The Rough Guide to Japan

898 Pages·2017·87.81 MB·English

by  Rough Guides

THE ROUGH GUIDE TO
GEISHA AND ROBOTS, CHERRY BLOSSOM and capsule hotels:
JAPAN
Japan doesn’t just live up to the hype, it fl ies past it at the speed
of a bullet train. While neon-drenched Tokyo bursts with the
hippest fashions and trends, you’ll also fi nd relaxing hot-spring
resorts, alpine villages and subtropical outer islands with white-
sand beaches and vibrant coral reefs. Whether you prefer Osaka’s
buzzing nightlife or Kyoto’s rich cultural heritage, this fully revised J
Rough Guide has all the insider advice you’ll need.
A
P
A
N
FULLY
UPDATED
7th EDITION
USA $28.99 E T HE MO
Can $36.99 AK ST
UK £18.99 M O
F
Y
H UO
T R
R T
AE NO E MI
Japan_B7_297843_cover.indd All Pages 27/04/2017 15:49
INSIDE THIS BOOK START YOUR JOURNEY WITH ROUGH GUIDES
INTRODUCTION What to see, what not to miss, itineraries and more
BASICS Pre-departure tips and practical information
THE GUIDE Comprehensive, in-depth guide to Japan, with area highlights and full-
colour maps throughout
CONTEXTS History, religion, the arts and Japanese wildlife, plus recommended
films, books and a useful language section
TRUSTED TRAVEL GUIDES Since 1982, our books have helped over 35 million
We’ve fl agged up our favourite places – a perfectly sited hotel, an atmospheric café, a special travellers explore the world with accurate, honest and informed travel writing.
restaurant – throughout the Guide with the symbol
★
Japan chapters
0 250 Wakkanai SEA OF
kilometres RUSSIA OKHOTSK RUSSIA
N CHINA Asahikawa 4 Nemuro
Sapporo
Hokkaidō
Hakodate POCKET ROUGH GUIDES “Best of” section, essential itineraries and a unique
pull-out map featuring every sight and listing in the guide. Hip, handy and
NORTH SEA OF JAPAN Aomori perfect for short trips and weekend breaks.
KOREA
Akita PACIFIC
PYONGYANG
3 OCEAN
Sado-ga-shima Sendai
SEOUL Niigata Fukushima
SOUTH Kanazawa Honshū
KOREA Oki-Shōtō Maebashi
5 2 1
Kyoto TOKYO Kagoshima
Hiroshima 8 Himeji 7 6 Nagoya Yokohama
Osaka Yakushima
Fukuoka 9
Kōchi
Shikoku 11 Naze
Nagasaki 10 DIGITAL Choose from our easy-
Kyūshū Okinawa
to-use ebooks and great-value
Miyazaki
Kagoshima EAST Snapshots to read on your tablet,
CHINA SEA Naha phone or e-reader.
Yakushima
see continuation
right, at same scale Ishigaki
1 Tokyo 5 Central Honshū 9 Shikoku RROOUUGGHHGGUUIIDDEESS..CCOOMM Buy all our
2 Around Tokyo 6 Kyoto and Nara K Kyūshū
llaatteesstt eebbooookkss aanndd ggeett iinnssppiirreedd
3 Northern Honshū 7 Kansai H Okinawa
4 Hokkaidō 8 Western Honshū wwiitthh ttrraavveell ffeeaattuurreess,, qquuiizzzzeess
aanndd mmoorree..
Make the Most of Your Time on Earth at roughguides.com
This seventh edition published August 2017
Japan_B7_297843_InsideCover.indd 1 27/04/17 3:46 pm
INSIDE THIS BOOK START YOUR JOURNEY WITH ROUGH GUIDES
INTRODUCTION What to see, what not to miss, itineraries and more
BASICS Pre-departure tips and practical information
THE GUIDE Comprehensive, in-depth guide to Japan, with area highlights and full-
colour maps throughout
CONTEXTS History, religion, the arts and Japanese wildlife, plus recommended
films, books and a useful language section
TRUSTED TRAVEL GUIDES Since 1982, our books have helped over 35 million
We’ve fl agged up our favourite places – a perfectly sited hotel, an atmospheric café, a special travellers explore the world with accurate, honest and informed travel writing.
restaurant – throughout the Guide with the symbol
★
Japan chapters
0 250 Wakkanai SEA OF
kilometres RUSSIA OKHOTSK RUSSIA
N CHINA Asahikawa 4 Nemuro
Sapporo
Hokkaidō
Hakodate POCKET ROUGH GUIDES “Best of” section, essential itineraries and a unique
pull-out map featuring every sight and listing in the guide. Hip, handy and
NORTH SEA OF JAPAN Aomori perfect for short trips and weekend breaks.
KOREA
Akita PACIFIC
PYONGYANG
3 OCEAN
Sado-ga-shima Sendai
SEOUL Niigata Fukushima
SOUTH Kanazawa Honshū
KOREA Oki-Shōtō Maebashi
5 2 1 THE ROUGH GUIDE TO
Kyoto TOKYO Kagoshima
Hiroshima 8 Himeji 7 6 Nagoya Yokohama JAPAN
Osaka Yakushima
Fukuoka 9
Kōchi
Shikoku 11 Naze
Nagasaki 10 DIGITAL Choose from our easy-
Kyūshū Okinawa
to-use ebooks and great-value
Miyazaki
Kagoshima EAST Snapshots to read on your tablet,
CHINA SEA Naha phone or e-reader.
Yakushima
see continuation
right, at same scale Ishigaki
1 Tokyo 5 Central Honshū 9 Shikoku RROOUUGGHHGGUUIIDDEESS..CCOOMM Buy all our
2 Around Tokyo 6 Kyoto and Nara K Kyūshū
llaatteesstt eebbooookkss aanndd ggeett iinnssppiirreedd
3 Northern Honshū 7 Kansai H Okinawa
4 Hokkaidō 8 Western Honshū wwiitthh ttrraavveell ffeeaattuurreess,, qquuiizzzzeess
aanndd mmoorree..
This seventh edition updated by
Make the Most of Your Time on Earth at roughguides.com Paul Gray, Sally McClaren, Tamatha Roman,
Simon Scott, Greg Ward and Martin Zatko
This seventh edition published August 2017
001-029_Japan7_Intro.indd 1 28/04/17 12:09 pm
Japan_B7_297843_InsideCover.indd 1 27/04/17 3:46 pm
001-029_Japan7_Intro.indd 2 28/04/17 12:09 pm
INTRODUCTION 3
Contents
INTRODUCTION 4
Where to go 8 Things not to miss 16
When to go 12 Itineraries 26
Author picks 15
BASICS 30
Getting there 31 Festivals 56
Visas and red tape 33 Sports and outdoor activities 58
Getting around 34 Culture and etiquette 62
Accommodation 41 Shopping 64
Food and drink 47 Travelling with children 67
The media 55 Travel essentials 68
THE GUIDE 78
1 Tokyo 78 7 Kansai 502
2 Around Tokyo 168 8 Western Honshū 558
3 Northern Honshū 220 9 Shikoku 630
4 Hokkaidō 288 10 Kyūshū 696
5 Central Honshū 344 11 Okinawa 778
6 Kyoto and Nara 416
CONTEXTS 818
History 819 Film 855
Religion 834 Books 862
Japanese arts 838 Japanese 867
Music 845 Glossary 879
The environment 849
SMALL PRINT & INDEX 881
OPPOSITE MOUNT FUJI PREVIOUS PAGE WOMEN WEARING KIMONO
001-029_Japan7_Intro.indd 3 11/05/17 9:18 am
4 INTRODUCTION
Introduction to
Japan
Japan intrigues in a way no other country does. It has a unique ability to
embrace the present without discarding the past. From Zen Buddhism to
robotics, the island country’s traditions, technology and creativity are
inspiring and exciting. Whether you enjoy sushi and sake, or manga and
anime, the richness of the culture and the hospitality of the people make
visiting the “Land of the Rising Sun” a rewarding experience.
The sheer diversity and intensity of experiences on offer to visitors in the cities or the
countryside can be overwhelming. Whether browsing trendy fashion boutiques,
electronics stores buzzing with the latest gadgets or a centuries-old shop, you are sure to
find something strikingly unusual or innovative. Take a turn down a side street and it
won’t be long before you stumble upon an exquisite Buddhist temple or Shintō shrine,
or perhaps a boisterous local matsuri parade. Head to the countryside, and you might
glimpse a high-speed train reflected in the waters of emerald-green rice paddies.
Seeing the ancient and contemporary waltzing around hand in hand may appear
incongruous, but it’s important to remember the reasons behind it – few other
countries have ever changed so fast in so short a period of time. Industrialized at
lightning speed in the late nineteenth century, Japan shed its feudal trappings to
become the most powerful and outwardly aggressive country in Asia in a matter of
decades. After defeat in World War II, the nation transformed itself from atom-bomb
victim to economic giant, the envy of the world. Having weathered a decade-long
recession from the mid-1990s, Japan is now relishing its “soft power” status as the
world’s pre-eminent purveyor of pop culture, with the visual media of manga and
anime leading the way.
The “bubble years” of 1980s Japan scared many international visitors away in the
belief that the country was hideously expensive. The truth is that it’s no more costly to
travel around than Western Europe or the US, and in many ways a fair bit cheaper.
Hotel rooms can be on the small side but are often reasonably priced, and food is so
ABOVE SUMO WRESTLERS RIGHT BULLET TRAIN, TOKYO
001-029_Japan7_Intro.indd 4 28/04/17 12:09 pm
INTRODUCTION 5
cheap that many travellers find themselves eating out three times a day. Public
transport in Japan’s cities is surprisingly good value, while recent price-cutting means
that airline tickets now rival the famed bargain rail passes as a means to get to far-flung
corners of the country.
In the cities, you’ll first be struck by the massive number of people constantly on
the move. These dense, hyperactive metropolises are the places to catch the latest
trend, the hippest fashions and must-have gadgets before they hit the rest of the
world. Yet it’s not all about modernity: Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka and Kanazawa, for
example, also provide the best opportunities to view traditional performance arts,
such as kabuki and nō plays, as well as a wealth of Japanese visual arts in major
museums. Outside the cities, there’s a vast range of travel options, from the UNESCO
World Heritage-listed Shiretoko National Park in Hokkaidō to the balmy subtropical
islands of Okinawa.
Japan reveals numerous contradictions. The Japanese are experts at focusing on detail
(the exquisite wrapping of gifts and the mouthwatering presentation of food are just two
examples) but often miss the broader picture. Rampant development and sometimes
appalling pollution are difficult to square with a country also renowned for cleanliness
and the appreciation of nature. Part of the problem is that natural cataclysms, such as
earthquakes and typhoons, regularly hit Japan, so few people expect things to last for
long anyway. And there’s no denying the pernicious impact of tourism, with ranks of gift
shops, ugly hotels, ear-splitting announcements and crowds often ruining potentially
idyllic spots.
001-029_Japan7_Intro.indd 5 28/04/17 12:09 pm
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001-029_Japan7_Intro.indd 6 28/04/17 12:09 pm
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A A PAN PAN Kanazawa FukuiKanazawa Fukui Biwa-ko mejiKyotoBiwa-koKōbeOsakamejiKyotoNaraKōbeOsakaWakayamaNara Wakayama 200 200
RUSSI RUSSI OF JA OF JA Tottori TottoriHiOkayama HiOkayamaTakamatsu TokushimaTakamatsu Tokushima IKOKU IKOKU kilometres kilometres
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001-029_Japan7_Intro.indd 7 28/04/17 12:09 pm
8 INTRODUCTION
And yet, time and again, Japan redeems
FACT FILE
itself with unexpectedly beautiful
• Japan is made up of around 6800 landscapes, charmingly courteous people
islands – in descending order of size,
and its tangible sense of history and
the main five are Honshū, the mainland;
Hokkaidō, way up north; Kyūshū, down cherished traditions – few will be able to
south; Shikoku, sitting under Honshū; resist the chance to get to grips with this
and Okinawa, part of an archipelago way
endlessly fascinating culture.
out southwest, towards the tropics.
• Despite many Japanese telling you
what a small country they live in, Japan Where to go
is in fact twice the size of the UK. This
sense of smallness originates in the fact
that much of the country is covered by Two weeks is the minimum needed to skim
densely forested mountains; some 127.6 the surface of what Japan can offer. The
million people are thus squished into the
capital, Tokyo, and the former imperial city
flat quarter of Japan’s land surface,
making the southern coastal plain of and thriving cultural centre of Kyoto, will
Honshū from Tokyo down to Osaka one be top of most visitors’ itineraries, and
of the most densely populated areas
justifiably so, but you could avoid the cities
in the world.
entirely and head to the mountains or
• The population is 98.5 percent Japanese,
smaller islands to discover an alternative
making this one of the world’s most
ethnically homogeneous societies. side of the country, away from the most
The most significant non-Japanese group heavily beaten tourist tracks.
living in the country are Koreans,
It would be easy enough to spend a
numbering around 900,000. Indigenous
people officially account for no more than fortnight just in Tokyo. The metropolis
100,000 people, though more than double is home to some of the world’s most
that number are said to have native blood.
ambitious architecture, stylish shops and
Japan is also a rapidly ageing society, with
a very low birth rate and long life internationally celebrated restaurants and
expectancy. bars – as well as glimpses of traditional
• Japan’s economy is the third largest Japan at scores of temples, shrines and
in the world, after that of the US and
imperial gardens. Consider also taking
China, though it has been moribund for
over twenty years – the prices of certain in a couple of the city’s surrounding
goods have barely changed in all that attractions, in particular the historic towns
time.
of Nikkō, home to the amazing Tōshō-gū
• Emperor Akihito is the head of state. shrine complex, and Kamakura, with its
In 2016 he expressed the wish to retire,
and his son, Naruhito, is expected to take giant Buddha statue and tranquil
on the largely ceremonial role in the near woodland walks.
future. Northern Honshū sees surprisingly few
• Japan is famed for its many post-war overseas visitors, but its sleepy villages and
inventions, several of which have had
relaxed cities deserve to be better known.
major impacts on global society. These
include: instant noodles (1958); The Golden Hall of Hiraizumi more than
high-speed rail travel (1964); quartz warrants the journey, and can be easily
wristwatches (1967); the pocket calculator
combined with the islet-sprinkled
(1970); the Walkman (1979); and the
world’s first android (2003). Matsushima Bay or rural Tōno. The region
is also known for its vibrant summer
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP SUKUJI BEACH, ISHIGAKI-JIMA; TOKYO SKY TREE ABOVE ROOFTOPS OF SENSŌ-JI; SUSHI AND SASHIMI
001-029_Japan7_Intro.indd 8 28/04/17 12:09 pm