PRACTICAL INFORMATION
How to get
Japan and the capital Tokyo, have the advantage that are linked to most countries of the world through direct flights. There are many combinations of companies from Spain. There is also the option of flying back to Tokyo and returned to Osaka, but we did not find any flights at affordable price with this route.
One day, after much searching online, we found a deal breaker Alitalia from Barcelona to Tokyo for less than 500 € return. It seems that some deals are throwing the Italian company in late May to fly from July to September. Besides the super-price, these flights have the advantage of short range (2-3 hours) in Rome (on the way to Japan). As negatives flight from Rome to Tokyo is very long, 12 hours in a plane can be very heavy, and that airplanes in general are a bit tatty, although the seats have the typical multimedia screen.
currency
The official currency is the Japanese yen, abbreviated as ¥ or 円 in kanji. Due to fluctuations in the price of the actual currencies, the euro-yen can vary greatly. At the time of our trip (late July 2012) the change was not very good, about 98 yen per euro (before the crisis the change was beyond the 160 yen per euro!).
You can exchange euros for yen at many banks in Spain. But look I exchange offer, and some charge a fee abusive. We changed money at the airport Narita itself, after checking that its exchange rate was as good as that offered by some banks in central Tokyo. On this website you can see that change in Narita to offer what you comparéis with that of your bank.
Change enough cash is very important in Japan because it is a country that is very little pay cash and card. Withdrawing money from ATMs can be difficult, generally only accept Japanese cards. A good idea is to use post offices usually have some ATMs that accept international cards such as Visa, American Express or MasterCard (which we did in Kyoto with a good result).
Keep in mind that Japan has a very high cost of living, the height of the Scandinavian countries in Europe. Accommodations and restaurants can be very expensive, but some things like metropolitan transport is usually affordable. It is important to know that the price perception of things depends greatly on the rate between the yen and the euro of the specific dates.
transportation
Of the various ways to get around Japan, the train is definitely the best option. The Japanese rail system is modern and extensive, and leads to the vast majority of tourist attractions. The only problem is that the tickets are very expensive, which is not an obstacle thanks to the Japan Rail Pass. It is a bond that allows foreign visitors to use all trains on JR line state for a limited period of time (1, 2 or 3 weeks). It is imperative to get before traveling to Japan, and once there you can not buy. We bought the 14 days and cost about 430 €. Keep in mind that the JR Pass is paid in yen, so the price varies in the same way the coin. Once in Japan, you have to enable it to be used, at which time they begin to count the days of validity of the JR Pass, 14 in our case. One problem is that they have to be consecutive days, you can not temporarily disable if you will not use (for example, in Kyoto or the Japanese Alps).
The JR Pass also entitles to use the famous and fast Shinkansen or "bullet trains". They are ideal for covering large distances quickly. However, they are not included all types of Shinkansen, not included the fastest (Nozomi and Mizuho).
Another advantage of the JR Pass is to book seats for long distance trains or Shinkansen. It is not an essential thing, as there are always enough seats. But keep in mind that, especially in the Shinkansen, most cars are for reserved seats, there are only a few with no reserved seats (usually at the beginning and end of the convoy). So if you did not book, you may not be able to sit with your partner (this happened to us a few times), but it's hard to stay out of the train (we never happened to us).
JR Besides, there are other private rail companies operating throughout Japan and did not enter the JR Pass, so you have to pay the ticket. You also have to know that the JR stations and private companies are separate, sometimes a lot (as in Osaka Nanba company Nankai or JR).
In mountainous areas the railway network is somewhat inadequate, so the bus is a good option. Not within the JR Pass, but sometimes is the only way to access some places (Kamikochi, Shirakawa-go ...). In general, buses are modern and punctual, but some lines have rarely pass and others are a bit expensive. They may be an option for those who do not have the JR Pass.
To access any of the Japanese islands is imperative rough board a ferry. We just took the Miyajima leading to the only entering the JR Pass.
Within cities, transportation are varied and generally affordable (not usually included in the JR Pass). In Tokyo the best is the metro, very easy to use, you just have to be aware you pay more or less depending on the route; JR Yamanote subway line is the only entering the JR Pass. In Kyoto, however, it is more practical to use the bus to get to most of the temples. In some cities like Hiroshima or Okayama lines are very useful for easily moving tram.
language
The official language of Japan is Japanese that, although it is complicated, it has the advantage of being phonetically similar to Castilian. It is good idea to learn a few words in Japanese, indigenous value it and their English is very limited.
The Japanese has the peculiarity that can be written in three scripts: the most typical and well known is the kanji, in which each ideograph has meaning. A simplification of this system is the hiragana, each ideogram is equivalent to a syllable. The number of ideograms hiragana is small, unlike kanji, in which thousands different ideograms. The posters are in the country can be written in kanji or hiragana, but predominantly the former. A third writing system, katakana, also syllabic, which is used for foreign names.
Learn some kanji can be very useful in Japan: for example, entry (入口) or output (出口), visit itinerary (道 順), male (男) or female (女), yen (円), places like Tokyo (東京 ) or Kyoto (京都) ... may seem hard, but by dint of seeing ye shall irlos staying.
time
Our trip to Japan was in late July and early August, so we grabbed full Japanese summer. Much had warned us the weather was hot, but not worried about coming from a hot country like Spain. But we did not expect such a degree of heat, especially humidity! Most days were just over 30 degrees and a humidity that made you constantly sweating. At night, the temperature dropped something, but not much, not used to lose 25 °. The first day was hard, because it is a country where visits are almost always walking and tourist attractions are outdoors. But it is a matter of coping as possible and have a substantial collection of water.
That heat is dangerous when you get on a train, as they often have the air conditioning on all chestnut. It's a good idea to take some warm clothes for these occasions.
Accommodation
This is one of the most expensive chapters in Japan, although as in other countries, is highly variable depending on the type of accommodation you choose. The hotels we chose in Tokyo and Kyoto were very basic but well located and cost us 7,800 yen per night for a double room.
Experience is a must stay in a ryokan, a traditional Japanese accommodation. In some cases they are located in beautiful wooden buildings, rooms with tatami and futon bedding. Guests can enjoy the onsen, or hot springs and traditional Japanese cuisine. The price of a ryokan, but are highly variable, are more expensive than hotels. We stayed two nights in a ryokan, a pretty good one in Miyajima highly recommended (22,000 yen night with dinner) and one more tatty in Kanazawa (16,800 yen with dinner and breakfast).
A very similar thing to the ryokan are minshuku, guesthouses run by families. They have the same services that the ryokan (onsen, Japanese-style rooms and dinner) but lower quality. The difference may be minimal. Minshuku rates are much lower than those of the ryokan. In the one we had (Takayama) paid about 8,200 yen per night (without dinner) and we liked it.
food
Another attraction in Japan is its cuisine, variety and quality. One of the most basic foods are noodles, eaten at all hours. Usually wheat, and come in different types depending on their size or their garrison (soba, udon, ramen ...). Rice is so basic in other Asian cultures, is sidelined and usually presents as an accompaniment. Another surprising thing is the lack of dessert dish in Japanese cuisine.
As expected, the fish is the star of most of the dishes, and its peak is the sashimi or raw fish. The presence of meat is lower, the pork often appears to accompany the noodle dishes. Decent meat tested is the Hida beef, very tasty, typical of the highlands of the interior.
One of the icons of Japanese cuisine is sushi. However, sushi restaurants are usually not as common nor as frequented as noodles. Some restaurants offer menus with several pieces of sushi, but the most common is that the parts are purchased separately and are paid according to fish with.
A cheap way to eat is to buy food in supermarkets. Sell trays of rice with fish or meat trays or packs makis (very good) boiled rice. Some also sell hot food to survive as chicken wings, hot dogs or empanadas. The advantage over restaurants, besides the price, is its extensive schedule (some night stay saved us without dinner).
For breakfast the Japanese also tend to eat noodles. The breakfasts at the "Western" can be taken in one of the many Italian cafes found throughout Japan. Still, the prices are very expensive, more than 1,000 yen two sweet pastries and two coffees.
The typical drink is the sake of Japan, which can be served hot or cold. But whenever beer is more widespread, although it is a bit expensive (400-500 yen a median). There are also a variety of soft drinks, sold mainly in vending machines that you can find almost anywhere.
visit temples
Visiting temples is one of the great attractions on a trip to Japan. As places of worship must be friendly behavior ceremonies practiced. Tourists can participate in them when the properly made.
Before entering into the Shinto temples, the faithful perform the ceremony of purification or temizu: in a kind of fountain left hand, then the right is first washed and left takes a little water to rinse the mouth (never drink). In most tourist places, like Senso-ji in Tokyo, there are signs that explain the process for visitors.
Both Shinto shrines and Buddhist is common to find a place with papers or Omikuji fortune, used to know if you will have good or bad luck. After paying 100 yen, you have to shake a metal box where a wooden stick with a kanji is removed. In an adjoining closet these kanjis are sought and a role that will tell your fortune (usually in Japanese) is extracted. If it comes out good luck, great! If it comes out bad luck hangs a sort of rack for the wind takes her.
Whether Shinto temple is large or small, which never fails is the stall or Omamori amulets. They are a cloth bags with an inscription invoking the protection of the gods. There are very different types: for pregnant women, for children, for drivers, for money, to overcome diseases ...
One of the most curious things to visit some temples are a kind of signatures that stamp in a book: the goshuin (also called Shuin or Nokyo). It is a set of stamps and stamped kanji written, specific to each temple. These goshuin stamped and / or written special books called goshuin-cho, cho-shui or Nokyo-cho, with thick leaves arranged in accordion. In many churches there is a person who makes goshuin goshuin-cho in exchange for a small donation (usually 300 yen). Also often sell goshuin-cho if you do not have one. We bought our goshuin-cho Temple Nikko Tosho-gu and cost 1,800 yen, but then we saw that it was the most expensive place in all of Japan, as they usually are worth about 1,000 yen. But we found a nice souvenir: the end of our trip and after searching the goshuin in the various temples we visited, we have a book with beautiful Japanese calligraphy. The only problem is to identify the places do goshuin. These are identified only in Japanese, with a sign with three kanji (御 朱 印). We had to distinguish a trick: the third of the kanji poster resembles a "EP" in our alphabet (see photo above). You can see a good example of goshuin here, and as was our goshuin-cho in the pictures below....
How to get
Japan and the capital Tokyo, have the advantage that are linked to most countries of the world through direct flights. There are many combinations of companies from Spain. There is also the option of flying back to Tokyo and returned to Osaka, but we did not find any flights at affordable price with this route.
One day, after much searching online, we found a deal breaker Alitalia from Barcelona to Tokyo for less than 500 € return. It seems that some deals are throwing the Italian company in late May to fly from July to September. Besides the super-price, these flights have the advantage of short range (2-3 hours) in Rome (on the way to Japan). As negatives flight from Rome to Tokyo is very long, 12 hours in a plane can be very heavy, and that airplanes in general are a bit tatty, although the seats have the typical multimedia screen.
currency
The official currency is the Japanese yen, abbreviated as ¥ or 円 in kanji. Due to fluctuations in the price of the actual currencies, the euro-yen can vary greatly. At the time of our trip (late July 2012) the change was not very good, about 98 yen per euro (before the crisis the change was beyond the 160 yen per euro!).
You can exchange euros for yen at many banks in Spain. But look I exchange offer, and some charge a fee abusive. We changed money at the airport Narita itself, after checking that its exchange rate was as good as that offered by some banks in central Tokyo. On this website you can see that change in Narita to offer what you comparéis with that of your bank.
Change enough cash is very important in Japan because it is a country that is very little pay cash and card. Withdrawing money from ATMs can be difficult, generally only accept Japanese cards. A good idea is to use post offices usually have some ATMs that accept international cards such as Visa, American Express or MasterCard (which we did in Kyoto with a good result).
Keep in mind that Japan has a very high cost of living, the height of the Scandinavian countries in Europe. Accommodations and restaurants can be very expensive, but some things like metropolitan transport is usually affordable. It is important to know that the price perception of things depends greatly on the rate between the yen and the euro of the specific dates.
transportation
Of the various ways to get around Japan, the train is definitely the best option. The Japanese rail system is modern and extensive, and leads to the vast majority of tourist attractions. The only problem is that the tickets are very expensive, which is not an obstacle thanks to the Japan Rail Pass. It is a bond that allows foreign visitors to use all trains on JR line state for a limited period of time (1, 2 or 3 weeks). It is imperative to get before traveling to Japan, and once there you can not buy. We bought the 14 days and cost about 430 €. Keep in mind that the JR Pass is paid in yen, so the price varies in the same way the coin. Once in Japan, you have to enable it to be used, at which time they begin to count the days of validity of the JR Pass, 14 in our case. One problem is that they have to be consecutive days, you can not temporarily disable if you will not use (for example, in Kyoto or the Japanese Alps).
The JR Pass also entitles to use the famous and fast Shinkansen or "bullet trains". They are ideal for covering large distances quickly. However, they are not included all types of Shinkansen, not included the fastest (Nozomi and Mizuho).
Another advantage of the JR Pass is to book seats for long distance trains or Shinkansen. It is not an essential thing, as there are always enough seats. But keep in mind that, especially in the Shinkansen, most cars are for reserved seats, there are only a few with no reserved seats (usually at the beginning and end of the convoy). So if you did not book, you may not be able to sit with your partner (this happened to us a few times), but it's hard to stay out of the train (we never happened to us).
JR Besides, there are other private rail companies operating throughout Japan and did not enter the JR Pass, so you have to pay the ticket. You also have to know that the JR stations and private companies are separate, sometimes a lot (as in Osaka Nanba company Nankai or JR).
In mountainous areas the railway network is somewhat inadequate, so the bus is a good option. Not within the JR Pass, but sometimes is the only way to access some places (Kamikochi, Shirakawa-go ...). In general, buses are modern and punctual, but some lines have rarely pass and others are a bit expensive. They may be an option for those who do not have the JR Pass.
To access any of the Japanese islands is imperative rough board a ferry. We just took the Miyajima leading to the only entering the JR Pass.
Within cities, transportation are varied and generally affordable (not usually included in the JR Pass). In Tokyo the best is the metro, very easy to use, you just have to be aware you pay more or less depending on the route; JR Yamanote subway line is the only entering the JR Pass. In Kyoto, however, it is more practical to use the bus to get to most of the temples. In some cities like Hiroshima or Okayama lines are very useful for easily moving tram.
language
The official language of Japan is Japanese that, although it is complicated, it has the advantage of being phonetically similar to Castilian. It is good idea to learn a few words in Japanese, indigenous value it and their English is very limited.
The Japanese has the peculiarity that can be written in three scripts: the most typical and well known is the kanji, in which each ideograph has meaning. A simplification of this system is the hiragana, each ideogram is equivalent to a syllable. The number of ideograms hiragana is small, unlike kanji, in which thousands different ideograms. The posters are in the country can be written in kanji or hiragana, but predominantly the former. A third writing system, katakana, also syllabic, which is used for foreign names.
Learn some kanji can be very useful in Japan: for example, entry (入口) or output (出口), visit itinerary (道 順), male (男) or female (女), yen (円), places like Tokyo (東京 ) or Kyoto (京都) ... may seem hard, but by dint of seeing ye shall irlos staying.
time
Our trip to Japan was in late July and early August, so we grabbed full Japanese summer. Much had warned us the weather was hot, but not worried about coming from a hot country like Spain. But we did not expect such a degree of heat, especially humidity! Most days were just over 30 degrees and a humidity that made you constantly sweating. At night, the temperature dropped something, but not much, not used to lose 25 °. The first day was hard, because it is a country where visits are almost always walking and tourist attractions are outdoors. But it is a matter of coping as possible and have a substantial collection of water.
That heat is dangerous when you get on a train, as they often have the air conditioning on all chestnut. It's a good idea to take some warm clothes for these occasions.
Accommodation
This is one of the most expensive chapters in Japan, although as in other countries, is highly variable depending on the type of accommodation you choose. The hotels we chose in Tokyo and Kyoto were very basic but well located and cost us 7,800 yen per night for a double room.
Experience is a must stay in a ryokan, a traditional Japanese accommodation. In some cases they are located in beautiful wooden buildings, rooms with tatami and futon bedding. Guests can enjoy the onsen, or hot springs and traditional Japanese cuisine. The price of a ryokan, but are highly variable, are more expensive than hotels. We stayed two nights in a ryokan, a pretty good one in Miyajima highly recommended (22,000 yen night with dinner) and one more tatty in Kanazawa (16,800 yen with dinner and breakfast).
A very similar thing to the ryokan are minshuku, guesthouses run by families. They have the same services that the ryokan (onsen, Japanese-style rooms and dinner) but lower quality. The difference may be minimal. Minshuku rates are much lower than those of the ryokan. In the one we had (Takayama) paid about 8,200 yen per night (without dinner) and we liked it.
food
Another attraction in Japan is its cuisine, variety and quality. One of the most basic foods are noodles, eaten at all hours. Usually wheat, and come in different types depending on their size or their garrison (soba, udon, ramen ...). Rice is so basic in other Asian cultures, is sidelined and usually presents as an accompaniment. Another surprising thing is the lack of dessert dish in Japanese cuisine.
As expected, the fish is the star of most of the dishes, and its peak is the sashimi or raw fish. The presence of meat is lower, the pork often appears to accompany the noodle dishes. Decent meat tested is the Hida beef, very tasty, typical of the highlands of the interior.
One of the icons of Japanese cuisine is sushi. However, sushi restaurants are usually not as common nor as frequented as noodles. Some restaurants offer menus with several pieces of sushi, but the most common is that the parts are purchased separately and are paid according to fish with.
A cheap way to eat is to buy food in supermarkets. Sell trays of rice with fish or meat trays or packs makis (very good) boiled rice. Some also sell hot food to survive as chicken wings, hot dogs or empanadas. The advantage over restaurants, besides the price, is its extensive schedule (some night stay saved us without dinner).
For breakfast the Japanese also tend to eat noodles. The breakfasts at the "Western" can be taken in one of the many Italian cafes found throughout Japan. Still, the prices are very expensive, more than 1,000 yen two sweet pastries and two coffees.
The typical drink is the sake of Japan, which can be served hot or cold. But whenever beer is more widespread, although it is a bit expensive (400-500 yen a median). There are also a variety of soft drinks, sold mainly in vending machines that you can find almost anywhere.
visit temples
Visiting temples is one of the great attractions on a trip to Japan. As places of worship must be friendly behavior ceremonies practiced. Tourists can participate in them when the properly made.
Before entering into the Shinto temples, the faithful perform the ceremony of purification or temizu: in a kind of fountain left hand, then the right is first washed and left takes a little water to rinse the mouth (never drink). In most tourist places, like Senso-ji in Tokyo, there are signs that explain the process for visitors.
Both Shinto shrines and Buddhist is common to find a place with papers or Omikuji fortune, used to know if you will have good or bad luck. After paying 100 yen, you have to shake a metal box where a wooden stick with a kanji is removed. In an adjoining closet these kanjis are sought and a role that will tell your fortune (usually in Japanese) is extracted. If it comes out good luck, great! If it comes out bad luck hangs a sort of rack for the wind takes her.
Whether Shinto temple is large or small, which never fails is the stall or Omamori amulets. They are a cloth bags with an inscription invoking the protection of the gods. There are very different types: for pregnant women, for children, for drivers, for money, to overcome diseases ...
One of the most curious things to visit some temples are a kind of signatures that stamp in a book: the goshuin (also called Shuin or Nokyo). It is a set of stamps and stamped kanji written, specific to each temple. These goshuin stamped and / or written special books called goshuin-cho, cho-shui or Nokyo-cho, with thick leaves arranged in accordion. In many churches there is a person who makes goshuin goshuin-cho in exchange for a small donation (usually 300 yen). Also often sell goshuin-cho if you do not have one. We bought our goshuin-cho Temple Nikko Tosho-gu and cost 1,800 yen, but then we saw that it was the most expensive place in all of Japan, as they usually are worth about 1,000 yen. But we found a nice souvenir: the end of our trip and after searching the goshuin in the various temples we visited, we have a book with beautiful Japanese calligraphy. The only problem is to identify the places do goshuin. These are identified only in Japanese, with a sign with three kanji (御 朱 印). We had to distinguish a trick: the third of the kanji poster resembles a "EP" in our alphabet (see photo above). You can see a good example of goshuin here, and as was our goshuin-cho in the pictures below....
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