The go-to Japan guide for anyone planning to travel by train.
Japan is steeped in legend and myth, perhaps the greatest of which is the popular misconception that the country is simply too expensive to visit. The truth is that flights to Japan are cheaper than they've ever been, accommodation can be great value, while the warm hospitality which awaits every visitor costs nothing at all. The real secret to travelling around the country on a budget, however, is the Japan Rail Pass. Use this comprehensive guide in conjunction with a rail pass to get the most out of a trip to Japan.
Practical information - planning your trip; when to go; suggested itineraries; what to take; festivals and events.
City guides and maps - where to stay, where to eat, what to see in 30 towns and cities; historical and cultural background.
Kilometre-by-kilometre route guides - covering train journeys from the coast into the mountains, from temple retreat to sprawling metropolis and from sulphurous volcano to windswept desert; 33 route maps.
Japan Rail service schedules - Bullet trains and main routes in this guide.
Customs, etiquette, Japanese words and phrases - with kanji/hiragana/katakana for all place name text - readers can point to the text when asking Japanese speakers for directions.
Extended Highlights - extra colour sections make this book even more user-friendly and attractive.
What's new in this fully-updated 5th edition?
New style Trailblazer guide with twin-colour layout and restyled maps
Greater coverage of Tokyo with additional mapping following post-Olympic interest for the capital
More hot-spring resorts added (including Kinosaki, Kinugawa and Nyuto)
More information about areas off the beaten track including the wood-carving town of Inami, Yanagawa where you can ride in a 'gondola' along its canals, Tomioka Silk Mill (where silk production was first mechanised), Okunoshima island (notorious for its WWII poison gas factory)
Expanded colour section with 'Best' lists to help plan a trip
Fully updated post Covid outbreak
Rezensionen / Stimmen
'no visitor to Japan should be without their own copy' - Wisconsin Bookwatch (US); Reviews for previous editions: 'A must for any travel or train buff's collection... covers everything from Japanese words and phrases to railway timetables. This new edition includes recent extensions to several train lines plus further coverage of popular tourist destinations and less-traveled ares nearby'.--California Book Watch (USA) 'Excellent guide'--The Sunday Times (UK) 'A find.... Well researched'--The Japan Times (Japan) 'Practical, highly interesting and should enable the visitor to save money and add to the enjoyment of Japan'.--National Railway Museum Journal (UK) 'One of my favourite and most used guidebooks'--South China Morning Post (Hong Kong) 'A great primer'--The Daily Telegraph (UK) 'An invaluable companion'--Railway Magazine (UK) 'If you are coming from outside Japan, this is quite possibly the best single guidebook you can bring'.--Japan Visitor Guide (Japan) 'Brilliantly informative guide'--JTB Europe (Japan Travel Bureau) 'A gem'--The Daily Yomiuri (Japan)
Reihe
Auflage
Sprache
Verlagsort
Hindhead, Surrey
Großbritannien
Editions-Typ
Illustrationen
70 colour photos, 10 B&W photos & illustrations. Maps: 3 colour, 7 regional and 33 B&W rail maps and 31 town plans.
Maße
Höhe: 179 mm
Breite: 118 mm
Dicke: 28 mm
Gewicht
ISBN-13
978-1-912716-14-2 (9781912716142)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Klassifikation
Graduating from Cambridge University, Ramsey Zarifeh, spent two years teaching in Japan, he is now an International news journalist. Anna Udagawa lives in the UK and was an English teacher in Japan before getting married there. She revisits Japan regularly and now works as a travel guide-book editor.
INTRODUCTION
Why take the train? 7 Routes and costs 9
When to go 14 National holidays 16 – Festivals and events 17
PART 1: PLANNING YOUR TRIP
Rail passes Japan Rail Pass 29 – Regional JR rail passes 31
Getting a rail pass 36 – Exchange orders 39 – How to use the rail
pass 41
Suggested itineraries 41
Before you go Booking a flight 47 – Passports and visas 48
Tourist information 48 – Health and insurance 49 – What to take 49
Money 50 – Suggested reading 51
PART 2: JAPAN
Facts about the country Geography 53 – History 54
Politics 58 – Economy 59 – Religion 59 – The people 60 – Sport 61
Culture 62
Practical information for visitors Arriving in Japan 64
Tourist information 65 – Getting around 65 – Accommodation 67
Where to eat 74 – Nightlife and entertainment 76 – Media 77
Electricity 78 – Time 78 – Banks and money matters 78 – Post and
telecommunications 79 – Language 82 – Assistance 82
Shopping 84 – Museums and tourist attractions 85 – Activities 86
PART 3: THE RAIL NETWORK
Railway history 88
The railway Japan Rail today 93 – The trains 95 – Timetables 98
Buying a ticket 99 – Making seat reservations 100 – Railway
staff 101 – Station facilities 101
PART 4: TOKYO AND OSAKA
Tokyo 103 Around Tokyo 133 Osaka 144 Side trips 155
PART 5: HONSHU
Central Honshu
Route guides Tokyo to Nagoya by shinkansen 161 – Tokyo to
Kanazawa by shinkansen 177 – Nagano to Nagoya via Matsumoto 187
Toyama to Nagoya via Takayama 191 – Kanazawa to Kyoto, Osaka or Nagoya 195
City guides Nagoya 197 – Nagano 206 – Matsumoto 213
Takayama 218 – Kanazawa 226
PART 5: HONSHU (cont'd)
Kansai
Route guides Nagoya to Shin-Osaka by shinkansen 234 – Nagoya
to Shin-Osaka via the Kii Peninsula 237
City guides Kyoto 250, Side trips 263 – Nara 265, Side trips 270
Western Honshu
Route guides Shin-Osaka (Osaka) to Shin-Yamaguchi by
shinkansen 272 – Shin-Yamaguchi to Masuda 282 – Masuda to
Matsue 286
City guides Kobe 289 – Okayama 297 – Hiroshima 301 – Matsue 312
Tohoku (North-eastern Honshu)
Route guides Tokyo to Shin-Aomori by shinkansen 320 – Aomori/
Shin-Aomori to Akita and Niigata 344
City guides Sendai 353 – Niigata 359 – Aomori 363
PART 6: HOKKAIDO
Route guides Shin-Aomori to Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto/Hakodate 368
Hakodate/Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto to Sapporo 371 – Sapporo to
Asahikawa & Abashiri 377 – Abashiri to Kushiro 382 – Kushiro to
Sapporo (or Asahikawa) 388
City guides Hakodate 393 – Sapporo 399 – Asahikawa 407
PART 7: KYUSHU
Route guides Shin-Yamaguchi to Hakata (Fukuoka) by
shinkansen 414 – Hakata (Fukuoka) to Nagasaki 416 – Hakata
(Fukuoka) to Kagoshima-chuo by shinkansen 421 – Kokura to
Miyazaki 426
City guides Fukuoka 434 – Nagasaki 441 – Kumamoto 448
Kagoshima 455
PART 8: SHIKOKU
Route guides Okayama to Takamatsu 464 – Takamatsu to
Tokushima 466 – Tokushima to Kochi 466 – Kochi to Uwajima 473
Uwajima to Matsuyama 475 – Matsuyama to Okayama 477
City guides Takamatsu 480 – Tokushima 486 – Matsuyama 490
APPENDICES
A: Glossary 496 B: Useful words and phrases 500
C: JR service summaries 504
MAP KEY 513 INDEX 514
