Japan

Traveling

Entry requirements

Passport and visa service

To get more information on visa and entry requirements, visit the website of the ministry of Foreign affairs of Japan.

Diplomatic representations

To find the location of the Japanese embassy or consulates in your country, visit the website of the ministry of Foreign affairs of Japan.

Organizing your trip

Means of transport recommended in town

Recommendation

The bigger towns have a well-developed metro system and taxis are available everywhere. Taxi lights show green when they are free, and red when they are not. Most taxi drivers do not speak English. Ask the hotel to write the address in Japanese.
The metros of Tokyo and Osaka are among the most extensive in the world. In the ranking of the 10 best metro systems in the world, Tokyo’s is in 5th position. Destinations and information are written both in Japanese and in English.

Maps of urban networks

Map of the Tokyo metro
Map of the Osaka metro
Maps of urban transports in other large Japanese towns are accessible on the Subway navigator website.

Means of transport recommended in the rest of the country

Recommendation

The train remains the most suitable means of transport for foreigners. The Japanese rail network is efficient and modern. It has recently been equipped with a high speed line (shinkansen) which travels at 185 miles per hour and links Tokyo with the other main economic centers in the country. The Japan Rail Pass allows you to travel at a lower cost. The following sites will give you further information about the Pass: the Japan Rail Pass website, the information pages on the national tourism website. Domestic air travel is quite expensive, but it is practical when you are traveling with a lot of baggage. The Japan Guide summarizes the different means of transport in Japan.

Rail companies

Japan Railways Group

Airlines

Traveling by yourself

Recommendation

The road network is good and modern throughout the country. The roads are safe. But tolls on motorways are expensive, traffic conditions on the roads are congested and car rental prices are high. It is particularly recommended that people who do not have an excellent knowledge of Japanese do not go out on the roads by themselves, given that all road signs are in Japanese.

Road maps

Map of Japan
Maporama

Find an itinerary

Maporama
Live search maps

Visiting

Different forms of tourism

Historical

Castles, a reminder of the establishment of the central power until the 15th century. Destroyed en masse at the time of the Meiji and during the Second World War, about a dozen can still be visited.

Cultural

Many festivals take place throughout the year (festival of the tombs, cherry blossom festival). Open air museums offer visits of the different Japanese architectural styles.

Nature

Many Japanese-style gardens, among which the most outstanding are Konrokuen at Kanazawa, Katsura Villa at Kyoto. Some Japanese sites are UNESCO World Heritage Sites, consult the website to see which they are.

Religious

Many temples and tombs. Each city has them. Some of them are really magnificent. Among the temples: Ginkakuji, Kinkakuji, Kiyomizudera and Sanjusangendo at Kytoto, Todaiji and Horyuji at Nara. Among the tombs: the one at Ise, Nikko Toshogu at Nikko, Itsukushima at Miyajima.

Thermal

Hot springs flow all over the country. There are many spas.

Beach

Click here to be informed on the Japanese most beautiful beaches as a selection of the Ministry of land, Infrastructure and Transport.

Winter sports

The 500 national ski resorts have plentiful, good snow, superb countryside and hot water springs to relax in.

Outdoor activities

Rambling, Diving, Bicycle touring, Golf

Shopping

Japan is known worldwide for its original mode with its Japanese creators, European brands (Louis Vuitton, Prada, etc.), department stores (Mitsukoshi, Takashimaya, etc.)

Tourism organizations

Japanese National Tourism Organization
Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport in charge of Tourism purposes – Japan Tourism policy website

Living conditions

Health and safety

Health precautions

No specific vaccination is required.
Because of the epidemic of avian flu, it is recommended that you avoid all contact with poultry or birds, that you do not go to any bird markets, and that you do not attend cock fights.

International hospitals

Japan has only one international hospital: St Luke’s International Hospital. But other establishments are accessible to people who speak English.

For further information on sanitary conditions

Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare
The World Health Organization webpages devoted to Japan
The American government’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

For further information on safety conditions

The Current Travel Warnings given by the American State Department

Emergency numbers

Time difference and climate

Time and time difference

It is %T:%M %A in Tokyo (GMT+9)

Summer time period

None

Map of the time zone

Type of climate

The rainy season lasts from June to mid-July and the summer is damp and humid. The Typhoon season lasts from August to September. The temperature can rise to 38°C (100°F) in summer and drop to under 5°C in winter. The climate can vary noticeably from one island to another. Autumn is undoubtedly the best time to visit Japan.

For further information

Japan Meteorological Agency

Average annual temperatures and rainfall

Eating

Culinary specialties

Most Japanese dishes are served in bowls (Domburi) with rice on top and meat, vegetables etc underneath: Oyakodom (eggs and chicken), Katsudom (fried pork chops), Gyudom (beef and eggs), Unadom (grilled eels), Chukadon and Tendon (seafood and vegetables).
Japanese cooking is also composed of salads (Gomaae), a wide variety of fish and seafood eaten raw (Sashimi and Sushi), seaweed, noodles (Soba), soups, meat grilled on skewers and cheese.
They also have some items of Chinese cooking such as steamed fritters or fruit.

Drinks

Tea is most widely drunk but it is also possible to find alcoholic drinks: beer, Happoshu (a by-product of beer, less strong in taste but with the same alcohol content), Nihonshu or Sake (spirit made from rice), Japanese wine, products made from plums, imported international wines.

Dietary taboos

None

Paying

Domestic currency

Yen

ISO Code

JPY

To obtain domestic currency

It may be useful to arrive in the country with some Yen in your pocket. But rather than going to a bureau de change, which can be expensive, or using traveler’s checks which sometimes require a long time to cash, it is better to withdraw Yen directly from banks’ ATMs.

Possible means of payment

Payment is usually in cash. A credit card is also useful, but is only taken in the larger establishments. ATMs are easily accessible all day long. There are plenty of them in airports and town centers.

Speaking

Official language

Japanese (nihongo)

Other languages spoken

Japanese is the sixth most spoken language in the world, with over 99% percent of the country's population using it. .

Business language

English is moreover the foreign language which is the most usually spoken. However the Japanese, including the business leaders, sometimes only have basic English. Businessmen often read English better than they can speak it.

Getting some knowledge

The Travlang website gives you some typical phrases to learn in Japanese.

Free translation tools

Babel Fish Translation - translation of text and web pages
Jim Breen’s WWWJDIC Server - on-line dictionary
jisho.org - on-line dictionary
yomoyomo.jp - free service which adds phonetics to any Japanese site

Useful resources

To find an accommodation

Japanese Guest Houses
Japan Ryokan Association Japan Hotel Association
Japan Hotel Network
Tokyu Hotel Chain Discount hotels in Japan
Japan Youth Hostels Inc Japan national tourist organization

To find an apartment

Expatriates'Housing Tokyo

Tokyo Apartment

To find a job

Hellowork (government-run employment agency, website exclusively in Japanese)
Jobs in Japan

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