All about Japan - facts, travel tips and customs

Japan is subject to more stereotypes than perhaps anywhere else on earth. Here's some practical and cultural information which should help you to familiarise yourself with Japan and make the most out of your trip.

Geography of Japan
Climate in Japan
Language
Religion in Japan
Food & Drink in Japan
Japanese Etiquette
Public Holidays & Festivals in the Japanese Calendar
Traditional Japanese Arts, Sports and Crafts
Japan's History in Brief
Electricity Supply and Adaptors for Japan
Time zone
Passport Requirements for travel to Japan
Visa Requirements for Japan
Communications
Mobile Phones
Expenses & Money Tips
How much should I tip? - Tipping conventions in Japan
Health and drinking the water in Japan
Recommended reading for travellers to Japan
Top Tips for travel in Japan
Things you may want to bring on your trip to Japan

Geography
Japan is made of up of four main islands, Honshu (roughly the same size as mainland Britain), Hokkaido in the north, Kyushu and Shikoku. About 70% of the country is covered by forested hills and mountains, a number of which are active or inactive volcanoes. A series of mountain ranges run from northern Hokkaido to southern Kyushu. The Japanese Alps (the most prominent range) run in a north-south direction through central Honshu. The highest mountain is Mount Fuji at 3776m (12,388ft). Stretching between Tokyo to the east and Fukuoka in the west is one of the most densely populated regions in the world, home to approximately 80 million people in a narrow strip along the south coast between the sea and the mountains.

Climate
Except for Hokkaido and the subtropical Okinawa region, the weather in Japan is mostly temperate, with four distinct seasons. Winters are cool and sunny in the south, cold and sunny around Tokyo (which occasionally has snow), and very cold and snowy in north Honshu and Hokkaido. Summer, between June and September, ranges from warm to very hot, while spring and autumn are generally mild throughout the country. Spring and autumn are the best times to visit, with mild temperatures and wonderful colours.

Language
The official language is Japanese. Some English is spoken in major cities. In railway stations, signs are always given in English as well as Japanese.

Religion
Japanese people are Shinto by birth, although most Japanese don’t consider themselves ‘religious’ in the western sense. A large majority of Japanese also follow Buddhism, with a Christian minority particularly in the south of the country.

Food & Drink
Japan has one of the world's most sophisticated food cultures, with cuisine based upon subtle flavours and fresh, seasonal ingredients. Some of the more famous specialities, including sushi (slices of raw seafood placed on lightly‑vinegared rice balls), and sashimi (slices of raw seafood dipped in soy sauce) can be a little expensive, but it is easy to find delicious food at very reasonable prices. Noodles are an excellent lunch option, with the three main varieties of ramen, soba and udon, in soup or fried dishes, offering a varied and filling meal. Donburi, hot bowls of rice and marinated meat (usually chicken, pork or beef) also make a cheap, tasty meal. Other favourites include bento boxed lunches, teriyaki (marinated beef/chicken/fish seared on a hot plate), sukiyaki (thin slices of beef, bean curd and vegetables cooked in soy sauce and then dipped in egg), tempura (deep fried seafood and vegetables), and nabe (hot‑pot meals traditionally eaten in winter).

Traditional Japanese drinks include sake, rice wine drunk either hot or cold depending on the season, and shochu, a strong aquavit, often mixed with soda or juice. Beer was introduced in the late 19th Century, and local brands Kirin, Sapporo, Suntory and Asahi are recommended. Waiter service is common in bars and there are no licensing hours. Drinking is subject to long‑standing rituals of politeness – one never pours for oneself but only for others.

Etiquette
Japanese manners and customs are vastly different from those of Western people. A strict code of behaviour and politeness is recognised and followed by almost all Japanese. However, they are aware of the difference between themselves and westerners and therefore do not expect visitors to be familiar with all their customs, but expect them to behave formally and politely. Bowing is the customary greeting but handshaking is becoming more common for business meetings with westerners.

When entering a Japanese home, restaurant or temple it is customary to remove shoes. Usually the point at which this should occur is very clearly marked by a raised step and a rack where shoes are exchanged for indoor slippers. Use the slippers provided, but remember to swap into special toilet slippers when necessary. Forgetting to swap back can be embarrassing, though will almost certainly happen at least once during your stay!

One of Japan's most popular pastimes is onsen bathing in natural or man‑made hot springs. We highly recommend experiencing this at least once during your stay, but be aware of the particular etiquette involved. Nowadays the majority of baths are segregated, so first make sure you're going into the right one! Clothes are removed and placed in lockers or baskets, and you enter the bathing area naked except for a small towel/flannel. One then washes and rinses thoroughly at the showers or taps provided before entering the bath. Never wash in the baths themselves.

Eating etiquette can largely be learnt from the principle of when in Rome... you'll be surprised by the slurping of your neighbours, at other times it seems somewhat more formal. A major taboo, in common with most of northern Asia, is to leave your chopsticks sticking up vertically from your rice bowl. This is reminiscent of the incense burnt for the dead and is considered bad form.

Public Holidays & Festivals
The Japanese work extremely long hours and take few holidays. They do, however, have a good number of national holidays and where these fall together, such as in the Golden Week period in late April-early May, and the Obon holiday in August, the Japanese travel en masse. It is best for visitors to avoid these periods as tourist sights are packed and accommodation expensive. Traditional festivals (matsuri) remain enormously popular, both the more famous, larger city versions, and the local small town events. Many date back many hundreds of years and are well worth a visit if time allows. Summer festivals are widespread across Japan, some of the more famous including the Gion Matsuri in Kyoto (July 16-17), the Aomori Nebuta Matsuri (Aug 1‑7) and the Tanabata Festival in Sendai (Aug 6‑8). In the north of Japan, where the winters are especially cold and snowy, snow festivals are numerous and offer colourful relief from the harsh conditions. The most famous of these is the enormous Sapporo Snow Festival that takes place annually in early February.

Traditional Arts, Sports and Crafts
Over the years Japan has developed an enormous range of unique cultural activities, encompassing the visual arts, theatre, traditional crafts, sports and highly stylised, ceremonial performances. Whilst in Japan we highly recommend witnessing or taking part in as many of these as you can, as they offer an insight into a very different side of the national character than you'll see in day to day life.

One of the most easily experienced of these is the Japanese garden. These are found all over the country, often attached to temples and shrines. Kyoto has numerous excellent examples of both the classic rock and water style, and the highly stylised Zen dry gardens. Also borne out of the spiritual side of the Japanese tradition is the Tea Ceremony cha‑no‑yu, and Ikebana, the art of flower arranging. Sumo too, the traditional wrestling sport, evolved from ancient Shinto rites and still retain much of its symbolism.

History in Brief
Much of Japan's recent history, following the Meiji Restoration of the late 19th century, is widely known, from the early rapid industrial development, to the slow slide into military rule and the destruction of the war years. The subsequent boom years of enormous economic growth that culminated in the late 80's bubble has given way to more than a decade of economic stagnation and political dissolution, with a succession of Prime Ministers failing to make any impact on the institutional problems in the banking system and construction industry that have stalled efforts to revive the economy . Despite this Japan remains the world's second largest economy, and to western eyes a stable and prosperous country with continuing low rates of crime and unemployment.

Looking further back in time, Japan's island status has kept it remarkably demographically insulated, with no successful colonisation or invasion of the islands until the end of World War It. Cultural influences, including the Chinese writing system, Buddhism and the Confucian system of ethics and governance entered Japan from the continent often via Korea over the course of several centuries, principally during the Kofun Era (300‑710 AD). These were taken in and gradually adapted and refined over the years until they had taken on a uniquely Japanese aspect. Art forms too, including poetry, pottery and calligraphy all took their lead from China and Korea, but came to take on a Japanese identity all of their own. The largely peaceful Nara and Heian periods (710‑1185 AD), centred around the Kyoto region, gave rise to perhaps the greatest blossoming of this artistic and religious expression.

This era of peace was followed by several centuries of upheaval, where short‑lived periods of stability were interrupted by war, revolt and changes in government. This flux came to a halt in 1600 when the Emperor was deposed by Tokugawa leyasu and a Shogunate established that was to last for over 250 years. During this period the country was effectively closed to the outside world, except to very small numbers of traders in Nagasaki. Over the years pressure from supporters of the deposed Imperial family and the increasing demands of foreign powers gradually mounted, until eventually the weakened Shogun Yoshinobu buckled and the Meiji Restoration swept in the modern world.

Electricity
100 volts AC, 60Hz in the west (Osaka). 100 volts AC, 50Hz in eastern Japan and Tokyo. Plugs are flat 2‑pin and light bulbs are screw‑type.

You will need an adaptor to use any electrical appliances you bring from the UK.

Note: it's the two vertical flat pins type adaptor (as for the US), not the angled flat pins (as in Australia).

Time
GMT plus 9 hours.

Passport Requirements
A valid passport is required by all visitors to Japan.. Your passport should have 6 months validity remaining from the date of departure from Japan.

Visas
The following is intended as a guide only. You should check your Japanese Embassy for the latest information.

No Visa Required, maximum stay of 6 months (initially 3 months, then apply for extension) nationals of:
UK, Germany, Mexico, Austria, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Ireland

No Visa Required, maximum stay of 3 months, nationals of:
Other EU countries, Bahamas, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, Hungary, Iceland, Malta, Mauritius, Singapore, Turkey

No Visa required, maximum stay of 90 days, nationals of:
USA, Barbados, New Zealand

Communications
The phone code for Japan is +00 81. Most cities and tourist centres have communication centres where you can make reasonably priced international phone calls, send faxes, check email etc. Rather than phoning abroad from a hotel, it is much cheaper to purchase a phone card from the Post Office (yubinkyoku) and use it in one of the many public phones on the street.

Mobile Phones
Japan’s mobile network uses a different system to the rest of the world, so most UK phones will not work in Japan. Generally, mobile phone shop staff are not aware of this! You need to have a 3G handset for your phone to work in Japan. Please bear in mind that making and even receiving calls using your UK phone in Japan can be prohibitively expensive.

There are various ways to hire phones. With NTT Docomo you can hire a phone from 500 yen per day (call charges are additional). You can pick the handset up at Narita Airport (Tokyo) and use your own SIM card in the rented handset.

Expenses & Money
Despite the high levels of technology and development, Japan remains almost entirely a cash culture, in part thanks to the low crime rates that still prevail. The currency of Japan is the Japanese Yen, with present exchange rates approximately £1 = JPY 140. Notes are in denominations of Y10,000, 5,000, 2,000 and 1,000. Coins are in denominations of Y500, 100, 50, 10, 5 and 1. Major credit cards are accepted in most hotels and restaurants. Yen travellers cheques can be exchanged at most major banks, larger hotels and some duty‑free shops.

Cash withdrawals may be made using a Switch or Debit card at any Post Office (yubinkyoku) ATM. Post Offices generally open Mon-Fri 9am-7pm, Sat 9am-5pm and Sun 9am-12.30pm. Instructions on how to use ATMs are available in English once you have inserted your card. A handling charge will be payable.

You can also make withdrawals using your Debit card at branches of Citibank (located in all major cities of Japan).

Japan Journeys strongly recommends you bring at least 20,000 yen in cash to cover your first few days in Japan, as it is not uncommon in parts of the country for ATMs to close, and it is much more difficult to withdraw money once you are outside Tokyo.

In general, daily expenses are similar to the UK. Allow £30‑£40 a day for basic expenses (drinks, meals, local transportation etc). A local beer will normally cost around £3, a two course lunch £8 and a two course dinner £15.

A 5% consumption tax is added to the price of most goods and services.

Tipping
There is no culture of tipping in Japan, and nobody expects it. The only exception is in high class ryokan, where a token of 2,000 yen might be left in an envelope for the room attendant. Compulsory service charges are levied in some hotels and restaurants.

Health
Japan has very high standards of health and hygiene, and there are no significant diseases worth worrying about. No compulsory immunisations are required to enter the country. Medication and drugs are of a similar standard to the west but are expensive, so it's recommendable to take any prescription drugs with you.

In the event of an emergency ask your hotel to call a doctor or ambulance on your behalf. If you need to call the emergency services on your own dial 119 and speak slowly.

Unlike most countries in Asia, it’s perfectly ok to drink water from the tap.

Recommended Reading
THE ROUGH GUIDE TO JAPAN by JAN DOOD & SIMON RICHMOND
Superbly authoritative travel guide.

LOST JAPAN by ALEX KERR An account of the author's experiences in Japan over 30 years, witnessing the gradual disappearance of the traditional way of life.

PICTURES FROM THE WATERTRADE by DAVID MORLEY
A travelogue based around the author's love affair with Japan.

Top Tips for Travel in Japan

Make sure your socks/tights don’t have holes in them as you will frequently have to remove your shoes before entering temples, shrines and some restaurants.
Wear shoes that you can slip on/off quickly for visits to temples and shrines.
Don’t blow your nose at the dinner table. The Japanese think this is very rude.
Find out your blood group. The Japanese love asking people this!
Use cash everywhere.
Learn the following four Japanese words and everyone will think you are fluent:

Kampai!             Cheers!
Oishii                 It's delicious
Kirei                  It's beautiful
Sugoi                Wow!

Things you may want to bring

A comfortable pair of walking shoes.
Warm clothing for winter and light clothing for summer.
A small umbrella (particularly if you are travelling during the June-July rainy season).
If you don’t have a digital camera, one thing you needn’t bring is camera film which is in plentiful supply and cheap.

	All About Japan Journeys	Japan Journeys FAQ	Japan Journeys Testimonials	Contact Japan Journeys
Call Japan Journeys now: 020 7766 5267
Home Guided Tours Independent travellers Tailor Made Japan Schools & Other Groups Gap Year Japan Japan Rail Pass About Japan Links

Call Japan Journeys now: 020 7766 5267

All about Japan - facts, travel tips and customs