Travel

Japan

Japan is located in the North Pacific off the coast of Russia and the Korean peninsula. Japan is an island nation in East Asia. The characters which make up Japan’s name mean “sun-origin”, which is why Japan is sometimes identified as the “Land of the Rising Sun”.
The first written mention of Japan begins with brief appearances in Chinese history texts from the first century A.D. Influence from the outside world followed by long periods of isolation has characterized Japan’s history. Japan has the world’s second largest economy by nominal GDP and the third largest in purchasing power parity. It is a member of the United Nations, G8, OECD and APEC, with the world’s fifth largest defense budget.

Japan Accommodation:

There are three types of accommodation you can choose from- Hotels, pensions and minshuku. Japan offers some of the world’s most luxurious accommodation - from award-winning deluxe hotels in Tokyo and Kyoto to traditional Japanese-style guest houses, or ryokan. There is a wide range of accommodation available in most towns and cities to suit all budgets. The Japanese-style room has tatami, a kind of straw mat, futon, the Japanese style mattress, and the furo, the Japanese style bath. Some accommodations do have Western-style rooms as well.

Places to visit in Japan:

Japan is a country that offers the tourist exotic beauty and marvelous attractions. Anyone who makes the trip should have the vacation of a lifetime.Kaghoshima, the capital city of Kagoshima Prefecture, is located on the south-west side of Kyushu Island, Japan. Kanazawa, located on the Sea of Japan, is the capital city of Ishikawa Prefecture. Kawasaki can be mentioned as a city situated in Japan’s Kanagawa. It lies between Yokohama and Tokyo. Kawasaki is the eighth most populous city all over Japan. Kobe, located in the Kansai region, is the capital city of Hyogo Prefecture, Japan. Kyoto is a city in Honshu Island, Japan. Initially, the administrative capital of Japan.

Japanese Food:

The Japanese cuisine offers a very large variety of dishes and regional specialties. In this section of japan-guide.com you will find information pages about some of the popular dishes and Japanese table manners, as well as some illustrated recipes.The food should be arranged in a pleasing fashion, the garnishes and colors related to the particular season or event. This often involves arranging foods in ones, threes or fives on the plate. Colors relating to seasons include white for winter; pink and green for spring; red and green or purple for summer; orange and yellow for fall. Red and gold can be used for special occasions and silver and black relate to mourning.

Shopping in Japan:

Tokyo shopping ranges from the crowded sidewalk and underground markets hawking black-market DVD’s and faux designer jeans, to the true designer boutiques in the Roppongi Hills and the Ginza districts. Tokyo shopping offers the choicest shopping in Japan and with the opening of the Roppongi Hills complex in 2003, Tokyo is now, arguably more posh than Beverly Hills. Though Roppongi Hills is currently the hottest shopping area in Tokyo, it is by no means the only place to max out your gold card.

Shopping hours in Japan is usually from 10 or 11 a.m. to 7 or 8 p.m. Most stores are open weekends and holidays except some specialty stores. They carry many kinds of traditional Japanese goods as well as the latest fashions. Check out the store sales, which are usually held in July, August, December, and January. Food floors in department stores are called “depachika” and are filled with world gourmet food and Japanese regional specialties. Also visiting flea markets in Tokyo might be fun.