INTRODUCTION
PART 1: PLANNING YOUR TRIP
Routes and costs
Route options 9 – Costs 9
When to go 11
Rail passes
The Japan Rail Pass 12 – Regional Japan Rail passes 13 – Getting a rail pass 16 – Exchange orders 20 – How to use the rail pass 21
Suggested itineraries
General itineraries 22 – Regional itineraries 24
Getting to Japan 27
Before you go
Passports and visas 31 – Health and insurance 32 – What to take 32 – Money 33 – Suggested reading 33
PART 2: JAPAN
Facts about the country
Geography 36 – History 36 – Politics 41 – Economy 42 – Religion 43 – The people 44 – Sport 44 – Culture 46
Practical information for the visitor
Arriving in Japan 50 – Tourist information 51 – Getting around 52 – Accommodation 54 – Where to eat 59 – Nightlife and entertainment 62 – Media 63 – Electricity 63 – Time 63 – Banks and money matters 63 – Post and telecommunications 64 – Museums and tourist attractions 66 – Festivals 66 – National holidays 67 – Language 67 – Assistance 68 – Shopping 69 – Activities 71
PART 3: THE RAIL NETWORK
Railway history
Pioneering early days 73 – Nationalization and expansion 74 – Arrival of the bullet train 74 – Maglev: the future? 77 – Steam railways 78
The railway
Japan Rail today 79 – The trains 81 – Alternatives to a Japan Rail Pass 84 – Timetables 85 – Buying a ticket 85 – Making seat reservations 86 – Railway staff 87 – Station facilities 88 – Bicycles 89
PART 4: GATEWAYS – TOKYO AND OSAKA
Tokyo
What to see and do 90 – Practical information 105 – Side trips from Tokyo (Yokohama 110, Kamakura 112, Tokyo Disney Resort 113, Hakone 113, Nikko 114)
Osaka
What to see and do 116 – Practical information 121
PART 5: HONSHU
Central Honshu
Route guide 127 (Tokyo to Nagoya by shinkansen 127 – Tokyo to Nagano by shinkansen 134 – Nagano to Nagoya via Matsumoto 138 – Nagano to Nagoya via Toyama and Takayama 141 – Nagano to Nagoya via Toyama and Kanazawa 149)
City guides Shizuoka 154 – Nagoya 159 – Nagano 168 – Matsumoto 174 – Takayama 179 – Kanazawa 185
Kansai
Route guide 192 (Nagoya to Osaka by shinkansen 194 – Nagoya to Osaka via the Kii Peninsula 196)
City guides Kyoto 206 (Side trips from Kyoto 220) – Nara 224 – Side trip to Koya-san 230
Western Honshu
Route guide 233 (Osaka to Shin-Yamaguchi by shinkansen 233 – Shin-Yamaguchi to Masuda 242 – Masuda to Matsue 247 – Matsue back to Kyoto/Osaka 249)
City guides Kobe 250 – Okayama 256 – Hiroshima 261 (Side trip to Miyajima 268) – Matsue 271
Tohoku (Northern Honshu)
Route guide 278 (Tokyo to Hachinohe 280 – Hachinohe to Aomori 296 – Aomori to Tokyo via Akita and Niigata 297)
City guides Sendai 308 – Aomori 316 – Niigata 320
PART 6: HOKKAIDO
Route guide Aomori to Hakodate 328 – Hakodate to Sapporo 331 – Sapporo to Asahikawa 337 – Asahikawa to Abashiri 338 – Abashiri to Kushiro 341 – Kushiro to (Sapporo and) Asahikawa 346
City guides Hakodate 350 – Sapporo 356 – Asahikawa 365
PART 7: KYUSHU
Route guide Shin-Yamaguchi to Fukuoka/Hakata by shinkansen 372 – Fukuoka/Hakata to Nagasaki 376 – Fukuoka/Hakata to Kagoshima via Kumamoto 379 – Kokura to Miyazaki 382 – Side trip from Kumamoto or Oita to Mt Aso 387
City guides Fukuoka/Hakata 389 – Nagasaki 396 – Kumamoto 404 – Kagoshima 409
PART 8: SHIKOKU
Route guide Okayama to Takamatsu 418 – Takamatsu to Kochi 419 – Kochi to Uwajima 423 – Uwajima to Matsuyama 426 – Matsuyama to Okayama 427
City guides Takamatsu 430 – Kochi 437 – Matsuyama 442
APPENDICES
Appendix A: Using the rail route guide 449
Appendix B: Glossary 450
Appendix C: Useful words and phrases 452
Appendix D: Timetables 456
INDEX 473
MAP KEY 480
|
