Planning a trip to Japan

Visitor Information

The Japan National Tourist Organization (JNTO) publishes a wealth of free, colorful brochures and maps. Be sure to get "The Tourist's Language Handbook," a phrase booklet to help foreign visitors communicate with Japanese. Other useful JNTO publications include the free "Tourist Map of Japan," showing the four major islands and major highway and railway lines, with maps of major cities on the reverse side; a "Directory of Welcome Inns," which lists inexpensive accommodations throughout Japan, with a free reservation system; and the invaluable "Railway Timetable," which contains timetables for Shinkansen trains and major train lines throughout Japan.

JNTO Online: You can reach JNTO via the Internet at www.jnto.go.jp (and at www.japantravelinfo.com for North American travelers; www.seejapan.co.uk for British travelers; and www.jnto.org.au for Australian travelers), where you can read up on what's new, view maps, get the latest weather report, find links to online hotel reservation companies and tour companies, and browse through information ranging from hints on budget travel to regional events. JNTO also showcases local's tourism attractions, Japanese cuisine, and other topics on YouTube at www.youtube.com/visitjapan.

JNTO Overseas: If you'd like information on Japan before leaving home, contact one of the following JNTO offices:

In the United States: 11 W. 42nd St., 19th floor, New York, NY 10036 (tel. 212/757-5640; visitjapan@jntonyc.org); and Little Tokyo Plaza 340 E. 2nd St., Ste. 302, Los Angeles, CA 90012 (tel. 213/623-1952; info@jnto-lax.org).

In Canada: 481 University Ave., Ste. 306, Toronto, ON M5G 2E9, Canada (tel. 416/366-7140; info@jntoyyz.com).

In the United Kingdom: Fifth Floor, 12 Nicholas Lane, London EC4N 7BN, England (tel. 020/7398-5678; info@jnto.co.uk).

In Australia: Level 7, 36-38 Clarence St., Sydney NSW 2000, Australia (no phone; travelinfo@jnto.org.au).

JNTO in Japan: Your best bet for general or specific information on Japan is at one of JNTO's three excellent Tourist Information Centers (TICs). They're located in downtown Tokyo, at Narita Airport outside Tokyo, and at Kansai International Airport outside Osaka. All distribute leaflets on destinations throughout Japan and can provide train, bus, and ferry schedules and leaflets on major attractions and sights -- for example, Japanese gardens, hot springs, museums, and art galleries. They also carry information on hotels and ryokan and will book accommodations for you for free.

Local Information: You'll also find locally run tourist offices in nearly every city and town throughout Japan, most of them conveniently located at or near the main train station. Look for the logo of a red question mark with the word INFORMATION written below. Although the staff at a particular tourist office may not speak English (many do), they can point you in the direction of your hotel, perhaps provide you with an English-language map (usually free), and, in many cases, even make hotel bookings for you. Note, however, that they're not equipped to provide you with information on other regions of Japan (for that, go to a TIC). I've included information on local tourist offices throughout, including how to reach them after you disembark from the train and their open hours.

Tips for Senior Travelers

More and more attractions are offering free admission or discounts to seniors 65 or 70 and over (be sure to have your passport handy). However, discounts may not be posted, so be sure to ask. Seniors also receive discounts on domestic plane fares.

Older visitors to Japan should be aware that there are many stairs to navigate in metropolitan areas, particularly in subway and train stations and even on pedestrian overpasses.

Entry Requirements & Customs

Passports

For most tourists, including those from the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom, the only document necessary to enter Japan is a passport.

For information on obtaining passports, contact the following agencies:

For Residents of Australia: Contact the Australian Passport Information Service at tel. 131-232, or visit the government website at www.passports.gov.au.

For Residents of Canada: Contact the central Passport Office, Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Ottawa, ON K1A 0G3 (tel. 800/567-6868; www.ppt.gc.ca).

For Residents of Ireland: Contact the Passport Office, Setanta Centre, Molesworth Street, Dublin 2 (tel. 01/671-1633; www.irlgov.ie/iveagh).

For Residents of New Zealand: Contact the Passports Office at tel. 0800/225-050 in New Zealand or 04/474-8100, or visit www.passports.govt.nz.

For Residents of the United Kingdom: Visit your nearest passport office, major post office, or travel agency or contact the United Kingdom Passport Service at tel. 0870/521-0410 or visit www.ukpa.gov.uk.

For Residents of the United States: To find your regional passport office, check the U.S. State Department website (www.state.gov) or call the National Passport Information Center toll-free number (tel. 877/487-2778) for automated information.

Passport Savvy -- Safeguard your passport in an inconspicuous place and keep a photocopy of your passport's information page in your luggage. If you lose your passport, visit your nearest consulate as soon as possible for a replacement. Note: All foreigners must present their passports for bank transactions and for photocopying when checking into lodging facilities. In addition, foreigners are required to carry with them at all times either their passports or, for those who have been granted longer stays, their alien registration cards. Police generally do not stop foreigners, but if you're caught without an ID, you'll be taken to local police headquarters. It happened to me once and, believe me, I can think of better ways to spend an hour and a half than explaining in detail who I am, what I am doing in Japan, where I live, and what I plan to do for the rest of my life. I even had to write a statement explaining why I rushed out that day without my passport, apologizing and promising never to do such a thoughtless thing again. The policemen were polite and were simply doing their duty.

Entry Requirements

Americans, Australians, and New Zealanders traveling to Japan as tourists for a stay of 90 days or less need only a valid passport to gain entry into the country. Canadians don't need a visa for stays of up to 3 months, and United Kingdom and Irish citizens can stay up to 6 months without a visa.

Entry Procedures -- Since November 2007, all foreigners arriving in Japan are fingerprinted and photographed to prevent terrorists from entering Japan. Exceptions include children 15 and younger, diplomats, and some permanent residents of Japan.

Customs

If you're 20 or older, you can bring duty-free into Japan up to 400 non-Japanese cigarettes; three bottles (760cc each) of alcohol; and 2 ounces of perfume. You can also bring in goods for personal use that were purchased abroad whose total market value is less than ¥200,000.

What You Can Take Home from Japan -- For information on what you're allowed to bring home, contact one of the following agencies:

U.S. Citizens: U.S. Customs & Border Protection (CBP), 1300 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20229 (tel. 877/287-8667; www.cbp.gov).

Canadian Citizens: Canada Border Services Agency (tel. 800/461-9999 or 204/983-3500; www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca).

U.K. Citizens: HM Customs & Excise (tel. 0845/010-9000, or 020/8929-0152 from outside the U.K.; www.hmce.gov.uk).

Australian Citizens: Australian Customs Service (tel. 1300/363-263; www.customs.gov.au).

New Zealand Citizens: New Zealand Customs, The Customhouse, 17-21 Whitmore St., Box 2218, Wellington (tel. 04/473-6099 or 0800/428-786; www.customs.govt.nz).

Medical Requirements

Unless you're arriving from an area known to be suffering from an epidemic (particularly cholera or yellow fever), inoculations or vaccinations are not required for entry into Japan. Note, however, that at the time of going to press, all arriving passengers are requested to fill out a questionnaire regarding symptoms of the H1N1 influenza such as fever or coughing. In addition, the temperature of all arriving passengers is taken upon entering the Customs area; if you have a fever, you may be quarantined as a protection against H1N1 or avian flu.

When to Go

Because Japan stretches in an arc from northeast to southwest at about the same latitudes as Maine and Florida, you can travel in the country virtually any time of year. Winters in southern Kyushu and Okinawa are mild, while summers in northern Hokkaido are cool. There are, however, peak seasons to avoid, including April 29 to May 5, mid-July through August, and New Year's.

Climate -- Most of Japan's islands lie in a temperate seasonal wind zone similar to that of the East Coast of the United States, which means there are four distinct seasons. Japanese are very proud of their seasons and place much more emphasis on them than people do in the West. Kimono, dishes and bowls used for kaiseki, and even noh plays change with the season. Certain foods are eaten during certain times of the year, such as eel in summer and fugu (blowfish) in winter. Almost all haiku have seasonal references. The cherry blossom signals the beginning of spring, and most festivals are tied to seasonal rites. Even urban dwellers note the seasons; almost as though on cue, businessmen will change virtually overnight from their winter to summer attire.

Summer, which begins in June, is heralded by the rainy season, which lasts from about mid-June to mid-July (there's no rainy season in Hokkaido). Although it doesn't rain every day, it does rain a lot, sometimes quite heavily, making umbrellas imperative. After the rain stops, it turns unbearably hot and uncomfortably humid throughout the country, with the exception of Hokkaido, mountaintop resorts such as Hakone, and the Japan Alps. You'll be more comfortable in light cottons, though you should bring a light jacket for unexpected cool evenings or air-conditioned rooms. You should also pack sunscreen and a hat (Japanese women are also fond of parasols).

The period from the end of August to September is typhoon season, although the majority of storms stay out at sea and generally vent their fury on land only in thunderstorms.

Autumn, lasting through November, is one of the best times to visit Japan. The days are pleasant and slightly cool, and the changing red and scarlet of leaves contrast brilliantly with the deep blue skies. There are many chrysanthemum shows in Japan at this time, popular maple-viewing spots, and many autumn festivals. Bring a warm jacket.

Winter, lasting from December to March, is marked by snow in much of Japan, especially in the mountain ranges where the skiing is superb. Many tourists also flock to hot-spring resorts during this time. The climate is generally dry, and on the Pacific coast the skies are often blue. Tokyo doesn't get much snow, though it can be crisp, cold, and wet. Northern Japan's weather, in Tohoku and Hokkaido, can be quite severe, while southern Japan, especially Kyushu and Okinawa, enjoys generally mild, warm weather. Wherever you are, you'd be wise to bring warm clothing throughout the winter months.

Spring arrives with a magnificent fanfare of plum and cherry blossoms in March and April, an exquisite time when all of Japan is ablaze in whites and pinks. The cherry-blossom season starts in southern Kyushu in mid-March and reaches Hokkaido in early May. The blossoms themselves last only a few days, symbolizing to Japanese the fragile nature of beauty and of life itself. Other flowers also bloom through May or June, including azaleas and irises. During spring, numerous festivals throughout Japan celebrate the rebirth of nature.

Busy Seasons -- Japanese have a passion for travel, and they generally travel at the same time, resulting in jampacked trains and hotels. The worst times to travel are around New Year's, from the end of December to January 4; Golden Week, from April 29 to May 5; and during the Obon Festival, about a week in mid-August. Avoid traveling on these dates at all costs, since all long-distance trains, domestic airlines, and most accommodations are booked solid and prices are higher. The weekends before and after these holidays are also likely to be crowded or booked. Exceptions are major cities like Tokyo or Osaka -- since the major exodus is back to hometowns or the countryside, metropolises can be downright blissful during major holidays such as Golden Week, especially since most restaurants and municipal and national museums do not close.

Another busy time is during the school summer vacation, from around July 19 or 20 through August. It's best to reserve train seats and book accommodations during this time in advance. In addition, you can expect destinations to be packed during major festivals, so if one of these is high on your list, be sure to make plans well in advance.

Holidays -- National holidays are January 1 (New Year's Day), second Monday in January (Coming-of-Age Day), February 11 (National Foundation Day), March 20 (Vernal Equinox Day), April 29 (Showa Day, after the late Emperor Showa), May 3 (Constitution Memorial Day), May 4 (Greenery Day), May 5 (Children's Day), third Monday in July (Maritime Day), third Monday in September (Respect-for-the-Aged Day), September 23 (Autumn Equinox Day), second Monday in October (Health Sports Day), November 3 (Culture Day), November 23 (Labor Thanksgiving Day), and December 23 (Emperor's Birthday).

When a national holiday falls on a Sunday, the following Monday becomes a holiday. Although government offices and some businesses are closed on public holidays, restaurants and most stores remain open. The exception is during the New Year's celebration, January 1 through January 3 or 4, when virtually all restaurants, public and private offices, stores, and even ATMs close; during that time, you'll have to dine in hotels.

All museums close for New Year's for 1 to 4 days, but most major museums remain open for the other holidays. If a public holiday falls on a Monday (when most museums are closed), many museums will remain open but will close instead the following day, Tuesday. Note, however, that privately owned museums, such as art museums or special-interest museums, generally close on public holidays. To avoid disappointment, be sure to phone ahead if you plan to visit a museum on a holiday or the day following it.

Festivals -- With Shintoism and Buddhism the major religions in Japan, it seems as though there's a matsuri (festival) going on somewhere in the country almost every day, especially in summer. Every major shrine and temple has at least one annual festival. Such festivals are always free, though admission may be charged for special exhibitions such as flower shows. There are also a number of national holidays observed throughout the country with events and festivals, as well as annual seasonal events like cormorant fishing and cherry-blossom viewing.

The larger, better-known festivals are exciting to attend but do take some advance planning since hotel rooms may be booked 6 months in advance. If you haven't made prior arrangements, you may want to let the following schedule be your guide in avoiding certain cities on certain days.

A note on festival dates: If you plan your trip around a certain festival, be sure to double-check the exact dates with the Japan National Tourist Organization since these dates can change. In Japan, stop by a TIC office in Tokyo or at Narita or Kansai airports for a monthly leaflet called "Calendar Events," which lists major festivals in Tokyo and the rest of Japan. You can also try calling the local tourist office of the city hosting the festival (though staff may not speak much English) or checking JNTO and local websites for information.

Tips on Dining

Ordering -- The biggest problem facing the hungry foreigner in Japan is ordering a meal in a restaurant without an English-language menu. This guide alleviates the problem to some extent by recommending sample dishes and giving prices for restaurants throughout Japan; we've also noted which restaurants offer English-language menus.

One aid to simplified ordering is the use of plastic food models in glass display cases either outside or just inside the front door of many restaurants, especially those in tourist areas and department stores. Sushi, tempura, daily specials, spaghetti -- they're all there in mouthwatering plastic replicas along with corresponding prices. Simply decide what you want and point it out to staff.

Unfortunately, not all restaurants in Japan have plastic display cases, especially the more exclusive or traditional ones. In fact, you'd be missing a lot of Japan's best cuisine if you restrict yourself to eating only at places with displays. If there's no display from which to choose, the best thing to do is see whether the Japanese-language menu has photos or to look at what people around you are eating and order what looks best. Or, order the teishoku, or daily special meal (also called "set course" or simply "course," especially in restaurants serving Western food); these fixed-price meals consist of a main dish and several side dishes, including soup, rice, and Japanese pickles. Although most restaurants have set courses for dinner as well, lunch is the usual time for the teishoku, generally from 11 or 11:30am to 1:30 or 2pm.

In any case, once you've decided what you want to eat, flag down a waiter or waitress; they will not hover around your table waiting for you to order but come only when summoned. In most restaurants there are no assigned servers to certain tables; rather, servers are multitaskers, so don't be shy about stopping any who pass by.

Hours -- In larger cities, most restaurants are open from about 11am to 10 or 11pm. Of course, some establishments close earlier at 9pm, while others stay open past midnight; the majority close for a few hours in the afternoon (2-5pm). In big cities like Tokyo or Osaka, try to avoid the lunchtime rush from noon to 1pm. In rural areas and small towns, restaurants tend to close early, often by 7:30 or 8pm. Traditional Japanese restaurants hang a noren (split curtain) over the front door to signify they're open.

Another thing to keep in mind is that the closing time posted for most restaurants is exactly that -- everyone is expected to pay his or her bill and leave. A general rule of thumb is that the last order is taken at least a half-hour before closing time, sometimes an hour or more for kaiseki restaurants (staff will usually alert you they're taking last orders). To be on the safe side, try to arrive at least an hour before closing time so you have time to relax and enjoy your meal.

Taxes -- Keep in mind that first-class restaurants will also add a 10% to 15% service charge, as do most hotel restaurants.

Etiquette

Upon Arrival -- As soon as you're seated in a Japanese restaurant (that is, a restaurant serving Japanese food), you'll be given a wet towel, which will be steaming hot in winter or pleasantly cool in summer. Called an oshibori, it's for wiping your hands. In all but the fancy restaurants, men can get away with wiping their faces as well, but women are not supposed to (I ignore this if it's hot and humid outside). Sadly, some cheaper Japanese restaurants now resort to a paper towel wrapped in plastic, which isn't nearly the same. Oshibori are generally not provided in Western restaurants.

Chopsticks -- The next thing you'll probably be confronted with is chopsticks (though knives and forks are used in restaurants serving Western food). The proper way to use a pair is to place the first chopstick between the base of the thumb and the top of the ring finger (this chopstick remains stationary) and the second one between the top of the thumb and the middle and index fingers. (This second chopstick is the one you move to pick up food.)

The best way to learn to use chopsticks is to have a Japanese person show you how. It's not difficult, but if you find it impossible, some restaurants might have a fork as well. How proficiently foreigners handle chopsticks is a matter of great curiosity for Japanese, and they're surprised if you know how to use them; even if you were to live in Japan for 20 years, you would never stop receiving compliments on how talented you are with chopsticks.

Chopstick Etiquette -- If you're taking something from a communal bowl or tray, you're supposed to turn your chopsticks upside down and use the part that hasn't been in your mouth; after transferring the food to your plate, you turn the chopsticks back to their proper position. The exception is shabu-shabu and sukiyaki.

Never point at someone with your chopsticks, and never stick them down vertically into your bowl of rice and leave them there, and never pass anything from your chopsticks to another person's chopsticks -- both actions have origins relating to funerary rites but are now mostly considered bad manners.

Eating Soup & Noodles -- You don't use a spoon with Japanese soup. Rather, you'll pick up the bowl and drink from it, using your chopsticks to fish out larger pieces of food. You should also pick up a bowl of rice to eat it. It's considered good taste to slurp with gusto, especially if you're eating hot noodles. Noodle shops in Japan are always well orchestrated with slurps and smacks.

Drinking -- Women should hold their glass or cup with both hands, but men do not. If you're drinking in Japan, the main thing to remember is that you never pour your own glass. Bottles of beer are so large that people often share one. The rule is that in turn, one person pours for everyone else in the group, so be sure to hold up your glass when someone is pouring for you. As the night progresses Japanese get sloppy about this rule. It took me awhile to figure this out, but if no one notices your empty glass, the best thing to do is to pour everyone else a drink so that someone will pour yours. If someone wants to pour you a drink and your glass is full, the proper thing to do is to take a few gulps so that he or she can fill your glass. Because each person is continually filling everyone else's glass, you never know exactly how much you've had to drink, which (depending on how you look at it) is either very good or very bad. If you really don't want more to drink, leave your glass full and refuse refills.

Paying the Bill -- If you go out with a group of friends (not as a visiting guest of honor and not with business associates), it's customary to split the dinner bill equally, even if you all ordered different things. Even foreigners living in Japan adopt the practice of splitting the bill; it certainly makes figuring everyone's share easier, especially since there's no tipping in Japan. But it can be hard on frugal diners on a budget. If you're with friends who do wish to pay for only what they ate, tell the cashier you want to pay "betsu, betsu."

Other Tips -- It's considered bad manners to walk down the street eating or drinking (except at a festival). You'll notice that if a Japanese buys a drink from a vending machine, he'll stand there, gulp it down, and throw away the container before going on. To the chagrin of their elders, young Japanese sometimes ignore this rule.

How to Eat Without Spending a Fortune

During your first few days in Japan -- particularly if you're in Tokyo -- money will seem to flow from your pockets like water. In fact, money has a tendency to disappear so quickly that many people become convinced they must have lost some of it somehow. At this point, almost everyone panics (I've seen it happen again and again), but with time they slowly realize that because prices are markedly different here (steeper), a bit of readjustment in thinking and habits is necessary. Coffee, for example, is something of a luxury, and some Japanese are astonished at the thought of drinking four cups a day. Here are some tips for getting the most for your yen.

Breakfast -- Buffet breakfasts are popular at Japanese hotels and can be an inexpensive way to eat your fill. Otherwise, coffee shops offer what's called "morning service" until 10 or 11am; it generally consists of a cup of coffee, a small salad, a boiled egg, and the thickest slice of toast you've ever seen for about ¥650. That's a real bargain when you consider that just one cup of coffee can cost ¥250 to ¥500. (Except at most hotel breakfast buffets, there's no such thing as the bottomless cup in Japan.) There are many coffee-shop chains in Japan, including Doutour, Pronto, and the ever-expanding Starbucks (854 in Japan at last count).

Set Lunches -- Eat your biggest meal at lunch. Many restaurants serving Japanese food offer a daily set lunch, or teishoku, at a fraction of what their set dinners might be. Usually ranging in price from ¥800 to ¥2,000, they're generally available from about 11am to around 2pm. A Japanese teishoku will include the main course (such as tempura, grilled fish, or the specialty of the house), soup, pickled vegetables, rice, and tea, while the set menu in a Western-style restaurant (often called set lunch) usually consists of a main dish, salad, bread, and coffee.

Cheap Eats -- Inexpensive restaurants can be found in department stores (often one whole floor will be devoted to various kinds of restaurants, most with plastic-food displays), underground shopping arcades, nightlife districts, and in and around train and subway stations. Some of the cheapest establishments for a night out on the town are yakitori-ya, izakaya (Japanese pubs), noodle and ramen shops, coffee shops (which often offer inexpensive pastries and sandwiches), and conveyor-belt sushi restaurants where you reach out and take the plates that interest you. Restaurants serving gyudon (beef bowl) are also cheap, with Yoshinoya the largest chain. Japan also has American fast-food chains, such as McDonald's (where Big Macs cost about ¥320) and KFC, as well as Japanese chains -- Freshness Burger and First Kitchen, among them -- that sell hamburgers.

Ethnic restaurants, particularly those serving Indian, Korean, Chinese, Italian, and other cuisines, are plentiful and usually inexpensive. Hotel restaurants can also be good bargains for inexpensive set lunches or buffets (called viking in Japanese), while inexpensive drinking places are good bets for dinner.

Street-side stalls, called yatai, are also good sources of inexpensive meals. These restaurants-on-wheels sell a variety of foods, including oden (fish cakes), yakitori (skewered barbecued chicken), and yakisoba (fried noodles), as well as sake and beer. They appear mostly at night, lighted by a single lantern or a string of lights, and most have a counter with stools as well, protected in winter by a wall of tarp. These can be great, cozy places for rubbing elbows with the locals. Fukuoka, in Kyushu, is famous for its yatai, but you may find them also near other cities' nightlife districts. Sadly, traditional pushcarts are being replaced by motorized vans, which are not nearly as romantic and do not offer seating.

Prepared Foods -- You can save even more money by avoiding restaurants altogether. There are all kinds of prepared foods you can buy; some are even complete meals, perfect for picnics in a park or right in your hotel room.

Perhaps the best known is the obento, or box lunch, commonly sold on express trains, on train-station platforms, in food sections of department stores, and at counter windows of tiny shops throughout Japan. In fact, the obento served by vendors on trains and at train stations are an inexpensive way to sample regional cuisine since they often include food typical of the region you're passing through. Costing between ¥800 and ¥1,500, the basic obento contains a piece of meat (generally fish or chicken), various side dishes, rice, and pickled vegetables. Sushi boxed lunches are also readily available.

My favorite place to shop for prepared foods is department stores. Located in basements, these enormous food and produce sections hark back to Japanese markets of yore, with vendors yelling out their wares and crowds of housewives deciding on the evening's dinner. Different counters specialize in different items -- tempura, yakitori, eel, Japanese pickles, cooked fish, sushi (sometimes made by robots!), salads, vegetables, and desserts. Almost the entire spectrum of Japanese cuisine is available, as are numerous samples. There are also counters selling obento box meals. In any case, you can eat for less than ¥1,200, and there's nothing like milling with Japanese housewives to make you feel like one of the locals. Though not as colorful, 24-hour convenience stores and grocery stores also sell packaged foods like sandwiches and obento.

Calendar of Events

January

New Year's Day is the most important national holiday in Japan. Because this is a time when Japanese are with their families and because virtually all businesses, restaurants, museums, and shops close down, it's not a particularly rewarding time of the year for foreign visitors. Best bets are shrines and temples, where Japanese come in their best kimono or dress to pray for good health and happiness in the coming year. January 1.

Tamaseseri (Ball-Catching Festival), Hakozakigu Shrine, Fukuoka. The main attraction here is a struggle between two groups of men, dressed only in loincloths, who try to capture a sacred wooden ball. The winning team is supposed to have good luck the entire year. January 3.

Dezomeshiki (New Year's Parade of Firemen), Tokyo Big Sight, Odaiba, Tokyo. Agile firemen dressed in Edo-Era costumes prove their worth with acrobatic stunts atop tall bamboo ladders in this parade. January 6.

Usokae (Bullfinch Exchange Festival), Dazaifu Tenmangu Shrine, outside Fukuoka. The object here is to pass wooden bullfinches from person to person, hopefully ending up with the golden bullfinch, thought to bring good luck. A giant fire is lit in the evening to drive away evil spirits. January 7.

Coming-of-Age Day, a national holiday. This day honors young people who have reached the age of 20, when they can vote, drink alcohol, and assume other responsibilities. On this day, they visit shrines throughout the country to pray for their future, with many women dressed in kimono. In Tokyo, the most popular shrine is Meiji Shrine near Harajuku Station. Second Monday in January.

Toka Ebisu Festival, Imamiya Ebisu Shrine, Osaka. Ebisu is considered the patron saint of business and good fortune, so this is the time when businesspeople pray for a successful year. The highlight of the festival is a parade of women dressed in colorful kimono and carried through the streets in palanquins (covered litters). Stalls sell good-luck charms. January 9 to January 11.

Ame-Ichi (Candy Fair), Matsumoto. Formerly a salt fair, this lively festival has featured traditional candy for the past century. Second weekend in January.

Toh-shiya, Kyoto. This traditional Japanese archery contest is held in the back corridor of Japan's longest wooden structure, Sanjusangendo Hall. Sunday closest to January 15.

Yamayaki (Grass Fire Ceremony), Nara. As evening approaches, Wakakusayama Hill is set ablaze and fireworks are displayed. The celebration marks a time more than 1,000 years ago when a dispute over the boundary of two major temples in Nara was settled peacefully. Fourth Sunday in January.

Sounkyo Ice Festival, Sounkyo Onsen. Ice sculptures, ice slides, frozen waterfalls lit in various colors, and evening fireworks are the highlights of this small-town festival. Mid-January to Mid-March.

February

Oyster Festival, Matsushima. Matsushima is famous for its oysters, and this is the time they're considered to be at their best. Oysters are given out free at booths set up at the seaside park along the bay. First Sunday in February.

Setsubun (Bean-Throwing Festival), at leading temples throughout Japan. According to the lunar calendar, this is the last day of winter; people throng to temples to participate in the traditional ceremony of throwing beans to drive away imaginary devils, yelling, "Evil go out, good luck come in." February 3 or 4.

Lantern Festival, Kasuga Shrine, Nara. A beautiful sight in which more than 3,000 stone and bronze lanterns are lit from 6:30 to 9pm. February 3 and August 14 and 15.

Snow Festival, Odori Park, and Susukino, in Sapporo. This famous 7-day Sapporo festival features huge, elaborate statues and figurines carved in snow and ice. Competitors come from around the world. Second week in February.

Saidaiji Eyo, Saidaiji Kannon-in Temple, Okayama. Thousands of loincloth-clad men grapple for sacred wooden sticks tossed by priests. Third Saturday of February at midnight.

March

Omizutori (Water-Drawing Festival), Todaiji Temple, Nara. This festival includes a solemn evening rite in which young ascetics brandish large burning torches and draw circles of fire. The biggest ceremony takes place on the night of March 12; on the next day, the ceremony of drawing water is held to the accompaniment of ancient Japanese music. March 1 to March 14.

Hinamatsuri (Doll Festival), observed throughout Japan. It's held in honor of young girls to wish them a future of happiness. In homes where there are girls, dolls dressed in ancient costumes representing the emperor, empress, and dignitaries are set up on a tier of shelves along with miniature household articles. Many hotels also display dolls in their lobbies. March 3.

Tokyo International Anime Fair, Tokyo Big Sight, Odaiba (www.tokyoanime.jp). One of the world's largest Japanese animation events draws more than 100 production companies, TV and film agencies, toy and game software companies, publishers, and other anime-related companies. Usually last weekend in March.

April

Kanamara Matsuri, Kanayama Shrine, Kawasaki (just outside Tokyo). This festival extols the joys of sex and fertility (and more recently, raises awareness about AIDS), featuring a parade of giant phalluses, some carried by transvestites. You'll definitely get some unusual photographs here. First Sunday in April.

Buddha's Birthday (also called Hana Matsuri, or Floral Festival), observed nationwide. Ceremonies are held at all Buddhist temples. April 8.

Kamakura Matsuri, Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine, Kamakura. This festival honors heroes from the past, including Minamoto Yoritomo, who made Kamakura his shogunate capital back in 1192. Highlights include horseback archery (truly spectacular to watch), a parade of portable shrines, and sacred dances. Second to third Sunday of April.

Takayama Spring Festival, Takayama. Supposedly dating from the 15th century, this festival is one of Japan's grandest with a dozen huge, gorgeous floats that are wheeled through the village streets. April 14 and 15.

Gumonji-do (Firewalking Ceremonies), Miyajima. Walking on live coals is meant to show devotion and to pray for purification and protection from illness and disaster. Daishoin Temple. April 15 and November 15.

Yayoi Matsuri, Futarasan Shrine, Nikko. Yayoi Matsuri features a parade of floats embellished with artificial cherry blossoms and paper lanterns. April 16 and 17.

Golden Week is a major holiday period throughout Japan, when many Japanese offices and businesses close down and families go on vacation. It's a crowded time to travel; reservations are a must. April 29 to May 5.

May

Hakata Dontaku Port Festival, Fukuoka. Citizens, dressed as deities, parade through the streets clapping wooden rice paddles. May 3 and 4.

Children's Day is a national holiday honoring all children, especially boys. The most common sight throughout Japan is colorful streamers of carp -- which symbolize perseverance and strength -- flying from poles. May 5.

Takigi Noh Performances, Kofukuji Temple, Nara. These noh plays are presented outdoors after dark under the blaze of torches. May 11 and 12.

Kanda Festival, Kanda Myojin Shrine, Tokyo. This festival, which commemorates Tokugawa Ieyasu's famous victory at Sekigahara in 1600, began during the Feudal Period as the only time townspeople could enter the shogun's castle and parade before him. Today this major Tokyo festival features a parade of dozens of portable shrines carried through the district, plus geisha dances and a tea ceremony. Held in odd-numbered years (with a smaller festival held in even years) on the Saturday and Sunday closest to May 15.

Aoi Matsuri (Hollyhock Festival), Shimogamo and Kamigamo Shrines, Kyoto. This is one of Kyoto's biggest events, a colorful parade with 500 participants wearing ancient costumes to commemorate the days when the imperial procession visited the city's shrines. May 15.

Kobe Matsuri, Kobe. This relatively new festival celebrates Kobe's international past with fireworks at Kobe Port, street markets, and a parade on Flower Road with participants wearing native costumes. Mid-May.

Shunki Reitaisai (Grand Spring Festival), Nikko. Commemorating the day in 1617 when Tokugawa Ieyasu's remains were brought to his mausoleum in Nikko, this festival re-creates that drama with more than 1,000 armor-clad people escorting three palanquins through the streets. May 17 and 18.

Sanja Matsuri, Asakusa Shrine, Tokyo. Tokyo's most celebrated festival features about 100 portable shrines carried through the district on the shoulders of men and women in traditional garb. Third Sunday and preceding Friday and Saturday of May.

Mifune Matsuri, Arashiyama, on the Oigawa River outside Kyoto, is when the days of the Heian Period (during which the imperial family used to take pleasure rides on the river) are reenacted by some 20 boats and people in costume. Third Sunday in May.

June

Takigi Noh Performances, Kyoto. Evening performances of noh are presented on an open-air stage at the Heian Shrine. June 1 and 2.

Hyakumangoku Matsuri (One Million Goku Festival), Kanazawa. Celebrating Kanazawa's production of one million goku of rice (1 goku is about 150kg/330 lb.), this extravaganza features folk songs and traditional dancing in the streets, illuminated paper lanterns floating downriver, public tea ceremonies, geisha performances, and -- the highlight -- a parade that winds through the city in reenactment of Lord Maeda Toshiie's triumphant arrival in Kanazawa on June 14, 1583, with lion dances, ladder-top acrobatics by firemen, and a torch-lit outdoor noh performance. June 8 to June 14.

Sanno Festival, Hie Shrine, Tokyo. This Edo Period festival, one of Tokyo's largest, features the usual portable shrines, transported through the busy streets of the Akasaka District. June 10 to June 16.

Otaue Rice-Planting Festival, Sumiyoshi Taisha Shrine, Osaka. In hopes of a successful harvest, young girls in traditional farmers' costumes transplant rice seedlings in the shrine's rice paddy to the sound of traditional music and songs. June 14.

Ukai (Cormorant Fishing), Nagara River near Gifu and Kiso River in Inuyama (near Nagoya). Visitors board small wooden boats after dark to watch cormorants dive into the water to catch ayu, a kind of trout. Generally end of May to October.

July

Tanabata Matsuri (Star Festival), celebrated throughout Japan. According to myth, the two stars Vega and Altair, representing a weaver and a shepherd, are allowed to meet once a year on this day. If the skies are cloudy, however, the celestial pair cannot meet and must wait another year. Celebrations differ from town to town, but in addition to parades and food/souvenir stalls, look for bamboo branches with colorful strips of paper bearing children's wishes. July 7.

Hozuki Ichi (Ground-Cherry Pod Fair), Tokyo. This colorful affair at Sensoji Temple in Asakusa features hundreds of stalls selling ground-cherry pods and colorful wind bells. July 9 and 10.

Yamakasa, Fukuoka. Just before the crack of dawn, seven teams dressed in loincloths and happi coats (short, colorful, kimono-like jackets) race through town, bearing 1-ton floats on their shoulders. In addition, elaborately decorated, 9m-tall (30-ft.) floats designed by Hakata doll masters are on display throughout town. July 15.

Gion Matsuri, Kyoto. One of the most famous festivals in Japan, this dates back to the 9th century, when the head priest at Yasaka Shrine organized a procession to ask the gods' assistance in a plague raging in the city. Although celebrations continue throughout the month, the highlight is on the 17th, when more than 30 spectacular wheeled floats wind their way through the city streets to the accompaniment of music and dances. Many visitors plan their trip to Japan around this event. July 16 and 17.

Obon Festival, nationwide. This festival commemorates the dead who, according to Buddhist belief, revisit the world during this period. Many Japanese return to their hometowns for religious rites, especially if a family member has died recently. As one Japanese whose grandmother had died a few months before told me, "I have to go back to my hometown -- it's my grandmother's first Obon." Mid-July or mid-August, depending on the region.

Tenjin Matsuri, Temmangu Shrine, Osaka. One of Japan's biggest festivals, this dates from the 10th century when the people of Osaka visited Temmangu Shrine to pray for protection against diseases prevalent during the long, hot summer. They would take pieces of paper cut in the form of human beings and, while the Shinto priest said prayers, would rub the paper over themselves in ritual cleansing. Afterward, the pieces of paper were taken by boat to the mouth of the river and disposed of. Today, events are reenacted with a procession of more than 100 sacred boats making their way downriver, followed by a fireworks display. There's also a parade of some 3,000 people in traditional costume. July 24 and 25.

Kangensai Music Festival, Itsukushima Shrine, Miyajima. There are classical court music and Bugaku dancing, and three barges carry portable shrines, priests, and musicians across the bay along with a flotilla of other boats. Because this festival takes place according to the lunar calendar, the actual date changes each year. Late July or early August.

Hanabi Taikai (Fireworks Display), Tokyo. This is Tokyo's largest summer celebration, and everyone sits on blankets along the banks of the Sumida River near Asakusa to see the show. It's great fun! Last Saturday of July.

Fuji Rock Festival, Naeba Ski Resort, Niigata. Japan's biggest outdoor rock festival, with an impressive lineup of international acts in a beautiful mountain setting. Last weekend in July.

August

Oshiro Matsuri, Himeji. This celebration is famous for its noh dramas lit by bonfire and performed on a special stage on the Himeji Castle grounds, as well as a procession from the castle to the city center with participants dressed as feudal lords and ladies in traditional costume. First Friday and Saturday of August.

Peace Ceremony, Peace Memorial Park, Hiroshima. This ceremony is held annually in memory of those who died in the atomic bomb blast of August 6, 1945. In the evening, thousands of lit lanterns are set adrift on the Ota River in a plea for world peace. A similar ceremony is held on August 9 in Nagasaki. August 6.

Tanabata Matsuri, Sendai. Sendai holds its Star Festival 1 month later than the rest of Japan. It's the country's largest, and the entire town is decorated with colored paper streamers. August 6 to August 8.

Matsuyama Festival, Matsuyama. Jubilant festivities include dances, fireworks, a parade, and a night fair. August 11 to August 13.

Takamatsu Festival, Takamatsu. About 6,000 people participate in a dance procession that threads its way along Chuo Dori Avenue; anyone can join in. Food stalls are set up in Chuo Park, and there's also a fireworks display. August 12 to August 14.

Toronagashi and Fireworks Display, Matsushima. A fireworks display is followed by the setting adrift on the bay of about 5,000 small boats with lanterns, which are meant to console the souls of the dead; another 3,000 lanterns are lit on islets in the bay. Evening of August 15.

Yamaga Lantern Festival, Kumamoto. Women dressed in yukata dance through town with illuminated paper lanterns on their heads, and there's also a fireworks display. August 15 and 16.

Daimonji Bonfire, Mount Nyoigadake, Kyoto. A huge bonfire in the shape of the Chinese character dai, which means "large," and other motifs are lit near mountain peaks; it's the highlight of the Obon Festival. August 16.

Eisa Festival, Okinawa Island. Dance teams compete in lively folk performances to the accompaniment of drums, three-stringed sanshin, and other instruments. Late August.

September

Yabusame, Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine, Kamakura. Archery performed on horseback recalls the days of the samurai. September 16.

October

Okunchi Festival, Suwa Shrine, Nagasaki. This 370-year-old festival, one of Kyushu's best, illustrates the influence of Nagasaki's Chinese population through the centuries. Highlights include a parade of floats and dragon dances. October 7 to October 9.

Marimo Matsuri, Lake Akan, Hokkaido. This festival is put on by the native Ainu population to celebrate marimo (a spherical weed found in Lake Akan) and includes a pine torch parade and fireworks. Early October.

Takayama Matsuri (Autumn Festival), Takayama. As in the festival held here in April, huge floats are paraded through the streets. October 9 and 10.

Nagoya Festival, Nagoya. Nagoya's biggest event commemorates three of its heroes -- Tokugawa Ieyasu, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and Oda Nobunaga -- in a parade that goes from City Hall to Sakae and includes nine floats with mechanical puppets, marching bands, and a traditional orchestra. Second weekend in October.

Naha Tug of War, Naha, Okinawa. Anyone can join in this tug of war with the world's largest rope (186m/619 ft.), once held to welcome Chinese ambassadors. Second Sunday in October.

Nada no Kenka Matsuri (Nada Fighting Festival), Matsubara Hachiman Shrine, Himeji. Men shouldering portable shrines jostle each other as they attempt to show their skill in balancing their heavy burdens. October 14 and 15.

Doburoku Matsuri, Ogimachi, Shirakawago. This village festival honors unrefined sake, said to represent the spirit of God, with a parade, an evening lion dance, and plenty of eating and drinking. October 14 to October 19.

Nikko Toshogu Shrine Festival, Nikko. A parade of warriors in early-17th-century dress are accompanied by spear-carriers, gun-carriers, flag-bearers, Shinto priests, pages, court musicians, and dancers as they escort a sacred portable shrine. October 17.

Jidai Matsuri (Festival of the Ages), Kyoto. Another of Kyoto's grand festivals, this one began in 1894 to commemorate the founding of the city in 794. It features a procession of more than 2,000 people dressed in ancient costumes representing different epochs of Kyoto's 1,200-year history, who march from the Imperial Palace to Heian Shrine. October 22.

November

Ohara Matsuri, Kagoshima. About 15,000 people parade through the town in cotton yukata, dancing to the tune of local folk songs. A sort of Japanese Mardi Gras, this event attracts several hundred thousand spectators each year. November 2 and 3.

Daimyo Gyoretsu (Feudal Lord Procession), Yumoto Onsen, Hakone. The old Tokaido Highway that used to link Kyoto and Tokyo comes alive again with a faithful reproduction of a feudal lord's procession in the olden days. November 3.

Shichi-go-san (Children's Shrine-Visiting Day), held throughout Japan. Shichi-go-san literally means "seven-five-three" and refers to children of these ages who are dressed in their kimono best and taken to shrines by their elders to express thanks and pray for their future. November 15.

Tori-no-Ichi (Rake Fair), Otori Shrine, Tokyo. This fair in Asakusa features stalls selling rakes lavishly decorated with paper and cloth, which are thought to bring good luck and fortune. Based on the lunar calendar, the date changes each year. Mid-November.

December

Gishi-sai, Sengakuji Station, Tokyo. This memorial service honors 47 ronin (masterless samurai) who avenged their master's death by killing his rival and parading his head; for their act, all were ordered to commit suicide. Forty-seven men dressed as the ronin travel to Sengakuji Temple (the site of their and their master's burial) with the enemy's head to place on their master's grave. December 14.

Kasuga Wakamiya On-Matsuri, Kasuga Shrine, Nara. This festival features court music with traditional dance and a parade of people dressed as courtiers, retainers, and wrestlers of long ago. December 15 to December 18.

Hagoita-Ichi (Battledore Fair), Sensoji Temple, Tokyo. Popular since Japan's feudal days, this Asakusa festival features decorated paddles of all types and sizes. Most have designs of kabuki actors -- images made by pasting together padded silk and brocade -- and make great souvenirs and gifts. December 17 to December 19.

New Year's Eve. At midnight, many temples ring huge bells 108 times to signal the end of the old year and the beginning of the new. Families visit temples and shrines throughout Japan to pray for the coming year. December 31.

Tips for Student Travelers

Students sometimes receive discounts at museums, though occasionally discounts are available only to students enrolled in Japanese schools. Furthermore, discounted prices are often not displayed in English. Your best bet is to bring along an International Student Identity Card (ISIC) together with your university student ID and show them both at ticket windows. For information on the ISIC card and where and how to obtain one, check the website www.isic.org.

Getting There

By Plane

Japan has three international airports. Outside Tokyo is Narita International Airport (NRT), where you'll want to land if your main business is in the capital, the surrounding region, or at points north or east such as Hokkaido. Another international airport, Kansai International Airport (KIX) outside Osaka, is convenient if your destination is Osaka, Kobe, Nara, Kyoto, or western or southern Japan; it is also convenient for domestic air travel within Japan, since most domestic flights out of Tokyo depart from Haneda Airport, necessitating an airport transfer if you arrive at Narita International Airport. In between Narita and Kansai airports, outside Nagoya, is the Central Japan International Airport (NGO), nicknamed Centrair, which offers the advantage of slick airport facilities (including hot-spring baths!) and easy access to Nagoya, the Shinkansen bullet train, Japan Alps, and beyond.

Because the flight to Tokyo is such a long one (about 12 hr. from Los Angeles or London and 13 1/2 hr. from Chicago or New York), you may wish to splurge for a roomier seat and upgraded service, including special counters for check-in, private lounges at the airport, and better meals, though these come with a price. You should also consider a mileage program, because you'll earn lots of miles going to Japan.

Japan's major carriers are Japan Airlines (JAL) and All Nippon Airways (ANA). JAL, Japan's flagship and largest domestic carrier, offers more international flights to Japan than any other airline, flying nonstop to Tokyo from Honolulu, Kona, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, New York, and Vancouver. JAL also serves other countries worldwide, including flights from London, Sydney, and Auckland to Tokyo. ANA offers daily nonstop service from New York, Washington, D.C., Chicago, Seattle, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Honolulu, Toronto, Vancouver, and London.

One advantage to flying with JAL or ANA to Japan is that you can purchase your Japan Rail Pass through them. In addition, flying to Japan with JAL (or another Oneworld fare partner such as American Airlines) or ANA (or a Star Alliance member such as United Airlines) means you are then eligible for deep discounts on domestic flights within Japan.

Tips for Families

Japanese are very fond of children, which makes traveling in Japan with kids a delight. All social reserve seems to be waived for children. Taking along some small and easy-to-carry gifts (such as colorful stickers) for your kids to give to other children is a great icebreaker.

Safety also makes Japan a good destination for families. Still, plan your itinerary with care. To avoid crowds, visit tourist sights on weekdays. Never travel on city transportation during rush hour or on trains during popular public holidays. And remember that with all the stairways and crowded sidewalks, strollers are less practical than baby backpacks.

Children 6 to 11 years old are generally charged half-price for everything from temple admission to train tickets, while children 5 and under are often admitted free. Tourist spots in Japan almost always have a table or counter with a stamp and inkpad so that visitors can commemorate their trip; you might wish to give your children a small notebook so they can collect imprints of every attraction they visit. There are many attractions throughout Japan geared just toward kids, including sophisticated theme parks. And what teenager could resist Japan's pop culture, fashion, and fads?

Although it's not advertised, many hotels and ryokan (Japanese-style inns) give discounts to young children (up to 5 or 9 years of age) or allow them to stay for free, but only if they sleep with you and do not require an extra bed. Ryokan may also give discounts for meals. At budget chain Tokyo Inn, for example, children 5 and under stay free, while those 6 to 10 are charged an extra ¥1,050 per night. In any case, it's advisable to ask in advance. Many upper-range hotels in major cities like Tokyo and Osaka provide babysitting services, although they are prohibitively expensive. Expect to fork over a minimum of ¥5,000 for 2 hours of freedom.

As for food, the transition from kid-favorite spaghetti to udon noodles is easy, and udon and soba shops are inexpensive and ubiquitous. In addition, most family-style restaurants, especially those in department stores, offer a special children's meal that often includes a small toy or souvenir. For those real emergencies, Western fast-food places such as McDonald's and KFC are seemingly everywhere in Japan.

Escorted & Package Tours

Escorted tours are structured group tours, with a group leader. The price usually includes everything from airfare to hotels, meals, tours, admission costs, and local transportation. They take you to the maximum number of sights in the minimum amount of time with the least amount of hassle. On the downside, you'll have little opportunity for serendipitous interactions with locals. Tours can be jampacked with activities, leaving little room for individual sightseeing, whim, or adventure -- plus they often focus on heavily touristed sites, missing out on lesser-known gems.

That said, lots of tour companies offer group trips to Japan, including General Tours (tel. 800/221-2216; www.generaltours.com), which offers tours to major tourist destinations in Japan. JTB USA (tel. 800/235-3523; www.jtbusa.com) offers tours that may highlight anything from Japanese cuisine to art. Esprit Travel & Tours (tel. 800/377-7481; www.esprittravel.com) specializes in small-group walking, hiking, and cultural tours that cover such interests as textile arts, Japanese gardens, and the old Tokaido Road. If you want someone else to take care of logistics but don't like group tours, Artisans of Leisure (tel. 800/214-8144; www.artisansofleisure.com) provides luxury tours with private guides that are tailored to your interests. U.K.-based InsideJapan Tours (tel. 0117/314-4620; www.insidejapantours.com) offers small escorted tours to both known destinations and places off the beaten track. If you want to know more about sake, take 5-day Sake Brewery Tour offered by sake expert John Gauntner (tel. 415/5780-4565; www.sake-world.com).

For more ideas on escorted tours departing from North America, go to www.japantravelinfo.com; for tours departing from England, go to www.seejapan.co.uk. For more information on escorted tours, including questions to ask before booking your trip, see www.frommers.com/planning.

Special-Interest Trips

If your primary interest lies with ikebana (Japanese flower arranging), the tea ceremony, or other cultural pursuits, Tokyo and Kyoto are your best bets for finding instruction in English. For short introductions, Sunrise Tours (www.jtb-sunrisetours.jp) offers the chance to experience the tea ceremony on 2- or 3-hour tours in both Tokyo and Kyoto, along with other cultural pursuits such as making sushi or writing calligraphy. Tokyo-based H.I.S. Experience Japan (www.hisexperience.jp) offers a wide range of hands-on activities, including a samurai sword class featuring a sword fight demonstration by instructors and a lesson covering the basic movements; a visit to a sumo stable followed by a typical sumo meal; a taiko drumming or shamisen course; a kimono workshop; a survival Japanese-language class; and cooking classes that cover sushi, soba, and traditional Japanese food.

In Tokyo, there are several ikebana schools offering one-time or ongoing instruction in English. In Kyoto, the Women's Association of Kyoto (www.wakjapan.com) offers short, one-time classes on the tea ceremony, flower arranging, origami, Japanese calligraphy, Japanese cooking, and other cultural activities. The tourist offices in both Tokyo and Kyoto have information on temples that provide zazen (sitting meditation) in English.

You won't become fluent in Japanese in a week or two, but for longer stays there are language schools in major cities across Japan that cater to both the beginner and the intermediate. Check the classified sections of city magazines, like Metropolis in Tokyo, for lists of language schools.

Outside Tokyo and Kyoto, local international centers in larger cities, founded to promote multicultural harmony and to assist foreigners living in their communities, are good resources for cultural activities and events. The Nagoya International Center (www.nic-nagoya.or.jp), for example, offers seven levels of Japanese instruction, from conversation for beginners to writing kanji, at reasonable prices. In Kanazawa, the Ishikawa International Lounge (www.ifie.or.jp) schedules cultural events and classes that might cover origami, calligraphy, the tea ceremony, Japanese flower arranging, Japanese folk dancing, Japanese cooking, and Japanese language; classes themselves are free, but materials for the class cost extra. Other cities with similar institutions, all offering Japanese language classes and sometimes cultural classes as well, include the International House, Osaka (www.ih-osaka.or.jp), Kobe's Hyogo International Association (www.hyogo-ip.or.jp/en), the Okayama Prefectural International Exchange Foundation (www.opief.or.jp/english), and the Hiroshima International Center (www.hiroshima-ic.or.jp).

Staying Connected

Telephones

To call Japan:

1. Dial the international access code: 011 from the U.S.; 00 from the U.K., Ireland, or New Zealand; or 0011 from Australia.

2. Dial the country code for Japan (81).

3. Dial the city code (3 for Tokyo, 6 for Osaka; for other area codes, check the listings for each city in this guide) and then the number.

Domestic calls: If you're making a long-distance domestic phone call, all telephone area codes for all Japanese cities begin with a zero (03 for Tokyo, 06 for Osaka).

Despite the proliferation of cellphones, you can still find public telephones in telephone booths on the sidewalk, in or near train stations, in hotel lobbies, restaurants and coffee shops, and even on the bullet train (the latter require a prepaid card). A local call costs ¥10 for each minute; a warning chime will alert you to insert more coins or you'll be disconnected. I usually insert two or three coins so that I won't have to worry about being disconnected; ¥10 coins that aren't used are returned at the end of the call. Most public phones accept both ¥10 and ¥100 coins. The latter is convenient for long-distance calls, but no change is given for unused minutes. All gray ISDN telephones are equipped for international calls and have dataports for Internet access.

If you think you'll be making a lot of domestic calls from public phones and don't want to deal with coins, purchase a magnetic prepaid telephone card. These are available in a value of ¥1,000 and are sold at vending machines (sometimes located right beside telephones), station kiosks, and convenience stores. Green and gray telephones accept telephone cards. In fact, many nowadays accept telephone cards exclusively. Insert the card into the slot. On the gray ISDN telephones, there's a second slot for a second telephone card, which is convenient if the first one is almost used up or if you think you'll be talking a long time. Domestic long-distance calls are cheaper at night, on weekends, and on national holidays for calls of distances more than 60km (37 miles).

Toll-free numbers: Numbers beginning with 0120 or 0088 are toll-free. Calling a 1-800 number in the U.S. from Japan is not toll-free but costs the same as an international call.

To make international calls from Japan: For a collect call or to place an operator-assisted call through KDDI, dial the international telephone operator at tel. 0051. From a public telephone, look for a specially marked INTERNATIONAL AND DOMESTIC CARD/COIN TELEPHONE. Although many of the specially marked green or gray telephones, the most common public telephone, accept both coins and magnetic telephone cards for domestic calls, most do not accept magnetic cards for direct overseas calls (due to illegal usage of telephone cards), especially in big cities, except for those in a few key facilities such as the airport and some hotels. You'll therefore either have to use coins, or purchase a special prepaid international telephone card that works like telephone cards issued by U.S. telephone companies. That is, an access number must first be dialed, followed by a secret telephone number, and then the number you wish to dial. Such cards are often sold from vending machines next to telephone booths in hotels or in convenience stores such as Sunkus, Circle K, Family Mart, or Lawson. There are numerous such cards (with instructions in English), including the rechargeable Brastel Smart Phonecard (tel. 0120/659-543; www.brastel.com), which charges ¥49 to ¥54 per minute from a pay phone to a land line in the U.S. or U.K.; or the KDDI Super World Card (tel. 0057; www.kddi.com), which gives approximately 21 minutes of weekday talk time to the U.S. on its ¥1,000 card. Some hotels have special phones equipped to accept credit cards.

International rates vary according to when you call, which telephone company you use, and what type of service you use. Direct-dial service is cheaper than operator-assisted calls. The cheapest time to call is between 11pm and 8am Japan time, while the most expensive time is weekdays from 8am to 7pm.

If you're not using a prepaid card (which has its own set of instructions and access numbers), to make a direct-dial international call, you must first dial one of the international access codes offered by the various telephone companies -- 001 (KDDI), 0033 (NTT Communications), or 0061 (Softbank Telecom) -- followed by 010 and then the country code. The country code for the United States and Canada is 1; for the United Kingdom, it's 44; for Australia, it's 61; and for New Zealand, it's 64. Next you dial the area code and number. For example, if you wanted to call the British Embassy in Washington, D.C., using KDDI you would dial 001-010-1-202-588-6500. If you're dialing from your hotel room, you must first dial for an outside line, usually 0.

If you wish to be connected with an operator in your home country, you can do so from green international telephones by dialing tel. 0039 followed by the country code. (For the United States, dial tel. 0039-111.) These calls can be used for collect calls or credit card calls. Some hotels and other public places are equipped with special phones that will link you to your home operator with the push of a button, with instructions in English.

If you have a U.S. calling card, ask your phone company for the direct access number from Japan that will link you directly to the United States. If you have AT&T, for example, dial tel. 00539-111 to place calls using KDDI or tel. 00665-5111 to use Softbank Telecom.

Cellphones

The three letters that define much of the world's wireless capabilities are GSM (Global System for Mobiles). Unfortunately, Japan uses a system that is incompatible with GSM, and foreigners are not allowed to buy cellphones in Japan. You can, however, use your own mobile phone number in Japan by bringing your own SIM card from home and inserting it into a handset rented from Softbank Global Rental or NTT DoCoMo. It only works, however, if your home service provider has a roaming agreement with Softbank or NTT. For more information, contact your mobile phone company, NTT DoCoMo (http://roaming.nttdocomo.co.jp), or Softbank Global Rental (www.softbank-rental.jp), where you can also find out about rental costs and rental locations and make online reservations. Another option is to bring your own mobile phone and rent a SIM card from Softbank.

Otherwise, if you want to have a telephone number before arriving in Japan, consider renting a phone before leaving home. North Americans can rent one from InTouch USA (tel. 800/872-7626; www.intouchglobal.com) or Roadpost (tel. 888/290-1606; www.roadpost.com).

You can also rent a phone in Japan. If you're in Japan for only a few days and are staying in an upper-class hotel, most convenient but most expensive is to rent a mobile phone from your hotel. A check of several hotels in Tokyo turned up rental fees ranging from ¥600 to ¥1,200 per day (the more expensive the hotel, the more expensive the rental). I suggest, therefore, that you rent a phone at Narita Airport. Lots of companies maintain counters at both terminals, including NTT DoCoMo and Softbank Global Rental, as well as G-Call (www.g-call.com/e), Telecom Square (www.telecomsquare.co.jp/en), and PuPuRu (www.pupuru.com/en), which have the extra convenience of easy pickup and drop-off and offer online reservations. Most rentals start at ¥525 per day, though bargains are often offered online or on-site. Charges for domestic and international calls vary, but incoming calls are usually free.

For travelers staying in Japan a week or longer, Go Mobile (www.gomobile.co.jp) offers 1-week, 2-week, and 30-day rentals, including a limited number of free local calls. A 1-week rental costs ¥2,995 and includes 15 minutes of free local calls. Phones are shipped to an address in Japan (such as your hotel) and returned via a prepaid, pre-addressed envelope.

Over & Out -- If you're traveling with a buddy, consider bringing along walkie-talkies. They're cheaper than phones, could be a lifesaver if you get separated, and make it easier to rendezvous, especially in big cities.

Internet/E-Mail

Without Your Own Computer -- Many hotels in Japan, especially medium-range and business hotels, have computers in their lobbies, either coin operated (usually ¥100 for 10 min.) or for free. Otherwise, cybercafes can be found in most cities, though they're often nonexistent in small towns. I've listed cybercafes for many destinations when I could find them, but more may have opened by the time you travel. Ask local tourist offices for updated locations.

With Your Own Computer -- With the exception of some budget hotels, virtually all hotels in Japan's major cities provide Internet access in their guest rooms. While most provide high-speed connections, more and more are going Wi-Fi (wireless fidelity). I'm also happy to report that more and more are also offering Internet connections for free. Otherwise, expect to pay anywhere from ¥500 to ¥1,050 on average per day.

Fast Facts

American Express -- There are no American Express customer-service offices in Japan.

Area Codes -- All telephone area codes for Japanese cities begin with a zero (03 for Tokyo, 06 for Osaka, 075 for Kyoto), but drop the first zero if calling Japan from abroad.

Business Hours -- Government offices and private companies are generally open Monday through Friday 9am to 5pm. Banks are open Monday through Friday 9am to 3pm (but usually will not exchange money until 10:30 or 11am, after that day's currency exchange rates come in). Neighborhood post offices are open Monday through Friday 9am to 5pm. Major post offices, however (usually located near major train stations), have longer hours and may be open weekends as well. (Some central post offices, such as those in Tokyo and Osaka, are open 24 hr. for mail.)

Department stores are open from about 10am to 8pm. Most are open daily but may close irregularly (always the same day of the week). Smaller stores are generally open from 10am to 8pm, closed 1 day a week. Convenience stores such as 7-Eleven and Family Mart are open 24 hours.

Keep in mind that museums, gardens, and attractions stop selling admission tickets at least 30 minutes before the actual closing time. Similarly, restaurants take their last orders at least 30 minutes before the posted closing time (even earlier for kaiseki restaurants). Most national, prefectural, and city museums are closed on Monday; if Monday is a national holiday, however, they'll remain open and close on the following day, Tuesday, instead. Privately owned museums, however, are usually closed on holidays.

Drinking Laws -- The legal drinking age is 20. Beer, wine, and spirits are readily available in grocery stores, some convenience stores, and liquor stores. Many bars, especially in nightlife districts such as Shinjuku and Roppongi, are open until dawn. If you intend to drive in Japan, you are not allowed even one drink.

Drugstores -- Drugstores, called kusuri-ya, are found readily in Japan. Note, however, that you cannot have a foreign prescription filled in Japan without first consulting a doctor in Japan, so it's best to bring an adequate supply of important medicines with you. No drugstores in Japan stay open 24 hours. However, ubiquitous convenience stores like 7-Eleven, Lawson, and Family Mart, open day and night throughout Japan, carry such nonprescription items as aspirin.

Earthquakes -- Kobe's tragic 1995 earthquake brought attention to the fact that Japan is earthquake-prone, but in reality, most earthquakes are too small to detect (of the more than 100,000 earthquakes annually in Japan, only 1% are big enough to feel). However, in case of an earthquake you can feel, there are a few precautions you should take. If you're indoors, take cover under a doorway or against a wall and do not go outdoors. If you're outdoors, stay away from trees, power lines, and the sides of buildings; if you're surrounded by tall buildings, seek cover in a doorway. If you're near a beach or the bay, evacuate to higher ground in case of a tsunami. Never use elevators during a quake. Other precautions include noting emergency exits wherever you stay; all hotels supply flashlights, usually found attached to your bedside table. More information on earthquakes is provided by the Japan Meteorological Agency at www.jma.go.jp.

Electricity -- The electricity throughout Japan is 100 volts AC, but there are two different cycles in use: In Tokyo and in regions northeast of the capital, it's 50 cycles, while in Nagoya, Kyoto, Osaka, and all points to the southwest, it's 60 cycles. Leading hotels in Tokyo often have two outlets, one for 100 volts and one for 220 volts; almost all have hair dryers in the rooms. You can use many American appliances in Japan because the American standard is 110 volts and 60 cycles, but they may run a little slowly. Note, too, that the flat, two-legged prongs used in Japan are the same size and fit as in North America, but three-pronged appliances are not accepted.

Embassies & Consulates -- Most embassies are located in Tokyo. There are, however, U.S., British, New Zealand, and Australian consulates in Osaka. For the location of other consulates, inquire at the respective embassies.

Emergencies -- The national emergency numbers are tel. 110 for police and tel. 119 for ambulance and fire (ambulances are free in Japan unless you request a specific hospital). You do not need to insert any money into public telephones to call these numbers. However, if you use a green public telephone, it's necessary to push a red button before dialing. If you call from a gray public telephone or one that accepts only prepaid cards, you won't see a red button; in that case simply lift the receiver and dial. Be sure to speak slowly and precisely.

Language -- English is widely understood in major hotels, restaurants, and shops, but it's hit-or-miss elsewhere. Be sure to pick up the free "Tourist's Language Handbook," at the Tourist Information Center.

Laundry & Dry Cleaning -- All upper- and most midrange hotels offer laundry and dry-cleaning services (but it's expensive, with a laundered shirt costing about ¥400). For same-day service, it's usually necessary to turn in your laundry by 10am; many hotels do not offer laundry service on Sundays and holidays. Budget accommodations sometimes have coin-operated machines. Otherwise, coin-laundries (as they're known in Japan) are abundant, and many hotel guest rooms have a pullout laundry line over the tub for hand washables.

Legal Aid -- Contact your embassy if you find yourself in legal trouble. The Legal Counseling Center, 1-4 Yotsuya, Shinjuku (tel. 03/5367-5280; www.horitsu-sodan.jp; station: Yotsuya), is operated by three bar associations and provides legal counseling with English interpreters Monday to Friday from 1 to 4pm.

Lost & Found -- If you've forgotten something on a subway, in a taxi, or on a park bench, don't assume it's gone forever; if you're willing to trace it, you'll probably get it back. If you can remember where you last saw it, the first thing to do is telephone the establishment or return to where you left it, as there's a good chance it will still be sitting there. If you've lost something on the street, go to the nearest koban (police box); items found in the neighborhood will stay there for 3 days or longer.

Be sure to notify all your credit card companies the minute you discover your wallet has been lost or stolen. Visa's emergency number in Japan is tel. 00531/11-15555. American Express cardholders can call tel. 03/3220-6220 and for traveler's checks it's tel. 0120/779-656. MasterCard holders should call tel. 00531/11-3886 and Diners Club holders should call tel. 0120/074-024 in Japan.

Luggage & Lockers -- Storage space on Shinkansen bullet trains is limited, so travel with the smallest bag you can get away with. Coin-operated lockers are located at major train stations as well as at most subway stations, but most lockers are generally not large enough to store huge pieces of luggage (and those that do are often taken). Lockers generally cost ¥300 to ¥800 depending on the size. Some major stations also have check-in rooms for luggage, though these are rare. If your bag becomes too much to handle, you can have it sent ahead via takkyu-bin, an efficient forwarding service available at upper-range hotels and all convenience stores in Japan. At Narita and Kansai international airports, service counters will send luggage to your hotel the next day (or vice versa) for about ¥2,000 per bag.

Mail -- If your hotel cannot mail letters for you, ask the concierge for the location of the nearest post office, recognizable by the red logo of a capital T with a horizontal line over it. Mailboxes are bright orange-red. It costs ¥110 to airmail letters weighing up to 25 grams and ¥70 for postcards to Australia, North America, and Europe. Domestic mail costs ¥80 for letters up to 25 grams, and ¥50 for postcards. Post offices throughout Japan are also convenient for their ATMs, which accept international bank cards operating on the PLUS and Cirrus systems, as well as MasterCard and Visa.

Although all post offices are open Monday through Friday from 9am to 5pm, international post offices (often located close to the central train station) have longer hours, often until 7pm or later on weekdays and with open hours also on weekends (in Tokyo and Osaka, counters are open 24 hr.). If your hotel does not have a shipping service, it is only at these larger post offices that you can mail packages abroad. Conveniently, they sell cardboard boxes in several sizes with the necessary tape. Packages sent via surface mail cannot weigh more than 20 kilograms (about 44 lb.) and take about a month to reach North America, with a package weighing 10 kilograms (about 22 lb.) costing ¥6,750. Express packages, which take 3 days to North America and can weigh up to 30 kilograms (66 lb.), cost ¥12,550 for 10 kilograms (22 lb.). For more information, visit www.post.japanpost.jp.

Measurements -- Before the metric system came into use in Japan, the country had its own standards for measuring length and weight. Rooms are still measured by the number of tatami straw mats that will fit in them. A six-tatami room, for example, is the size of six tatami mats, with a tatami roughly .9m (3 ft.) wide and 1.8m (6 ft.) long.

Newspapers & Magazines -- Three English-language newspapers are published daily in Japan: the Japan Times and the Daily Yomiuri (the former with a weekly supplement from The Observer and the latter with a weekly supplement from the Washington Post), as well as the International Herald Tribune/Asahi Shimbun. Major bookstores carry the international editions of such newsmagazines as Time and Newsweek. You can also read the Japan Times online at www.japantimes.co.jp and the Daily Yomiuri at www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy.

Police -- The national emergency number for police is tel. 110.

Smoking -- You must be 20 years old to smoke in Japan. Smoking is banned in most public areas, including train and subway stations and office buildings. In many cities, ordinances also ban smoking on sidewalks but allow it in marked areas, usually near train stations. Many restaurants have nonsmoking sections, though bars do not. Most hotels have designated nonsmoking floors nowadays, though Japanese-style inns, because of their small size, usually do not; some business hotels also don't. If you want to sit in the nonsmoking car of the Shinkansen bullet train, ask for the kinensha (some lines are completely smoke-free); during peak times, be sure to reserve a seat in the nonsmoking car in advance.

Taxes -- A 5% consumption tax is imposed on goods and services in Japan, including hotel rates and restaurant meals. Although hotels and restaurants are required to include the tax in their published rates, a few have yet to comply (especially on English-language menus). In Tokyo, hotels also levy a separate accommodations tax of ¥100 to ¥200 per person per night. In hot-spring resort areas, a ¥150 onsen tax is added for every night of your stay.

In addition to these taxes, a 10% to 15% service charge will be added to your bill in lieu of tipping at most of the fancier restaurants and at moderately priced and upper-end hotels; in ryokan, service charge can be as high as 20%. Business hotels, minshuku, youth hostels, and inexpensive restaurants do not impose a service charge.

As for shopping, a 5% consumption tax is also included in the price of most goods. (Some of the smaller vendors are not required to levy tax.) Travelers from abroad, however, are eligible for an exemption on goods taken out of the country, although only the larger department stores and specialty shops seem equipped to deal with the procedures. In any case, most department stores grant a refund on the consumption tax only when the total amount of purchases for the day at their store exceeds ¥10,000. You can obtain a refund immediately by having a sales clerk fill out a list of your purchases and then presenting the list to the tax-exemption counter of the department store; you will need to show your passport. Note that no refunds for consumption tax are given for food, drinks, tobacco, cosmetics, film, and batteries.

Television -- If you enjoy watching television, you've come to the wrong country. Almost nothing is broadcast in English; even foreign films are dubbed in Japanese. Most upper-range hotels, however, offer bilingual televisions, whereby you can switch from Japanese to English if the program or movie was originally in English, though only a few (and fairly dated) English movies and sitcoms are broadcast each week. The plus of bilingual TVs is that you can listen to the nightly national news broadcast by NHK at 7 and 9pm. Otherwise, major hotels in larger cities have cable or satellite TV with English-language programs including CNN broadcasts (sometimes in Japanese only) and BBC World as well as in-house pay movies. But even if you don't understand Japanese, I suggest that you watch TV at least once; maybe you'll catch a samurai series or a sumo match. Commercials are also worth watching. Note: Japan switches from analog to digital broadcasting in July 2011. Many hotels have already replaced older TV sets with new equipment.

A word on those pay video programs offered by hotels and many resort ryokan: Upper-range hotels usually have a few choices in English, and these are charged automatically to your bill. Most business hotels, however, usually offer only one kind of pay movie -- generally "adult entertainment." If you're traveling with children, you'll want to be extremely careful about selecting your TV programs. Many adult video pay channels appear with a simple push of the channel-selector button, and they can be difficult to get rid of. In budget accommodations, you may come across televisions with coin boxes attached to their sides, or, more common nowadays, vending machines offering prepaid cards. These are also for special adult entertainment videos. Now you know.

Time -- Japan is 9 hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time, 14 hours ahead of New York, 15 hours ahead of Chicago, and 17 hours ahead of Los Angeles. Because Japan does not go on daylight saving time, subtract 1 hour from the above times in the summer when calling from countries that have daylight saving time such as the United States.

Because Japan is on the other side of the international date line, you lose a day when traveling from the United States to Asia. (If you depart the United States on Tues, you'll arrive on Wed.) Returning to North America, however, you gain a day, which means that you arrive on the same day you left. (In fact, it can happen that you arrive in the States at an earlier hour than you departed from Japan.)

Tipping -- One of the delights of being in Japan is that there's no tipping -- not even to waitresses, taxi drivers, or bellhops. If you try to tip them, they'll probably be confused or embarrassed. Instead, you'll have a 10% to 15% service charge added to your bill at higher-priced accommodations and restaurants. That being said, you might want to tip, say, your room attendant at a high-class ryokan if you've made special requests or meals are served in your room; in that case, place crisp, clean bills (¥3,000-¥5,000) in a white envelope on the table of your room at the beginning of your stay; but it's perfectly fine if you choose not to tip.

Toilets -- If you need a restroom, your best bets are at train and subway stations (though these can be dirty), big hotels, department stores, and fast-food restaurants. Use of restrooms is free in Japan, and though many public facilities supply toilet paper, it's a good idea to carry a packet of tissues, because many others do not.

In parks and some restaurants, especially in rural areas, don't be surprised if you go into some restrooms and find men's urinals and private stalls in the same room. Women are supposed to walk right past the urinals without noticing them.

Many toilets in Japan, especially those at train stations, are Japanese-style toilets: They're holes in the ground over which you squat facing forward toward the end with a raised hood. Men stand and aim for the hole. Although Japanese lavatories may seem uncomfortable at first, they're actually more sanitary because no part of your body touches anything.

Western-style toilets in Japan are usually very high-tech. Called Washlets, these combination bidet toilets have heated toilet seats, buttons and knobs directing sprays of water of various intensities to various body parts, and even lids that raise when you open the stall. But alas, instructions are usually in Japanese only. Listen to the voice of experience: Don't stand up until you've figured out how to turn the darn spray off.

Water -- The water is safe to drink anywhere in Japan, although some people claim it's too highly chlorinated. Bottled water is also readily available.

Weather -- Everything from daily forecasts to estimated dates for the cherry blossom or rainy season, along with other fun data, is available from the Japan Meteorological Agency at www.jma.go.jp.

Getting Around

Japan has an extensive transport system, the most convenient segment of which is the nation's excellent rail service. You can also travel by plane (good for long-distance hauls but expensive unless you plan ahead), bus (the cheapest mode of travel), ferry, and car.

By Train

The most efficient way to travel around most of Japan is by train. Whether you're being whisked through the countryside aboard the famous Shinkansen bullet train or are winding your way up a wooded mountainside in an electric streetcar, trains in Japan are punctual, comfortable, safe, and clean. All trains except local commuters have washrooms, toilets, and drinking water. Bullet trains even have telephones and carts selling food and drinks. And because train stations are usually located in the heart of the city next to the city bus terminal or a subway station, arriving in a city by train is usually the most convenient method. Furthermore, most train stations in Japan's major cities and resort areas have tourist offices. The staff may not speak English, but they usually have maps or brochures in English and can point you in the direction of your hotel. Train stations also may have a counter where hotel reservations can be made free of charge. Most of Japan's passenger trains are run by six companies (such as JR East and JR Kyushu) that make up the Japan Railways (JR) Group. There are also private regional companies, like Kintetsu (Kinki Nippon Railway) operating around Osaka, Kyoto, Nagoya, and Ise and Odakyu Electric Railway operating from Tokyo to Hakone.

Shinkansen (Bullet Train) -- The Shinkansen is probably Japan's best-known train. With a front car that resembles a space rocket, the Shinkansen hurtles along at a maximum speed of 300kmph (187 mph) through the countryside on its own special tracks.

There are five basic Shinkansen routes in Japan, plus some offshoots. The most widely used line for tourists is the Tokaido Shinkansen, which runs from Tokyo and Shinagawa stations west to such cities as Nagoya, Kyoto, and Osaka. The Sanyo Shinkansen extends westward from Osaka through Kobe, Himeji, Okayama, and Hiroshima before reaching its final destination in Hakata/Fukuoka on the island of Kyushu. Only Nozomi Super Express Shinkansen, the fastest and most frequent trains, cover the entire 1,179km (730 miles) between Tokyo and Hakata. The Hikari makes more stops than the Nozomi; the Kodama stops at every station. Frustratingly, the Nozomi is not covered by the Japan Rail Pass, so rail-pass travelers wishing to go the entire distance must take the Hikari or Kodama and transfer in Osaka or Okayama. Trains run so frequently -- as often as four times an hour during peak times not including the Nozomi -- that it's almost like catching the local subway.

The Tohoku Shinkansen Line runs north from Tokyo and Ueno stations to Sendai, Morioka, Kakunodate, and Hachinohe (some trains require reservations), with branches extending to Shinjo and Akita. By 2011, the Akita branch will extend farther north all the way to Aomori, with future plans calling for a new Hokkaido Shinkansen to extend all the way to Sapporo by 2013. The Joetsu Shinkansen connects Tokyo and Ueno stations with Niigata on the Japan Sea coast, while the Nagano Shinkansen, completed in time for the 1998 Winter Olympics, connects Tokyo and Ueno stations with Nagano in the Japan Alps. The newest line is the Kyushu Shinkansen, which currently runs between Shin-Yatsuhiro and Kagoshima but will extend all the way from Kagoshima to Hakata by 2011.

Shinkansen running along these lines usually offer two or more kinds of service -- trains that stop only at major cities (like the Nozomi on the Tokaido-Sanyo Line) and trains that make more stops and are therefore slightly slower. Note: If your destination is a smaller city on the Shinkansen line, make sure the train you take stops there. As a plus, each stop is announced in English through a loudspeaker and a digital signboard in each car.

Regular Service -- In addition to bullet trains, there are also two types of long-distance trains that operate on regular tracks. The limited-express trains, or LEX (Tokkyu), branch off the Shinkansen system and are the fastest after the bullet trains, often traveling scenic routes, while the express trains (Kyuko) are slightly slower and make more stops. Slower still are rapid express trains (Shin-Kaisoku) and the even slower rapid trains (Kaisoku). To serve the everyday needs of Japan's commuting population, local trains (Futsu) stop at all stations.

For long distances, say, between Tokyo and Sapporo, JR operates overnight sleeper trains (Shindai-sha), which offer compartments and berths.

Information -- For the most comprehensive site covering rail travel in Japan, go to www.japanrailpass.net, which also provides links to the websites of all six JR Group companies, gives fares and timetables for long-distance JR trains (including the Shinkansen), displays maps of Tokyo and Shinjuku stations, and contains information on rail passes. I also like www.hyperdia.com and www.jorudan.co.jp, both of which give routes (including transfers), fares, and timetables for trains and planes in Japan.

In Japan, stop by the Tourist Information Center in downtown Tokyo or at the international airports in Narita or Osaka for the invaluable Railway Timetable, published in English and providing train schedules for the Shinkansen and limited express JR lines throughout Japan. To be on the safe side, I also stop by the train information desk or the tourist information desk as soon as I arrive in a city to check on train schedules onward to my next destination. Another good resource is the JR East InfoLine (tel. 050/2016-1603; www.jreast.co.jp/e), available daily 10am to 6pm to answer questions about train schedules, fares, how to buy tickets, and more.

Train Distances & Traveling Time -- Japan is much longer than most people imagine. Its four main islands, measured from the northeast to the southwest, cover roughly the distance from Boston to Atlanta. Thank goodness for the Shinkansen bullet train! In addition, transportation can be slow in mountainous regions, especially if you're on a local train.

Train Fares & Reservations -- Ticket prices are based on the type of train (Shinkansen bullet trains are the most expensive), the distance traveled, whether your seat is reserved, and the season, with slightly higher prices (usually a ¥200 surcharge) during peak seasons (Golden Week, July 21-Aug 31, Dec 25-Jan 10, and Mar 21-Apr 5). Children (ages 6-11) pay half fare, while up to two children 5 and younger travel free if they do not require a separate seat. I've included train prices from Tokyo for many destinations covered. Unless stated otherwise, prices in this guide are for adults for nonreserved seats on the fastest train available (except the Nozomi) during regular season. You can buy JR tickets and obtain information about JR trains traveling throughout Japan at any Japan Railways station (in Tokyo this includes major stations along the Yamanote Line, which loops around Tokyo). If you wish to purchase a ticket using a credit card, go to a Ticket Reservation Office (Midori-no-madoguchi) at any major JR station.

No matter which train you ride, be sure to hang onto your ticket -- you'll be required to give it up at the end of your trip as you exit through the gate.

Seat Reservations -- You can reserve seats for the Shinkansen, as well as for limited-express and express trains (but not for slower rapid or local trains, which are on a first-come, first-served basis) at any major Japan Railways station in Japan. Reserved seats cost slightly more than unreserved seats (¥300-¥510 for the Shinkansen and express trains). The larger stations have a special reservation counter called Midori-no-madoguchi (Ticket Reservation Office) or View Plaza (Travel Service Center), easily recognizable by their green signs with RESERVATION TICKETS written on them. If you're at a JR station with no special reservation office, you can reserve your seats at one of the regular ticket windows. You can also purchase and reserve seats at several travel agents, including the giant Japan Travel Bureau (JTB), which has offices all over Japan. Finally, JR East (serving the area around Tokyo and north through Tohoku) offers Internet reservation for its trains at http://jreast-shinkansen-reservation.eki-net.com; unfortunately, the reservation system does not apply to lines run by other JR companies, including the popular Tokaido/Sanyo Shinkansen to Kyoto and beyond.

It's a good idea to reserve your seats for your entire trip through Japan as soon as you know your itinerary if you'll be traveling during peak times; however, you can only reserve 1 month in advance. If it's not peak season, you'll probably be okay using a more flexible approach to traveling -- all trains also have nonreserved cars that fill up on a first-come, first-seated basis. You can also reserve seats on the day of travel up to departure time. I hardly ever reserve a seat when it's not peak season, preferring instead the flexibility of being able to hop on the next available train (or, sometimes I reserve a seat just before boarding). If you want to sit in the nonsmoking car of the Shinkansen bullet train, ask for the kinensha, though nowadays most trains are completely smoke free.

Tips for Saving Money -- If your ticket is for travel covering more than 100km (62 miles), you can make as many stopovers en route as you wish as long as you complete your trip within the period of the ticket's validity. Tickets for 100 to 200km (62-124 miles) are valid for 2 days, with 1 day added for each additional 200km. Note, too, that stopovers are granted only for trips that are not between major urban areas, such as Tokyo, Yokohama, Osaka, Nagoya, Kyoto, Kobe, Hiroshima, Kitakyushyu, Fukuoka, Sendai, or Sapporo. In addition, stopovers are not permitted when traveling by express and limited express. Ask about stopovers when purchasing your ticket.

You can also save money by purchasing a round-trip ticket for long distances. A round-trip ticket by train on distances exceeding 600km (373 miles) one-way costs 20% less than two one-way tickets.

If you don't qualify for a Japan Rail Pass, the Seishun 18 (Seishun ju-hachi kippu) is a 5-day rail pass for ¥11,500 for travel anywhere in Japan as long as you use JR local and rapid trains (that is, no Shinkansen, limited express, or express trains), making it a good bet for day excursions in the countryside, albeit very slow ones (the trip from Tokyo to Kyoto would take 9 hr. and requires three or more changes of trains, compared to 2 hr. 20 min. on the Shinkansen). The biggest drawback, however, is that it's available only during Japan's three major school holidays: spring break (Mar 1-Apr 10); summer break (July 20-Sept 10); and winter break (Dec 10-Jan 10). You can use it on 5 consecutive days or on any 5 days within the school break period; people traveling together can share the five rides (for example, two people can travel for 2 days and one person can travel for 1 day).

There are also regional tickets good for sightseeing. The Hakone Free Pass, for example, offered by Odakyu railways (www.odakyu.jp/english), includes round-trip transportation from Tokyo and unlimited travel in Hakone for a specific number of days. The Hokkaido Furii Pasu (www.jrhokkaido.co.jp) valid for 7 days of JR train and bus travel in Hokkaido, costs ¥25,500, though some restrictions apply. There are also special passes for seniors (Full Moon Pass, valid for married couples with a combined total age of 88) and for two or three women age 30 and over traveling as a group (Nice Midi Pass). If you qualify, the Japan Rail Pass, however, is a better deal than these alternatives.

Japan Rail Pass -- The Japan Rail Pass is without a doubt the most convenient and most economical way to travel around Japan. With the rail pass, you don't have to worry about buying individual tickets, and you can reserve your seats on all JR trains for free. The rail pass entitles you to unlimited travel on all JR train lines including the Shinkansen (except, regrettably, the Nozomi Super Express), as well as on most JR buses and the JR ferry to Miyajima.

There are several types of rail passes available; make your decision based on your length of stay in Japan and the cities you intend to visit. You might even find it best to combine several passes to cover your travels in Japan, such as a 1-week standard pass for longer journeys, say, to Kyushu, plus a regional pass just for Kyushu. Online pass information is available at www.japanrailpass.net.

The Standard Pass -- If you wish to travel throughout Japan, your best bet is to purchase the standard Japan Rail Pass. It's available for ordinary coach class and for the first-class Green Car and is available for travel lasting 1, 2, or 3 weeks. Rates for the ordinary pass (as of Jan 2010) are ¥28,300 for 7 days, ¥45,100 for 14 days, and ¥57,700 for 21 days. Rates for the Green Car are ¥37,800, ¥61,200, and ¥79,600 respectively. Children (ages 6-11) pay half fare. Personally, I have never traveled in the first-class Green Car in Japan and don't consider it necessary. However, during peak travel times (New Year's, Golden Week, and Obon in mid-Aug), you may find it easier to reserve a seat in the first-class Green Car, which you can get by paying a surcharge in addition to showing your ordinary pass.

Before You Leave Home -- The standard Japan Rail Pass is available only to foreigners visiting Japan as tourists and can be purchased only outside Japan. It's available from most travel agents, including Kintetsu International (tel. 800/422-3481; www.kintetsu.com) and JTB USA (tel. 800/235-3523; www.jtbusa.com). If you're flying Japan Airlines (JAL; tel. 800/525-3663; www.ar.jal.com/en) or All Nippon Airways (ANA; tel. 800/235-9262; www.ana.co.jp), you can also purchase a rail pass from them. A full list of authorized travel agents is available at www.japanrailpass.net.

Upon purchasing your pass, you'll be issued a voucher (called an Exchange Order), which you'll then exchange for the real pass after your arrival in Japan. Note that once you purchase your Exchange Order, you have 3 months until you must exchange it in Japan for the pass itself. When obtaining your actual pass, you must then specify the date you wish to start using the pass within a 1-month period.

Once You've Arrived -- In Japan, you can exchange your voucher for a Japan Rail Pass at more than 40 JR stations that have Japan Rail Pass exchange offices, at which time you must present your passport and specify the date you wish to begin using the pass; most offices are open daily from 10am to 6 or 7pm, some even longer.

At both Narita Airport (daily 6:30am-9:45pm) and Kansai International Airport (daily 6:30am-9:45pm), you can pick up Japan Rail Passes at either the Travel Service Center or the Ticket Office. Other Travel Service Centers or Ticket Offices, all located in JR train stations, include those at Tokyo (daily 5:30am-10:45pm), Ueno, Shinjuku, Ikebukuro, Shibuya, and Shinagawa stations in Tokyo; Kyoto Station; Shin-Osaka and Osaka stations; and Sapporo, Hakodate, Nagoya, Kanazawa, Okayama, Matsue, Hiroshima, Takamatsu, Matsuyama, Hakata, Nagasaki, Kumamoto, and Kagoshima Chuo stations. Stations and their open hours are listed in a pamphlet you'll receive with your voucher.

Regional Passes for Foreign Visitors -- In addition to the standard Japan Rail Pass above, there are regional JR rail passes available for ordinary coach class that are convenient for travel in eastern or western Honshu, Kyushu, or Hokkaido. They can be purchased before arriving in Japan from the same vendors that sell the standard pass. All but the Kintetsu Rail Pass can also be purchased inside Japan, usually only within the area covered by the pass but also at Narita airport for some passes. These regional passes are available only to foreign visitors and require that you present your passport to verify your status as a "temporary visitor"; you may also be asked to show your plane ticket. Only one pass per region per visit to Japan is allowed.

If you're arriving by plane at the Kansai Airport outside Osaka and intend to remain in western Honshu, you may opt for one of two different JR-West Passes (www.westjr.co.jp/english), available at Kansai Airport, Osaka JR station, and other locations. The Kansai Area Pass, which can be used for travel between Osaka, Kyoto, Kobe, Nara, Himeji, and other destinations in the Kansai area, is available as a 1-day pass for ¥2,000, 2-day pass for ¥4,000, 3-day pass for ¥5,000, or 4-day pass for ¥6,000. Travel is restricted to JR rapid and local trains, as well as unreserved seating in limited express trains that operate only between Kansai Airport, Shin-Osaka, and Kyoto (that is, Shinkansen are not included in the pass). Children pay half-price for all passes. The other JR-West Pass available is the Sanyo Area Pass, which covers a larger area, allows travel via Shinkansen (including the superfast Nozomi) and JR local trains from Osaka as far as Hakata (in the city of Fukuoka on Kyushu), and includes Hiroshima, Okayama, Kurashiki, Himeji, and Kobe. It's available for 4 days for ¥20,000 and for 8 days for ¥30,000.

There are also a couple other non-JR passes available for Kansai. The Kansai Thru Pass (www.surutto.com) is valid on city subways, private railways (not JR trains), and buses throughout the Kansai area. Available only to tourists, it costs ¥3,800 for a 2-day pass and ¥5,000 for 3 days and is sold at Kansai International Airport and Tourist Information Centers in Osaka and Nara. Or, if you plan to spend a few days traveling farther afield between Nagoya, Osaka, Kyoto, and Ise-Shima, you can save money by purchasing a Kintetsu Rail Pass (www.kintetsu.co.jp), which covers travel throughout the region on Kintetsu's private lines. Available only for foreigners, it must be purchased before arriving in Japan at Kintetsu offices or authorized travel agencies. It costs ¥3,500 and includes 5 days of unlimited travel (but only 3 trips on limited express trains). For ¥5,700, you can purchase the Kintetsu Rail Pass Wide, which adds a trip from Centrair or Kansai Airport, Mie Kotsu buses, and discount coupons for sightseeing spots.

Though not as popular as western Honshu, eastern Honshu also offers its own JR-East Pass (www.jreast.co.jp), which includes travel from Tokyo to Nagano in the Japan Alps and throughout the Tohoku District, including Sendai, Kakunodate, and Aomori via Shinkansen and local JR lines. Passes for travel in ordinary coach cars are available for 5 days for ¥20,000 and 10 days for ¥32,000; a 4-day flexible pass (valid for any 4 consecutive or nonconsecutive days within a month) costs ¥20,000. Green Car passes are also available. Passes are available at Narita airport and JR stations in Tokyo, including Tokyo, Shinagawa, and Shinjuku, as well as online at http://jreast-shinkansen-reservation.eki-net.com.

If your travels are limited to the island of Kyushu, consider the JR-Kyushu Rail Pass (www.jrkyushu.co.jp), valid for 3 days for ¥13,000 (¥7,000 for northern Kyushu only) and for 5 days for ¥16,000 and available for purchase at Narita Airport and at Hakata, Nagasaki, Kumamoto, Kagoshima Chuo, and Beppu JR stations. Likewise, there's a Hokkaido Rail Pass (www.jrhokkaido.co.jp) valid for 3 days of travel for ¥15,000 or 5 days (or 4 flexible days within a 10-day period) for ¥19,500, sold at Narita Airport and Hakodate and Sapporo JR stations.

By Plane

Because it takes the better part of a day and night to travel by train from Tokyo down to southern Kyushu or up to northern Hokkaido, you may find it faster -- not to mention cheaper if you buy your ticket in advance -- to fly at least one stretch of your journey in Japan. You could, for example, fly internationally into Osaka and then onward to Fukuoka on Kyushu, from where you can take a leisurely 2 weeks to travel by train through Kyushu and Honshu before returning to Osaka. I don't, however, advise flying short distances -- say, from Tokyo to Osaka -- simply because the time spent getting to and from airports is longer than the time spent traveling by Shinkansen.

Almost all domestic flights from Tokyo leave from the much more conveniently located Haneda Airport. If you're already in Tokyo, you can easily reach Haneda Airport via Airport Limousine Bus, monorail from Hamamatsucho Station on the Yamanote Line, or the Keikyu Line from Shinagawa. If you're arriving on an international flight at Narita Airport, therefore, make sure you know whether a connection to a domestic flight is at Narita or requires a transfer to Haneda Airport via the Airport Limousine Bus.

Two major domestic airlines are Japan Airlines (JAL; tel. 0570/025-071 in Japan; www.jal.co.jp) and All Nippon Airways (ANA; tel. 0570/029-709 in Japan; www.ana.co.jp). Regular fares with these two companies are generally the same no matter which airline you fly domestically and are more expensive for peak season including New Year's, Golden Week, and summer vacation. However, bargains do exist. Some flights early in the day or late at night may be cheaper than flights during peak time; there are also discounts for seniors 65 and over. Your best bet on snagging a discount, however, is to purchase your ticket in advance. ANA's Tabiwari and JAL's Sakitoku are discount fares on reservations made 28 days in advance, while the Super Tabiwari and Super Saitoku give deep discounts on tickets purchased 45 days in advance. Regular one-way fares from Tokyo to Naha, Okinawa, for example, are ¥40,900 but go as low as ¥12,800 for a Super Tabiwari or Super Saitoku on selected flights. There are also slight discounts on tickets booked 3 to 7 days before departure and on round-trip fares.

Otherwise, there are small regional airlines that generally offer fares that are cheaper than the standard full fare charged by JAL or ANA. These include Skymark (tel. 03/3433-7670 in Tokyo, or 092/736-3131 in Fukuoka; www.skymark.co.jp), operating out of Fukuoka; Skynet Asia Airways (tel. 0120/737-283 toll-free; www.skynetasia.co.jp), connecting Nagasaki, Kumamoto, and Kagoshima with Tokyo and Okinawa; and Air Do (tel. 0120/0570-333 toll-free), out of Sapporo.

For information on fares from Tokyo to major cities throughout Japan, see individual city listings in this guide. Tickets can be purchased directly through the airline or at a travel agent such as Japan Travel Bureau (JTB), which has offices virtually everywhere in Japan.

Special Domestic Fares for Foreigners -- Purchasing domestic tickets in advance in connection with your international flight is by far the most economical way to go. JAL's "Oneworld Yokoso/Visit Japan Fare" ticket, purchased in conjunction with a flight to Japan with JAL or one of its Oneworld fare partners (such as American Airlines) and sold only outside Japan, provides discount fares of ¥10,000 per flight for domestic travel to 42 cities in Japan served by JAL and its two subsidiaries, JAL Express and Japan Transocean Air (JTA).

Visitors flying other airlines into Japan can take advantage of JAL's "Welcome to Japan Fare," which provides discounts on JAL's domestic flights regardless of which international airline is used to reach Japan. Also sold only outside Japan, this costs ¥13,650 per flight, with a minimum of two flights required.

ANA offers a similar program, with its Star Alliance Japan Airpass ticket costing ¥11,000 per flight if you fly ANA or one of its Star Alliance partners such as United Airlines; if you fly another airline, its Visit Japan Fare is ¥13,000 per ticket. Note that there are blackout dates for all these fares, mostly in mid-March, during summer vacation (mid-July through Aug), and New Year's, and that fares exclude airport taxes and insurance. You should first purchase your international ticket and then contact JAL or ANA to purchase and book your Japan domestic tickets.

If you plant to visit at least two Okinawan islands in addition to Okinawa Island, you can save money by purchasing an Okinawa Island Pass, valid on five specific routes within the Okinawan island chain, including flights from Naha to Kume or Ishigaki, on Japan Transocean Air (a subsidiary of JAL). A minimum of two flights, at ¥9,000 each, is required, and tickets must be purchased from JAL before arriving in Japan. For more information, contact your nearest JAL office.

By Bus

Buses often go where trains don't and thus may be the only way for you to get to the more remote areas of Japan, such as Shirakawa-go in the Japan Alps. In Hokkaido, Tohoku, Kyushu, and other places, buses are used extensively.

Some intercity buses require you to make reservations or purchase your ticket in advance at the ticket counter at the bus terminal. For others (especially local buses), when you board a bus you'll generally find a ticket machine by the entry door. Take a ticket, which is number-coded with a digital board displayed at the front of the bus. The board shows the various fares, which increase with the distance traveled. You pay when you get off.

In addition to serving the remote areas of the country, long-distance buses (called chokyori basu) also operate between major cities in Japan and offer the cheapest mode of transportation. Although Japan Railways operates almost a dozen bus routes eligible for JR Rail Pass coverage, the majority of buses are run by private companies (most of which do not have English-language websites). Some long-distance buses travel during the night and offer reclining seats and toilets, thus saving passengers the price of a night's lodging. Long-distance buses departing from Tokyo Station, for example, cost ¥4,200 to ¥8,600 for Kyoto or Osaka, depending on the company and time of day, and ¥12,060 for Hiroshima. Long-distance bus tickets can be purchased at View Plazas at major JR stations (for JR buses), at travel agencies such as JTB, or at bus terminals.

For more information on local and long-distance bus service, refer to individual cities covered in this guide, contact the Tourist Information Center in Tokyo or the local tourist office, or check the websites www.bus.or.jp, www.jrbuskanto.co.jp, and http://willerexpress.com.

By Car

With the exception, perhaps, of Izu Peninsula, the Tohoku region, and Hokkaido, driving is not recommended for visitors wishing to tour Japan. Driving is British style (on the left side of the road), which may be hard for those not used to it; traffic can be horrendous; and driving isn't even economical. Not only is gas expensive, but all of Japan's expressways charge high tolls -- the one-way toll from Tokyo to Kyoto is almost the same price as a ticket to Kyoto on the Shinkansen. And whereas the Shinkansen takes only 3 hours to get to Kyoto, driving can take about 8 hours. In addition, you may encounter few signs in English in remote areas. Driving in cities is even worse: Streets are often hardly wide enough for a rickshaw, let alone a car, and many roads don't have sidewalks so you have to dodge people, bicycles, and telephone poles. Free parking is hard to find, and garages are expensive. Except in remote areas, it just doesn't make sense to drive.

If you're undeterred, a good roundup of more than 800 car-rental agencies in Japan, including those located at airports and train stations, is provided at www2.tocoo.jp, where you can make reservations, see pictures and descriptions of rental cars, and review your knowledge of international traffic signs. Otherwise, major car-rental companies in Japan include Toyota Rent-A-Car (tel. 03/5954-8020 in Tokyo, or 0800/7000-815 toll-free; www.rent.toyota.co.jp); Nippon Rent-A-Car Service (tel. 03/3485-7196 for the English Service Desk; www.nipponrentacar.co.jp), Nissan Rent-A-Car (tel. 0120/00-4123 toll-free), and Avis (tel. 0120/31-1911 toll-free; www.avis-japan.com). In Hokkaido, Kyushu, and some other areas, there is also JR Eki Rent-A-Car, located beside JR train stations and offering 20% discounts on train fares booked in conjunction with car rentals; you can reserve these cars at any JR Travel Service Center (located in train stations) anywhere in Japan.

Rates vary, but the average cost for 24 hours with unlimited mileage is about ¥10,500 for a subcompact including insurance but not gas; in some tourist areas, such as Hokkaido, rates are more expensive in peak season.

If you do intend to drive in Japan, you'll need either an international or a Japanese driving license. Remember, cars are driven on the left side of the road, and signs on all major highways are written in both Japanese and English. It is against the law to drink alcohol and drive, and you must wear seat belts at all times. Be sure to purchase a bilingual map, as back roads often have names of towns written in Japanese only. Recommended is the Shobunsha Road Atlas Japan, available in bookstores that sell English-language books; it also contains maps of major cities, including Tokyo, Sapporo, Hiroshima, and others.

Breakdowns & Assistance -- The Japan Automobile Federation (JAF; www.jaf.or.jp) is one of several road service providers maintaining emergency telephone boxes along Japan's major arteries to assist drivers whose cars have broken down or drivers who need help. Calls from these telephones are free and will connect you to JAF's operation center at your request. English is spoken.

By Ferry

Because Japan is an island nation, an extensive ferry network links the string of islands. Although travel by ferry takes longer, it's also cheaper and can be a pleasant, relaxing experience. For example, you can take a ferry from Osaka to Beppu (on Kyushu), with fares starting at ¥8,800 for the 11-hour trip. Unfortunately, information in English is hard to come by. Contact the Tourist Information Center for details concerning routes, prices, schedules, and telephone numbers of the various ferry companies.

Tips for Travelers with Disabilities

For those with disabilities, traveling can be a nightmare in Japan, especially in Tokyo and other large metropolises. City sidewalks can be so jampacked that getting around on crutches or in a wheelchair is exceedingly difficult; some busy thoroughfares can be crossed only via pedestrian bridges.

Most major train and subway stations now have elevators, but they can be difficult to locate. Otherwise, smaller stations, especially in rural areas, may be accessible only by stairs or escalators, though in recent years some have been equipped with powered seat lifts. While some buses are now no-step conveyances for easy access, subway and train compartments are difficult for solo wheelchair travelers to navigate on their own due to a gap or slight height difference between the coaches and platforms. In theory you can ask a station attendant to help you board, though you might have to wait if he's busy; you can also request an attendant at your destination to help you disembark. Although trains and buses have seating for passengers with disabilities -- called "Priority Seats" and located in the first and last compartments of the train -- subways can be so crowded that there's barely room to move. Moreover, Priority Seats are almost always occupied by commuters, so unless you look visibly handicapped, no one is likely to offer you a seat.

As for accommodations, only 10% of the nation's hotels have barrier-free rooms (called a "universal" room in Japan and used primarily by seniors), mostly in the expensive category. Only a scant 1% of Japanese inns have such rooms. Lower-priced accommodations may also lack elevators.

Restaurants can also be difficult to navigate, with raised doorsills, crowded dining areas, and tiny bathrooms that cannot accommodate wheelchairs. Best bets for ramps and easily accessible bathrooms include restaurants in department stores and upper-end hotels. Even Japanese homes are not very accessible, since the main floor is always raised about a foot above the entrance-hall floor.

For information on traveling with a wheelchair, including limited information on a handful of sights and hotels offering facilities for travelers with disabilities, visit the Accessible Japan website at www.tesco-premium.co.jp/aj.

When it comes to facilities for the blind, Japan has a very advanced system. At subway stations and on many major sidewalks in large cities, raised dots and lines on the ground guide blind people at intersections and to subway platforms. In some cities, streetlights chime a theme when the signal turns green east-west, and chime another for north-south. Even Japanese yen notes are identified by a slightly raised circle -- the ¥1,000 note has one circle in a corner, while the ¥10,000 note has two. Many elevators have floors indicated in Braille, and some hotels identify rooms in Braille.

Regions in Brief

Separated from mainland China and Korea by the Sea of Japan, the nation of Japan stretches in an arc about 2,900km (1,800 miles) long from northeast to southwest, yet it is only 403km (250 miles) wide at its broadest point. Japan consists primarily of four main islands -- Honshu, Hokkaido, Shikoku, and Kyushu. Surrounding these large islands are more than 6,000 smaller, mostly uninhabited islands and islets. Far to the southwest are the Okinawan islands, perhaps best known for the fierce fighting that took place there during World War II and for their continued (and controversial) use as an American military base. If you were to superimpose Japan's four main islands onto a map of the United States, they would stretch all the way from Boston to Atlanta, which should give you an idea of the diversity of Japan's climate, flora, and scenery -- Hokkaido in the north is subarctic, while Kyushu is subtropical. Honshu, Japan's most populous island and home to Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka, is connected to the other three islands by tunnel or bridge, which means you can travel to all four islands by train.

As much as 70% of Japan consists of mountains. They are found on all four main islands and most are volcanic in origin. Altogether, there are some 265 volcanoes, more than 30 of them still considered active. Mount Fuji (on Honshu), dormant since 1707, is Japan's highest and most famous volcano, while Mount Aso (on Kyushu) boasts the largest caldera in the world. Because of its volcanic origins, earthquakes have plagued Japan throughout its history. In the 20th century, the two most destructive earthquakes were the 1923 Great Kanto Earthquake, which killed more than 100,000 people in the Tokyo area, and the 1995 Great Hanshin Earthquake, which claimed more than 6,000 lives in Kobe.

Japan is divided into 47 regional divisions, or prefectures. Each prefecture has its own prefectural capital and is comparable to the U.S. state or the British county, though prefectures vary greatly in size (greater Tokyo is one prefecture; all of Hokkaido is another). Japan's total landmass is slightly smaller than California in area, yet Japan has 41% the population of the United States. And because three-fourths of Japan is mountainous and therefore uninhabitable, its people are concentrated primarily in only 10% of the country's landmass, with the rest of the area devoted to agriculture. In other words, imagine 41% of the U.S. population living in California -- primarily in San Diego County -- and you get an idea of how crowded Japan is. For this island nation -- isolated physically from the rest of the world, struck repeatedly through the centuries by earthquakes, fires, and typhoons, and possessed of only limited space for harmonious living -- geography and topography have played major roles both in determining its development and in shaping its culture, customs, and arts.

Honshu

Of the four main islands, Honshu is the largest and most populated. Because it's also the most important historically and culturally, it's where most visitors spend the bulk of their time.

Kanto District -- Located in east-central Honshu and comprising metropolitan Tokyo and six prefectures, this district is characterized by the Kanto Plain, the largest flatland in Japan. Although development of the district didn't begin in earnest until the establishment of the shogunate government in Edo (present-day Tokyo) in 1603, Tokyo and surrounding giants such as Yokohama make this the most densely populated region in Japan.

Kansai District -- Also called the Kinki District and encompassing seven prefectures, this is Japan's most historic region. Nara and Kyoto -- two of Japan's ancient capitals -- are here, as are two of Japan's most important port cities, Kobe and Osaka. Since the 1994 opening of Kansai International Airport outside Osaka, many foreign visitors opt to bypass Tokyo altogether in favor of Kansai's many historic spots, including Mount Koya with its many temples, Himeji with what I consider to be Japan's most beautiful castle, Ise-Shima National Park with Japan's most revered Shinto shrine, Nara with its Great Buddha and temples, and, of course, Kyoto, the former capital for more than 1,000 years with so many temples, imperial villas, and gardens that it ranks as Japan's foremost tourist destination.

Chubu District -- The Chubu District lies between Tokyo and Kyoto and straddles central Honshu from the Pacific Ocean to the Japan Sea, encompassing nine prefectures. Nagoya, Japan's fourth-largest city and home to an international airport nicknamed Centrair, is Chubu's most important city and a gateway to its other destinations. The district features mountain ranges (including the Japan Alps), volcanoes (including Mount Fuji), large rivers, and coastal regions on both sides of the island. It's popular for skiing and hiking, for quaint mountain villages such as Takayama and Shirakawa-go, and for tourist attractions that include the open-air Museum Meiji Mura (near Nagoya), the castle in Matsumoto, and Kenrokuen Garden in Kanazawa, considered one of Japan's finest.

The Japan Alps -- Spreading over central Honshu in the Chubu District, the Japan Alps are among Japan's most famous mountain ranges, especially since hosting the 1998 XVIII Winter Olympics in Nagano. Chubu-Sangaku National Park (also called the Japan Alps National Park) contains some of the nation's most beautiful mountain scenery and the country's best skiing, while destinations like Takayama and Shirakawa-go boast quaint historic districts and thatched-roof farmhouses.

Ise-Shima -- Shima Peninsula, in Mie Prefecture, juts into the Seto Inland Sea and is famous for Ise-Shima National Park, noted for its coastal scenery and Ise Jingu Shrines. Toba, birthplace of the cultured pearl, is popular for its Mikimoto Pearl Island and the Toba Aquarium. Shima Peninsula also boasts two theme parks, one fashioned after Japan's Warring States Era and the other an amusement park with a Spanish theme.

Chugoku District -- Honshu's western district has five prefectures and is divided by the Chugoku Mountain Range. Industrial giants such as Hiroshima and Okayama lead as the major cities, drawing tourists with reconstructed castles, Korakuen Garden, and the sobering Peace Memorial Park in Hiroshima, dedicated to victims of the world's first atomic bomb. Kurashiki is a must for its photogenic, historic warehouse district, while Miyajima, part of the Seto-Naikai (Inland Sea) National Park, is considered one of Japan's most beautiful islands.

Tohoku District -- Northeastern Honshu, with Sendai as its regional center, encompasses six prefectures. Known as the Tohoku District, it isn't nearly as developed as the central and southern districts of Honshu, due in large part to its rugged, mountainous terrain and harsh climate. Matsushima, about halfway up the coast between Tokyo and the northern tip of Honshu, is the district's major tourist destination; with its pine-clad islets dotting the bay, it's considered one of Japan's most scenic spots. Kakunodate, located inland, is a former castle town offering preserved samurai houses and, during cherry-blossom season, a stunning show of pink flowers to travelers willing to take a road less traveled. Towada-Hachimantai National Park, which extends over three prefectures, boasts scenic lakes, rustic hot-spring spas, hiking, and skiing.

Hokkaido

Japan's second-largest island, Hokkaido lies to the north of Honshu and is regarded as the country's last frontier with its wide-open pastures, evergreen forests, mountains, gorges, crystal-clear lakes, and wildlife, much of it preserved in national parks. Originally occupied by the indigenous Ainu, it was colonized by Japanese settlers mostly after the Meiji Restoration in 1868. Today it's home to 5.7 million people, 1.9 million of whom live in Sapporo. With a landmass that accounts for 22% of Japan's total area, Hokkaido has the nation's lowest population density: about 4.5% of the total population. That, together with the island's cold, severe winters but mild summers, and its unspoiled natural beauty make this island a nature lover's paradise.

Shikoku

Shikoku, the smallest of the four main islands, is off the beaten path for many foreign visitors. It's famous for its 88 Buddhist temples founded by one of Japan's most interesting historical figures, the Buddhist priest Kukai, known posthumously as Kobo Daishi. Other major attractions are Ritsurin Park in Takamatsu, Matsuyama Castle in Matsuyama, and Dogo Spa, one of Japan's oldest hot-spring spas. For active travelers, the Shimanami Kaido route offers 70 scenic km (43 miles) of dedicated biking trails that connect Shikoku with Hiroshima Prefecture via six islands and a series of bridges in the Seto Inland Sea.

Kyushu

The southernmost of the four main islands, Kyushu boasts a mild subtropical climate, active volcanoes, and hot-spring spas. Because it's the closest major island to Korea and China, Kyushu served as a gateway to the continental mainland throughout much of Japan's history, later becoming the springboard for both traders and Christian missionaries from the West. Fukuoka, Kyushu's largest city, serves as the rail gateway from Honshu, dispersing travelers to hot springs in Beppu, Unzen, and Ibusuki and to such major attractions as Kumamoto Castle in Kumamoto and Sengan-en Garden in Kagoshima. Nagasaki, victim of the world's second atomic bomb, is one of Japan's most cosmopolitan cities.

Okinawa

Okinawa is comprised of 160 islands stretching 400km (248 miles) north to south and 1,000km (620 miles) east to west. Part of the Ryukyu Island chain, Okinawa developed its own languages, culture, cuisine, and architecture under the Ryukyu Kingdom, which traded extensively with both Japan and China before being annexed to Japan after the 1868 Meiji Restoration. Okinawa Island, the largest Ryukyu island, is home to Naha (Okinawa Prefecture's capital), large U.S. military bases, war memorials, and natural attractions, including white sandy beaches and coral reefs popular with divers and snorkelers. Other popular destinations include the laid-back, mostly rural Kume Island and Iriomote Island, 80% of it protected in state and national parks and boasting dense forests, mangroves, and pristine beaches.

Tips for Gay and Lesbian Travelers

While there are many gay and lesbian establishments in Tokyo (concentrated mostly in Shinjuku's Ni-chome district), the gay community in Japan is not a vocal one, and in any case, local information in English is hard to come by. A useful website for gay club listings is www.utopia-asia.com/tipsjapn.htm, where you can also order the Utopia Guide to Japan, which covers the gay and lesbian scene in 27 cities in Japan.

Money

Currency conversions can fluctuate widely; if I could advise you accurately on the future exchange rate, I'd be too rich to be a guidebook writer. Consult a currency-exchange website such as www.xe.com to check up-to-the-minute rates.

Currency -- The currency in Japan is called the yen, symbolized by ¥. Coins come in denominations of ¥1, ¥5, ¥10, ¥50, ¥100, and ¥500. Bills come in denominations of ¥1,000, ¥2,000, ¥5,000, and ¥10,000, though ¥2,000 notes are rarely seen. You'll find that all coins get used (though it's hard to get rid of ¥1 coins). Keep plenty of change handy for riding local transportation such as buses or streetcars. Although change machines are virtually everywhere, even on buses where you can change larger coins and ¥1,000 bills, you'll find it faster to have the exact amount on hand.

Some people like to arrive in a foreign country with that country's currency already on hand, but I do not find it necessary for Japan. Narita, Kansai, and Nagoya international airports all have exchange counters for all incoming international flights that offer better exchange rates than what you'd get abroad, as well as ATMs. I usually change enough money to last several days.

Personal checks are not used in Japan. Most Japanese pay with either credit cards or cash -- and because the country overall has such a low crime rate, you can feel safe walking around with money (though of course you should always exercise caution). The only time you really need to be alert to possible pickpockets in Japan is when you're riding a crowded subway during rush hour or walking in heavily visited areas of Tokyo and other large cities.

In any case, although the bulk of your expenses -- hotels, train tickets, major purchases, meals in tourist-oriented restaurants -- can be paid for with credit cards, you'll want to bring traveler's checks for those times when you might not have easy access to an ATM for cash withdrawals.

ATMs -- The best way to get cash away from home is from an ATM (automated teller machine). Because most bank ATMs in Japan accept only cards issued by Japanese banks, your best bet for obtaining cash is at 7-Eleven convenience stores, which are found throughout Japan, are often open 24 hours, and have ATMs that accept foreign bank cards operating on the Cirrus (www.mastercard.com) and PLUS (www.visa.com) systems, as well as American Express.

Another good bet is at one of 21,000 post offices, which also have ATMs accepting foreign bank cards operating on the Cirrus and PLUS systems. Although major post offices, usually located near main train stations, have long open hours for ATMs (generally 7am-11pm weekdays and 9am-7 or 9pm on weekends), small post offices may have only limited hours for ATMs (depending on the post office, that may be until 6 or 7pm weekdays and until 5pm on weekends).

Other places with ATMs that might accept foreign-issued cards include Citibank and large department stores in major cities. Note that there is no public American Express office in Japan.

Be sure you know your four-digit personal identification number (PIN) and your daily withdrawal limit before leaving home. Also keep in mind that many banks impose a fee every time a card is used at a different bank's ATM, and that fee can be higher for international transactions than for domestic ones. In addition, the bank from which you withdraw cash may charge its own fee. For international withdrawal fees, ask your bank.

Credit Cards -- Credit cards are a safe way to carry money, provide a convenient record of all your expenses, and generally offer relatively good exchange rates. You can withdraw cash advances from your credit cards at banks or ATMs, provided you know your four-digit PIN. Keep in mind that you'll pay interest from the moment of your withdrawal, even if you pay your monthly bills on time. Also, note that many banks assess a 1% to 3% "transaction fee" on all charges you incur abroad (whether you're using the local currency or your native currency).

The most readily accepted cards are MasterCard (also called Eurocard), Visa, and the Japanese credit card JCB (Japan Credit Bank); many tourist-oriented facilities also accept American Express and Diners Club. Shops and restaurants accepting credit and charge cards will usually post which cards they accept at the door or near the cash register. However, some establishments may be reluctant to accept cards for small purchases and inexpensive meals, so inquire beforehand. In addition, note that the vast majority of Japan's smaller and least-expensive businesses, including many restaurants, noodle shops, fast-food joints, ma-and-pa establishments, and the cheapest accommodations, do not accept credit cards.

Traveler's Checks -- While traveler's checks are something of an anachronism now that ATMs have come onto the scene, they're still useful for Japan, where ATMs for foreign-issued cards are limited primarily to 7-Eleven convenience stores and post offices. Traveler's checks fetch a better exchange rate than cash and also offer protection in case of theft (be sure to keep a record of the traveler's checks' serial numbers separate from your checks in the event that they are stolen or lost). Note, however, that in some very remote areas, even banks won't cash them. Before taking off for small towns, therefore, be sure you have enough cash.

Exchanging Money -- All banks in Japan displaying an AUTHORIZED FOREIGN EXCHANGE sign can exchange currency and traveler's checks, with exchange rates usually displayed at the appropriate foreign-exchange counter. Banks are generally open Monday through Friday from 9am to 3pm, though business hours for exchanging foreign currency usually don't begin until 10:30 or 11am (be prepared for a long wait; you'll be asked to sit down as your order is processed). More convenient -- and quicker -- are Travelex (www.travelex.com) foreign-exchange kiosks, with locations in several cities in Japan, including Tokyo, Kyoto, Nagoya, Osaka, and Sapporo.

If you need to exchange money outside banking hours, inquire at your hotel. Likewise, large department stores also offer exchange services and are often open until 7:30 or 8pm. Note, however, that hotels and department stores may charge a handling fee, offer a slightly less favorable exchange rate, and require a passport for all transactions.

Health & Insurance

Staying Healthy

It's safe to drink tap water and eat to your heart's content everywhere in Japan (pregnant women, however, are advised to avoid eating raw fish or taking hot baths). Although Japan had nine cases of mad cow disease after its first confirmed case in 2001, all slaughtered cows must now be checked for the disease before the meat is authorized for consumption. To prevent the spread of avian and H1N1 flu, all incoming passengers are monitored upon arrival at Narita Airport for fever; those with a higher than normal temperature may be quarantined. To be on the safe side, therefore, you may opt for an influenza vaccine before departing from home.

Otherwise, you don't need any inoculations to enter Japan. Note: Prescriptions can be filled at Japanese pharmacies only if they're issued by a Japanese doctor. To avoid hassle, bring more prescription medications than you think you'll need, clearly labeled in their original vials, and be sure to pack them in your carry-on luggage. But to be safe, bring copies of your prescriptions with you, including generic names of medicines in case a local pharmacist is unfamiliar with the brand name. Over-the-counter items are easy to obtain, though name brands are likely to be different from back home, some ingredients allowed elsewhere may be forbidden in Japan, and prices are likely to be higher.

What to Do If You Get Sick Away from Home -- If you get sick, contact the concierge at your hotel -- some upper-range hotels, especially in Tokyo, have in-house doctors or clinics. Otherwise, your concierge, consulate, and sometimes even the local tourist office can provide a list of area doctors who speak English. You can also contact the International Association for Medical Assistance to Travellers (tel. 716/754-4883, or 416/652-0137 in Canada; www.iamat.org), an organization that lists many local English-speaking doctors and also posts the latest developments in global outbreaks. Otherwise, if you can't find a doctor who can help you right away, try the local hospital. Many have walk-in-clinics for cases that are not life-threatening. Doctors and hospitals generally do not accept credit cards and require immediate cash payment for health services.

Healthy Travels to You

The following government websites offer up-to-date health-related travel advice.

• Australia: www.smartraveller.gov.au/tips/travelwell.html
• Canada: www.hc-sc.gc.ca/index-eng.php
• U.K.: www.nhs.uk/healthcareabroad/pages/healthcareabroad.aspx
• U.S.: www.cdc.gov/travel

Safety

One of the greatest delights of traveling in Japan is that the country is safe and the people are honest. When a friend of mine forgot her purse in a public restroom in Osaka, someone turned it in to the police station complete with money, digital camera, and passport. In all the years I've lived and worked in Japan, I've never had even one fearful encounter, and I never hesitate to walk anywhere any time of the night or day. If you lose something, say on a subway or in a park, chances are good that you'll get it back.

That being said, crime -- especially pickpocketing -- is on the increase, and there are precautions you should always take when traveling: Stay alert and be aware of your immediate surroundings. Be especially careful with cameras, purses, and wallets in congested areas like Narita airport, subways, department stores, or tourist attractions (like the retail district around Tokyo's Tsukiji Market). Some Japanese caution women against walking through parks alone at night.