels, pensions and Kokumin Shukusha (people's lodges). A reservation counter is provided in each of the five TICs listed above or with every JNTO office (which have a list of the "Welcome Inns" as well). The charges listed below are per person and night and exclusive of taxes (5% when under 15,000 Yen or less, 8% when over 15,000 Yen) and service fees.
  • Japan Hotel Association (JHA): high standards of service an facilities, generally have western style restaurants but better-quality Japanese ones as well, mostly the same amenities as western establishments (heating, TVs, air conditioning, swimming pools etc.), a few deluxe hotels for guest on international business have established near the airports of the main cities
    charges: 15,000 - 30,000 Yen for a single with bath, 25,000 - 40,000 for a twin with bath (plus 8% tax and 10% service tax at first class and deluxe hotels)
  • Business Hotels: aimed at travelling Japanese business, individual bath and western style furniture are the rule, usually small and with few amenities (e.g. you can't expect room service), mostly found close to train stations in major and mid-sized city, rooms usually come only as singles, English is not commonly spoken but check-in and check-out procedures are the same one as everywhere
    charges: 5.500 - 10,000 Yen
  • 'Ryokan': experience the real Japanese way in one of the traditional inns: a room in a Ryokan is usually a single large, undivided room floored with rice-straw Tatami matting (take the shoes off before stepping on it!), with only a single low table as furniture, doors as Shoji screens (a wooden frame covered with paper to slide to open/close), decoration of one or two ink brush drawings or scrolls; the bed is a Futon prepared by the maids and laid out on the ground, the typical lounging wear, the Yukata a blue and white-patterned cotton robe is provided; there will be no private bath just for you, but a communal Japanese one with all the rituals like scrubbing beforehand and socialising while soaking in the pools, if lucky it's an Onsen (hot spring spas of natural mineral water, either indoor ('O-furo') or outdoor ('Roten-buro'); tradition dictates that you bath naked, but men and women are seperated); one of the 80,000 Ryokans can be found all over Japan, of which 2,100 are quality establishments belonging to the Japan Ryokan Association; you can't expect the owners or staff to speak English, but if you know the rules, it shouldn't be a problem
    charges: 12,000 - 20,000 Yen including two meals
  • Japanese Inn Group: Ryokan style budget accommodation with about 80 members scattered throughout the country, specialized in welcoming visitors from abbroad, can provide meals
    charges: 5,000 Yen excluding meals
  • Minshuku: family-run business with guest-home type lodging, rooms rented out are part of the owner's home, not strictly professional amenities (you have to make your own bed, bring towels etc.), often found in choice resorts and vacation spots, give the great opportunity to get below the surface of daily life in Japan
    charges: about 6,500 Yen including two meals, served family style
  • Pensions: to be found in areas popular for sports, mostly run by young people, open-spirited philosophy and unrestricted management styles, not set up for foreign guest especially but anybody adaptable should feel welcomed, it's an in-between of hotel and minshuku
    charges: 8,000 yen without, 10,000 Yen with two meals
  • People's Lodges: near a number of popular resorts and parks, run by local authorities
    charges: about 6,500 Yen with two meals
Youth Hostels
Japan Youth Hostel, Inc.
National Office Suidobashi Nishiguchi Kaikan, 2-20-7
Misaki-cho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 101-0061 JAPAN
phone: 03-3288-1417 		there are over 360 YHs in Japan
overnight charges: 3,200 - 4,500 Yen + 5% tax
meals: breakfast ~600 Yen, supper ~1000 Yen
separate dorms for boys and girls, no age limit!
hint: the JYH provides a very useful map with hostels, telephone numbers etc. in English
Backpackers
Japan Backpackers' Hostel Network
Buddhist Temples
even more off the beater track: some take overnight guests as paying customers, of which some will even allow their guests to take part in Zazen meditation
Other Links
Lodging Guide
Yado-Inn Guide
One helpful link list to accommodation

Transport

Car
Don't even bother trying to hire a car in Japan. Not only is it damn expensive to rent, but petrol is expensive and there are toll roads everywhere. Furthermore, traffic is heavy and road signs are extremely difficult to understand. Parking is also a hassle. Buses and trains are a more viable option.
Train Service (JAL, JR, JTB) (Japanese only)

The Japan Rail Pass offers an excellent opportunity for the overseas traveller to explorer Japan on his/her own. With the little piece of cardboard you are eligible to travel unlimited kilometers on the Japan Rail (JR) lines and affiliated busses and ferries for a certain time (7 days, 14 days, or 21 days). You must buy this pass OUTSIDE of Japan! It's available through your local travel agents specialized on Japan. Regional Japan Rail Passes are available for a reasonable price: East Pass for northeastern Japan from Tokyo except the island of Hokkaido, the West Pass for western Japan from Kansai Airport on, the Kyushu Pass for all over Kyushu island, and the Hokkaido Pass for exploring the norhern part of Japan.
Airlines
With some 86 airports serving domestic and overseas flights, Japan is highly convenient by air travel.
Japan Airlines Cathay Pacific Skymark Airlines (Japanese only)
All Nippon Airways Japan Air System Air Nippon (Japanese only)

EVA Airways
Intra-City
Subways are common everywhere. You pay by distance (number of stations) beforehand at the ticket machines (only Japanese instruction, so go with a friend who can show you how to operate them), but if you underestimated your actual fare, you have to pay the missing difference with the friendly conductor who sits at the exit of each platform. They mostly do not speak English, but almost all can write numbers in Latin letters. :)

Bus services is available in all cities, but you face the same problem as with the conductors: without some words either from you in Japanese or alternatively from your counterpart in English it will be an adventure.

Taxis are widely available, but the language barrier is a problem here, too. Bring addresses written in Japanese or business cards. The red light in the lower left corner of the windscreen indicates that the cab is vacant and can be flagged down. There is one curiosity about Japanese taxis: the left rear door is opened automatically from within by the driver, so don't be curious about magically opening doors. :)

Further Information

 
Stated data are as from May 2002, links valid from July 2003,
changes might have been taken place.
 
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