Japan Travel Guide

Top Destinations in Japan

• Kyoto
• Osaka
• Tokyo

Japan Popular Destinations

Mount Fuiji and the Fuiji Five lakes - Central Honshu. Japan's best known natural landmark, Mnt Fuiji's famous shape has been the insipation of artists for hundreds of years. Thankfully, Fuiji has been dormant since the 1700's and can be safely climbed in July or August, and has a trail starting 5 hours hike away from the top. Postcards can be purchased and posted at the top - courtesy of the efficient Japanese postal system! The beautiful skirt of lakes at the bottom are popular for their watersports and amusement parks. Also for the picturesque artistic views of the Mnt.- should you want to attempt a sketch or two.

Kume Island - Okinawa archipelago. Immerse yourself in the Okinawan culture, pay a visit to this quiet and most beautiful of the islands, a world away from the bustle of commercial Japan. A haven of peace, shrines, and pure blue water with villagers going about their daily tasks as they have done for 1000's of years.

Horyu- ji- Temple - Western Honshu. This impressive complex dates back to the 7th century , which is pretty good going for wooden structures. The famous five story Pagoda is said to represent the five elements. A fragment of Buddha's bone is set in a shrine here and rare artworks are also on view. A must visit for those interested in the origins of Buddhism in Japan.

Nagasaki Peace Park and Atomic Bomb Museum - Nagasaki was bombed 3 days after Hiroshima, killing 75 000 people. The actual site of the bomb impact is marked with a black pillar in the Peace Park and stands amongst other peace monuments in the area.The museum houses numerous displays which objectively depict this event and the history of the development of nuclear weapons.

Mito Koumon Festival - by L Hogan from Japan - 2005-05-24

Mito City is located in the prefecture of Ibaraki, one hour north of Tokyo on an express train. Once a year in the last weekend of July or the first weekend in August the city holds a 3 day festival. The festival kicks of on the Friday with a firework display. The best location to view this is from the banks of the river or from the park around Lake Semba. An equally good place to view it is from the beer garden on the roof of the Excel building at the train station. On the Saturday the main street at the South exit of the station is lined with traditional Japanese stalls, some selling food, some carrying taiko drum players, some with trinkets. On the Sunday, there are processions of portable shrines. These shrines are heavier than they look and need the joint effort of 60+ people at a time to transport them from A to B. The streets are packed with well-wishers encouraging the poor shrine bearers to the finish line. The atmosphere is electric with the streets filled with so many colours and so much traditional music.

Moving Around Japan

Public transportation includes the rail system, subway, trams, buses and ferries all of which are safe and efficient. It is recommended that you purchase a Rail Pass from your travel agent before your journey to Japan as these are specially priced for tourist travel and cannot be bought once in the country itself.

The Rail system is highly recommended for tourist travel as it cover extensive areas and English is used for destinations and times at the major stations. Reserve a seat on a famous shinkansen (bullet train ), make sure you hop on quickly as they wait for no one and are expected to run timeously (to the minute..).

Trams, sightseeing, city buses and even bicycles are the way to get around short distances, with car hire a safe and easy option for exploring remote regions. In short, there is no lack of available transportation in Japan, the only hitch would be the language barrier but there is normally a tourist friendly local around to help out. Public transportation includes the rail system, subway, trams, buses and ferries all of which are safe and efficient. It is recommended that you purchase a Rail Pass from your travel agent before your journey to Japan as these are specially priced for tourist travel and cannot be bought once in the country itself.

The Rail system is highly recommended for tourist travel as it cover extensive areas and English is used for destinations and times at the major stations. Reserve a seat on a famous shinkansen (bullet train ), make sure you hop on quickly as they wait for no one and are expected to run timeously (to the minute..).

Trams, sightseeing, city buses and even bicycles are the way to get around short distances, with car hire a safe and easy option for exploring remote regions. In short, there is no lack of available transportation in Japan, the only hitch would be the language barrier but there is normally a tourist friendly local around to help out.

Japan Festivals

There are many traditional festivals, called matsuri, which are a celebration of natural seasons and religious beliefs. To name but a few :

Hamamatsu Matsuri - the kite flying festival in Hamamatsu Shizuoka during 3rd - 5th May
Tosho - gu Grand Festival - Nikko, Tochigi- procession of 10000 samurai armoured men escorting religious shrines on May 17th and 18th.
Gion Matsuri Kyoto-July 17 - spectacular procession of floats, a tradition since before 10th century of requesting protection from a ravaging disease at that time (possibly the plague?).

The following are national public holidays:

New Year 1 Jan
Coming of Age Day 15 Jan
National Foundation Day Feb 11
Vernal Equinox March 21
Greenery Day 29 April
Constitution Memorial Day 3 May
Childrens Day 5 May
Maritime Day 20 July
Respect for the Aged Day 15 Sept
Fall Equinox Day Sept 23
Health sports Day 2nd monday in Oct
Culture Day 3 Nov
Labor Thanksgiving Day 23 Nov
Emperors Birthday Dec 23 There are many traditional festivals, called matsuri, which are a celebration of natural seasons and religious beliefs. To name but a few :

Hamamatsu Matsuri - the kite flying festival in Hamamatsu Shizuoka during 3rd - 5th May
Tosho - gu Grand Festival - Nikko, Tochigi- procession of 10000 samurai armoured men escorting religious shrines on May 17th and 18th.
Gion Matsuri Kyoto-July 17 - spectacular procession of floats, a tradition since before 10th century of requesting protection from a ravaging disease at that time (possibly the plague?).

The following are national public holidays:

New Year 1 Jan
Coming of Age Day 15 Jan
National Foundation Day Feb 11
Vernal Equinox March 21
Greenery Day 29 April
Constitution Memorial Day 3 May
Childrens Day 5 May
Maritime Day 20 July
Respect for the Aged Day 15 Sept
Fall Equinox Day Sept 23
Health sports Day 2nd monday in Oct
Culture Day 3 Nov
Labor Thanksgiving Day 23 Nov
Emperors Birthday Dec 23

Useful Japan Links

Tourist & Culture Guide
Guide to Japan; culture, tradition, festivals etc