Travel quotes
Like all great travellers, I have seen more than I remember, and remember more than I have seen. Benjamin Disraeli
In America there are two classes of travel - first class, and with children. Robert Benchley
Travelers never think that they are the foreigners. Mason Cooley
The traveler was active; he went strenuously in search of people, of adventure, of experience. The tourist is passive; he expects interesting things to happen to him. He goes "sight-seeing." Daniel J. Boorstin
There are only two emotions in a plane: boredom and terror. Orson Welles
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Japan : When and where to go ?
Click on a city for complete climate and weather tables
| Town | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | June | July | Aug | Sept | Oct | Nov | Dec |
| Tokyo |  | |  | |  | | | | | | | |
| Akita | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Nagasaki | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Japan : Maps and Facts
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Describing the climate of Japan is not easy: The archipelago, long and covered with mountains, does not has the same climate characteristics in the north as the south. |
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What to do in Japan
A country of extremes, Japan cannot be ignored. You will experience one surprise after another: Tokyo with its shopping district, the fish market (the biggest in the world), diverse museums, the Senso-ji temple, Kabuki representations; Kyoto and its gardens, numerous splendid temples, the Imperial palace and the wonderful Himeji-jo castle, and of course, Mount Fuji with its symmetrical lines and its top surrounded by clouds. You can even climb it in summer!
Visit the Daisetsuzan National Park, and go hiking among the mountains and forests with their peaceful lakes. Many people visit the Peace Memorial Park in Hiroshima. Japan will surprise you with its capacity to combine tradition and modernism: Geisha and manga, robots and samurais, Zen gardens and skyscrapers, everything seems paradoxical; however, it all creates a certain symbiosis. The home of bonsai and haiku, Japan has a connection with time which often disconcerts westerners: You will probably need some patience to learn to enjoy the beauty of the moment, but you will certainly appreciate the countless gadgets conceived using advanced technologies. |
Japan : The basics
Various airlines serve Japan on a regular basis.
A valid passport is required and a visa is required to stay more than three months. You can also travel by air within the country, it will not cost you more than by train which is also a comfortable and efficient means of transportation, although a little expensive. Buses are much cheaper but also slower. In large cities, the subway is perfect. The currency in circulation is the yen. Japan is supposed to be one of the most expensive countries in the world for tourists but this is more fiction than fact. You can eat an average meal for €20 and find a decent double room for €50. Note: Do not give tips in Japan! For meals you can choose between traditional restaurants, more or less sophisticated, snack vans situated by the roadsides or take away meals sold in stalls near to the train stations or department stores. To help you choose, fake food dishes are frequently displayed in the restaurants. Popular souvenirs from Japan include fans, kimonos, prints, porcelain objects, kites, rice straw sandals, teapots, mobiles of small bells... Any of these will be certainly be appreciated by your friends and family. |
Towns in Japan
Capital of Japan, Tokyo has the metropolitan area more than thirty million people, making it the most populous urban area in the world.
The city underwent a humid subtropical type climate, with mild winters and hot summers and very wet. Storms and cyclones can occur between June and July. Tokyo is known to combine tradition and modernity, through its temples and shrines alongside skyscrapers and gadgets at the forefront of technology.
You can discover the most important monuments of the city in the Asakusa area, particularly the Buddhist temple Senso-ji, but the Shinto shrines, Edo Castle or the five-level pagoda Ueno Zoo.
You do not miss the Tokyo Tower with its 333 meters high, the Imperial Palace, the Tsukiji fish market, or the famous avenue of Shibuya, our equivalent of the Champs Elysees. Feast your eyes on young people and their attire, which usually announce what will be fashionable in Europe in the following months!
The city is served by two international airports, and travel in the city can be carried by underground, often crowded, or monorail.
Akita is the eponymous capital of a prefecture of Japan located in the Oga Peninsula.
Its feature is the discovery in the region many remains dating from the Paleolithic. It is also famous for the production of quality rice and the presence of its cedar forests.
The city has about 330,000 inhabitants, and is an important industrial and cultural center: it has a few crafts museums, but also a thriving timber industry and oil fields.
You can visit the park Senshu, very popular with city dwellers who come to admire the cherry blossoms in spring, but also enjoy the library or explore the Museum of Fine Arts.
The busiest area is, however Kawabata Avenue, with its hundreds of bars and restaurants where to taste the different specialties.
Another site not to be missed, at some distance Akita is the Oga Aquarium Gao, Japan's largest, with 400 species of fish and aquatic animals. Then push to the plateau of Hachibodai, very green, and where you will enjoy a magnificent view over the lakes and the bay, admiring preferably at dusk.
Japanese city made infamous by the atomic attack she suffered in 1945, Nagasaki now just over 400,000 inhabitants.
Port cities with very large shipyards, and is served by an international airport and local transportation are provided by bus and tram, you can use a whole day with one ticket.
In addition to these thematic tours about the history of bombardment, which are a must for any tour of the city, you can discover the oldest bridge in Japan, many temples in Chinese architecture, numerous shrines, the Catholic Church 'Oura very old and classified as a national treasure, the Urakami Cathedral rebuilt after the war, the monument of the 26 Christian martyrs, as well as several interesting museums.
You can also stroll in the park, and take the gondola to the summit of Mt Inas where you get a magnificent view over the city. Today Nagasaki is a modern city, but you can also enjoy nature particularly beautiful surroundings.
