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JAPAN
CHRIS ROWTHORN ANDREW BENDER, MATTHEW D FIRESTONE, TIMOTHY N HORNYAK, BENEDICT WALKER,
PAUL WARHAM, WENDY YANAGIHARA
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p205HOKKAID±HONSH§ &NORTHERN
KY§SH§ p245SHIKOKU &
WESTERN HONSH§,
& KANSAIKYOTO
p163HONSH§
p97
p51AREA
TOKYO
CENTRAL
ISLANDS p285SOUTHWEST
OKINAWA & THE
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DISCOVER JAPAN
Tokyo Area (p51) Japan’s frenetic capital is surrounded by attractions including Mt Fuji, Nikkō, Kamakura and the Ogasawara-shotō island group.
Kyoto & Kansai (p97) Japan’s cultural capital, Kyoto, is a must-see attraction; the Kansai region contains many first-rate sights such as Nara and Kōya-san.
Central Honshū (p163) Central Honshū is home to the Japan Alps and several his-toric cities including Kanazawa, Takayama and Matsumoto.
Northern Honshū & Hokkaidō (p205) Honshū’s seldom-visited north offers good hiking and historic towns; Hokkaidō features incredible skiing, driving and out-door adventures.
Western Honshū, Shikoku & Kyūshū (p245) Western Honshū and the adjoining islands of Shikoku and Kyūshū boast history, coastal scenery and outdoor attractions.
Okinawa & the Southwest Islands (p285) Japan’s Southwest Islands offer excellent beaches, hiking, snorkelling, diving and a unique culture that’s not quite Japanese.
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CONTENTS
THIS IS JAPAN 10
JAPAN’S TOP 25 EXPERIENCES 13
JAPAN’S TOP ITINERARIES 31
PLANNING YOUR TRIP 39
TOKYO AREA 51HIGHLIGHTS 54THE BEST… 60THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW 61DISCOVER THE TOKYO AREA 62TOKYO 62Orientation 62Information 62Sights 63Kagurazaka Walking Tour 73Sleeping 74Eating 76
Drinking 79Entertainment 80Shopping 80Getting There & Away 80Getting Around 80NORTH OF TOKYO 82Nikkō 82Minakami & Takaragawa Onsen 87WEST OF TOKYO 88Mt Fuji Area 88SOUTH OF TOKYO 92Kamakura 92OGASAWARA-SHOTŌ 95Chichi-jima 95Haha-jima 96
KYOTO & KANSAI 97HIGHLIGHTS 100THE BEST… 108THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW 109
4
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DISCOVER KYOTO & KANSAI 110KYOTO 110History 110Orientation 111Information 114Sights & Activities 114Southern Higashiyama Walking Tour 130Festivals & Events 131Sleeping 132Eating 136Entertainment 140Shopping 141Getting There & Away 142Getting Around 143NORTHERN KANSAI 145Kinosaki 145OSAKA 146Information 146Sights & Activities 146Festivals & Events 148Sleeping 148Getting There & Away 149HIMEJI 149Orientation & Information 149Sights 149Eating 150Getting There & Away 151NARA 151History 151Orientation 153Information 153Sights 153Sleeping 155Eating 156Getting There & Away 156KII-HANTŌ 157Kōya-san 157ISE-SHIMA 160Ise 160
CENTRAL HONSHŪ 163HIGHLIGHTS 166THE BEST… 172THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW 173CENTRAL HONSHŪ ITINERARIES 174DISCOVER CENTRAL HONSHŪ 176HIDA DISTRICT 176Takayama 176Shirakawa-gō & Gokayama 180JAPAN ALPS NATIONAL PARK 183Kamikōchi 183Shin-Hotaka Onsen 185NAGANO-KEN 186Nagano 186Shiga Kōgen 188Nozawa Onsen 188Hakuba 189Matsumoto 190Kiso Valley Region 191TOYAMA-KEN 193Tateyama–Kurobe Alpen Route 193ISHIKAWA-KEN 194Kanazawa 194Noto-hantō 200FUKUI-KEN 204Eihei-ji 204
NORTHERN HONSHŪ & HOKKAIDŌ 205HIGHLIGHTS 208THE BEST… 212THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW 213NORTHERN HONSHŪ & HOKKAIDŌ ITINERARIES 214DISCOVER NORTHERN HONSHŪ & HOKKAIDŌ 216NORTHERN HONSHŪ 216Matsushima & Oku-Matsushima 216Hiraizumi 218Hakkōda-san 219Tazawa-ko 220
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Kakunodate 222Dewa Sanzan 222Sado-ga-shima 225HOKKAIDŌ 227Sapporo 227Niseko 236Daisetsuzan National Park 239
WESTERN HONSHŪ, SHIKOKU & KYŪSHŪ 245HIGHLIGHTS 248THE BEST… 252THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW 253WESTERN HONSHŪ, SHIKOKU & KYŪSHŪ ITINERARIES 254DISCOVER WESTERN HONSHŪ, SHIKOKU & KYŪSHŪ 256WESTERN HONSHŪ 256Hiroshima 256Miyajima 262Naoshima 264Izumo 266
SHIKOKU 267Kōchi 267Matsuyama 269KYŪSHŪ 273Nagasaki 273Aso-san Area 279Kurokawa Onsen 282Kirishima-Yaku National Park 283
OKINAWA & THE SOUTHWEST ISLANDS 285HIGHLIGHTS 288THE BEST… 292THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW 293OKINAWA & THE SOUTHWEST ISLANDS ITINERARIES 294DISCOVER OKINAWA & THE SOUTHWEST ISLANDS 296KAGOSHIMA-KEN 297Yakushima 297OKINAWA-KEN 303Okinawa-hontō 303
Japanese bonsaiRICHARD CUMMINS
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Islands Near Okinawa-hontō 310Yaeyama-shotō 311
JAPAN IN FOCUS 323FAMILY TRAVEL 324FOOD 326HISTORY 335KYOTO’S GEISHA 346ONSEN 348RYOKAN 350SAKE 352SKIING & SNOWBOARDING 354
DIRECTORY & TRANSPORT 357DIRECTORY 358Accommodation 358Activities 359Climate 360Customs 361Dangers & Annoyances 361Embassies & Consulates 362Festivals & Events 363Gay & Lesbian Travellers 363Health 363Holidays 365Insurance 365Internet Access 366Left Luggage 366Legal Matters 366Maps 367Money 367Telephone 369Time 370Toilets 370Tourist Information 371Travellers with Disabilities 371Visas 372Women Travellers 372TRANSPORT 373GETTING THERE & AWAY 373GETTING AROUND 374
GLOSSARY 381
BEHIND THE SCENES 383
INDEX 390
MAP LEGEND 400
& KY§SH§SHIKOKU
p245 AREATOKYO
HONSH§,WESTERN
p205HOKKAID±HONSH§ &NORTHERN
& KANSAIKYOTO
p163HONSH§
p97
p51
CENTRAL
ISLANDS p285SOUTHWEST
OKINAWA & THE
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Learn the tragic history of this city and marvel
at its recovery
HIROSHIMA p256
Find the Japan of your imagination in the nation’s
culture capital
KYOTO p110
This town is both a gatewayto the Japan Alps and a
fascinating historical destination
TAKAYAMA p176
Check out Japan’s first permanent capital which boasts
eight World Heritage sites
NARA p151
ShinkansenSan-yŸ
Kagoshima Shinkansen
S E A O F J A P A N
P A C I F I C O C E A N
GIFU
Takayama
TSUNAGOYA
FUKUI
KYOTO
K±BE OSAKA
Himeji
Izumo MATSUE
TAKAMATSU
TOTTORI
OKAYAMA
TOKUSHIMA
KANAZAWA
TOYAMA
WAKAYAMA
Nara
Usuki K±CHI
Shing¥
Pyongyang
Hagi
Shimonoseki
SEOUL
Beppu
Yatsushiro
Nagasaki
KAGOSHIMA
KUMAMOTO
(HAKATA) FUKUOKA
HIROSHIMA
Kitaky¥sh¥
MIYAZAKI
Oita
Hamada
MATSUYAMA
Aso-san
135ºE 129ºE 132ºE
Biwa-ko
Oki-
HONSH§
shotŸ
Noto-hantŸ
KANSAI
SHIKOKU
Tsu-shima
KY§SH§
GotŸ-rettŸ
Amakusa- shotŸ
R U S S I A
C H I N A
N O R T H
S O U T H K O R E A
K O R E A
Kansai International
Airport
See Inset
E A S T C H I N A S E A
KAGOSHIMA
Naze
NAHA Okinawa City
Nago
Ishigaki Hirara
26ºN
129ºE
123ºE
30ºN Yakushima
Tanegashima
KY§SH§
Tokara- shotŸ
shotŸ Nansei-
Amami-shotŸ
Okinawa-hontŸ
Miyako-shotŸ
Yaeyama-shotŸIriomote-
jima
Inset
See Main Map
Head into moss-covered forests to find the 3000-year-old
tree, JŸmon-sugi
YAKUSHIMA p297
Dive with mantas, snorkel on pristine reefs and kayak
up jungle rivers
IRIOMOTE-JIMA p316
200 km 120 miles 0
0
S
S
S
Jnr
htroN
e
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A
Hike across the roof ofHokkaidŸ in one of Japan’s
most stunning national parks
DAISETSUZANNATIONAL PARK p239
Ski or snowboard some ofthe world’s most reliable
lift-served powder
NISEKO p236
Take the 25-hour ferry toJapan’s dolphin- and
whale-watching mecca
CHICHI-JIMA p95
Climb the perfect cone of Fuji and watch a new day
dawn over Japan
MT FUJI p88
Visit Japan’s thriving cosmopolitan capital –
it’s Asia’s city of the future
TOKYO p62
Hike from hut to hut amid towering mountain peaks
JAPAN ALPS p183
TŸhoku Shinkansen
Shinkansen Akita
Shinkansen Yamagata
Shinkansen JŸetsu
Shinkansen Hokuriku
Shinkansen TŸkaidŸ
(500km) To Ogasawara-shotŸ
O C E A N P A C I F I C
O K H O T S K S E A O F
Abashiri Biei
Otaru Takikawa
Wakkanai
Kushiro Niseko
SAPPORO
Hakodate
AOMORI
Obihiro
Hachinohe
MORIOKA Kakunodate
Mizusawa Hiraizumi
Sakata
Tsuruoka
MatsumotoNikkŸ
AKITA
ShinjŸ
SENDAI
FUKUSHIMA
MITO
NIIGATA YAMAGATA
NAGANO
MAEBASHI URAWA
K±FU
SHIZUOKA YOKOHAMA
CHIBA
UTSUNOMIYA
TOKYO
National Akan
National Park Shiretoko
National Park Daisetsuzan
Park
Osore-zan
s p l a p a J
n r n
(3776m) Mt Fuji
h t r o N
Ja
pan
Alp
s
Sout
hern
A
e
44ºN
42ºN
40ºN
36ºN
34ºN
147ºE
38ºN
144ºE 141ºE 138ºE
32ºN
Tazawa-ko
Urup-tŸ
Iturup (Etorofu)-tŸ
Habomaisho
Kunashiri-tŸ
Shikotan-tŸ
Sakhalin-tŸ
Shiretoko-hantŸ
HOKKAID±
Rishiri-tŸ
Rebun-tŸ
Okushiri-tŸ
Shakotan-hantŸ
Kinkasan
HONSH§
shima
±-shima hantŸ Izu-
Shikine-jima
Miyake-jima
Izu-shotŸ
HachijŸ-jima
Sado-ga-
Nemuro-hantŸ
R U S S I A
International Airport Tokyo Narita
HoppŸryŸdo (Kuril Islands)
ELEVATION
200m
1000m
2000m
3000m
0
Hahajima
Chichi-jima
Ogasawara-shotŸ Inset
Not to scale
LEGEND
Railway Secondary Road Primary Road Freeway
200 km 120 miles
0 0
Tunnel Seikan
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Japan is a world apart – a wonderful little planet floating off the coast of China. It is a kind of cultural Galapagos, a place where a unique civilisation was allowed to grow and unfold on its own, unmolested by invading powers.
Even today, the world struggles to categorise Japan: is it the world’s most advanced technological civilisation, or a bastion of traditional Asian culture? Has the country become just another outpost of the West, or is there something decidedly Eastern lurking under the veneer of its familiar modernity? There are no easy answers, but there is plenty of pleasure to be had in looking for them.
First and foremost, Japan is a place of delicious contrasts: ancient temples and fu-turistic cities; mist-shrouded hills and lightning-fast bullet trains; kimono-clad geisha and suit-clad businesspeople; quaint thatch-roofed villages and pulsating neon urban
THIS IS JAPAN
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jungles. This peculiar synthesis of the modern and the traditional is one of the things that makes travel in Japan such a fascinating experience.
Japan is arguably the easiest country in Asia in which to travel; while English may not be as widely spoken as in places such as Singapore, the country’s brilliant infrastructure, first-class public transport system and friendly people make travelling here a breeze. Despite having all the devel-oped-world conveniences (and then some), Japan offers regular doses of exoticism and wonder. Best of all, Japan is one of the cheapest countries in the developed world and no country on earth offers as much bang for the buck. All told, Japan is an eminently rewarding travel destination.
‘ancient temples and futuristic cities; mist-shrouded hills and lightning-fast bullet trains’
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