Japan by Rail, 3rd: includes rail route guide and 30 city guides

by Ramsey Zarifeh

Overview

The secret to travelling around Japan on a budget is the Japan Rail Pass. Using this guide and a Japan Rail Pass, you can travel almost anywhere across all four main islands – cheaply and efficiently. This comprehensive guide is designed to be used in conjunction with a rail pass to get the most out of your trip to Japan. Practical information – planning your trip; what to take; getting to Japan from Europe, North America and Australasia City guides and maps – where to stay (all budgets), where to eat, what to see in 30 towns and cities; historical and cultural background Kilometer-by-kilometer route guides – covering train journeys from the coast into the mountains, from temple retreat to sprawling metropolis and from sulphurous volcano to windswept desert; 34 route maps Railway timetables – Bullet trains and all routes in this guidebook Plus – Customs, etiquette, Japanese phrases and 40 color photos

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781905864393
Publisher:	Trailblazer Publications
Publication date:	10/16/2012
Edition description:	Third Edition
Pages:	480
Product dimensions:	6.90(w) x 4.70(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Graduating from Cambridge University, Ramsey Zarifeh, spent two years teaching in Japan. Now a journalist, he works for Reuters, Swiss Radio International and the BBC.

Read an Excerpt

IntroductionThink of Japan and one of the first images you're likely to conjure up is that of the bullet train speeding past snow-capped Mt Fuji. For many, what lies beyond the frame of this image is a mystery. But step inside the picture, hop on board that train and you'll quickly discover the true scope and variety of what the country has to offer. The fascination of Japan lies in its diversity: remote mountain villages contrast with huge neon-lit cities that never sleep; the vast natural landscape of unspoilt forests, volcanoes and hot springs more than compensate for the occasional man-made eyesore; the silent oasis of a Shinto shrine or a Buddhist temple is not far from the deafening noise of a virtual-reality games arcade. Nowhere else in the world do past and present co-exist in such close proximity as in this relatively small country. The ideal way of seeing it all is by rail, whether it's on one of the world-famous bullet trains (shinkansen) or on the wide network of local or express trains, or even on one of the many steam trains. An early 20th-century guidebook advised visitors to 'make travel plans as simple as possible. The conditions of travel in this country do not lend themselves to intricate arrangements'. Today, however, nothing could be further from the truth. Trains run not just to the minute but to the second, so itineraries can be as complicated or minutely timetabled as you wish. Or you can simply turn up at the station and plan your journey as you go. Most Japanese travel by train, so it's the ideal way to meet the people and find out what life is really like for at least some of the 127 million who live here. The real secret to touring the country is the Japan Rail Pass, deservedly recognized as the 'bargain of the century'. Rail-pass holders can travel easily almost anywhere on the four main islands over a network that stretches for 20,000km. Take advantage of the freedom it confers to explore on and off the beaten track beyond the Tokyo metropolis and the tourist capital of Kyoto. Japan need not be too expensive as, apart from your rail pass, you can cut costs by staying in youth hostels, minshuku (Japanese-style B&Bs) or business hotels (Western or Japanese style). For those with a larger budget staying in ryokan (upmarket B&Bs) can be an amazing experience, but if you prefer there are world-class five-star hotels throughout the country. Unexpected pleasures also await the traveller: where else are you greeted by a conductor wearing white gloves who bows and doffs his cap as you hurtle along at 190mph (300kph) on a shinkansen? Where else can you buy cans of hot coffee from a vending machine at the top of a mountain or take a crash course in Zen meditation in a temple? It's said that no gaijin (outsider) can ever fully know Japan but only by visiting and seeing for yourself can you discover what the country is really like: somewhere between the images of traditional past and hi-tech future which flicker worldwide on the small screen.

Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION (1) PART 1: PLANNING YOUR TRIP Routes and costs, When to go, Rail passes, Suggested itineraries, Getting to Japan (From the UK, From continental Europe, From North America, From Asia, From South Africa, From Australasia), Before you go (Passports and visas, Health and insurance, What to take, Money, Suggested reading) (2) PART 2: JAPAN Facts about the country (Geography, History, Politics, Economy, Religion, The people, Sport, Culture), Practical information for the visitor (Arriving in Japan, Tourist information, Getting around, Accommodation, Where to eat, Nightlife and entertainment, Media, Electricity, Time, Banks and money matters, Post and telecommunications, Museums and tourist attractions, National holidays, Festivals, Language, Assistance, Shopping, Activities (3) PART 3: THE RAIL NETWORK Railway history (Pioneering early days, Nationalization and expansion, Arrival of the 'bullet' train, Maglev: the future?, Steam railways), The railway (Japan Rail today, The trains, Alternatives to a Japan Rail Pass, Buying a ticket, Timetables, Making seat reservations, Railway staff, Station facilities, Bicycles, Using the route guides (4) PART 4: GATEWAYS – TOKYO AND OSAKA (5) PART 5: HONSHU Central Honshu Route guide (Tokyo to Nagoya by shinkansen, Tokyo to Nagano by shinkansen, Nagano to Nagoya via Matsumoto, Nagano to Nagoya via Toyama/Takayama, Nagano to Nagoya/Osaka via Toyama and Kanazawa) Central Honshu city guides (Shizuoka, Nagoya, Nagano, Matsumoto, Takayama, Kanazawa) Kansai Route guide (Tokyo/Nagoya to Osaka by shinkansen, Nagoya to Osaka via the Kii Peninsula) Kansai city guides (Kyoto, Nara), Western Honshu Route guide (Osaka to Ogori by shinkansen, Ogori to Masuda, Masuda to Matsue, Matsue back to Kyoto/Osaka) Western Honshu City guides (Kobe, Okayama, Hiroshima, Matsue) Tohoku (Northern Honshu) Route guide (Tokyo to Shin-Aomori by shinkansen, Aomori to Tokyo via Akita and Niigata), Tohoku city guides (Sendai, Aomori, Niigata), (6) PART 6: HOKKAIDO Route guide (Aomori to Hakodate, Hakodate to Sapporo, Sapporo to Asahikawa, Asahikawa to Abashiri, Abashiri to Kushiro, Kushiro to (Sapporo and) Asahikawa) Hokkaido city guides (Hakodate, Sapporo, Asahikawa) (7) PART 7: KYUSHU Route guide (Ogori to Hakata by shinkansen, Hakata to Nagasaki, Hakata to Kagoshima by shinkansen, Hakata to Kagoshima via Kumamoto, Hakata/Kokura to Miyazaki, Side trip from Kumamoto or Oita to Mt Aso) Kyushu city guides (Fukuoka (Hakata), Nagasaki, Kumamoto, Kagoshima) (8) PART 8: SHIKOKU Route guide (Okayama to Takamatsu, Takamatsu to Kochi, Kochi to Uwajima, Uwajima to Matsuyama, Matsuyama to Okayama), Shikoku city guides (Takamatsu, Kochi, Matsuyama) (9) APPENDICES Glossary, Useful words and phrases, Timetables, (10) INDEX

Interviews

The real secret to travelling around Japan on a budget is the Japan Rail Pass, deservedly recognized as the 'bargain of the century'. Using the rail pass, you can travel almost anywhere across all four main islands. With this guide and a Japan Rail pass a trip to Japan need not be expensive, indeed – the cheapest and most efficient way to travel around Japan is by train with a rail pass.

Editorial Reviews

'A find…Well researched.' The Japan Times (Japan) 'Excellent guide' The Sunday Times (UK) 'A great primer.' The Daily Telegraph (UK) 'An invaluable companion.' Railway Magazine (UK) "If you plan to rely on trains in Japan to get around -- which in most cases you should -- then 'Japan by Rail' may prove more useful than the standard guidebook." www.japanvisitor.com

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