Japan (Lonely Planet, 11th Edition) - Chris Rowthorn [646]
Other Asian Countries
There are daily flights between Japan and the following Asian countries: India (Mumbai and Delhi), Indonesia (Jakarta and Denpasar), Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur), the Philippines (Manila), Singapore, Thailand (Bangkok) and Vietnam (Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi). There are also occasional flights to/from Nepal (Kathmandu).
Other Regions
There are flights between Japan and South America (via the USA or Europe), Africa (via Europe, South Asia or Southeast Asia) and the Middle East.
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LAND
Trans-Siberian Railway
A little-used option of approaching or leaving Japan is the Trans-Siberian Railway. There are three Trans-Siberian Railway options, one of which is to travel on the railway to/from Vladivostok in Russia and take the ferry between Vladivostok and Fushiki in Toyama-ken. The cheaper options are the Chinese Trans-Mongolia and Russian Trans-Manchuria routes, which start/finish in China, from where there are ferry connections to/from Japan via Tientsin, Qingdao and Shanghai. See below for info on ferry connections between Japan, Russia and China.
More detailed information is also available in a good number of publications – see Lonely Planet’s Trans-Siberian Railway: A Classic Overland Route. Those making their way to Japan via China (or vice versa) should pick up a copy of Lonely Planet’s China guide, which has invaluable information on travel in China as well as information on Trans-Siberian travel.
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SEA
China
The Japan China International Ferry Company (in Japan 06-6536-6541, in China 021-6325-7642; www.shinganjin.com, in Japanese) links Shanghai and Osaka/Kōbe. A 2nd-class ticket costs around US$200. The journey takes around 48 hours. A similar service is provided by the Shanghai Ferry Company (in Japan 06-6243-6345, in China 021-6537-5111; www.shanghai-ferry.co.jp, in Japanese). For more information on both of these, Click here.
The China Express Line (in Japan 078-321-5791, in China 022-2420-5777; www.celkobe.co.jp, in Japanese) operates a ferry between Kōbe and Tientsin; 2nd-class tickets cost US$230. The journey takes around 48 hours. For more information, Click here.
Orient Ferry Ltd (in Japan 083-232-6615, in China 0532-8387-1160; www.orientferry.co.jp, in Japanese) operates ferries between Shimonoseki and Qingdao, China, with three departures a week. The cheapest one-way tickets cost around US$130. The trip takes around 28 hours. Click here for details.
Russia
FKK Air Service (0766-22-2212; http://fkk-air.toyama-net.com, in Japanese) operates ferries between Fushiki in Toyama-ken and Vladivostok. One-way fares start at around US$450. The journey takes around 36 hours. The ferry operates from July until the first week of October. For more details, Click here.
An even more exotic option is the summertime route between Wakkanai (in Hokkaidō) and Korsakov (on Sakhalin Island), operated by the Heartland Ferry (in Japan 011-233-8010, in Russia 4242-42-0917; www.heartlandferry.jp/english/index.html). One-way fares start at around ¥24,000 (around US$250) and the journey takes around 7½ hours. The ferry operates from mid-May to the end of October. For more details, Click here.
South Korea
South Korea is the closest country to Japan and has several ferry connections.
BUSAN–SHIMONOSEKI
Kampu Ferry (in Japan 0832-24-3000, in Korea operating under Pukwan Ferry 051-464-2700; www.kampuferry.co.jp, in Japanese) operates the Shimonoseki–Busan ferry service. One-way fares range from around US$85 to US$180, and the journey takes around 12 hours. Click here for more details.
BUSAN-FUKUOKA
A high-speed hydrofoil service, known as the Beetle, is run by JR Kyūshū (in Japan 092-281-2315, in Korea 051-465-6111; www.jrbeetle.co.jp/english) and connects Fukuoka with Busan (around US$140 one way, three hours). Camellia Line (092-262-2323 in Japan, 051-466-7799 in Korea; www.camellia-line.co.jp, in Japanese & Korean) also has a daily ferry