Holidays in Japan

Holidays in Japan
The most important holiday in Japan is New Year (お正月 Oshōgatsu), which pretty much shuts down the country from December 30 to January 3. Japanese head home to their families (which means massive transport congestion), eat festive foods and head out to the neighborhood temple at the stroke of midnight to wish in the New Year. Many Japanese often travel to other countries as well, and prices for airfares are very high.

In March or April, Japanese head out en masse for hanami (花見, lit. "flower viewing"), a festival of outdoors picnics and drunken revelry in parks, cleverly disguised as cherry blossom (桜 sakura) viewing. The exact timing of the famously fleeting blossoms varies from year to year and Japan's TV channels follow the progress of the cherry blossom front from south to north obsessively.
The longest holiday is Golden Week (April 27 to May 6), when there are four public holidays within a week and everybody goes on extended vacation. Trains are crowded and flight and hotel prices are jacked up to multiples of normal prices, making this a bad time to travel in Japan, but the weeks immediately before or after Golden Week are excellent choices.
Summer brings a spate of festivals designed to distract people from the intolerable heat and humidity (comparable to the US Midwest). There are local festivals (祭 matsuri) and impressive fireworks competitions (花火 hanabi) throughout the country. Tanabata (七夕), on July 7th (or early August in some places), commemorates a story of star-crossed lovers who could only meet on this day.
The largest summer festival is Obon (お盆), held in mid-July in eastern Japan (Kanto) and mid-August in western Japan (Kansai), which honors departed ancestral spirits. Everybody heads home to visit village graveyards, and transport is packed.

National holidays
Lunar holidays such as equinoxes may vary by a day or two; the list below is accurate for 2009. Holidays that fall on a weekend may be observed with a bank holiday on the following Monday. Keep in mind that most Japanese people take additional time off around New Year's, during Golden Week, and during Obon.
* January 1 - New Year's Day (ganjitsu 元日 or gantan 元旦 )
* January 12 (Second Monday of month) - Coming-of-Age Day (seijin no hi 成人の日)
* February 11 - National Foundation Day (kenkoku kinen no hi 建国記念の日)
* March 20 - Vernal Equinox Day (shunbun no hi 春分の日)
* April 29 - Showa Day (showa no hi 昭和の日)
* May 3 - Constitution Day (kenpō kinnenbi 憲法記念日)
* May 4 - Greenery Day (midori no hi みどりの日)
* May 5 - Children's Day (kodomo no hi こどもの日)
* May 6 - Children's Day - Observed
* July 20 (third Monday of month) - Marine Day (umi no hi 海の日)
* September 21 (third Monday of month) - Respect-for-the-Aged Day (keirō no hi 敬老の日)
* September 23 - Autumnal Equinox Day (shuubun no hi 秋分の日)
* October 12 (second Monday of month) - Sports Day (taiiku no hi 体育の日)
* November 3 - Culture Day (bunka no hi 文化の日)
* November 23 - Labor Thanksgiving Day (kinrō kansha no hi 勤労感謝の日)
* December 23 - The Emperor's Birthday (tennō tanjōbi 天皇誕生日)

The Japanese calendar
The Imperial era year, which counts from the year of ascension of the Emperor, is often used for reckoning dates in Japan, including transportation timetables and store receipts. The current era is Heisei (平成) and Heisei 21 corresponds to 2009. The year may be written as "H21" or just "21", so "21/1/5" is January 5, 2009. Western years are also well understood and frequently used.

Amusement in Japan

Amusement in Japan

Karaoke (カラオケ) was invented in Japan and can be found in virtually every Japanese city. Pronounced karah-okay it is abbreviated from the words "Empty orchestra" in Japanese - many natives won't have any idea what you're talking about if you use the English carry-oh-key. Most karaoke places occupy several floors of a building. You and your friends have a room to yourself - no strangers involved - and the standard hourly rate often includes all-you-can-drink booze, with refills ordered through a phone on the wall or through the karaoke machine itself. The major chains all have good English-language song selections. Old folks prefer singing enka ballads at small neighborhood bars.

Also ubiquitous are pachinko parlors. Pachinko is a joyless form of gambling that involves dropping little steel balls into a machine; prizes are awarded depending on where they land. The air inside most pachinko parlors is certifiably toxic from nicotine, sweat and despair - not to mention the ear-splitting noise. Give it a miss. Video arcades, though sometimes difficult to distinguish from pachinko parlors from outside, have video games rather than gambling, and are often several floors high.

Japan's national game is Go (囲碁 igo), a strategy board game that originated in China. By no means everyone plays, but the game has newspaper columns, TV, and professional players. The game is also played in the West, and there is a large and active English wiki discussing it [2]. On a sunny day, the Tennoji ward of Osaka is a good place to join a crowd watching two Go masters go at it. Besides Go, another popular board game in Japan is shogi (将棋) or Japanese chess.

Mahjong (麻雀 mājan) is also relatively popular in Japan, and frequently features on Japanese video and arcade games, although it's associated with illegal gambling and mahjong parlors can be quite seedy. While gameplay is similar, scoring is drastically different from the various Chinese versions.

Baseball is hugely popular in Japan and the popularity is a historical one (baseball was first introduced in Japan around 1870s by an American professor). Baseball fans traveling internationally may find Japan to be one of the great examples of baseball popularity outside of United States. Baseball isn't only played in many high schools and by professionals, but also referenced in many Japanese pop culture as well. In addition, many Japanese players have gone on to become top players in MLB. The official Japanese baseball league is known as Nippon Professional Baseball, or simply known as Puro Yakyū (プロ野球), meaning Professional Baseball. Travelers who are interested in baseball may watch professional baseball games once in while with a friend or a Japanese local. Just make sure you reserve your ticket in advance. The rules in Japanese baseball are not much different than baseball in United States, although there are some minor variations. The Japanese national baseball team is also considered to be one of the strongest in the world.

Getting There

Getting There

Citizens of 62 countries and territories, including most Western nations, can obtain landing permission on arrival without a visa. This is usually good for a stay of up to 90 days, although certain European nationalities and Mexicans are permitted to stay for 180 days if they note a longer stay upon entry. All other nationalities must obtain a "temporary visitor" visa prior to arrival, which is generally good for a stay of 90 days. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs maintains an online Guide to Japanese Visas. Note that no visa is required for a same-day transit between international flights at the same airport, so long as you do not leave the secured area.
All foreigners (except those on government business and certain permanent residents) at the age of 16 and over are electronically fingerprinted and photographed as part of immigration entry procedures. This may be followed by a short interview conducted by the immigration officer. Entry will be denied if any of these procedures are refused.
A customs issue that trips up some unwary travellers is that some over-the-counter medications, notably pseudoephedrine (Actifed, Sudafed, Vicks inhalers) and codeine (some cough medications) are prohibited in Japan. Some prescription medicines (mostly strong painkillers) are also banned even if you have a prescription unless you specifically apply for permission in advance. Go to [4] for more information. You may also require permission in order to import drug-filled syringes, such as Epi Pens and the like. Ignorance is not considered an excuse, and you can expect to be jailed and deported if caught. See Japan Customs for details, or check with the nearest Japanese embassy or consulate.
By plane
Most intercontinental flights arrive at either Narita Airport (NRT) near Tokyo or Kansai Airport (KIX) near Osaka; a smaller number use Chubu International Airport (NGO) near Nagoya. All three are significant distances from their respective city centers, but are linked to regional rail networks and also have numerous bus services to nearby destinations. Other international airports include Hiroshima (HIJ), Fukuoka (FUK) and Sapporo New Chitose (CTS). Tokyo's other airport, Haneda Airport (HND), more formally the Tokyo International Airport is the busiest in Asia but primarily serves domestic flights; the only international flights are shuttle services to and from Seoul-Gimpo, Shanghai-Hongqiao and Hong Kong.
Just about every sizable city has an airport, though most only offer domestic flights and a few services to China and Korea. A popular alternative for travellers to these cities is to fly via Seoul on Korean Air or Asiana Airlines: this can even be cheaper than connecting in Japan.
Both Narita and Kansai airports are generally easy to get through and not particularly crowded assuming you avoid the main holiday periods - namely New Year's (end of December - beginning of January), Golden Week (end of April - beginning of May), and Obon (Mid-August), when things are more hectic and expensive.

Japan's two major airlines are Japan Airlines (JAL) and All Nippon Airways (ANA). Northwest Airlines and United Airlines also operate sizable hubs at Narita, with flights to many destinations in the US and Asia.
By boat
There are a number of international ferries to Japan. Except for the ferries from Busan to Fukuoka and Shimonoseki, these are generally uncompetitive with discounted air tickets, as prices are high, schedules infrequent (and unreliable) and travel times long. In roughly descending order of practicality:

Korea
* Busan-Fukuoka: JR Kyushu Ferry, 092-281-2315 (Japan) or 051-469-0778 (Korea), operates hydrofoil service several times each day, taking about 3.5 hours and costing ¥13,000 one way. Camelia Line, 092-262-2323 (Japan) or 051-466-7799 (Korea), operates a ferry which takes about 8 hours and starts at ¥9000; if overnight, it may stop and wait in front of Busan Port in the morning until Korean Immigration opens.
* Busan-Shimonoseki: Kanbu Ferry, 0832-24-3000 (Japan) or 051-464-2700 (Korea), daily service. 13.5 hours; ¥9000+.
* Busan-Osaka: Barnstar Line, 06-6271-8830 (Japan) or 051-469-6131 (Korea), offers thrice weekly service. 18 hours; ¥13,700+.

China
* Shanghai-Osaka/Kobe: Japan-China Ferry, 078-321-5791 (Japan) or 021-6326-4357 (China), thrice weekly service. 45 hours; ¥20,000+.
* Tianjin-Kobe: China Express Line, 03-3537-3107 (Japan) or 022-2420-5777 (China), weekly service. 50 hours; ¥22,000+.
* Qingdao-Shimonoseki: Orient Ferry, 0832-32-6615 (Japan) or 0532-8387-1160 (China), thrice weekly service. 38 hours, ¥15,000+.

Russia
* Sakhalin-Wakkanai: Heartland Ferry. 5.5 hours; ¥21,000+. Service is suspended December-April due to sea ice.
* Vladivostok-Takaoka (Fushiki): Far East Shipping Co c/o United Orient Shipping, 03-5640-3901 (Tokyo), roughly weekly. 42 hours; US$320+.