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Many international travelers consider the flight to be the most confusing and nerve-wracking portion of their trip, from booking flights to navigating customs and airport terminals. Fortunately, it doesn’t have to be that way.
We’ve compiled a list of the most important airports in Japan, complete with access information and abbreviation codes, to help your vacation run a bit more smoothly.
Picture a crisp winter morning. You’re eager to hit the ski slopes. Whether you favor the bunny slopes or advanced terrain, that is just what you do. Later, after a long day on the powder, you find yourself ready for a bit of après-ski, perhaps soothing well-exercised muscles in a natural hot spring or indulging in a bit of saki.
This scenario aptly describes the hot spring onsen and classic ski resorts that yearly draw tourists – international and domestic alike – to the Japanese towns of Gunma and Niigata. Using the Japan Rail Pass and the Joetsu Shinkansen Line, you can get there faster than ever before – even from Tokyo. Yes, with the help of the Joetsu Line, you can wake up in Tokyo and ski the same day! Consider the following information to find out how.
The haunting whistle of a vintage train is so ingrained upon our collective consciousness that even the youngest of children often recognize the sound. Before the advent of the bullet train and the modern railway system, the steam locomotive, or SL train, was the fastest way to get around.
Japan has preserved many of these trains, some dating back to the nineteenth century. You, too, can experience the nostalgic thrill of the steam locomotive. Grab your Japan Rail Pass, and have fun exploring the following SL trains.
Do you relish filling your Instagram feed with dazzling travel photos? Where can you find the best places to capture historic or modern culture, or to make your photos pop? Consider our picks for the coolest places to brush up on your photography in Tokyo.
The following list encompasses ten of the best Instagrammable spots in Tokyo. Don’t forget to use your Japan Rail Pass for fast and easy travel.
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Japan has hosted the Winter Olympics twice and holds the world record for the deepest ever snow cover, so it’s no wonder that snowboarding and skiing holidays in Japan are only growing in popularity. There are hundreds of high quality resorts on both Honshu and the northern island of Hokkaido for foreign thrillseekers to explore.
Japan is famed for its large amounts of quality dry powder snow. Many resorts average 10-18 meters of annual snowfall, and four or five days of fresh powder snow a week during the ski season. There are also a ton of exceptionally well-maintained routes, as grooming is heavily practiced on Japan’s pistes.
Rising above the Tokyo skyline is a structure that looks like a conglomeration of the Eiffel Tower and the Seattle Space Needle. It is one of the tallest structures in the world, and it combines Tokyo’s futuristic character with traditional Japanese values. How?
The Tokyo Skytree was built using the same principles as the Japanese pagoda, a type of tower with many roofs stacked atop one another. Its stability springs from its central pole, called a shinbashira. In the case of the Skytree, this central pole is in the form of a massive concrete tube, fastened to the rest of the tower using fuel dampers invented by NASA. Even in an earthquake, the tower is designed to sway against this pole without sustaining harmful structural damage.
What thrills you most about western Japan? Is it the succulent taste and fine marbled texture of the famous Kobe beef? It is the surreal reminders of historic events to be found in Hiroshima? Is it the rich history of the area’s countless shrines, gardens, and temples? Or, do you wish to indulge in the modern shopping experience of Osaka Station city?
Whatever draws you, western Japan holds something for every traveler. Now, with the help of your Japan Rail Pass, getting there and getting around are faster and easier than ever. Find out how you can use the Sanyo Shinkansen Line to enhance your next Japanese vacation.
Light festivals over the Christmas period have become huge events in Japan. Every year the spectacular displays become even more extravagant and breathtaking.
They typically take place in November and December but some start as early as October and others go on until February. Here is a guide to some of the very best illuminations you can see in Japan this winter.
Kanazawa is known as ‘Little Kyoto’ though it’s a magnificent destination in its own right. It’s the capital of the Ishikawa Prefecture and has an impressive number of historical attractions, Buddhist temples, well-presented museums as well as fascinating samurai and geisha districts.
Its best-known attraction is the 17th-century Kenrokuen Castle and its superb garden. Its one of the country’s very best landscape gardens and it draws visitors from Japan and abroad.
Traveling between Osaka and Kyoto is easier than ever. The two cities are well-connected and there are numerous ways of making the journey.
The fastest way to travel from Osaka to Kyoto is by rail. Using your JR pass you can catch a Shinkansen bullet train which only takes around 15 minutes to travel a distance of 56.4km. There are also bus routes but they can’t match the trains for time or comfort.
