Japan, during feudal times, was dominated by a system of clans, including the samurai, a hereditary warrior caste. Sites of nobility dating to the pre-industrial era can be found across the island country. Because of bombings in World War II, fires, edicts to tear down castles, etc. only twelve of Japan’s castles are considered to be originals, which have keeps or donjons (天守閣 tenshukaku) that date back to the days when they were still used. Four of them are on the island of Shikoku, two just north in the Chugoku region, two in Kansai, three in the Chubu region, and one in the Missav – Japanese northern Tohoku region.

Look for the EMV/FeliCa machines displaying the international contactless logo and say “touch” (タッチ tacchi) to pay with your foreign credit card. Credit cards are widely accepted but there are a surprising number of cafes, bars, restaurants and even the odd hotel/inn that are cash and/or IC card only. Visa, MasterCard and JCB are the most widely accepted credit cards. Discover and American Express have an agreement with JCB and are usable where JCB credit cards are accepted. Some onsen will actually transport hot spring water in tanks from further away to their location and then use it regularly due to the unavailability of hot springs in their region. The disadvantage of this approach is that the water will often be disinfected and thus may lose all the supposed healing properties.

They are the smaller components or elements that make up more complex Kanji characters. Think of them as the Lego pieces that you can put together to form different structures. Like anything worth learning, typing in Japanese takes practice. Keep at it, and soon enough, you’ll be zipping through your Japanese messages like a pro. I know some folks might say it takes ages to get the hang of Hiragana, but guess what? Instead of spending weeks doodling each Hiragana character, we’ll use some cool tricks and tools to speed up our learning process.

Festivals are held for a variety of reasons, the most common being to give thanks (e.g. for a successful rice harvest) and bring good fortune. Although most festivals are small events sponsored by local shrines or temples, there are hundreds that are large city-wide affairs, any of which would be a nice addition to your itinerary if they overlap your schedule. Japan is famous for geisha, although they’re often misunderstood by the West.

There are plenty of list-apps and pieces of paper out there, so it’s going to be difficult for me to say what you should use. I’m partial to Evernote and have my own processes built up there. And Airtable is a great spreadsheet app for people who don’t think in math. But maybe you like physical pocket-sized notebooks, to-do lists, your smartphone camera (with a special folder for future processing), or something else.

Kungfu Hotpot

The main distinction in Japanese dialects is between Tokyo-type (東京式, Tōkyō-shiki) and Western-type (京阪式, Keihan-shiki) pitch accents. The “Nishi-nihon hōgen” (West Japan dialect, including Kansai hōgen) categories are actually spoken in the central region, with borders roughly formed by Toyama, Kyōto, Hyōgo, and Mie Prefectures; most Shikoku dialects are also Western-type. Dialects spoken further west are actually of the “Higasi-nihon hōgen” (East Japan dialect, including Tokyo hōgen) category.

Maps of Japan

Hostels usually have umbrellas to lend, as do some other lodgings and businesses. Rather than toting your own umbrella around, you may find it more convenient to buy a cheap one (if you even need to), “donate” it to your hostel, and buy a new one in your next city. About 30 % of the vending machines have bins for the bottles they sell. You are supposed to take off the lid and throw it in a separate place. Also supermarkets mostly have recycle bins for bottles, milk cartons, food packaging, but not for general waste.

Unwind in traditional ryokans, enjoying authentic Japanese hospitality. Planning out a trip to Japan takes careful consideration — I remember my first trip to the country. I was honestly overwhelmed by how much time to spend, where to go, and how to navigate transportation. After my most recent trip in January, I was reminded just how lovely it is to travel here. A period of record growth propelled Japan to become the second-largest economy in the world. On 11 March 2011, Japan suffered one of the largest earthquakes in its recorded history, triggering the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster.

On one side of the room, there’s a counter dedicated to a $68 sushi omakase that mixes handrolls, nigiri, and creative dishes like tasty uni on a truffle cone. But if you want to focus on handrolls, sit in the separate area where you can eat a marathon of a la carte raw fish wrapped in seaweed like precious babies. But once you get a whiff of miso in the air and taste the steamed shrimp shumai and ramen, you’ll know it’s worth the wait. Most things on the menu are under $15, and you’ll be thinking about the spicy miso ramen through dinner time. With curly noodles, heaps of cabbage, fried burdock root, onion, and chashu swimming in the bowl, the only thing that’ll hold you back is deciding whether to use your spoon or chopsticks for the first bite.

Kansai International Airport serves as the main airport for Osaka, Kobe, and Kyoto. Chūbu Centrair International Airport near Nagoya is the newest of the three. Haneda Airport is close to central Tokyo and is the largest domestic airport in the country.

• One explanation is that since houses are not usually centrally heated, the toilet business can be made a little more convenient by heating the seat.
• For example, Nagoya Castle’s southeast, southwest, and northwest turrets all date back to the castle’s original construction.
• Find information for your travels to Japan, including customs, visas and more.
• Although there were initially over 300 prefectures, many of them being former han territories, this number was reduced to 72 in the latter part of 1871, and 47 in 1888.

Riders’ houses (ライダーハウス raidā hausu) are super-budget dorms intended primarily for bikers, both motorized and pedal-powered. While anybody is generally welcome, these are generally located deep in the countryside and access by public transport is impractical or impossible. Generally run as a hobby, riders’ houses are very cheap (¥300/night is typical, free is not unheard of), but facilities are minimal; you’re expected to bring your own sleeping bag and there may not even be a kitchen or a bath. Long stays are also discouraged and some ban stays of more than one night. These are particularly common in Hokkaido, but can be found here and there around the country. On entry to a capsule hotel, take off your shoes, place them in a locker and put on a pair of slippers.