Japan - Info & Facts

Suggested length of stay

For a good overview, Japan is best visited over a minimum of 10-14 days. This will allow time to take in the highlights of the main tourist areas of the main island (Honshu). Of course, this can be extended indefinitely as so many points of interest exist throughout the country. If time is limited or you are combining with other Asian destinations, shorter trips can be tailor-made to specific cities or regions.

Tokyo 4 nights (+ 3 nights + 1 night for Halong Bay), Kyoto 4 nights, Takayama 2 nights, Hiroshima 2 nights, Mt Fuji/Hakone 2 nights, Matsumoto, Kanazawa, Koya-san, Kiso Valley, Nara 1 night in each (other than where specific special interests apply). Trips to Hokkaido and Kyushu Islands would generally be for between 4 and 5 nights.

 

Modes of Transport

Rail

The most cost-effective and convenient way to travel around Japan is through its extensive rail network. The highly efficient networks are proud of their international reputation for frequency of service, punctuality, high speed and safety. Around 70 per cent of the railway network is owned and operated by Japan Railways (JR), with the remaining 30 per cent belonging to dozens of private railway companies.

The best-known high-speed trains (bullet trains) are called Shinkansen. Running at speeds of up to 320 km/h, the Shinkansen is known for punctuality (most trains depart on time to the second), comfort (relatively silent cars with spacious, swivel style always forward facing seats), safety (no fatal accidents in its history) and efficiency. All Shinkansen lines (except the Akita and Yamagata Shinkansen) run on tracks wholly built for and used by Shinkansen trains. Most lines are served by several train categories, ranging from the fastest category that stops only at major stations to the slowest category that contains at every station along the way.

Train travel is a delightful way to meet the friendly locals and to see the country with lines running through the high mountains and along the picturesque coastline. We will supply you with a JR Railpass and tickets for any private rail network included in your itinerary.

Air

Flights within Japan are costly and not frequent as most Japanese prefer to use the excellent railways. We only recommend flights when travelling off the main island of Honshu ā€“ to Okinawa or Hokkaido, for example.

Bicycle

Cycling day tours can be included in Tokyo and Kyoto and are a fun way to see the sights and interact with the locals.

 

Geography

The land area of Japan is 377,954 square kilometres, which is approximately one-twentieth of that of Australia. Three-quarters of the country is mountainous, with plains and basins covering the remaining area. Japan consists of a long series of islands stretching for 3,000 kilometres from north to south. The four main islands are Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu.

 

Water

It is generally safe to drink the tap water in Japan. Following the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami, the Japanese government has set drinking water standards to protect public health, and on our trips, we have always drank tap water. Bottled water is abundantly available everywhere at a very reasonable cost.

 

Visas

Upon landing, Australian and New Zealand passport holders will be issued with a ā€œTemporary Visitorā€™s Visaā€ allowing people to stay in Japan for a period of up to 90 days for non-remunerative activities such as sightseeing, participating in amateur sports, visiting relatives, taking inspection tours, participating in lectures or research, attending conferences, making business contacts or other similar activities.

The ā€œTemporary Visitorā€™s Visaā€ cannot be used for remunerative purposes involving profit-making or payment acceptance within Japan by the visitor.

 

Money

The unit of Japanese currency is the ā€œYenā€. Coins are available in 1, 5, 10, 50, 100, and 500 Yen; bank notes are in 1,000, 2,000, 5,000, and 10,000 Yen denominations. You can buy yen at foreign exchange banks and other authorized money exchangers. At international airports, currency exchange counters are usually open during regular office hours. The exchange rate fluctuates daily depending on the money market. Credit, debit, and prepaid cards of international brands are accepted at various merchants.

ATMā€™s

You can withdraw cash nationwide using your international brand credit, debit, prepaid, and cash cards at ATMs of Japan Post Bank and Seven Bank. Citibank ATMs are also in service, but the number of ATMs is very limited, with most of their ATMs located in major international airports and their branch offices. Please note that no other Japanese banks currently accept international transactions.

 

Inoculations & health precautions

Please check with your doctor if you have specific medical requirements; however, vaccinations are not essential for Australian travellers to Japan.

 

Australian Embassy and Consulate-General contacts for Japan

Australian Embassy Tokyo

2-1-14 Mita, Minato-ku
TOKYO 108 8361
Telephone (81 3) 5232 4111
Facsimile (81 3) 5232 4057
Web: http://www.australia.or.jp/en/consular/
Email address: consular.tokyo@dfat.gov.au

 

Electricity

You will most likely need a universal power plug adapter but not a voltage converter for your phone and camera chargers. Most portable electronics chargers (cameras, mobile phones, iPods, MP3 players, etc.) come with an automatic voltage converter.

 

Getting there

Travel to Japan, flying from Australia to Tokyo, takes approximately 9 hours (depending on which state you depart from). There are direct flights into Japan with JAL, ANA, Qantas and Jetstar. Most other Asian-based airlines also fly to Japan (such as Cathay Pacific via HK and Singapore Airlines via Singapore). Most flights originate out of Sydney (with connecting flights to the other state capital cities). There are also direct flights from Gold Coast and Cairns.

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