TRAVELLING IN JAPAN

The mystic east and the
inscrutable oriental.
The land of high tech
and the ethics of work
- the home of the
samurai spirit and
martial arts
 -nowhere
seems to fascinate the
western traveller like
Japan.

It is only in the last 
copule of decades
that Japan has become
a feasable option
for the British
traveller who is
not on either a
world cruise or on
company business.
With the drastic fall
in long-haul air
fares - a visit to
Japan, though not
cheap, has still come
within the reach
of many ordinary
Britons.


Flights from the
UK to Tokyo are daily
and many package 
holiday brochures
also feature Japan.

Facts & Figures:

Capital:Tokyo

Pop:121,000,000

Language:Japanese
though some English
is spoken.

Time:GMT+9

Electricity:100 v AC

Passports and visas:
Full UK passport is
required.
A visa is not required
if you are staying
less than six months.

Health:
Precautions against
Malaria/Polio are
the only things to
consider but even
they are not
strongly advised
by the official
guides.

Currency:Yen

All major credit cards
are accepted.


Air Travel:
National carrier is
Japan Air Lines.The
approx journey time
from Heathrow to Tokyo
is 11hrs 30mins.

Major airports:
Tokyo
Osaka
Fukuoka
Nagoya
Tokyos domestic airport
is Haneda

Sea:
Kobe is a regular
stop for cruise liners
and many ferries
operate amongst the
Japanese islands.
Liners also
operate to Shangai
and Hong Kong.

Rail:
The Trans-Siberian
route to Japan is
one interesting
possibility.
Connections can be made
from London and the
routing is through
Europe to Moscow
and then on to 
Nakhodka and by
sea to Yokohama.

The famous Japanese
bullet train is the
fastest in the
world and to see
Japan by rail use
a Japan Railpass
which will get you
around quite
cheaply.

Hotels:
Hotels are "Western"
or "Japanese" style
sometimes both.
"western" is just
like any other main
European hotel with
all the top facil-
ities."Japanese" is
comfortable and boasts
many traditional
Japanese traditions
such as the famous
tea-ceremony.Staying
Japanese can be quite
an experience.

RESORTS AND
EXCURSIONS

Tokyo -City tour
Nagoya
Kyoto
Nara
Nagasaki

Nightlife:
Abundant cinemas
bars,nightclubs and
coffee shops make
for an interesting 
and varied night
scene.In autumn
and winter,opera
and music are
possibilities and
many world famous
outfits visit
Tokyo to play.


Food:
Japanese cuisine,now
popular in the west
involves very sensitive
flavours,fresh crisp
vegetables and an
absence of rich-
ness.
Chinese and Korean
food is also widely
available - but
western dishes are
best in main hotels
and top restaurants.

Climate:
Except for the
Hokkaido area,the
weather is in general 
mostly temperate with
four seasons.Winters
are cool and sunny in
the south,cold and
sunny around Tokyo,
and very cold
around Hokkaido.
Summer is from June
to Sept and ranges
from warm to very hot.
Rain falls throughout
the year but summer
is the main rainy 
season.

People:Japanese with
minorities of
Korea,American,
Ainus (Japanese
aborigines)and
Chinese.

Religion:
Shintoist and
Buddhist with a
Christian 
minority.