JAPAN

Where Everything's Good

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Your holiday - Your way

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Cherry blossoms silhouetted across the moon

COUNTRY GUIDE

Image by Anja from Pixabay

BEST TIME TO GO - Sakura Hanami (Cherry Blossom Season) is a great time to go.

The exact dates can't be guaranteed but it's late March to mid April. Different areas have different times and you can watch it progress up the country on the nightly news and weather. There's still a little snow left at the Snow Monkeys at this time too.
The opposite season is very beautiful too with Autumn colours. Foliage season runs late November to early December.
May to October is Typhoon season and there are usually about a dozen a year.
Skiing is great in February.
May has Golden Week which is a very busy time.
The rainy season sets in at the end of June and is usually over by the end of July.
Mt Fuji climbing season starts on July 1.
August is hot and humid.
Okinawa has a tropical climate.

STAY - All hotels are available on Booking.com unless otherwise stated. Check and see that you get free cancellation. (If not just go in off the street when you get there. Have a second hotel in mind just in case. If it's a busy time such as public holidays it pays to have a booking.) Choose that hotel or one nearby that you like in your price range. Click location and have a look at the map. Hotels are usually around the 3*** level and should be around the AUD $80 - $170 mark.

VISAS

Croatia - Click here for information
Montenegro - Click here for information

FLIGHTS -

Zagreb Pleso Airport (ZAG) - has direct flights to 59 destinations in 31 countries. If you're not coming from Europe fly in and out of here and take domestic flights to Dubrovnik and back from Rovinj (Pula). Most direct flights come from around Europe. You can also connect up with flights from Totonto, Seoul, Doha, Dubai and Tel Aviv.

Dubrovnik Airport (DBV) - has direct flights from 63 destinations in 24 countries. Mainly in Europe as well as New York and Dubai. Domestic flight from Zagreb.

Pula Airport (PUY) - has direct flights to 31 destinations in 14 countries all in Europe. It is 40 km from Rovinj. Domestic flight to Zagreb.

Once you've bought your tickets get some travel insurance to cover yourself.

AIRPORT TRANSFER - Zagreb (ZAG) 16km / Dubrovnik (DBV) 23km / Rovinj - Pula (PUY) 40km

BUDGET -

Back in the 90's it was very cheap but those days are long gone. It didn't take travellers long to catch on to this fabulous place. What an amazing country Tito presided over during his time in power. These days you will want a budget of around 100 euros a day as half of a pair or couple sharing accommodation and other costs. Of course it all depends on how frugal or lavish you are with the cash. Plus you'll be going to some of the most expensive places in Croatia. If you do the trip in shoulder season it will be much cheaper than in peak season. You don't want to go home bankrupt but you don't want to go home having seen or done nothing either. Like everything in life try to find a balance that makes you happy. Then have a couple of grand in reserve.

TIPS -

Ignore touts in nightlife areas and never go with them.

POPULATION - 126,476,461

CAPITAL - Tokyo (Eastern Capital)

RELIGION - Shinto and Buddhism

ETHNICITY - Japanese 98.5 %

LANGUAGE - Japanese

NATIONAL DRINK - Saki

NATIONAL DISH - Sushi

GOVERNMENT - Constitutional Monarchy and a Parliamentary System

AGE - 2320

BIG MAC IN $US - $3.54

LITERACY - 99%

MINIMUM WAGE ANNUAL IN $US - $15,654

CURRENCY - Japanese Yen JPY $1 = 111JPY

LIFE EXPECTANCY - 84.55

TOURISTS PER YEAR - 30 million

NO.1 TOURIST SITE - Mt Fuji

CHEERS - Kanpai

MEET JAPAN 21N

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HIGHLIGHTS - Sakura hanami

Tokyo 3N to Tokyo 3N (+2N in Narita) via Shibu Onsen (Snow Monkeys) 1N - Kyoto 3N - Kobe 1N - Hiroshima 2N - Miyajima 1N - Osaka 1N - Nara 2N and Mt Fuji 2N

Stay in a Capsule Hotel
Visit with the Cosplay Kids
Shop for the best Bento Box
Do a hot spring crawl
Ninja Village
Suicide Forest
Go to a Sake brewery
Visit Buddha’s Nostril
UNESCO-certified Mt Fuji
Stay in a traditional Ryokan
Suntory Yamazaki Distillery Tour
UNESCO-certified attractions in Nara
Learn about Hachiko the very loyal dog
Momofuku Ando Instant Ramen Museum
UNESCO-certified Eight Lakes in Oshino
See Matsumoto castle, one of Japan's best historic castles
Spectacular views of Mount Fuji from the Hakone hot spring area and the rural village of Oshino Mura, or the peaceful, agricultural community of Asuka at a charming Japanese inn or with a local family for a unique homestay experience.

Start off with a few days in Tokyo seeing the sights and taking it all in. Enjoy the delicious food prepared with obvious pride. Be surprised at just how friendly and helpful the locals are.

Head up to see the Snow Monkeys before the snow melts. Get the keys to the city and spend the night alternating between hot baths and cold beers. And making new friends. If you want to see snow and cherry blossoms you will need to do this trip in April. Any time of the year will be fine though, just bring warm clothes in winter. You could try out the fantastic skiing here. If you are here during an odd month you could go to see a Sumo tournament.

Off to the old capital Kyoto and hopefully the Cherry blossoms are blooming as this is a great place to see them. Take a stroll along the Philosophers Path or join in with the many groups of office workers who get together and make a party out of it. It is also the centre of Geisha culture which adds to the atmosphere of the place. Thankfully it was taken off of the A - bomb list just days before the bombs were dropped. Don't miss the Arashiyama Bamboo Grove while you're here.

A quick stop off in Kobe on the way to the city that did feel the force of that first atom bomb back in 1945. Kobe is famous for beef and sake. So a trip to one or both of Japan's major Sake Breweries is in order. As is a visit to the Kobe Earthquake Memorial Museum as well. And some of that Kobe beef.

A visit to the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum is a very moving experience. It brings it down to a personal level and some of the images will stay with you forever. It's a wonder that anyone survived it. One amazing fellow somehow was in the wrong place at the wrong time and survived both Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Still not sure if he was incredibly lucky or unlucky. Probably both. These days Hiroshima is a pleasant modern town and it's hard to believe what happened here, except for the visual reminder of the still standing Genbaku Dome. It was the only building left standing in the blast zone and it survived because it was directly under the bomb. If it's baseball season the Hiroshima Carps may be in town or Mazda owners might like to do the factory tour and museum.

A short distance away is the lovely island destination of Miyajima. It is home to the floating Torii gate, sacred and friendly deer who have been here for 6000 years and delicious local speciality Momiji manju - maple leaf cakes. I would recommend the chocolate one. There are some nice walks, relaxed shopping, great snacking and others entertainments, but mainly it just has a really nice feel and is very relaxing. A great place to spend the night.

Hope you're hungry because Osaka is renowned for great street food and Dotonbori is the place to eat it. It's a pretty spot that runs along a canal and there is no shortage of cafes, bars and restaurants. A lot of places have rooftop terraces and live music so it's a good night out. The action starts happening around 5 pm and as the night wears on the livelier it gets. Don't rush in and fill up too soon. Make your decisions wisely. Must haves are Takoyaki and Okonomoyaki.

Next stop is the the laid back first capital of Nara and what better place to stay in some traditional accommodation. Hopefully you liked the deer at Miyajima (how could you not be charmed) because Nara's deer are famous, numerous and have the run of the place. They were downgraded after WW2 from being sacred to merely a "National Treasure". Nara is a compact city jammed with temples, gardens, parks etc and a good place to chill out and recharge for a couple of days. Or check out a farm, onsen or temple stay.

Time to visit the elusive Mt Fuji, Japans iconic mountain which doesn't always reveal itself to everyone but with two days here you should get to see enough. If you climb it you'll see plenty but you'll need to be here between July and September for the climbing season. Other attractions around here include the controversial Sea of Trees, Lake Kawaguchiko, UNESCO-certified Eight Lakes in Oshino, Hakone Hot Springs area, Mt. Kachi Kachi Ropeway, Narusawa Ice Cave, etc, etc.