Japan

Citizens of many countries, including the US, Canada, UK and EU, can obtain entry permission on arrival without a visa. This is usually valid for a stay of up to 90 days, although Mexicans and some Europeans are permitted to stay for 180 days if they ask for a longer stay upon entry. All others must obtain a "temporary visitor" visa prior to arrival, which is generally valid for a stay of 90 days. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs maintains an on-line Guide to Japanese Visas.

The Japanese currency is the Japanese yen, abbreviated ¥ (or JPY in foreign exchange contexts). The symbol 円 (pronounced en) is used in the Japanese language. Cash is available in the following forms:

Monorail in Tokyo, one of the country's many futuristic transport systems]]Japan has one of the world's best transport systems, and getting around is usually a breeze, with the train being overwhelmingly the most popular option. Trains are generally very punctual except during inclement weather or natural disasters. Travelling around Japan can be expensive, but there is a variety of passes that can be used to limit the damage.

The native language of Japan is Japanese ( nihongo). Very different from English and not known to be related to any other language group, it's nevertheless worthwhile to try to pick up at least basic greetings and thank yous to put people at ease. The Japanese writing system is arguably the most complex in the world, since it incorporates three different scripts including Chinese characters, but the native katakana and hiragana syllabaries of 46 characters each are reasonably tractable and will…

Japan is one of the safest countries in the world, with crime rates significantly lower than that of most countries. Kōban (交番), usually translated as police boxes, can be found in nearly every neighborhood, identified by a flashing red light. The police are generally helpful (although they rarely speak English), so ask if you get lost or have any trouble. They usually have a detailed map of the area around showing the difficult-to-understand numbering system and the names of major buildings to help to find your way. You can report accidents and petty crimes at a kōban, but for serious crimes…

Japan is a country obsessed with cleanliness and health hazards are few and far between. Food hygiene standards are very high and there are no communicable diseases of significance. Tap water is safe and of good quality throughout the country. Domestic and foreign brands of bottled water are available for ¥100-200 everywhere (at least in tourist destinations). Most restaurants serve filtered tap water for free. Unless specifically labeled "mineral water" (ミネラルウォーター mineraru wōtā), water in Japan has a low mineral concentration in general. Radioactivity levels in the water supply have been…

===By phone=== International dialing prefixes vary from company to company. Check with your operator for more details. For international calls to Japan, the country code is 81. Phone numbers in Japan have the format +81 3 1234-5678 where "81" is the country code for Japan, the next digits are the dialing zone where the local number is located (can contain from one to three digits) and the remaining digits (six to eight digits) are the "local" part. When calling within Japan, the long-distance pr…

Most Japanese are very understanding of a foreigner not conforming instantly to their culture; indeed, many believe that their language and culture are among the most difficult to understand in the world, so they are generally quite happy to assist you if you appear to be struggling. However, Japanese will appreciate it if you follow at least the rules below, many of which boil down to social norms of strict cleanliness and avoiding intruding on others (meiwaku).

]] Japan has an estimated 200,000 festivals (祭 matsuri) throughout the year. Festivals are held for a variety of reasons, the most common being to give thanks (e.g. for a successful rice harvest) and bring good fortune. Although most festivals are small events sponsored by local shrines or temples, there are hundreds that are large city-wide affairs, any of which would be a nice addition to your itinerary if they overlap your schedule.