Japan Holidays - Luxury Travel & Tailor Made Tours 2019/20

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Images of Japan

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Places to visit in Japan

There is more to Japan than futuristic cities, high-speed bullet trains and cutting edge cuisine and travelling away from the main tourist centres opens a whole new side to the country. Most visitors initially arrive in Tokyo with its world-class museums, shops, temples, gardens and palaces. Mt Fuji emerges in the distance and the surrounding Hakone National Park offers fine views and plenty of outdoor activities. Further south, Kyoto rightly lays claims to being Japan’s cultural centre. Here there are an astonishing collection of UNESCO World Heritage Sites and over 2,000 shrines. The coastal city of Kanazawa is home to a 400 year old castle then travel on to Hiroshima – a name forever synonymous with the events of 1945. The pretty towns of Takayama and Matsumoto are the gateway to the walks and wildlife of the Japanese Alps whilst northern Hokkaido Island is known for its volcanic landscapes and hot springs.

When to Visit japan

Japan's temperate climate and four seasons make it a year-round travel destination. Winters are cool and sunny in the south, cold and sunny around Tokyo – the city occasionally has snow – and very cold on the island of Hokkaido which is snow-covered for up to four months of the year. Depending on the region you are visiting the summer, which spans from June to September, can either be warm and humid or very hot. Spring and autumn are generally considered to be the best times to visit Japan as temperatures are, on the whole, mild. Travelling to Japan in the spring is highly recommended as this is when the cherry blossoms are at their best. Rain falls throughout the year but June and early July is the main rainy season although rainfall is intermittent with sunny spells. Typhoons are not unusual between July and September but rarely last more than a day.

JAN

FEB

MAR

APR

MAY

JUN

JUL

AUG

SEP

OCT

NOV

DEC

This is a general overview suggesting when to travel in the country. Please note that this may not directly apply to any specific itinerary or region.

Essential Information

Capital: Tokyo

Main Language: Japanese

Time Zone: GMT + 9

Currency: Yen (JPY)

Japan Guide & Travel Advice

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Tokyo

Japan Wildlife Holidays

Japan Holiday Review

Thank you so much for arranging such a wonderful holiday – there were a real mix of things that we loved.

The guides in Tokyo and Kyoto were really good and informative and gave us great information and ideas. We visited Arashiyama – an area on the river outside Kyoto which has the Bamboo Grove and beautiful temple and garden Tenryu-ji. We had a day trip to Nara and to see the Kyoto itself is really interesting with the Nishiki Market and old buildings especially Ponto-cho. Hakone is really beautiful. The trains in Japan are great and easy to navigate. I would encourage anyone to travel by train and definitely use the luggage forwarding service. Food is wonderful – we had a lot of teppanyaki which was great fun.

We are all hugely grateful to you and the team as always for arranging the holiday.

HF - Japan - September 2019

Accommodation in Japan

In all main Japanese cities the range of accommodation is extensive and there will always be a wide-range of different options. All major internationally recognised hotel companies are present in Japan and many of their flagship properties can be found in Tokyo. Further afield, in provincial towns and cities, accommodation is usually in smaller, independent, Japanese owned hotels. In nearly all cases hotels will be very modern in both style and design. To fully experience the culture and hospitality no visit to Japan is complete without a stay in a ryokan – a Japanese-style inn. Found throughout the country, ryokans vary greatly in quality and style but all will have a special Japanese atmosphere with tatami floors, futon beds, traditional cuisine and hot spring ‘onsen’ baths.