June 2004 -- The land of the Rising Sun continues to change in exciting ways. Travelers have new possibilities for getting to and around the country. Restaurant openings provide travelers with more options. Here's a brief summary of the latest goings-on.
The Tourist Information Center (TIC) in Kyoto regrettably has closed. Travelers who need information on Japan in general or on specific destinations must now visit a TIC office in Tokyo or Narita or Kansai international airports.
Japan's ban on beef imports from the United States due to concerns of mad cow disease has affected restaurants, especially those specializing in beef. Yoshinoya, for example, a chain popular with office workers for its cheap gyudon (beef served on rice) has seen profits slide 34% since taking gyudon off its menu.
All Nippon Airways (ANA, www.ana.co.jp/eng) has introduced new services linking Ireland and Japan. Daily code-sharing flights now link Dublin International Airport to London Heathrow and connect with ANA service to Tokyo's Narita International Airport.
The hit movie Lost in Translation has prompted six Japanese tour companies based in the United States to offer tour packages that focus on scenes in Tokyo and Kyoto captured in Sofia Coppola's award-winning film. Participants can stay in the Park Hyatt Tokyo where the movie was filmed, sing at a karaoke bar in Shinjuku, explore temples and shrines in Kyoto and visit other locations in the film. JTB, Kintetsu, and other companies offering the tours can be found at the Japan National Tourist Organization's U.S. website, www.japantravelinfo.com.
Japan Airlines (JAL, www.jal.co.jp/en) has introduced a new "Yokoso (Welcome) Japan" airpass which, when purchased in conjunction with a JAL international flight to Japan, provides discount fares for domestic travel to 42 cities in Japan served by JAL and its two regional subsidiaries, JAL Express and Japan TransOcean Air. The airpass is available for purchase only outside Japan. This pass is in addition to the JAL's original "Welcome to Japan Fare" which provides discounts on domestic fares regardless of which international airline is used to reach Japan.
Other airlines also offer discounted domestic fares. Members of the Star Alliance (www.star-alliance.com), for example, which includes All Nippon Airways, Air Canada, Air New Zealand and United, offer their own Airpass in conjunction with international flights, with coupons for one-way domestic flights costing ¥11,550 ($96) a piece. Contact a travel agent or airlines directly for more information.
The Shinkansen Bullet Train has increased the number of its highest-speed trains, the Nozomi, on its route from Tokyo through Kyoto, Osaka and Hiroshima to Fukuoka on Kyushu. Meanwhile, the slightly slower Hikari and Kodama Shinkansen trains, which make more stops, have been reduced to about one to four departures an hour. Since holders of the Japan Rail Pass cannot use the Nozomi train, this means fewer trains available for the trip to southwest Japan. Even worse is the fact that none of the Hikari or Kodama Shinkansen trains provide direct service to Hiroshima or Fukuoka, requiring a change of trains in Osaka.
On a positive note, from March 2004 a new Kyushu Shinkansen bullet train began operating between Yatsushiro (near Kumamoto) and Kagoshima (both on Kyushu island). When linked with the limited express, which connects Fukuoka with Yatsuhiro, this new service reduces travel time between Hakata Station in Fukuoka and Kagoshima from 3 hours and 40 minutes to 2 hours and 10 minutes. When the entire line is completed, travelers will be able to travel via Shinkansen from Fukuoka directly to Kagoshima in just over an hour, but don't hold your breath: plans call for its completion in 2013.
A new law that went into effect April 1, 2004, now requires all price tags to include the 5% consumption tax. That means that 100-Yen shops, which have been growing in popularity and sell all merchandise for ¥100, must now display ¥105 for its goods, but they're still called 100-Yen shops.
The Japan National Tourist Organization's website, www.jnto.go.jp, provides a direct line to the itownpage Japan Telephone Directory, an online directory in English for businesses in Japan. Businesses can be searched by category, name or region, with results showing the name of the business, address, telephone number and, when available, website and e-mail address.
Arriving at Narita Airport
Narita International Airport's website, www.narita-airport.or.jp/airport_e/index.html has lots of useful information for those arriving at this international gateway outside Tokyo, including flight departure and arrival times, information on onward travel in Japan, ground transportation to and from the airport and even daily currency exchange rates. The website also provides information on more than a dozen companies located in each terminal offering cellular phone rentals. Narita Airport has also updated its technology for connecting to the web, with wireless LAN service available in the departure and arrival lobbies of both terminals.
The government-affiliated Eidan subway lines, the largest subway company in Tokyo with 168 stations, has been privatized and now goes by the name of Tokyo Metro (www.tokyometro.jp/e). All stations now display a large "M" in a style vaguely reminiscent of McDonald's famous arches. In addition, all stations are now identified not only by their name but also with a letter and a number. Station G-01, for example, refers to the Ginza line and the first station on that line, Shibuya. While the new system takes the guesswork out of how many stations must be passed before arriving at a destination, it is of little use to those unfamiliar with Tokyo's metro system.
Aux Bacchanales, long one of Harajuku's favorite people-watching restaurants due to its brasserie-like atmosphere and sidewalk seating, has shuttered its doors and moved to a much quieter location behind the Hotel New Otani at 4-1 Kioicho (03/5276-3422). While the food is perfectly OK, it's doubtful whether it can attract the same crowds without its prime Harajuku location.
Side Trips From Tokyo
Yokohama
A new train line, the Minato Mirai Line, now connects Shibuya Station in Tokyo with Yokohama Station, which has received a long-overdue renovation, and beyond. The Toyoko Line, which used to provide convenient access from Shibuya Station, no longer travels onward to Sakuragicho but instead terminates at Yokohama Station.
Kyoto
Misogi-gawa, a lovely restaurant in Pontocho serving French cuisine in Kaiseki style, is now open for lunch in addition to dinner, from 11:30am to 2pm (last order), closed on Mondays.
The Rest of Western Honshu
Nagoya
Nagoya is gearing up to host the EXPO 2005 Aichi, March 25 to September, 2005, with 125 countries participating (www-0.expo2005.or.jp). Centrair, Nagoya's new airport, is slated to open in February 2005 on reclaimed land only 30 to 40 minutes from downtown Nagoya. It aims to become the most important airport of the region by offering easy access, updated facilities and a network of domestic flights.
Osaka
A new website, www.kansai.gr.jp, features a wealth of information on attractions, restaurants, events, shopping, history and culture in the Kansai region, including Osaka and Kyoto.