Japan
Do not eat while walking and do not tip. Both read as rude
Population
123m people
Currency
Japanese Yen
Main Language
Japanese
best time to visit
March – May for blossom, October – November for autumn colour
Climate
Four distinct seasons, humid summers, snowy north, subtropical south
Visa
Visa free for up to 90 days for UK, EU, US and most Western visitors
Country overview
Japan is the country that most consistently exceeds expectations, largely because the version people arrive with is a mash of anime, sushi and neon and the reality is quieter, older and more rigorously organised than that. Trains arrive to the second. Streets have no bins and no litter. Vending machines work in the middle of nowhere.
Tokyo and Kyoto do most of the tourist work and they are almost opposites. Tokyo is thirteen distinct cities pretending to be one, best approached by picking three neighbourhoods and abandoning any plan to see it all. Kyoto is temples, gardens and the highest concentration of unspoken rules in Japan, now dealing with visitor numbers it was not designed for.
The etiquette is worth learning because it is genuinely the interface. Do not eat while walking. Do not talk on the phone on a train. Do not tip, ever, because it causes confusion rather than pleasure. None of it is difficult and all of it is noticed, and getting it roughly right transforms how the country responds to you.
Annual events and festivals
- Setsubun (3 Feb) — roasted soybeans thrown to drive out demons and welcome luck.
- Sapporo Snow Festival (Feb) — enormous ice and snow sculptures in Hokkaido, drawing two million people.
- Hanami, cherry blossom (Mar-Apr) — the whole country picnics under the blossom. Dates shift north over several weeks.
- Golden Week (late Apr – early May) — four public holidays in a row. The entire country travels. Avoid or book far ahead.
- Gion Matsuri, Kyoto (Jul) — the most famous festival in Japan. Enormous wooden floats hauled through the streets.
- Tenjin Matsuri, Osaka (Jul) — a river procession of boats with fireworks.
- Obon (Aug) — ancestors are welcomed home with lanterns and bon odori dancing.
- Nebuta Matsuri, Aomori (Aug) — illuminated paper floats of warriors and gods, paraded at night.
- Koyo, autumn leaves (Oct-Nov) — the blossom of the second half of the year, moving south over two months.
- Shogatsu, New Year (1-3 Jan) — the most important holiday. Temple visits, special food and near-total closure.
Japan Travel Guides
Japan guides are coming soon.