A walk in Ueno park, and zoo. Taking a look to some of
Kenzo Tange constructions (Metropolitan government office,
St. Mary's cathedral, Yoyogi gymnasium, Fuji Television, ...). Dive into
Ginza shopping district and take a look at the Sony showroom
center. Be small next to Buddha in Kamakura, relax in Hakone hot
springs, visit Japan through the Nihon Minka-en house museum, and say
hello to Fuji-san.
Kyoto
A walk along the Path of philosophy leading to the discovery
of the beautiful temples and shrines: Golden pavilion,
Ginkakuji, Heian Jingu, Inari,
Kiyomizu, Kodaiji, Yasaka. A stop at
Gion, the traditional pleasure district, where to assist to
Kabuki theatre performance, drink in tea house (ochaya)
and see Maiko and Geisha.
Tradition and modernity
Spend the night in a traditional Ryokan, in Tokyo try one
of the capsule hotels, and even though it's not really meant
for sleeping it would be a shame to skip the visit to a love
hotel. Assist to a tea ceremony and a kabuki
performance, go to a sumo competition and play pachinko.
Spend some time watching the beauty of dry garden,
ukiyo-e and Shinjuku girls.
Food and drink
A lot to taste (and to see as presentation is important) in a
Kaiseki meal. Of course various sushi and
ramen will be on the menu, and other specialities such as
shabu-shabu, takoyaki, ... and if a little adventurous
a fugu meal. For the drink, green tea (matcha, sencha,
genmaicha, ...) and sake (to try hot or cold).
Japan is prone to earthquakes, although most of them go unnoticed.
In case of strong earthquake, basic recommendations are to head for a
doorway or supporting pillar. Notice that small rooms, like a bathroom
or cupboard, are often stronger than large one. Falling debris can be
dangerous, if you are inside, a table could be used as a protection,
if you are in an urban area, it is not adviced to go outside for that
reason.
Tipping
There is little tipping in Japan, a way to show gratitude to someone
is to give them a gift or eventually to place the money in an envelope
first.
ATM & Credit cards
It could be difficult to get cash as the bulk of ATMs only work with
Japan-issued cards. However, post office ATMs accept most
foreign-issued cards, visa being the most accepted. Note also that most
businesses only accept cash.
Medication
Some medications are illegal, this includes some commonly used cough
and cold medications such as pseudoephedrine (Actifed, Sudafed, ...)
and codeine.
Health
There are no particular issues, although a basic health
kit can always be usefull.
Disease exposition risk
Disease
Exposition
Prevention
Remarks
Hepatitis B
Extended or repeated stay
Vaccine
Typhoid fever
Extended stay, Precarious hygiene
Vaccine
Japanese encephalitis
Rural or forest zone
Vaccine
Vector: mosquito
Tick-borne encephalitis
Rural or forest zone
Vaccine
Vector: tick
Anisakiasis
Raw fish eating
Vector: fish
When to go
Best time to visit Japan are in Spring particularly begining of April
to enjoy the cherry blossom (Sakura ohanami) and its numerous
festivals, and also the Fall season for its pleasant temperatures and
soothing colours.
