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Tourist sightseeing tours Japan
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TOURIST GUIDE TO SIGHTS, TOUR ACTIVITIES, ATTRACTIONS, TRAVEL AND EXPLORATION - JAPAN .
Japan: You'll need at least a couple of weeks just to skim the surface of what Japan can offer. The capital Tokyo, and the former imperial city and thriving cultural centre of Kyoto, will be top of most visitors' itineraries, and deservedly so, but you could avoid the cities entirely and head to the mountains or smaller islands to discover a different side of the country, away from the most heavily beaten tourist tracks..... More
Information for visitors to Japan
Because of the events of August 6, 1945, western Honshu's largest city needs little introduction. HIROSHIMA has become a byword for the devastating, horrific effects of the atom bomb, and for this reason alone millions visit the city every year to pay their respects at the Peace Park and museum. But more than either of these formal monuments, the reconstructed city - bigger, brighter and more vibrant than ever - is eloquent testimony to the power of life over destruction. Where once there was nothing but ashes for as far as the eye could see, now stands a modern city that still retains an old-world feel with its trundling trams and sunny disposition.
Poised on the coast at the western end of the Inland Sea, Hiroshima is also the jumping-off point for several islands, most notably verdant Miya-jima, home of the beautiful shrine Itsukushima-jinja . The view out to the red torii gate standing in the shallows in front of the shrine is rightly one of Japan's most celebrated, and although the island is often swamped by day-trippers it's a delightful place to spend the night.
The capital of Japan for more than a thousand years, KYOTO is endowed with an almost overwhelming legacy of ancient Buddhist temples, majestic palaces and gardens of every size and description, not to mention some of the country's most important works of art, its richest culture and its most refined cuisine. For many people the very name Kyoto conjures up the classic image of Japan: streets of traditional wooden houses, the click-clack of geta on the paving stones, geisha in a flourish of brightly coloured silks, and the inevitable weeping cherry. While you can still find all these things, and much more, first impressions of Kyoto are invariably disappointing. For the most part it's a sprawling, overcrowded city with a population of 1.5 million and a thriving industrial sector. The die-straight streets certainly simplify navigation, but they also give the city an oppressive uniformity which you won't find among the tortuous lanes of Tokyo. And, perhaps not surprisingly, Kyoto is a notoriously exclusive place, where it's difficult for outsiders to peek through the centuries-thick layer of cultural refinement into the city's secretive soul.
However, there's plenty for the short-term visitor to enjoy in Kyoto. In fact, the array of top-class sights is quite mind-boggling: more than 1600 Buddhist temples, hundreds of Shinto shrines, two hundred classified gardens, a clutch of imperial villas and several first-rate museums. With so much choice, the biggest problem is where to start, but it's perfectly possible to get a good feel for Kyoto even in a couple of days. Top priority should go to the eastern, Higashiyama district, where you can walk from the famous Kiyomizu-dera to Ginkaku-ji , the Silver Pavilion, taking in a whole raft of interesting temples, gardens and museums on the way. Or you could head for the northeastern hills to contemplate the superb Zen gardens of Daitoku-ji and Ryoan-ji, and then gorge on the wildly extravagant Golden Pavilion, Kinkaku-ji . With more time, you can visit some of the central sights, of which the highlight is Nijo-jo, a lavishly decorated seventeenth-century palace, while nearby Nijo-jin'ya is an intriguing place riddled with secret passages and hidey-holes. Try also to visit at least one of the imperial villas, such as Shugaku-in Rikyu or Katsura Rikyu, or the sensuous moss gardens of Saiho-ji, all located in the outer districts. And it's well worth making time to wander off the beaten track into Kyoto's old merchant quarters. The best of these, surprisingly, are to be found in the central district north of Shijo-dori and across the river in Gion . Here you'll find the traditional crafts shops and beautiful old ryokan for which the city is justly famous.
Kyoto's festivals tend to be more stately than rumbustious. The most famous feature grand costume parades, esoteric ritual and elegant geisha dances, and take place in spring and autumn. These two seasons are undoubtedly the best time to visit Kyoto, though also the busiest; after a chill winter, the cherry trees put on their finery in early April, while the hot, oppressive summer months (June-Aug) are followed in October by a delightful period of clear, dry weather, when the maples erupt into fiery reds.
OSAKA'S best sights are scattered far and wide from each other, but there are some areas worth exploring on foot. A fine place to start is the castle Osaka-jo and its immediate environs. Umeda, north of the centre, also has a few attractions, such as the rarefied Museum of Oriental Ceramics and the soaring skyscrapers near the clutch of train stations. The areas south of the Ogawa, including Shinsaibashi, Dotombori, Amerika-mura and Namba, are almost exclusively shopping, eating and entertainment districts which fully come to life at night .
Another good area for strolling around is Tennoji, south of the centre, where you'll find Shitenno-ji, the city's most important temple and an evocative old downtown area around Tennoji-koen. Further south is Sumiyoshi Taisha, Osaka's venerable shrine, an oasis of greenery amid the urban sprawl.
Heading west towards the port area, don't miss out on the enlightening Liberty Osaka , a museum highlighting aspects of Japanese contemporary history usually swept under the carpet. In a country fixated with fish, you'll find the ultra-cool Osaka Aquarium, at Tempozan Harbour Village, the best collection of aquatic life on display in Japan. Nearby is the split-new Universal Studios Japan, a giant theme park with eighteen spectacular rides.
On the edge of the Orient, TOKYO - the last great conurbation before the yawning chasm of the Pacific Ocean - is one of the world's most perplexing cities. On the one hand, gaudily hung about with eyeball-searing neon and messy overhead cables, plagued by seemingly incessant noise, often clogged with bumper-to-bumper traffic and packed with twelve million people squashed into minute apartments, it can seem like the stereotypical urban nightmare. Yet behind the barely ordered chaos lie remnants of a very different way of life. Step back from the frenetic main roads and chances are you'll find yourself in a world of tranquil backstreets, where wooden houses are fronted by neatly clipped bonsai trees; wander beyond the high-tech department stores, and you'll find ancient temples and shrines. In this city of 24-hour shops and vending machines, a festival is held virtually every day of the year, people regularly visit their local shrine or temple and scrupulously observe the passing seasons. And, at the centre of it all, is the mysterious green void of the Imperial Palace - home to the emperor and a tangible link to the past.
In many ways Tokyo is also something of a modern-day utopia. Trains run on time; the crime rate is hardly worth worrying about; shops and vending machines provide everything you could need (and many things you never thought you needed) 24 hours a day; the people wear the coolest fashions, eat in fabulous restaurants and party in the hippest clubs. It's almost impossible to be bored here and first-time visitors should be prepared for a massive assault on the senses - just walking the streets of this hyperactive city can be an energizing experience. You'll also be surprised how affordable many things are. Cheap-and-cheerful izakaya (bars that serve food) and noodle shacks far outnumber the big-ticket French restaurants and high-class ryotei, where geisha serve minimalist Japanese cuisine, while day-tickets for a sumo tournament or a Kabuki play can be bought for the price of a few drinks. Many of the city's highlights are even free: a stroll through the evocative Shitamachi (low city) area around Asakusa and the major Buddhist temple Senso-ji; a visit to the tranquil wooded grounds of Meiji-jingu, the city's most venerable Shinto shrine, and the nearby teenage shopping mecca of Harajuku; the frenetic fish market at Tsukiji; the crackling, neon-saturated atmosphere of the mini-city Shinjuku - you don't need to part with lots of cash to explore this city.
Even if you don't arrive in Tokyo, chances are you will end up here or pass through on your way to other parts of Japan, since the capital is the major transport hub . Every day, scores of Shinkansen (bullet trains) speed up to the far north of Honsho or south to Kyushu, while flights, buses and ferries connect Tokyo to the far-flung corners and islands of the Japanese archipelago.
The only time Tokyo is best avoided is during the steamy height of summer in August and early September, when the city's humidity sees its citizens scurrying from one air-conditioned haven to another. October and November, by contrast, are great months to take in the spectacular fireburst of autumn leaves in Tokyo's parks and gardens. Temperatures dip to freezing in the winter months, though the crisp blue skies are rarely disturbed by rain or snow showers. April is the month when Tokyoites love to party beneath the flurries of falling cherry blossoms - one of the best months to visit the capital. Carrying an umbrella is a good idea during tsuyu, the rainy season in June and September, when typhoons occasionally strike the coast.
Legend says that a giant catfish sleeps beneath Tokyo Bay, and its wriggling can be felt in the hundreds of small tremors that rumble the capital each year. Around every seventy years, the catfish awakes, resulting in the kind of major earthquake seen in 1995 in Kobe. There is a long-running, half-hearted debate about moving the Diet and main government offices out of Tokyo, away from danger. Yet, despite the fact that the city is well overdue for the Big One, talk of relocating the capital always comes to nothing. Now, more than ever before, Tokyo is the centre of Japan, and nobody wants to leave and miss any of the action.
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