Japan (Lonely Planet, 11th Edition) - Chris Rowthorn [5]
Alex Kerr’s Lost Japan (1996) is not strictly a travel book, though he does recount some journeys in it; rather, it’s a collection of essays on his long experiences in Japan. Like Booth, Kerr has some great insights into Japan and the Japanese, and his love for the country is only matched by his frustration at some of the things he sees going wrong here.
Donald Richie’s The Inland Sea (1971) is a classic in this genre. It recounts the author’s island-hopping journey across the Seto Inland Sea in the late 1960s. Richie’s elegiac account of a vanished Japan makes the reader nostalgic for times gone by. It was re-released in 2002 and is widely available online and in better bookshops.
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INTERNET RESOURCES
There’s no better place to start your web explorations than at lonelyplanet.com. Here you’ll find succinct summaries on travelling to most places on earth, postcards from other travellers and the Thorn Tree bulletin board, where you can ask questions before you go or dispense advice when you get back.
Other websites with useful Japan information and links:
Hyperdia Japan (www.hyperdia.com/cgi-english/hyperWeb.cgi) Get Japan transport information (fares, times etc) in English.
Japan Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA; www.mofa.go.jp) Has useful visa information and embassy/consulate locations under the ‘Visa’ tab.
Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO; www.jnto.go.jp) Great information on all aspects of travel in Japan (see also Click here).
Japan Rail (www.japanrail.com) Information on rail travel in Japan, with details on the Japan Rail Pass (see also Click here).
Kōchi University Weather Home Page (http://weather.is.kochi-u.ac.jp/index-e.html) Weather satellite images of Japan updated several times a day – particularly useful during typhoon season (August, September and October).
Rikai (www.rikai.com/perl/Home.pl) Translate Japanese into English by pasting any bit of Japanese text or webpage into this site.
Tokyo Sights (www.tokyotojp.com) Hours, admission fees, phone numbers and information on most of Tokyo’s major sights.
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Events Calendar
* * *
JANUARY
FEBRUARY
MARCH/APRIL
MAY
JULY
AUGUST
SEPTEMBER
OCTOBER
NOVEMBER
DECEMBER
* * *
Japan’s calendar is packed with festivities and events from start to finish. It’s a safe bet that there is a matsuri (festival) happening somewhere in Japan every day of the year. They are often colourful, boisterous and sometimes even wild events. The following is a list of the more interesting matsuri, events and seasonal highlights.
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JANUARY
SHŌGATSU 31 Dec-3 Jan
New Year’s is one of the most important celebrations in Japan and includes plenty of eating and drinking, the sending of auspicious New Year’s cards, and the paying of respects to relatives and business associates. The central ritual, hatsumode, involves the first visit to the local shrine to pray for health, happiness and prosperity during the coming year.
YAMAYAKI (GRASS BURNING FESTIVAL) early Jan
Held in Nara the day before Seijin-no-hi (below), this festival commemorates a feud between groups of monks of two different temples. An entire mountainside is set alight (it must have been one heckuva feud).
SEIJIN-NO-HI (COMING-OF-AGE DAY) 2nd Mon in Jan
Ceremonies are held for boys and girls who have reached the age of 20. A good place to see the action is at large shrines, where there will be crowds of young folks – girls in beautiful kimono and boys in suits.
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FEBRUARY
SETSUBUN MATSURI 3 or 4 Feb
To celebrate the end of winter (one day before the start of spring according to the Japanese lunar calendar) and to drive out evil spirits, the Japanese throw roasted beans while chanting ‘oni wa soto, fuku wa uchi’ (out with the demons, in with good