JAPAN - GENERAL INFORMATION
OVERVIEW
Japan is a desirable travel destination: it offers beautiful cities, an interesting cultural environment, and inviting landscapes. Although small in area, Japan is packed with highly rated tourist attractions. Travel by train, boat, or car is equally rewarding.
CAPITAL
Tokyo
THE PEOPLE
Japan has a population of about 127 million people, consisting mainly of Japanese 99% and others 1% (Korean 511,000, Chinese 244,000, Brazilian 182,000, Filipino 89,000
LANGUAGE
Japanese is the official language of the country. Some English is however spoken in the major cities.
RELIGION
Observe both Shinto and Buddhist 84%, other 16% (including Christian 0.7%)
CLIMATE
Affected by seasonal wind reversal from the southerly monsoon, Japan has a quite different climate to its Asian neighbours of the same latitude. You can expect the warmer temperatures of the south to cool as you move north so that the average July day is about 28C (83F) around the southern islands and only 23C (73F) near Hokkaido. Most of the year, the climate is moderate, but in winter it's cold throughout most of the country, with the exception of southern Kyushu and Okinawa. Rainfall varies across the nation but is quite regular the year round and usually just a bit heavier during the June rainy season.
TIME
GMT/UTC +9
ENTRY REQUIREMENTS
Passports: Passport valid for the duration of intended stay in Japan required by all.
Visas: Required by all except the following for tourism, short-term business meetings or to attend a conference:
(a) 1. nationals of countries referred to in the chart for up to 90 days (except nationals of Austria, Germany, Ireland, Liechtenstein, Mexico, Switzerland and the UK who although initially granted a 90-day stay may apply, while in Japan, to the local Immigration Department for an extension of up to a further 90 days, making the visa-free stay up to six months;
(b) nationals of Andorra, Argentina, Barbados, Bahamas, Bulgaria, Chile, Costa Rica, Croatia, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Hong Kong (SAR), Iceland, Israel, Korea (Rep), Lesotho, Macau (SAR), Federated States of Macedonia, Mauritius, Monaco, New Zealand, Norway, San Marino, Singapore, Surinam, Taiwan (Republic of China, Taiwan passports with ID number), Tunisia, Turkey and Uruguay for up to three months;
(c) nationals of Brunei for stays of up to 14 days.
CURRENCY
Japan has a strong cash culture, and it is usual to see people carrying large amounts of cash with them because of the low crime rate. Japanese Yen (JPY; symbol ¥). Notes are in denominations of ¥10,000, 5000, 2000 and 1000. Coins are in denominations of ¥500, 100, 50, 10, 5 and 1. All money must be exchanged at an authorized bank or money changer
CREDIT CARDS AND TRAVELLERS CHEQUES
American Express, Diners Club, Master Card, Visa and other major credit cards are widely accepted in towns. Check with your credit or debit card company for merchant acceptability. ATMs are widely available although many do not accept foreign credit or debit cards, and are harder to find outside of towns.
BANKING HOURS
Mon-Fri 0900-1500.
WATER
The drinking of bottled water is advisable.
EATING IN JAPAN
The typical Japanese meal consists of a bowl of rice (gohan), a bowl of miso soup (miso shiru), pickled vegetables (tsukemono) and fish or meat. While rice is the staple food, several kinds of noodles (udon, soba and ramen) are cheap and very popular for light meals. As an island nation, the Japanese take great pride in their seafood. A wide variety of fish, squid, octopus, eel, and shellfish appear in all kinds of dishes from sushi to tempura.
The Japanese love their food. This can be seen by the number of people who eat out, even in a time of recession, and the number of food-related programs on TV. While sushi has become increasingly popular in the West, most Japanese food remains pretty much unknown. Japanese restaurants around the world have tended to cater for Japanese tourists and have been priced accordingly, ie. expensive. But in Japan there is a huge variety of food available at prices ranging from a month's salary to very reasonable.
In Japanese, the word sake is also used as a generic term for alcohol. The correct term for refined Japanese rice wine is seishu, or more commonly nihonshu. Like wine made from grapes, there are regional variations and good and bad years but sake is not usually stored for more than a year. Good sake is produced all over the country and with thousands of small breweries.
SHOPPING
A blend of Oriental goods and Western sales techniques confronts the shopper, particularly at the big department stores, which are more like exhibitions than shops. Special purchases include kimonos, mingei (local crafts including kites and folk toys); Kyoto silks, fans, screens, dolls; religious articles such as Shinto and Buddhist artifacts; paper lanterns; hi-fi equipment, cameras, televisions and other electronic equipment. Bargaining is not usual.
SHOPPING HOURS
1000-1900/2000 every day of the week and on public holidays.
