PART 2: JAPAN
PART 3: THE RAIL NETWORK (p66)
PART 4: TOKYO AND OSAKA (p85)
PART 5: HONSHU (p109)
PART 6: HOKKAIDO (p281)
PART 7: KYUSHU (p321)
ODDS AND ENDS
PREVIOUS UPDATESOn this page, you'll find the latest travel news from Japan. Use these updates together with the guide book, Japan by Rail, to help plan your trip to the land of the rising sun - and check back here regularly for the latest information.
To help you cross-reference the new information with what appears in the book, page numbers referred to in the text below correspond to the pages of Japan by Rail.
If you discover anything new on a trip to Japan which you think would be worth sharing with other travellers, drop the author a line at: info@japanbyrail.co.uk
Last Updated: June 2003
PART 1: PLANNING YOUR TRIP (p9)
Regional Japan Rail Passes (p13)
JR Hokkaido (www.jrhokkaido.co.jp/global/index.html) has introduced its own three-day pass available in ordinary and green (first class) varieties. The ordinary pass costs ¥14,000 (children aged 6-11, ¥7000), while the green pass is ¥20,000 (children ¥10,000). The pass is only valid for JR services on the island of Hokkaido (p281) and unlike the national Japan Rail Pass can be bought both inside and outside Japan. For alternative Hokkaido rail passes, see p77.
Getting to Japan (p22)
All Nippon Airways (www.ana-europe.com) has recently launched an online reservation service for its scheduled flights between London Heathrow and Tokyo.
In 2002, Japan Airlines (JAL) merged with Japan Air System (JAS) to become the Japan Airlines Group. Domestic air travel in Japan is now dominated by ANA and the new-look JAL.
Practical Information for the Visitor (p44)
Welcome Cards (p46)
Welcome cards, which are free, offer discounts of at least 10% on a number of hotels, restaurants, museums and tourist attractions in many parts of Japan. One of the latest areas to introduce such a card is the Tokai region of Central Honshu (p109), which includes Aichi, Gifu, Mie, Shizuoka and Nagoya. For more information about the offers and travel throughout the region, visit www.j-heartland.com
Banks and Money Matters (p56)
ATMs in post offices nationwide do now accept international VISA, MasterCard and Cirrus cards - very useful if you run out of cash outside banking hours.
Thanks to ongoing deregulation, all shops in Japan are now allowed to exchange foreign bank notes (previously, only authorised foreign exchange desks and banks could do so). Don't get too excited, though, since in practice most shops are not yet geared up to do this and the vast majority only accept payment in Japanese yen.
Plans are afoot to change the designs on the ¥10,000, ¥5000 and ¥1000 notes in 2004. Higuchi Ichiyo (1872-1896), a writer from Meiji-era Japan, is set to make posthumous history as the first woman to appear on a Japanese bank note, when she becomes the new face of the ¥5000 bill.
Ongoing recession in Japan has led many banks - crippled by years of bad debt and dodgy lending practices - to join forces with each other or die. As a result, many household banking names have disappeared. The old Sanwa Bank and Tokai Bank have combined to become UFJ Bank, while Sumitomo and Sakura are now known collectively as the Mitsui-Sumitomo Bank. Fuji Bank, Daiichi-Kangyo and Nihon-Kogyo Banks have joined forces to become the single Mizuho Bank.
Email (p57)
There's good news for anyone who needs to stay connected while travelling around Japan. Apart from the ever-increasing number of Internet cafés, branches of McDonalds across the country now offer free wireless LAN access to their customers. Just make sure you bring your laptop and a wireless LAN card.
Phone (p58)
The only mobile phones which work in Japan are those made in Japan! There are rumours that mobile operator, J-Phone (which is in the process of changing its name to Vodaphone), may open up its network to other international Vodaphone customers in 2004, but for the moment the only way you can stay connected while on the move in Japan is to purchase or rent a mobile when you arrive.
One of the cheapest options is to rent a pre-paid ('pay-as-you-go') mobile from the Internet-based company, www.mobilephonejp.com. Short or long-term visitors to Japan can rent a phone for a minimum period of one day (¥1200). The company is based in Kyoto, but they will post you a phone anywhere in the country (free delivery for rentals of five days or more). There is no subscription and you simply charge up your phone by purchasing credit in the way of scratch cards (available in many convenience stores). For more details, check out the website.
PART 3: THE RAIL NETWORK (p66)Alternatives to a Japan Rail Pass (p77)
If you're travelling in and around the Kansai region (p165), which includes Kyoto (p180) and Nara (p195), and don't have a Japan Rail Pass, the new Kansai Thru Pass is worth considering. It allows unlimited travel between Kyoto, Nara, Osaka (p101), Himeji (p204), Koya-san (p200), Kobe (p219) and Kansai International Airport (p45). The passes are available in either two-day (¥3800) or three-day (¥5000) varieties and are valid on the networks of 32 private rail and bus companies which operate in Kansai. Note that travel on JR services is not permitted with this pass. For information about the pass - including details of where it can be purchased - check the website: www.surutto.com
The Seishin Juchachi Kippu ('Youth 18 ticket') is a seasonal discount ticket which allows unlimited travel on JR local and rapid trains - but only at certain times of the year. The ticket is also valid for JR limited express services (non-reserved seats only) which run on the northern island of Hokkaido (p281) between Kanita and Kikonai and Shinyubari and Shintoku.
Finally, if you're planning to restrict your travels to the island of Shikoku (p362), it might be worth considering one of the following tickets:
The Shikoku Free Kippu is valid for three days (in second-class) and costs ¥15,700, while the Shikoku Birthday Kippu costs only ¥10,000 for the same period - and in first instead of second class! The drawback is that you must travel during the month of your birthday, but three people can also travel with the birthday boy or girl for an additional ¥10,000 each.
Facilities for the disabled (p83)
Wheelchair users planning a trip to Japan should check out Accessible Japan, a website which has information on hotels which offer specially adapted rooms, as well as trains with space for wheelchairs. General travel advice and useful contacts while in Japan are also provided. The address is: www.wakakoma.org/aj/
Tokyo (p85)
If you haven't done so already on arrival at Narita Airport (p44), tourists stopping in Tokyo can exchange their rail pass voucher for the real thing at the Japan Rail Pass Exchange Desk (Mon-Fri, 10am-6:30pm; w/end 10am-5:30pm), part of the large JR Travel Service Centre at Tokyo station.
Anyone looking for luxury accommodation while in Tokyo need look no further than the new Four Seasons Hotel (tel 03-5222 7222, fax 5222 1255, web www.fourseasons.com; ¥55,000/S, ¥60,000/D). Adjacent to Tokyo station, this 57-room boutique hotel is an ideal base for rail travellers looking for a quiet haven in the heart of the capital. Facilities include a 24-hour business centre, spa, fitness studio and aromatherapy. The Four Seasons is part of the towering Pacific Century Place, which includes a range of upscale shops and contemporary restaurants.
Central Honshu - route guide (p109)
It's all change for the Tokaido shinkansen timetable as of October 1, 2003. JR is introducing more Nozomi bullet trains and reducing the number of Hikari services which depart from/arrive at Tokyo station each hour. There will now be seven Nozomi departures each hour, three Hikari and two Kodama (the slowest bullet trains). This replaces the existing schedule of three Nozomi, seven Hikari and two Kodama.
On the face of it, this appears to be bad news for rail pass holders, since the JR pass is not valid for Nozomi services. But in practice there will still be three Hikari departures each hour from Tokyo, so the new timetable should not have a major impact on the travel plans of rail pass holders. For those travelling without a rail pass, it's worth noting that from October 1 all Nozomi services will have some non-reserved carriages (the compulsory additional seat reservation charge is being lifted with the introduction of more Nozomi trains).
Also on October 1 - timed to coincide with the introduction of the new timetable - a new bullet train station will open at Shinagawa (p87), on the Yamanote loop line which runs around Tokyo. The opening of Shinagawa station is designed to ease congestion at the overcrowded Tokyo station. For the foreseeable future, all bullet trains heading west from Tokyo towards Nagoya, Kyoto and Osaka will continue to start from Tokyo station, but they will also make a stop in Shinagawa. In the long-term, some services will commence from Shinagawa rather than Tokyo station.
Central Honshu - city guides (p134)
Matsumoto (p150)
If you're looking for a cheap place in Matsumoto to crash for the night, a good option is the new Ace Inn Matsumoto (tel 0263-35 1188, fax 35 1102; ¥6700/S), immediately to the right as you exit JR Matsumoto station. Continental breakfast is included in the room rate and a coin-operated laundry is available.
Takayama (p155)
If visiting the popular mountain resort of Takayama in the winter months (Nov 10-Apr 3), take advantage of the Toku Toku Passport (¥1500), a special combo ticket valid for three days. Available from the bus centre outside the station, the passport gives you entry to 15 museums and attractions in and around Takayama, including the Hida Folk Village (p156), and the Festival Floats Exhibition Hall (p156). Save over ¥5000 on individual entrance fees by using this ticket. For more information, check www.hidatakayama.or.jp/English/index.html
You can check your email for free inside the tourist information centre, located in a small wooden hut outside the station.
Best Western Hotel Takayama (p159) now serves traditional Japanese tea and sweetmeats (daily, 10am-9pm, ¥600) in the lobby lounge. Non-residents are welcome. For more details - as well as information about special overnight packages at the hotel - send an email to: takayama@bestwestern.co.jp. The hotel's open-plan restaurant, The Kitchen, also offers English menus and a range of Japanese and international dishes.
Country Hotel Takayama (tel 0577-35 3900, fax 35 3910; ¥5900/S, ¥13,000/Tw) is a new business hotel across the street from the station offering basic but comfortable rooms. A coin-operated laundry is available.
The Arisu restaurant (p159) in the centre of town has become a wedding hall and is no longer open to the public for meals. Belgins Bells, a Swiss restaurant run by long-time Takayama resident, Tom Steinmann, has also closed - but Tom is still in town, and has plans to open a new Alpine restaurant on the outskirts of the town towards the end of 2003.
Kansai - city guides (p180)
Kyoto (p180)
If you need to change money when you arrive in Kyoto, the World Currency Shop on the eighth floor of the Kyoto station building will exchange cash and traveller's cheques in most major currencies.
Free Internet access (max. one hour) is now available at Campus Plaza (closed Mon), close to Kyoto station.
A new bookshop, Asahiya, has opened on the fifth floor of the Platz Kintetsu department store behind the Tourist Information Centre opposite Kyoto station. The shop has a range of foreign books, including English guide books to Japan.
The Kyoto City Air Terminal (KCAT) (p188), which was located on the basement level of Kyoto station, closed in 2002. It is no longer possible to check in at the station for flights departing from Kansai International Airport. A staffed left-luggage office operates in the space formerly occupied by KCAT.
If you're hungry on arrival in Kyoto, don't miss a trip to Musashi Sushi, which recently opened a branch on the ground floor of the shinkansen side of the station. The sushi is fresh and tastes excellent, and all dishes on the conveyor belt are ¥120.
Tohoku - route guide (p242)
Since the opening of the Tohoku shinkansen extension from Morioka (p251) to Hachinohe (p254) in 2002, the stretch of non-bullet train track between the two places has been handed over to the private sector. This section of track has been divided into two parts, with the journey between Morioka and Metoki operated by Iwate Ginga Railway, and Metoki to Hachinohe in the hands of Aoi-Mori Railway.
This means that Japan Rail Pass holders have to pay a supplement to use the ordinary rail line between Morioka and Hachinohe. Best bet is to avoid the old track completely and reserve a place on the shinkansen - it's a much faster journey and you don't have to pay any extra.
Hokkaido - city guides (p304)
Sapporo (p309)
The 350-room JR Tower Hotel Nikko Sapporo (web www.jr-tower.com) opened for business on May 31, 2003. This latest addition to the Sapporo hotel scene is built onto the south side of the JR station and is part of a new, state-of-the-art complex which also houses a major department store and an 'observation spa' - a hot spring with commanding views of downtown Sapporo.
PART 7: KYUSHU (p321)
Kyushu - route guide (p321)
The country's newest stretch of shinkansen track is due to open in Kyushu at the end of 2003, when bullet trains will begin operating between Shin-Yatsushiro (halfway down the island's west coast) and the southern terminus of Nishi-Kagoshima (p355). Journey time on this stretch of line will be reduced to just thirty minutes. The long-term goal is to extend the Kyushu shinkansen line north to the island's capital, Hakata (p336). When the line is completed in 2012, it'll be possible to speed between Hakata and Kagoshima in just over sixty minutes (current fastest journey time is 3 hours 45 minutes).
World Cup white elephants
Japan was hit by football fever in 2002 when it co-hosted the World Cup with South Korea. But the excitement has left more than a trace of a hangover - as well as a headache for local authorities trying to work out what to do with the colossal, space-age stadiums built or renovated to welcome the world to Japan. The country is estimated to have spent nearly £3 billion on preparations for the global event and a recent article in the Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper suggested that eight out of the ten stadiums used to host the matches cannot even afford the day-to-day maintenance costs.
The Sapporo Dome on the island of Hokkaido has bucked the trend, reinventing itself as a popular venue for professional baseball games, but most of the others are in financial trouble. The Saitama stadium - located just outside Tokyo - was used for just 36 days last year and has so far racked up nearly £4 million in losses. The Miyagi stadium in northern Japan, meanwhile, was built (in the shape of a giant samurai helmet) at a cost of £365 million, but does not even have a local team which can make use of it. In a bid to reverse their fortunes, some local authorities have mooted the idea of promoting the white-elephant stadiums as giant wedding venues.
Manners gone madReuters recently reported that a Japanese man was so enraged by an acquaintance's failure to address him with an honorific that he stabbed the man to death with an umbrella.
"It appears that this individual had been harbouring resentment for quite some time, because the acquaintance did not use an honorific when speaking to him," a police spokesman told the news agency.
Ryuji Sakamoto was arrested in June 2002 after punching Takayuki Niimi in the face several times before stabbing him in the head with the umbrella.
It's not the first incident of its kind: in May of the same year, a middle-aged man in southwestern Japan was stabbed to death with an umbrella, apparently in an argument over who had the right of way on a narrow road.
Visitors to Japan should not be unduly worried about these bizarre - and isolated - tales of violent revenge by umbrella: the only danger travellers are likely to encounter involving umbrellas is being caught in the rain without one.
