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In Japan, there is the "licensed tour guide system", which means the Japanese government requires anyone working as a foreign language speaking tour guide to pass the national exams and get the national licence. If you are going to book a tour of Japan, make sure your tour guide has a licence. If she or he doesn't and is going to charge you, it's an Illegal act.
But if you are going to book a tailormade tour through a travel agency, it can be very expensive. So why don't you consult a local tour guide directly? There is the web site called "Tour Guide-interpreter Search System". This site is run by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism and all of the registered tour guides have passed the national exams, which are a foreign language, an interview in a foreign language, Japanese history, Japanese geography and Japanese general culture. These tests are one of the most difficult national tests in Japan and require a lot of knowledge.
Tour Guide-Interpreter Search System
www.guidesearch.jp/
Hotel Chain Toyoko Inns provides over 200 budget hotels throughout Japan. They're cleaned daily, include en-suite, breakfast, cost around £50.00 for a twin/double room per night.
The Japanese island of Naoshima, in the shimmering, subtropical Seto Inland Sea, is an art-lovers' paradise reached by ferry from Uno on the mainland or from the city of Takamatsu on the island of Shikoku. Walk round the Art House Project in the old fishing village of Honmura, where many of the ancient houses have been transformed into fascinating installations. Admirers of world-famous architect Tadao Ando are spoilt for choice with his Contemporary Art Museum and the wonderful, newer Chichu Museum, which boasts a roomful of Monet's water lilies paintings. Then head for the waterfront to watch the sun set behind Yayoi Kusama's iconic Pumpkin. You can stay in contemporary luxury at ultra-stylish Benesse House or else spend a night with the locals in a traditional minshuku. Quite extraordinary and utterly bewitching.
One of the top-ten tourist sites in Japan offers a once-yearly evening festival where you can drink unlimited, locally produced sake for around a fiver.
Himeji castle itself was built in 1346 and was the first UNESCO site in Japan. What better way to spend a Saturday night than picknicking in its grounds?
Grab yourself a sake cup and some free senbe (Japanese crackers) and enjoy the Castle, the Moon and the company. Last year, I was told by a seasoned quaffer that the feeling of drinking sake can only be described as... "One, two, ten"... I wasn't sure what this meant, but I think it augured moderation, so take it easy.
Do however make sure that you try all of the sake on offer. It's all locally produced, is delicious and is ladelled out of wooden containers, rather than poured from the bottle.
The party starts when the sun goes down on October 3rd this year.
Travelling from Tokyo is a two-hour, direct Bullet Train ride (Himeji is also a good stop-off on the way to Hiroshima)
After that, it's ten Minutes on foot from Himeji JR Railway Station (central exit)
www.japan-guide.com/e/e3501.html
Shiodome City Centre is a 42 storey building with great choices of bars and restaurants on the top two floors. The view is as good as, or even better than, Park Hyatt.
I've been to Fishbank for drinks and Izakaya En for dinner and both of them were very reasonably priced and food was very good. It's very close to Ginza and Tsukiji but the nearest station is "Shiodome" on Oedo line.
Shiodome City Centre www.shiodome-cc.com/skyview/index.html
A chicken on a stick restaurant in Tokyo. Cheap, delicous food with friendly service that it is foreign friendly but you probably need to speak some Japanese. Dangerous shochu drinks may be too strong for the unintiated.
Jiyugaoka station, Tokyu Toyoko Line
Past the Starbucks and take the first right. www.jiyugaoka.or.jp/special/adomachi/index4.html
Japanese street fashion is famous around the world, especially for the Gothic Lolita style. If you're visiting Tokyo, a day out in Harajuku to people watch in some cafes is a great way to see the many different kinds of Gothic Lolita fashions worn by the Japanese.
Make-up is also important and it still amazes me how detailed some of the designs are that people paint on themselves. One great resource is La Carmina, herself a Japanese fashion lover with an interest in Gothic Lolita and many more. She also has some great guides on where to go in the city for the less well known stuff such as theme restaurants and punk style clubs.
The Japan Times English language newspaper is a great resource if you're visiting Tokyo. You can check listings for local festivals across Tokyo and Japan, find out about special deals that might be available during your stay, and learn about local customs and culture so you don't make any social blunders.
Odaiba is a man made island that sits right next to Rainbow Bridge in Tokyo Bay. There are great views of the city from here and you can enjoy lunch looking out over the bay from one of the many restaurants in the Tokyo Decks shopping center.
Nearby there are a number of museums (not the stuffy kind) to choose from as well as a huge game center Joypolis and Toyota Megaweb. This is an all-in-one day out in Tokyo.
If you are looking for an expert company doing phantastic walking tours in Japan, I can recommend Japan Travelogue. Lovely guys with a wealth of information doing tours for small groups and creating bespoke tours.
Akihabara is the largest electronics district in the world. The Japanese often refer to in its nickname - Akiba. The area is packed with shops selling electronics, PCs, video games and gadgets.
See more on which shops have english speaking stuff -
www.tokyo-top-guide.com/Akihabara.html
Sumo is the national sport in Japan. professional competitors weighing an average of 160 kg, and up to 250 kg !
Rules of Sumo are simple compared to western-style wrestling.
The professional sumo tournaments take place In January, May and September. More on how to buy tickets and reserve seats at -
www.tokyo-top-guide.com/Japan_Sports.html
Sumo tournaments take place at Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo.
www.tokyo-top-guide.com
Sumo is the national sport in Japan. Most Sumo wrestlers are professional competitors weighing an average of 160 kg, and up to 250 kg !
In January, May and September sumo tournaments take place at Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo.
Try to go on the last days of the tournament. Get a ticket at the balcony because in the first rows there are tiny cabins. The Japanese sit there on their knees for hours, but it's unlikely that you can do that too.
Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo.
Omotesando - A sophisticated tree-shaded boulevard often referred to as "Tokyo's fifth avenue".
This fashion avenue has stores such as Armani, Louis Vuitton, Prada, Christian Dior and many more.
A walk down Omotesando is like a compressed tour in contemporary architecture. All the designer label stores compete whose store is the most lavish, and up to date.
Omotesando
It happens every Sunday in Harajuku. Tokyo teens dress up in 'Harajuku Fashion'.
It is very amusing to see rebellious Tokyo teens dressed as Gothic Lolita, "fruits" or Anima characters.
They are just hanging out with friends, hoping their picture will be taken by one of the many magazine photographers in the crowd.
This takes place on Jingu Bridge (a pedestrian bridge that connects Harajuku to Meiji shrine).
The observation deck at Roppongi Hills is a very romantic place to be in the evening. The view of Tokyo urban light is stunning.
There is a bar at the same floor (must be the highest in the city) with transparent walls and shelves, so you can go on enjoying the astounding view of Tokyo while drinking.
While you're there, look for the excellent views of the Tokyo Tower - the Japanese version of the Eiffel Tower. It's a classic Romantic view at night.
At the Roppongi hills complex (Roppongi station on the Tokyo subway).
I highly recommend the daily guided walk from NaraWalk. The pace was excellent and the guide very knowledgeable and friendly. In addition to the historic sites, she showed us shopping areas for a wide range of items, including the famous Nara pickles. Nara is a short journey by train from Kyoto or Osaka and the website provides a link to an English-language route planner.
This is a restaurant, or rather coffee shop, where there are lots of cats hanging about for you to pet - really unique!
If you like the finest Powder (15 meters average snow fall), quiet slopes, stunning scenery, amazing food, politest lift attendants in the World and natural hot springs to soak your tired limbs in after a day on the slopes then Niseko on Japans far north Island Hokkaido, is definitely the place to go.
Prevailing Siberian winds dump hugh quantities of the worlds lightest powder creating a truly powder heaven. So if you’re a powder hound and want quality snow then this is the location.
Three interlinked ski areas (Hirafu, Annapuri and Higashiyama) combine to create Niseko, Japan’s largest and best known resort. Because it is so far from Tokyo it is relatively quiet compared to the ski areas in the Japan Alps.
The terrain includes wide cruising runs fringed with snow-laden trees (silver birch woodlands), steeper backcountry descents accessed from gates hidden throughout the ski area and a long well designed Snowboard Park. You can hike to the top of the mountain peak for some mind blowing views of Mt.Yotei (extinct volcano that is perfectly cone shaped) and excellent off-piste powder bowl runs. And did I mention the extensive night skiing? Wow and haven’t even stopped for a bowl of noodles.
If your there for a few weeks I would recommend checking out nearby resorts of Rusutsu and Furano (which allegedly has the driest finest powder in the world).
Getting there: Fly with BA or Virgin direct to Tokyo (11 hours) and Hokkaido is only a 11/2 hour flight and then 2 hour bus transfer. Or buy a JR rail pass which can only be bought by tourists to use bullet trains.
Where to stay:
Best secret, I stayed in Annapurna hostel which is more like a rustic hotel. 2 minutes to lifts it is a beautiful wooden chalet with great cosy communal area with open fire place. Amazingly tasty traditional Japanese dinner of several courses prepared fresh everyday by the loving friendly owner who will also drive you to local Onsons (natural hot springs) every night. Best value around at Y5,300 (£40) per night with breakfast and mind blowing dinner. You can even do your own board waxing in the ski room. www.snowjapan.com/e/hotel/viewhotel.php?hotid=79.
The only downside (or upside) is that there is no ‘western’ night life in Annapurna village but for a few days I highly recommend staying here. Those after nightlife (with an Australian flavour) should stay in Hirafu the largest of the villages, where there is plenty of bars to choose from.
Top tips for Boarding Japan
• Bring your own gear – hiring is expensive
• If you don’t have your own gear then book ski and board rental before you get there. It’s a lot cheaper.
• Bring cash. Only post offices and 7-11 cash points work with foreign visa cards. Also tell your card company that you are going away. I have two days stranded with no cash.
• Most hotels and lodges offer discount lift tickets. It is better to buy two discounted tickets (3 and 4 day) then to buy a 7 day ticket from the ticket office.
www.snowjapan.com/ - places to stay and snow reports
www.snowjapan.com/e/hotel/viewhotel.php?hotid=79. My favourite accommodation
www.skisafari.com/Ski-Japan.aspx - information about the area
www.skihirejapan.com/home.php - renting boarding gear
Japan's iconic bullet train lives up to its reputation. Fast, clean and always on time, the bullet train (Shinkansen) travels up and down Japan's main rail network, transporting you from hub cities like Tokyo and Kyoto in a matter of hours. Trains travel at speeds up to 300 kph and are a great travel experience. The city to city centre network means that they can be time saving as well, much quicker than travelling via Japan's notoriously remote airports.
The downside is that train travel can be very expensive, particularly at today's exchange rates. A single ticket from Tokyo to Kyoto starts from GBP100! However, there is a solution... if you are a visitor to Japan then before you travel you should get yourself a Japan Rail Pass. Available in 7, 14 and 21 day flavours, you can save a huge amount of money if you plan to travel more than a couple of times on Japan's rail network. A 7 day Japan Rail Pass costs around GBP235 at current exchange rates - just slightly more than the price of a return journey.
More details can be found at www.japanrail.com/JR_shinkansen.html
Your local travel agent or www.japantravel.co.uk can sell you a Japan Rail Pass
Remember, you have to get a Japan Rail Pass before you leave for Japan and it must be validated once you arrive in Japan. My recommendation is that get yourself a reserved ticket whenever you travel, as services can get quite busy at times. You can get reservations just 30 mins prior to travel. When you get to the Shinkansen station, go to the ticket office and ask for a reserved seat or go to the English speaking Tourist Information centre in the main stations for further help.
One additional tip, if travelling with a group of friends, also note that the seats also spin around so that you can sit face to face. Just place your foot on the lever under the seat and spin (thanks to a local passenger for showing my friends and I this!)
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