State of Japan
Area: 337,873 sq km
Population: 127,433,494
Population density: 337 per sq km
Capital: Tokyo
Area: 337,873 sq km
Population: 127,433,494
Population density: 337 per sq km
Capital: Tokyo
Japan country information
Passport & visa | Getting there | Cycling & maps | Cost of living | Accommodation | Food | Bike shops | Climate | Distances
Passport & Visa
| Passport Required? | |
|---|---|
| British | Yes |
| Australian | Yes |
| Canadian | Yes |
| USA | Yes |
| Other EU | Yes |
| Visa Required? | |
| British | No/1 |
| Australian | No/2 |
| Canadian | No/3 |
| USA | No/2/4 |
| Other EU | No/1/2/3 |
Passports
Passport valid for the duration
of intended stay in Japan required by all nationals
referred to in the chart above.
Passport Note
(a) Whether
or not they hold a visa, visitors who do not possess
visible means of support for their stay, onward
or return tickets, or other documents for their
next destination, may be refused entry. (b)
All foreign nationals now entering Japan will
be photographed and have their fingerprints taken;
nationals will also be subject to a short interview
regarding their purpose of stay.
Visas
Not required
by all nationals referred to in the chart above
for the following durations:
(a) 1. nationals of Austria, Germany, Ireland 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) 2. nationals of Australia, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovak Republic and the USA for stays of up to 90 days;
(c) 3. nationals of Belgium, Canada, Cyprus, Denmark, Finland, France, Greece, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden for stays of up to three months.
Note: Nationals not referred to in the chart above are advised to contact the embassy to check visa requirements.
(a) 1. nationals of Austria, Germany, Ireland 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) 2. nationals of Australia, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovak Republic and the USA for stays of up to 90 days;
(c) 3. nationals of Belgium, Canada, Cyprus, Denmark, Finland, France, Greece, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden for stays of up to three months.
Note: Nationals not referred to in the chart above are advised to contact the embassy to check visa requirements.
Visa Note
4. Journalists
from the USA must obtain a visa regardless of
intended length of stay.
Getting there
Getting There by Air
The largest national airline
is Japan Airlines (JAL) (website:
www.jal.co.jp
).
Approximate Flight Times
From London to
Tokyo is 12 hours; from New York
is 12 hours 30 minutes.
Main Airports
Tokyo
Narita Airport (NRT) (Narita City)
(website:
www.narita-airport.or.jp
) is 65km (40 miles) east of Tokyo (journey
time - 1 hour 10 minutes). To/from the
airport: Luxury coaches depart regularly
from the airport to city-centre hotels. There
is also a limousine bus to the Tokyo City Air
Terminal (TCAT). A shuttle bus links the airport
with major hotels in the city centre. Tickets
for all services can be bought in the terminals.
Japan Railways' reservation-only Narita
Express line runs from Narita station terminal
located beneath the airport to Tokyo station
(journey time - 1 hour), Shinjuku (journey time
- 1 hour 30 minutes) and Yokohama
(journey time - 1 hour 45 minutes) regularly.
There are taxis to the city, with a surcharge
after (journey time - 1 hour).
Travellers should note that these are five times
as expensive as the trains. There is a free
shuttle bus connecting both terminals (journey time
- 10 minutes).
Facilities: Duty-free shops, bank/bureau de change, car hire, restaurants, tourist information centre in both terminals, post office, mobile phone and video camera hire and Internet facilities.
Departure Tax: ¥2040.
(Osaka) Kansai International (KIX) (Kansai) (website: www.kansai-airport.or.jp ) is 50km (31 miles) southwest of Osaka. To/from the airport: There is a bus to the city (journey time - 1 hour). The Nankai RR service goes to Namba station (journey time - 30 minutes). The JR West service goes to JR Osaka station (journey time - 1 hour 10 minutes). Taxis are available to the city (journey time - 1 hour); a surcharge may be imposed after 2200. It is also possible to take the jetfoil from Kansai Airport to Kobe's Port Island (journey time - 30 minutes).
Facilities: Duty-free shops, car hire, banks/bureaux de change, tourist information and bar/restaurant.
Departure Tax: ¥2650.
Central Japan International Airport (Centrair) (NGO) (website: www.centrair.jp/en ) is 35km (23 miles) south of Nagoya. To/from the airport: JR Tokai Bus Company operates frequent services between the airport and Nagoya station (journey time - about 45 minutes). Meitetsu bus services are also frequent and call at Sakae and several hotels in the city. Taxis are available. Meitetsu trains offer the fastest way of getting into town (journey time - 30 minutes).
Facilities: Car hire, bureaux de change, ATMs, bars, restaurants and shops.
Departure Tax: None
Fukuoka International (FUK) (website: www.fuk-ab.co.jp ) is 20 minutes' journey time from Fukuoka City.
Facilities: Outgoing duty-free shop, car hire, bank/bureau de change and bar/restaurant.
Departure Tax: ¥945.
Facilities: Duty-free shops, bank/bureau de change, car hire, restaurants, tourist information centre in both terminals, post office, mobile phone and video camera hire and Internet facilities.
Departure Tax: ¥2040.
(Osaka) Kansai International (KIX) (Kansai) (website: www.kansai-airport.or.jp ) is 50km (31 miles) southwest of Osaka. To/from the airport: There is a bus to the city (journey time - 1 hour). The Nankai RR service goes to Namba station (journey time - 30 minutes). The JR West service goes to JR Osaka station (journey time - 1 hour 10 minutes). Taxis are available to the city (journey time - 1 hour); a surcharge may be imposed after 2200. It is also possible to take the jetfoil from Kansai Airport to Kobe's Port Island (journey time - 30 minutes).
Facilities: Duty-free shops, car hire, banks/bureaux de change, tourist information and bar/restaurant.
Departure Tax: ¥2650.
Central Japan International Airport (Centrair) (NGO) (website: www.centrair.jp/en ) is 35km (23 miles) south of Nagoya. To/from the airport: JR Tokai Bus Company operates frequent services between the airport and Nagoya station (journey time - about 45 minutes). Meitetsu bus services are also frequent and call at Sakae and several hotels in the city. Taxis are available. Meitetsu trains offer the fastest way of getting into town (journey time - 30 minutes).
Facilities: Car hire, bureaux de change, ATMs, bars, restaurants and shops.
Departure Tax: None
Fukuoka International (FUK) (website: www.fuk-ab.co.jp ) is 20 minutes' journey time from Fukuoka City.
Facilities: Outgoing duty-free shop, car hire, bank/bureau de change and bar/restaurant.
Departure Tax: ¥945.
Getting There by Water
Main ports: Japan
is easily accessible by sea, and passenger ships
include the major ports on their schedules.
Ferries operate daily from Osaka
and Kobe to Shanghai (China)
and weekly from Kobe to Tanggu (near Tianjin,
China).
Note tour.tk:
Ferry
crossings to and from China
For Taiwan, ferries depart from Okinawa with Arimura Sangyo Lines.
To confirm sailing times in English, try online (tel: (98) 860 1980;
website: www.tokai-kyowa.co.jp).
The Shimonoseki-Busan ferry runs across the Sea of Japan to Korea (Rep).
Note tour.tk:
Ferry
crossings to and from Korea and
Kampu
Ferry
services between Japan and Korea
Links to the Russian Federation include weekly services between Yokohama and Nakhoda (near Vladivostok). Alternatively, there is a twice-weekly service to Wakkanai in Hokkaido from Korsakov in the Russian Federation. There are cruises between the Japanese islands en route to Shanghai and Hong Kong.
Note tour.tk:
Ferry
crossings to and from China
For Taiwan, ferries depart from Okinawa with Arimura Sangyo Lines.
To confirm sailing times in English, try online (tel: (98) 860 1980;
website: www.tokai-kyowa.co.jp).
The Shimonoseki-Busan ferry runs across the Sea of Japan to Korea (Rep).
Note tour.tk:
Ferry
crossings to and from Korea and
Kampu
Ferry
services between Japan and Korea
Links to the Russian Federation include weekly services between Yokohama and Nakhoda (near Vladivostok). Alternatively, there is a twice-weekly service to Wakkanai in Hokkaido from Korsakov in the Russian Federation. There are cruises between the Japanese islands en route to Shanghai and Hong Kong.
Getting There by Rail
The Trans-Siberian route to Japan is an interesting and very well organised, if lengthy, trip. Connections can be made daily from London via Harwich or Dover through Europe to Moscow. The Trans-Siberian railway departs regularly from Moscow (see Russian Federation section). Among the many tour operators that organise tickets for this is The Russia Experience (website: www.trans-siberian.co.uk ).
Other useful links:
Nankai
Ferry
services to and from Wakayama and Tokushima
Setonaikaikisen
and
Ishizakikisen
ferry service to and from Hiroshima / Matsuyama
Nankai
Ferry
services to and from Wakayama and Tokushima
Setonaikaikisen
and
Ishizakikisen
ferry service to and from Hiroshima / MatsuyamaCycling & Maps
   |
Very extensive road map of Japan. It has cities and towns in both Roman and Japanese script. The road representation is almost identical in actuality, which is pretty impressive. Only downfall of the book is that, even though it indicates mountain passes, there are no elevations... |
| Japan
Cycling Navigator for every cyclist travelling in Japan e-Wadachi enjoy cycling and drinking around Japan Kancycling Cycling in the Kansai (and other parts of Japan) |
Japan Road Atlas Cost of living
Japan:
all prices in Japanese Yen (¥)
| drinks | food: local markets; restaurants; and stores | ||||
water |
2 litre 1 litre 350ml 500ml 1.5 litre |
100- 200 200 120 150 260 |
bread ½ loaf-white bread ½ loaf-whole gr. |
4-6 slice 6-8 slice |
160-200 300 |
| bento lunch box soba noodle box udon noodle meal |
per box |
500-1000 |
|||
| beer (can) wine |
300ml 500ml 750ml |
205+ |
udon noodles (fresh) soba noodles (dry) rice |
220g pack |
20- 80 170-250 600+ |
| tea lipton yellow tip coffee (can) filter coffee instant coffee cornflakes |
box of 50 200ml 400g 125g 375g |
580 100-120 500 180 305 |
eggs tofu |
per 10 336g |
200 156 |
| corn oil tinned tomatoes tomatoes |
500g 500g kg |
200 120 300 |
|||
milk |
1 litre |
185 170 300-450 440 150 |
potatoes onions spinach mushrooms-king oyster bean sprouts |
kg |
200-300 400 210 80-200 200 |
| rice crackers chips |
130-150g 56-65g |
100-150 135 |
apples oranges bananas pineapple (tin) |
kg kg kg 500g |
400 430 300 220 |
| custard cream buns chocolate (dark) biscuits (simple) biscuits (cream) |
5 piece 100g block 140g pack 2x95g packs |
100-150 120 260 228 |
|||
| honey peanut paste (skippy) |
360g 340g |
675 370 |
|||
| accommodation | personal | ||||
| budget city hostel budget city hotel |
2000-3850 per dorm bed 5000+ (single) with bathroom |
deodorant roll-on soap shampoo toothbrush toothpaste disposable razor toilet paper |
50ml 150g 200ml each 140-150g 3 pack 4 roll pack |
490 150 400 100-300 200-350 200-300 250 |
|
| camping wild campgrounds |
you can camp wild everywhere 300 per person through to 2100 for a site with no showers |
||||
| internet | 500+ | ||||
| *
tba = price to be announced * January 2009: at time of writing 1.00 USD = 94.51 JPY all prices have been taken from internet resources such as wikitravel, hostel world, leading supermarket chains, travel blogs, forums and of course our own travel experiences and purchases of everyday products in food markets, bazaars and local shopping facilities. They are only an indication and designed to give you a general impression of the cost of living in Japan. Items are geared towards the budget conscious traveller with an occasional craving for a bit of luxury. Thank you to Nigel for helping us fill in this information |
Source:www.exchange-rates.org |
 |
When in Japan, you will have
a few options of getting your money out of your
bank account. Most banks will only accept Japanese
cards, but there is an exception: Japanese Post.
And a very good one, because they have offices
all over Japan, even in the tiniest of places.
But beware: ATM's are not open
all day every day... that may sound strange, but
it is no fun when you are about to catch a ferry,
to find out the ATM doesn't work on Sundays...(!)
Usually they open at 9AM and close at 9PM, but
the operating hours on Sunday entirely depends
on the size of the branch. |
Accommodation
| Acommodation we used while in Japan
(May 2008): (prices based on two people sharing)
We used below campsites, but otherwise we camped wild everywhere (at no cost), in parks and near rivers. |
||||
| Star system explained: from 0 to ***** where 0 is a total disaster and ***** is luxurious (and out of our price range) | ||||
| City / town: | Name accommodation: | Our experience: | Price: | Stars: |
| Ikegawa | Ikegawa campground | simple, but adequate | -- | ** |
| Kamikochi | Kamikochi campground | beautiful setting, no showers | ¥ 700 | *** |
| Miyajima | Miyajima campground | gorgeous, bambi's all around | ¥ 600 | ***½ |
| Nagaike | Nagaike campground | not too elaborate | ¥ 2150 | * |
Bike shops
| Fuchu,
Tokyo Pref. |
Y's Road 5-42-3 Yotsuya, Fuchu, Tokyo Tel. 042-352-3308 Website:
www.ysroad.net/shops/fuchu.html |
| Fujisawa
Kanagawa Pref. |
Marsh Bike Shop
|
| Isehara,
Kanagawa Pref. |
C.H. Donkey Bikes 259-1131, Laputa 3-3-3 Isehara, Kanagawa, 1F Tel. 0463-95-3841 Fax 0463-95-3842 Website:
www.chdbikes.com |
| Ogata
Hiroshima Pref. |
Ueki Cycle Sports Ogata, 739-0623 Otake City, Hiroshima Prefecture, 1-25-6 Tel. 0827-57-7265 Fax 0827-57-7291 Website:
www.bikeueki.com |
Road distances
| Detailed distance chart from our trip through Japan May/June 2008 (km/alti) | km |
total
km |
|
| Narita - Tokyo - Chino - Nagoya - Wakayama - Tokushima - Matsuyama - Hiroshima - Shimonoseki | |||
| Narita airport | Narita | 9 |
|
| Narita | Chiba | 24 |
35 |
| Chiba | Funabashi | 19 |
54 |
| Funabashi | Ichikawa | 6 |
60 |
| Ichikawa | Tokyo (central station) | 20 |
80 |
| Tokyo | Fuchu | 32 |
|
| Fuchu | Sagamiko | 36 |
68 |
| Sagamiko | Doshi-mura | 33 |
101 |
| Doshi-mura | top pass | 13 |
114 |
| top pass | Yamanakako lake | 8 |
122 |
| Yamanakako lake | Fujiyoshida | 10 |
132 |
| Fujiyoshida | route 358 turn off (1000) | 20 |
152 |
| route 358 turn off | Kofu (350) | 28 |
180 |
| Kofu | Nirasaki (350) | 12 |
192 |
| Nirasaki | Fujimi top (950) | 33 |
225 |
| Fujimi top | Chino (790) | 13 |
238 |
| Chino | Suwa (777) | 6 |
|
| Suwa | Shiojiri pass (1012) | 14 |
20 |
| Shiojiri pass | Shiojiri (700) | 10 |
30 |
| Shiojiri | Hata intersection route 25/158 (680) | 17 |
47 |
| Hata | Nagawado Dam (1000) | 20 |
67 |
| Nagawado Dam | Kamikochi (1507) | 22 |
89 |
| Kamikochi | Takayama (610) | 47 |
136 |
| Takayama | Gero (400) | 51 |
187 |
| Gero | Kanayama (271) | 28 |
215 |
| Kanayama | Kina (150) | 46 |
261 |
| Kina | Tajimi (154) | 12 |
273 |
| Tajimi | Seto (120) | 17 |
290 |
| Seto | Nagoya | 20 |
310 |
| Nagoya | Kuwana | 31 |
|
| Kuwana | Komono (70) | 27 |
58 |
| Komono | Buhei pass (815) | 13 |
71 |
| Buhei pass | Hino (191) | 25 |
96 |
| Hino | Koka (182) | 11 |
107 |
| Koka | Urajiro pass (359) | 36 |
143 |
| Urajiro pass | Ujitawara (118) | 10 |
153 |
| Ujitawara | Nagaike (Kyoto pref.) | 12 |
165 |
| Nagaike | Nara | 20 |
185 |
| Nara | Kashihara | 23 |
208 |
| Kashihara | Gojo | 45 |
253 |
| Gojo | Hashimoto | 12 |
265 |
| Hashimoto | Wakayama ferry (to Tokushima) | 52 |
317 |
| Tokushima ferry terminal | Kamiyama (135) | 34 |
34 |
| Kamiyama | Minokoshi Pass (1406) | 51 |
85 |
| Minokoshi Pass | Oboke (222) | 45 |
130 |
| Oboke | Motoyama (274) | 37 |
167 |
| Motoyama | Ikegawa (193) | 52 |
219 |
| Ikegawa | Misaka Pass (720) | 48 |
267 |
| Misaka Pass | Matsuyama | 20 |
287 |
| Matsuyama | Kanko Ko ferry terminal (to Hiroshima) | 21 |
308 |
| Hiroshima ferry terminal | Hatsukaichi ferry terminal (to Miyajima) | 23 |
23 |
| Hatsukaichi ferry terminal | Miyajima Tsutsumigaura | 4 |
27 |
| Miyajima | Iwakuni | 24 |
51 |
| Iwakuni | Sugano Dam (300) | 55 |
106 |
| Sugano Dam | Shunan | 16 |
122 |
| Shunan | Ogori | 49 |
171 |
| Ogori | Mine | 29 |
200 |
| Mine | Kawatanaonsen | 49 |
249 |
| Kawatanaonsen | Shimonoseki ferry terminal (to Korea) | 26 |
275 |
