Japan is the highest service in hotels, regardless of the level of “stardom”, these are restaurants and bars with the freshest dishes of national cuisine, this is a sea of bentertainments (from relaxing lying on a deck chair to sumo lessons and fencing using kendo bamboo sabers), this great shopping, these are affordable prices for jewelry and appliances. There can be only one vacation in the land of the rising sun – bright, unusual, colorful and bewitching, like the whole amazing country.
Currency: yen
Language: Japanese
Capital: Tokyo
Territory
Japan is an island state, consisting of 6852 islands, the area of which is more than 1 sq. km and countless smaller islands. 97% of the total area of the archipelago are islands – Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu, Shikoku, Okinawa. The Japanese islands are seismically active. Of the 150 local volcanoes, 40, including Fujiyama (3776 m) – the highest point of the archipelago. Volcanism is most active on the side of the islands facing the mainland, and the highest seismicity is characteristic of the Pacific coast of Honshu. From the north (Hokkaido) Japan is washed by the Sea of Okhotsk, from the east and southeast by the open part of the Pacific Ocean, from the west by the Sea of Japan and the East China Sea, which are connected by a strait.
Climate
The climate of Japan is temperate in Hokkaido and northern Honshu and monsoonal subtropical in southern Japan. Monsoons, stable seasonal winds, have a great influence on the climate. In winter, they blow from the northwest, from the mainland, and in summer, from the southeast, from the Pacific Ocean. Thanks to them, from 1000 to 2500 mm of precipitation falls annually on the island. Sea currents have a strong influence on the climate. Warm Kuroshio significantly affects the weather in the southwestern and central parts of the country. The northern islands are washed by the cold Kuril current Oyashio, whose power increases in summer, during the melting of ice in the Bering Sea. Due to the warm and cold currents, the differences in climate between the northern and southern islands of the archipelago become more contrasting. Temperate zone (Hokkaido and the northern half of Honshu). The climate of Hokkaido the northernmost of the islands is the most severe in Japan. It is characterized by cold winters – in January, the thermometer drops to -10, -15 C at night, and in some areas to -40 C. Winter monsoons bring heavy rainfall, in January it snows every day. In spring, the air warms up rather slowly. Summer is rainy but warm. The average temperature is 25-26 C. The climate of the subtropical zone (the southern half of Honshu, Shikoku, Kyushu) is milder. Night temperatures in Honshu fluctuate around zero, and the air warms up to 5-7 ˚С. At the beginning of summer, the monsoon brings abundant and prolonged rains. After the end of the rainy season, the hottest time of the year begins, when daytime temperatures go over 30 C, and nighttime temperatures do not fall below 20˚ C. The southern islands of Okinawa have a subtropical monsoon climate. The coldest months are January and February, the daytime temperature reaches 19 ˚С, and at night it does not fall below 13 ˚С. In summer 28-30˚ C.
Money
The Japanese currency is the yen. In circulation there are banknotes in denominations of 1000, 2000, 5000, 10000 yen and coins in denominations of 1, 5, 10, 50, 100 and 500 yen. Yen can be purchased at banks where there are foreign exchange offices. We recommend changing dollars and euros right at the airport upon arrival. The rate is much better than in banks, hotels and exchange offices. Traveler’s checks and cards Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Diners Club are accepted by leading banks, hotels and shops in major cities. Cash from major payment cards can be withdrawn throughout Japan, they are marked with the “International ATM” logo. The recommendation is to always carry yen with you, as in Japan they still prefer cash.
Transport
Japan’s transportation system is one of the most advanced in the world. Railways make it possible to get to almost anywhere in the country. Shinkansen bullet trains, super express trains, courier bullet trains, sleeper and sleeper express trains, and commuter trains provide fast and reliable service throughout Japan. Ferry service connects Tokyo, Osaka, Kobe with the main ports of Hokkaido, Shikoku and Kyushu.
Customs
Import and export of currency is not limited. However, amounts over 1,000,000 yen or its equivalent in any currency must be declared. The country prohibits the import of pornographic materials, counterfeit papers and banknotes, drugs, stimulants, psychotropic substances. The export of art and antiques without the permission of the relevant authorities is prohibited. Adults (the age of majority in Japan is 20) are allowed to import: 4,000 non-Japanese cigarettes or 100 cigars; three bottles of alcoholic beverages and two ounces (56.6 ml) of eau de toilette. When importing these products in excess of the established norm, a duty is levied.
