Kyoto

Tokyo

The best way to reach Japan is via flights which are well connected to all the major cities. The pivotal airports in Japan are Narita Airport, Osaka International Airport, Kansai Airport and Haneda Airport of Tokyo. Most of the of the worldwide flights reach either Narita airport (NRT) close to Tokyo or Kansai Airport (KIX) close to Osaka. The major carriers of Japan are All Nippon Airways and Japan Airlines. You can also fly in via Seoul on Korean Air or Asiana Airlines. Delta Air Lines, United Airlines and American Airlines have flights catering to many destinations in the US and Asia.

Airways

For those who have time on their side, a cruise will be the best way to explore Japan’s true beauty. The cruises run from China, Singapore, and Australia and the main cruise port includes Tempozan, Nagasaki, Kagoshima and Hakodate. Some of the famous cruise lines are Princess Cruises, Star Cruise and Celebrity Cruise.

Cruise

Kindly note that any designer knockoffs including counterfeit clothing, bags, watches, money and credit cards to Japan are not allowed. Also note that United States, Canada and Australia are few among the 68 countries that have visa exemptions to entre Japan. We recommend you to check the before you apply visa to entre Japan.

Good to know

An island country in East Asia, Japan sits on the Pacific Ocean. The place is dotted with soaring peaks, ancient shrines and fields of wildflowers that stretch to great lengths

How to Reach

The best time to visit the Land of the Rising Sun would be during its sweet Cherry Blossom time. Late spring (March to May) and late autumn (September to November) is picked as the ideal time as the sky is clear for those postcard-like pictures, less rainfall and temperatures are mild lit with hues of autumn leaves. The magical sighting of cherry blossom may vary depending on the weather conditions each year. The trees start to blossom in the warmer south in late March and within two weeks the blossoms start to fall. In cooler regions, the blossoming begins later in chilly Sapporo it doesn’t happen until early May. The best time to visit Tokyo or Kyoto would be March or the first week of April. But not to worry if the trees are not blooming you can always travel elsewhere in Japan to catch the season there.  

 

December to February is not considered ideal for most visitors as the weather drops. Though these months are colder than usual it is a haven for those seeking solace as the place sees a lesser crowd. This makes for a more wallet-friendly time to travel with great hotel deals, lesser flight charges and lesser crowd hovering over the attractions. In addition, many of Japan’s highlights are even better in the winter months.

Best Time to Visit

Shinto is considered to be the native religion of Japan and their shrines are dotted all over the place. There are several UNESCO temples namely Todai-ji, Senso-ji, Tosho-gu among the others. In addition, there are over 400 shrines sitting in Kyoto alone.

Temple and Shrines

Japanese do love their food and the level of respect and compassion goes into preparing the dish is truly commendable. Being the birthplace of sushi, few of the other famous dishes are “edamame” and “miso”. For those who are coxing something adventurous and something new could go for “natto” – a traditional dish made from soybeans fermented with Bacillus subtills.

Japanese Cuisine

One of the alluring things of Japan is traditional aspects coexisting with the modern era. Even in the ultra-mod city like Tokyo is easy to slip into the past as you walk through the Shitamachi district or any of the Buddhist temples, Shinto shrines, stroll gardens or the generation-old shops.

Traditional and Contemporary Japanese culture

The tea ceremony was introduced to Japan by the Chinese monks over 1000 years ago. But it has its own distinctive nature, it’s a choreographic ritual of preparing and serving Japnese green tea called Matcha together with Japanese sweets to balance with the bitter taste of the tea.

Tea Ceremony

Holding up its reputation of being distinctive and vivid in its culture and unique traditions, here is a list of reasons what Japan is known for other than just its cherry blossoms.

Best Known For

Japan’s national currency is Yen where the bills come in 1000 yen, 2000 yen, 5000 yen, and 10,000 yen denominations. Though Japan has a reputation of being a cash-based society, the time change has increased in acceptance of other modes of payment. Credit and debit cards are widely accepted in big cities, most of the hotels, departmental stores, high-end restaurants, malls, and large retail shops. The best way to get Yen would be to exchange money by banks or post offices, though big hotels do offer to currency exchange it’s not suggested as the rates are not so great. Whether or not to exchange money before or after coming to Japan depends on the currency you hold. Example, the US dollar is highly rated foreign currency hence you might get favorable rates in Japan compared to other Southeast Asian countries. Since the foreign exchange market is very competitive and money exchangers take a smaller cut its better to exchange before coming to Japan.  

 

Another way to exchange currency is through ATMs, but the rates tend to be competitive, and service fee vary widely depending on the card. You will also find several banks and exchange kiosks in the International Airport placed along the terminals or baggage claims.

Currency

We recommend you always carry your passports as the Japanese law allows police to stop anyone at any time on the street to seek identification.

Though smoking is not advised everywhere, it is allowed in few restaurants which have designated smoking and non-smoking sections. It is still illegal to light up a smoke in urban public areas.

Unlike another place street drinking is legal in Japan as there are even vending machines that offer beer.

We also recommend you visit a sumo wrestling tournament and meet a Geisha to experience the true authentic Japan.

For a quick and private immigration process, we recommend the VIP immigration process that will avoid you from standing in long queues for visa approvals while you sit and relax in the lounge. But kindly note that this facility is available only for business class travellers.

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Taxies are easily available everywhere, they are usually found near the airport, train stations and hotels where you are expected to queue. You could also just hail a cab from the street by standing on the curb and sticking your arm out.

Taxi

Buses are used extensively throughout Japan, especially to reach areas not served by rail. There are also dedicated sightseeing buses making it convenient to see Japan’s spectacular scenery. City buses typically have flat fares and day passes while looping to the main sights starting and ending at the main train station.

Trains are considered to be the most popular and efficient form of transportation which operates in Fukuoka, Kobe, Kyoto, Nagoya, Osaka, Sapporo, Sendi, Tokyo and Yokohama. They are not only dependable but also clean and deliver you to the heart of cities and villages.

Train and Subway

Car rentals are not the most convenient as the highway tolls are expensive and limited English signage in remote areas. But it also makes it easier to get around small places like Tohoku, Hakkaido and Okinawa, all you will need is an international driver’s license and a good bilingual map.

Car rentals

Since Japan’s transportation infrastructure is extensive and sophisticated, hence it gets easy to navigate within the city. Here is a list of ways that will help you on your vacation to Japan.

How to get around

Built for commuters and tourists in Japan, the Hyperdia is an essential transportation app. Available in English it lets you choose your departure and arrival stations as well as the time of travel also with the name of your train.

Hyperdia

This app holds all the information about Japan and will serve as your Japan travel guidebook. It will help you find your next desired destination in Japan while discovering new interesting places to visit, things to see and food to eat.

Planetyze

A go-to app for all language related queries, Google translator comes handy especially in a place like Japan. It will help you decode the different language characters and translates it into English or any other native language.

Google translator

Considered to another populate navigation app in Japan, this app provides detailed information about metropolis. It offers door-to-door route search, voice navigation, offline searches for free WiFi spots and so on.

Japan Navitime

Serving as a perfect restaurant-finder app, Gurunavi is available both in iOS and Android. It allows you to select a restaurant based on things you want to eat furthermore filters like places with English-speaking staff, places with free WiFi access and family recommended.

Gurunavi

one of the most famous currency converter apps, it lets you calculate your expenses to keep a track of how much a commodity amounts to.

XE currency

A one-stop-solution to manage your trip on-the-go, the app helps you manage all your hotel details and activities at the tip of your finger.

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The list is dedicated to the most useful apps while traveling to Japan that will help you move around and discover more places.

Apps

Packing is the most pivotal aspect of traveling, if gone wrong it can have a severe impact on the time you spend in the destination. Here are a few quintessential things that must be packed.

What to Pack

Being the most famous festival in Japan, its celebrated during the July. Its celebrated in Kyoto that festivals highlight is the grand procession of floats called Yamaboko Junko. We rate this 

Cultural significance – 5/5, Uniqueness – 4/5

Gion Matsuri

Know to be the largest traditional dance festival, Awa Odori is celebrated in Tokushima. It occurs in August wear the dancers wear summer cotton kimono and straw hats while dancing to the rhythmic music. We rate this 

Cultural significance – 4/5, Uniqueness – 5/5

Awa Odori

Also known to be the snow festival, its celebrated in Sapporo in the month of February. The origin of this festival was six snow statues built by the locals which is now become an international content of gigantic snow sculptures.  

 Cultural significance – 3/5, Uniqueness – 4/5

Yuki Matsuri

One of the famous festivals on Tokyo, this is a celebration for Kanda Myojin Shrine. The festival is commenced in the month of May where the prtable shrines are taken for a parade around the Kanda district. We rate this 

Cultural significance – 5/5, Uniqueness – 3/5

Kanda Matsuri

There are more than 30000 traditional festivals in Japan. They pay homage to the local community and shrines. Here is a list of festivals that you should not miss.

Festival and Events

Shopping is an integral part of Japan’s modern-day life. The place is dotted with mega-stores, malls, arcades and supermarket. It's obvious that big cities like Tokyo and Osaka are the best places to shop with several shopping districts holding unique characters, hence it's better to discuss what to shop rather than where. Japan’s most striking feature is the plethora of electronic goods, high-tech and other Japanese playthings. You will also find good textile, unique handicrafts, porcelain dolls, glassware and the hottest fashion brands. Both domestic and foreign brands are represented – from the 100-yen shop, selling just everything from the same price to high-end fashion boutiques and departmental stores. Also, a sign or sticker saying ‘tax-free’ is fairly a common sight in Tokyo and other major cities as most of the shops and malls offer tax-free shopping. Hence you can break free and shop without any inhibitions.

Shopping

The Japanese have a unique love for their food serving a wide range of culinary options where even the smallest town can be vivid and overwhelming. Offering something for everyone that leaves a lingering taste or budget friendly. You could choose from slurpy noodle stand to redefined traditional eateries. Here are a few Michelin star restaurants that stand for their Japanese dishes and unique cooking style. They are Sukiyabashi Jiro in Tokyo, Ginza Kojyu in Yamanote, Koto Kitcho Arashiyama in Kyoto, Hajime in Osaka, Ishikawa in Tokyo, Joel Robuchon Restaurant and Usuki Fugu Yamadaya in Tokyo.

Eating Out

Ohayou

Konnichiwa

Konbanwa

Arigatou Gozaimasu

Japanese is the official language of Japan and is also the primary language in the country. However, besides Japanese, there are other widely used languages that vary from region and they are Ryukyuan, Hokkaido Ainu, Bonin, Nivkh, Uilta and English. In addition, you may not find a lot of English-speaking people through its well understood in the major cities of Japan. Here are a few common phrases in Japanese to get you started.

Language

Bow politely when you meet someone, thank them or say goodbye.

While exchanging gifts or name cards it’s still important to give or receive with both hands.

If a building has a sunken-foyer entrance its requested to take your shoes off and slip into a pair of slippers for walking around and inside.

The one rule to remember while using chopsticks is to not leave it standing upright in bowl rice.

While eating noodles in Japan its quite a standard practice to slurp them.

There is no custom of tipping in Japan, so when you leave a little extra cash on the table be ready for a waiter to come chasing you down the street to give it back

While visiting any of the Buddhist temples or Shinto be sure to dress modestly and speak quietly in the vicinity

Its considered rude to speak on your mobile phone while on train and buses

Here is a list of important dos and don’ts in Japan to be a Roman when in Rome.

Dos and Don’ts

Embark on a timeless journey as you travel through Japan, explore the rich cultural heritage of the country alongside a world of innovation and unparalleled modern technology. A place where ancient traditions fuse with modern life, Japan is truly a travelers paradise.

Country Image - Japan

Japan’s iconic capital, Tokyo stands as the beacon of ultramodern technological advancements blended with the traditional. With its dazzling city skyline and diverse mix of authentic style and uber modern neighborhoods, Tokyo is a haven for food lovers and travelers who wish to experience Japanese art, culture, gastronomy alongside quirky pop culture and revolutionary technology.

Destination Image - Tokyo

Atmospheric and regal temples, traditional tea houses, sublime Zen gardens and the buzzing city life – Kyoto has it all. Known popularly as the spiritual heart of Japan, the city is a reminder of the old ways of Japanese culture as other cities in the country adopt modernity with abandon. The cultural capital of Japan has an even wider range of culinary marvels to offer with its iconic tempura, steaming ramen and matcha tea. From its quaint ryokans and soothing onsens to geisha performances and hanami (cherry-blossom viewing) parties, Kyoto oozes an authentic aura and culture from every corner, leaving you with some of the most stunning sights and experiences in the city.

Japan

Destinations

Kyoto

Tokyo

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Experiences