Japan Travel Info

Japan is archipelago made up of over 7000 islands, there are four main islands, Honshu, Kyushu, Hokkaido and Shikoku which account for approx 97% of the Japan land mass.

Hygiene standards are high in Japan, and medical facilities (although expensive without insurance) are widely available. Make sure that you take to Japan any medications that you might need as well as knowing the generic name of the drug.

Your passport must be valid for your period of stay in Japan. It is always a good idea to make a photocopy of your passport in case you lose it. Japan usually require that you hold a valid onward or return ticket in order to be allowed to enter Japan.

The yen is the unit of currency in Japan. There are four kinds of bills (10,000 yen, 5,000 yen, 2,000 yen 1,000 yen) and six kinds of coins (500 yen, 100 yen, 50 yen, 10 yen, 5 yen, 1 yen) used.

Internet access is available in most hotels and other accommodation, some international hotels charge a daily fee for access, so check with your hotel upon check in. Hotels usually provide a LAN cable in your room or you can ask at reception and they usually have spares.

Travelling in Japan is easy with the extensive train network. It’s very efficient and covers metropolitan and country areas including to/from ski resorts and between the large cities. The stations and carriages are clean, the trains run on time and they provide a great service to travelers as well as the locals.

Japanese taxis are a convenient way to get around particularly in urban areas and to and from hotels and train stations when you want to get there quickly or you would prefer not to walk.

There is a very efficient luggage and ski and snowboard delivery system called Kuroneko TA-Q-BIN (black cat couriers), the service is available to and from the Airport as well as most hotels and make travelling on the train a lot easier; you don’t need to carry your luggage at the station as well as on crowded trains.