Japan explains the places and sights in Japan for the benefit of those going there. We will visit all the major cities as well as towns and villages in Japan, getting to know the sights and tourist attractions along the way.
Himeji Castle
Author: Quasipalm (Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported)
My purpose for creating My Japan Travel Guide is to have one of the most complete personal travel website describing Japan to travelers. It doesn't matter whether you are going to Japan for a few days or several weeks, My Japan Travel Guide is an easy tool you can refer to, anywhere in Japan.
Introducing Japan
Japan (日本国) is a country in East Asia. It comprises four main islands to the east of the Sea of Japan, namely Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu and Shikoku, and with over six thousand smaller islands and islets within an archipelago. Countries neighboring Japan includes South Korea, North Korea, China and Russia. The name Japan means "origin of the sun", which is why the country is often called "Land of the Rising Sun".
Japan covers an area of 377,944q sq km (145,925 sq mi). The country has a population of 127 million people concentrated mostly in the densely populated Kanto and Kansai plains. Its capital, Tokyo, is a metropolis with a population exceeding 35million people, making it one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world.
Japanese lanterns at the Kitano-tenmangu Shrine
Author: Tomomarusan (Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported)
Guide to Japan Hotels
It's never easy finding the hotel that's just right for your stay. Still, by taking a little time to do your research, you increase your chance of getting a good hotel at the best price. Go through the list of hotels in Japan which we've put together, arranged city by city, with full description, star rating, address, location map and evaluation. Pick the hotel of your choice and view the rates offered by different booking sites. Yes, we show you prices from different websites, so you don't have to visit them one by one.
More about Japan
The modern English name for Japan differs from the official Japanese name of the country, Nippon/Nihon. This is due to influence from early trade routes. Chinese traders of Fujian descent called the country Jit Pun, which became Jepun in Malay, Jepang in Indonesian, and eventually Japan in English.
Sushi
Author: Nesnad (Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported)
Japan comprises 47 administrative regions known as prefectures. The prefectures include one metropolis (Tokyo), one "circuit" (Hokkaido), two urban prefectures (Osaka and Kyoto), and 43 "ken" (regional prefectures).
The metropolis of Tokyo is subdivided into administrative divisions called ward, of which there are 15. Hokkaido is divided into 14 subprefectures, each with a branch office ("shicho") of the prefecture. The regional prefectures are subdivided into cities ("shi") and districts ("gun").
Japan is today the world's second largest economy, and third largest in terms of purchasing power parity. It is also the world's fourth largest exporter and fifth largest importer. It is a developed nation with a very high standard of living, with the 10th highest Human Development Index. It also has the highest life expectancy of any country in the world, and the third lowest infant mortality rate.
Dohyo-iri Ceremony, performed during the Sumo tournament in Ryogoku, Tokyo
Author: Keith Pomakis (Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 2.5 Generic)
Planning your trip to Japan
Japan is often perceived as an extremely expensive destination. While it is certainly more expensive than many others in Asia, visitors are still able to enjoy a visit to Japan on a limited budget. It is certain not any more expensive than visiting countries in Western Europe or North America.
Many people come to Japan to enjoy an exotic destination which has managed to preserve its heritage while remaining at the cutting edge of science and technology. There is much to see in Japan that can be considered unique, and hence, exotic to foreign visitors. The people has preserved and developed their culture to a degree that few has achieved, free from excessive interference from outsiders. The country "borrows" heavily from its neighbors as well as from the West, readapting the borrow and turning it into a hybrid which is their own.
The famous Suizenji Japanese Garden in Kumamoto
Author: 663highland (Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported)
The majority of overseas visitors arrive in Japan at either Narita Airport near Tokyo, or Kansai Airport near Osaka. A smaller number also uses the Chubu International Airport near Nagoya. Find out from the Japanese embassy nearest you whether you would need a visa for entry to Japan. Citizens of 61 countries and territories don't, but to curb the influx of illegal immigrants into the country, Japan has placed visa requirements on most nationals of Asian countries. Upon arriving, you are required to undergo electronic fingerprinting, refusal of which is ground to deny you entry.
Preparing Money for your trip to Japan
The currency used in Japan is the Japanese Yen (JPY). The following are the latest rates for Japanese Yen in the last 24-hours.
Planning your travel within Japan
Japan has one of the best train network in the world. It can be exceedingly complex, but if you know exactly where you are going, you will have little problem getting there. Traveling in Japan is very expensive compared to other countries in Asia. However, whether you are using road or rail, you can expect everything to be maintained at tip-top condition.
Torii of Itsukushima Shrine
Author: Alex Tora (public domain)
The fastest way to go from one big city to another is to take the famous bullet train, called the Shinkansen, operated by Japan Railways Group, JR, which was once a single entity, but now broken into seven different companies, six servicing different regions of Japan, and one for freight. JR does not have an exclusive monopoly on all the railway lines in the country, but it pretty much covers the needs of most. If you intend to travel by train extensively, you should get the Japan Rail Pass, allowing you unlimited travel on (almost all) JR trains, including the Shinkansen for fixed periods of 7, 14 and 21 days. It can only be purchased outside Japan, but is a true money saver (a round trip between Tokyo and Osaka costs almost ¥29,000 alone, compared to the price of the 7-day Rail Pass of ¥28,300.)
An alternative to the Japan Rail Pass is the Shinkansen Tour. It is exclusive to foreigners only, but can be bought in Japan itself, allowing you excellent discounts plus accommodation to visit selected destinations in the country.
Festival Float in Japan
Author: 砺波夜高祭WEB管理人 (Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported)
Roads in Japan
Japan has a network of roads connecting its cities and towns. These include expressways and national highways. The expressways in Japan are toll roads. In most cases, the toll is collected according to distance travelled. Extressways do not usually have a route number. Rather, they are known by their names, i.e. the Tomei Expressway, Shin-Meishin Expressway, etc. As of 2008, there is a total of 7,641 km of expressways in Japan. On Google Maps, the expressways are shown in green.
National highways are a grade below the expressways. They are signaged with a blue Highway Shield bearing the route number in white. Japan National Routes are categorized into two classes. Class 1 highways bear either a single or double-digit number, while Class 2 highways bear a three-digit number. The Highway Shield looks like this.
Highway Shield for Japan National Route 15
Author: excl-zoo (public domain)
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