Japan

SAFETY: excellent

No particular risks are reported in the country. Petty crime is at minimal levels.

TRANSPORT: excellent

The road system is modern and efficient, although outside the big cities signage is in Japanese only. Public transport in general, and the railways in particular, are of the very highest standard. Domestic air connections are well organised and frequent.

Main airports: Fukuoka, Hiroshima (Nishi), Kobe, Miyagi (Sendai), Nagano (Shinshu-Matsumoto), Nagasaki, Nagoya (Komaki), Niigata, Oita, Okinawa (Kadena and Naha), Osaka (Itami and Kansai), Sapporo (Chitose and Okadama), Tokyo (Haneda, Yokota and Narita), Yokohama.

Main ports: Chiba, Kawasaki, Kiire, Kisarazu, Kobe, Mizushima, Nagoya, Osaka, Tokyo, Yokohama.

ACCOMMODATION: good

The hotel offering is wide and generally of good quality, though rather expensive by Italian standards.

COUNTRY FACTS: Full name: Japan – Location: East Asia. An archipelago in the Pacific Ocean, off the coasts of China, Russia and Korea, between the Sea of Okhotsk and the South China Sea – Time zone: UTC+9, 8 hours ahead of Italy, 7 hours ahead during daylight saving time – Area: 378,000 sq km – Capital: Tokyo – Population: 127,433,000 – Religion: 84% Shinto and Zen Buddhist, 16% other religions – Languages: Japanese – Measures: metric system. The tsubo is also used (1 tsubo = 3.31 m²).

CURRENCY: Japanese yen (JPY). There are no restrictions on importing or exporting currency, but sums worth more than one million yen must be declared – Credit cards: the major cards are accepted throughout the country. Cirrus ATMs can be used– Exchange: bring euros; exchange is easy.

ELECTRICITY: 100 V and 50 Hz in eastern Japan (Tokyo, Kawasaki, Sapporo, Yokohama, Sendai), 60 Hz in western Japan (Osaka, Kyoto, Nagoya, Hiroshima) – Sockets: flat-pin type; bring an adapter.

DOCUMENTS REQUIRED FOR ENTRY INTO THE COUNTRY:

-Passport: valid for the entire duration of your stay.

-Visit Japan Web form: Not compulsory, but recommended to speed up immigration and customs procedures in Japan, avoiding paper forms and generating a QR code to show on arrival; otherwise, paper forms will have to be filled in at the airport.

COMMUNICATIONS AND TELEPHONES:International dialling code: 0081 – Code for calling Italy: 00139– GSM: coverage across the whole country. Standard: 3G 2100. Local operators: eMobile, NTT DoCoMo and SoftBank Mobile – Internet: widely available throughout the country – Web domain: .jp– Emergency numbers: ambulance and fire brigade 119; police 110.

RULES, LAWS AND CONDUCT: drug use, even in minimal quantities, is severely punished. Sexual abuse and violence against minors are punishable by imprisonment. Homosexuality is not a criminal offence but is not openly accepted socially.

HEALTH: no compulsory vaccinations. The general health situation is very good. Local hospitals are of an excellent standard, but costs are very high and it can be difficult to find staff who speak foreign languages. Medicines are also readily available.

PUBLIC HOLIDAYS: 1 January, New Year’s Day; second Monday in January, Coming of Age Day; 11 February, National Foundation Day; 21 March, Vernal Equinox Day; 29 April, Greenery Day; 3 May, Constitution Memorial Day; 5 May, Children’s Day; 20 July, Marine Day; August, Obon Festival; 15 September, Respect for the Aged Day; 23 September, Autumnal Equinox Day; second Monday in October, Health and Sports Day; 3 November, Culture Day; 23 November, Labour Thanksgiving Day; 23 December, Emperor’s Birthday.

OPENING HOURS: Post offices: Mon-Fri 9.00-17.00 (main offices also open Sat 9.00-12.30. The central post office in Tokyo is open 24 hours) – Banks: Mon-Fri 9.00-15.00, Sat 9.00-12.00 – Shops: Mon-Sun 10.00-20.00.

CLIMATE: temperate, but with marked differences between north and south. Summer, hot and muggy, is the wettest time of the year. In Hokkaido summer is less rainy and less hot. From August to early October typhoons can occur, especially on the southernmost islands of the archipelago. Autumn is mild in most of the country until the last days of October. In winter there is heavy snowfall on Hokkaido from December to March. In Tokyo and Osaka winter is generally cold but with little rain.

Monthly max/min temperatures (in °C)

Rainy days (at least 1 mm of rain)/monthly rainfall in mm

USEFUL ADDRESSES

Embassy and Consulate of Japan in Italy

Via Quintino Sella 60 – 00187 Rome

Tel. 06 487991 – Fax 06 4873316

Web: www.it.emb-japan.go.jp

Consulate General of Japan in Italy

Via privata Mangili 2/4 – 20121 Milan

Tel. 02 6241141 – Fax 02 29008899

Italian Embassy in Japan

Mita 2-5-4, Minato-ku– 108-8302 Tokyo

Tel. 0081 3 34535291 – Fax 0081 3 34562319

Web: www.ambtokyo.esteri.it

E-mail: ambasciata.tokyo@esteri.it

Consulate General of Italy in Japan

Nakanoshima Festival Tower 17F

2-3-18, Nakanoshima, Kita-ku

Osaka 530-0005

Tel. 06 4706 5820

Visa office tel. 06 4706 5841

Fax 06 6201 0590

Web: www.consosaka.esteri.it

E-mail: segreteria.osaka@esteri.it

visti.osaka@esteri.it

consolare.osaka@esteri.it

con.osaka@cert.esteri.it

Japan National Tourism Organization

www.jnto.go.jp

4, rue de Ventadour

75001 Paris

Tel. 0033 (01) 42962029

Fax 0033 (01) 40209279

www.tourisme-japon.fr