Japan - Japão

O Japan (日本Nihon or nippon) [1] is a country of Far East.

Understand

Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located on the Pacific Ocean, east of the Sea of ​​Japan, from China Popular Republic, gives North Korea, gives South Korea and of the Russia, extending from the Sea of ​​Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan, South. The characters that make up its name mean "origin of the sun", which is why Japan is sometimes identified as the "Land of the Rising Sun". The country is an archipelago of 6,852 islands, the four largest of which are honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu and Shikoku, together representing 97% of the national land area. Most of the islands are mountainous, with many volcanoes such as the highest Japanese peak, Mount Fuji. Japan has the ninth largest population in the world, with about 128 million inhabitants. The Tokyo Metropolitan Region, which includes the de facto capital of Tokyo and several adjacent city halls, is the largest metropolitan area in the world, with more than 30 million inhabitants. Archaeological research indicates that people already lived on the Japanese islands in the Upper Paleolithic period. The first written mention of Japan begins with a brief appearance in first-century Chinese historical texts. The influence of the rest of the world followed by long periods of isolation has characterized the country's history. Since its constitution in 1947, Japan has remained a unitary constitutional monarchy with an emperor and an elected parliament, the Diet. As a major economic power, it has the second largest economy in the world in nominal GDP and the third largest in purchasing power. . It is also the fourth largest exporter and sixth largest importer in the world, in addition to being the only Asian member of the G8. The country maintains a modern and extensive security force used for self-defence and peacekeeping functions. Japan has a very high standard of living (10th highest HDI), with the highest life expectancy in the world (according to UN and WHO estimates) and the third lowest infant mortality rate.

Culture

The history of this nation has produced a culture that blends Chinese tradition and Western forms from its architecture to its cuisine. Primarily, Japan was directly influenced by China, in a process that started about 1,500 years ago. However, the process of cultural nationalization accelerated during the last 250 years before Japan remained isolated, until 1868, when it opened up to the Western world. In recent centuries it has been influenced by Europe and the United States. Through these influences, it generated its own complex of arts, craft techniques (dolls, lacquered objects, ceramics, bonsai, origami and other paper arts, the addition of ikebana), shows (bunraku, dance, kabuki, noh, rakugo, shibu, Yosakoi Soran) and traditions (games, onsen, sento, tea ceremony), as well as a unique cuisine. Japanese popular culture became known from manga and anime. Manga emerged from the union between traditional painting on wood and Western art. Animation and manga influenced movies are called anime. Consoles made in Japan have thrived since the 1980s. Among their best-known traditional examples are sushi in cooking, bonsai as cultural manifestations, the anime Akira in cartoons and the PlayStation video game, currently in its fourth version.

Regions

Japan consists of four main islands and many smaller islands.honshu, the largest and most populous of them, is typically divided into five regions. The other islands are not here divided into sub-regions, one of which constitutes a region.

Hokkaido

Tohoku (aomori, Iwate, Akita, miyagi, Yamagata, Fukushima)

Kanto (Ibaraki, Tochigi, gunma, Saitama, chiba, Tokyo, Kanagawa)

Chubu (Niigata, Toyama, Ishikawa, Fukui, Yamanashi, Nagano, Shizuoka, aichi, Gifu)

Kansai (Shiga, Mie, Kyoto, Osaka, Nara, Wakayama, Hyogo)

Chugoku (Tottori, Shimane, okama, Hiroshima, Yamaguchi)

Shikoku (Kagawa, ehime, Tokushima, kochi)

Kyushu (Fukuoka, Saga, Nagasaki, eight, Kumamoto, Miyazaki, Kagoshima)

Okinawa

Cities

• Tokyo (東京) : the capital
• Fukuoka (福岡)
• Hiroshima (広島)
• Nagasaki (長崎)
• Nagoya (名古屋)
• Nara (奈良)
• Osaka (大阪)
• Kyoto (京都)
• Sapporo (札幌)

Other destinations

• Mount Fuji

To arrive

citizens Portuguese it's from Macao (SAR passport) enjoy visa exemption for tourist visits of up to 90 days. Brazilians and travelers from other Portuguese-speaking countries must obtain an entry visa at the respective Japanese consulates.

• Japanese Embassy in Brazil[2] - SES, Avenida das Nações, block 811, lot 39, Brasilia. Consular Department (visas) - Tel: (61) 3442-4200 (Fax: (61) 3242-2499, email: [email protected])

• Japanese Embassy in Portugal[3] - Av. da Liberdade, nº 245 / 6th floor Lisbon. - Tel: (351) 21 311 0560, FAX: (351) 21 353 7600

By airplane

• The main gateway into the country is Tokyo's Narita Airport. Kansai Airport, which serves Osaka and Kyoto, also receives many international flights.
• In São Paulo, daily flights from JAL, with scale in New York. 26h trip, fare approximately US$2100, tax included. Please note that a transit visa is required for the U.S, due to the scale.

Of boat

You can reach Japan by boat via the "Beetle" [4], a regular fast line between the cities of busan, at South Korea, and Fukuoka, on the island/region of Kyushu.

The trip between the two countries takes about three hours.

Circular

Japan's transportation system is extensive and efficient.

By train/train

The main train/train lines are operated by the company Japan Railways, or JR.

For people who are going to make several train/train trips, it's worth buying the JR rail pass, which gives the right to unlimited use of the entire state rail network for a specified period of time.

In addition to the more comprehensive JR Rail Pass, there are other, more limited but also cheaper passes, which can be purchased in Japan by visitors:

• JR East Rail Pass - for network use in East/North Tokyo. It is sold with a duration of 5 days (¥28,000), 10 days (¥48,800) and the 4-day Flex Pass (¥28,000), which can be used on 4 non-consecutive days during a month. This pass is accepted on Shinkansen departing from Tokyo to the North, but not on Tokaido Shinkansen, which goes to Kyoto and Osaka.
• JR West San'yo Area Pass - for travel in Honshu west of Osaka and part of Kyushu. Can be used on Shinkansen, even ultra-fast Nozomi. 4-day or 8-day passes cost ¥20,000 and ¥30,000 respectively.
• JR West Kansai Area Pass - only serves on regular trains/trains. For use on express trains/trains, an extra charge is required and cannot be used on Shinkansen. 1/2/3/4 day passes are priced at ¥2,000/¥4,000/¥5,000/¥6,000 respectively and can be used in the region that includes Kyoto, Osaka, Kobe and Kansai Airport.

JR Central, which operates lines in the Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka region, does not have its own pass. In this region, only the full JR Pass can be used.

Keep in mind that these passes are for JR lines only, not subway/subway lines like Tokyo and Kyoto. However, JR operates "suburban" train/train lines, very similar to subways./metro These lines cover much of large urban areas and can be used freely with passes.

Of boat

There are regular lines of "ferry-boats" throughout most of Japan. They are usually night lines that transport vehicles and passengers traveling between cities. They are cheap but time-consuming options, so many of the lines are night. Despite this, it is a very comfortable and clean transport option, with Japanese-style collective beds (tatami), restaurants/snack bars and even mini-cas(s)inos.

One of the lines serves Kagoshima City, at the southern end of the island/Kyushu region, and cities in the Okinawa archipelago/province. A trip between Kagoshima and the capital of Okinawa takes about 24 hours, but it is much cheaper than traveling by plane. Another line serves the city of Kobe and the city of Oita in Kyushu, in a journey of about 12 hours.

By car

By bus/bus

There are regular urban and road bus lines. Although trains are one of the main means of transport in Japan, buses usually run lines where trains do not arrive, or even compete on prices with railways to take passengers from them.

Normally, only the route used is paid, and urban buses do not even have collectors, and it is up to the passenger's conscience to exchange their money in the exchange machine inside the bus and deposit the amount due in the collector, under the driver's eye.

By airplane

In addition to the lines covered by the two largest airlines JAL (Japan Airlines) and ANA (All Nippon Airways), there are "low cost, low fare" companies, such as Skymark, which operates regular services between Tokyo and Fukuoka, Tokyo and Okinawa, between other routes. There are more companies of this type in other cities.

Speak

Japanese is the official language. A large percentage of the population has studied English for a certain period but the typical level is generally low. In certain areas, like Hamamatsu and toyohashi, there are significant populations of Japanese-Brazilians who speak Portuguese.

Buy

The currency of Japan is the Yen (¥ or JPY). Quotes on August 5, 2012:

• BRL 1 = ¥ 38.71
• EUR 1 = ¥ 97.27
• $1 = ¥ 78.51

Japan can be an expensive country for travelers. The good thing is that rates and exchange rates and inflation have greatly decreased prices in the last decade and the costs today often match those of traveling in the Eurozone, for example. Generally speaking, it is difficult to spend less than ¥4,000 a day on a trip and a certain degree of comfort can only be expected with spending from ¥10,000 onwards. If we include hotel accommodation, restaurant meals or even long-distance travel, this figure can easily double.

Interestingly, Japan continues to use mostly the paper money instead of credit and debit cards. Although most shops and hotels that serve foreigners accept cards, many shops, cafes, bars and markets do not, and when they do, they sometimes demand a minimum amount and charge a fee. Furthermore, ATMs that accept international cards for withdrawals/withdrawals are still rare. So in Japan, do as the Japanese do: always carry a good amount of money with you - the country is safe and in some smaller places, carrying a lot of money becomes a necessity.

Look

Knife

With the

Japanese cuisine goes far beyond the Sushi It's from Sashimi. Practically throughout Japan you can find typical regional dishes, ranging from seafood, giant crabs, stews, oriental noodles and even raw horse meat, the basashi.

In many Japanese travel agencies, there are travel circuits called Ryokou Gourmet (グルメ旅行), literally "gourmet trip", where you visit several places, and in each of them you can taste the typical regional dish.

drink and go out

In addition to the traditional Sake (日本酒), there is also Shochu (焼酎).

sleep

In addition to traditional youth hostels and hotels, Japan offers unique forms of accommodation ranging from the rarer and rarer. ryokan (旅館), which are Japanese-style guesthouses, to ultra-functional capsule hotels and over-the-top love hotels.

Work

It is a website for teachers in japan which helps to find students for almost every language.

Safety

The country is extremely safe by Western standards. There are practically no pickpockets / pickpockets and you do not hear about armed robberies, even at night. Lately, there have been a few cases of breaking into houses for valuable theft, due to the simplicity of the locks, however, still frequently too low by Western standards; in addition to being a fact that does not affect travelers. However, a little care is never too much: Don't neglect your luggage.

Health

Health: Japan has the longest life expectancy in the world: 85.3 years for women and 78.4 years for men. According to the 2010 census, the infant mortality rate is 3.2 per 100 children born. Characteristic of developed countries, Japan has a balanced social pyramid. Health and longevity are not only due to individual care such as good nutrition, exercise and hygiene. But also the economic conditions of the country, education, health quality, concern for the environment, end up influencing the well-being and quality of life of the nation. In Japan there are strict regulations for controlling pollution.

Respect

Traffic lights (headlights, signals, traffic lights) are normally respected by everyone, including pedestrians/pedestrians. Although these are always preferred, do not cross the lanes with the traffic lights closed, to avoid being reprimanded for disrespectful looks from the local people or even being run over.

Stay in touch

Cell phones (cell phones)

The default for mobile phones (携帯電話 - keitai denwa) is incompatible with most systems in other countries, including GSM and CDMA used in Brazil and Portugal. Only phones that use the 3G system can be used in roaming in the country.

Non-Japan Residents Can No Longer Buy Card-Using Devices prepaid, but they can still subscribe to the service. postpaid, which can be advantageous for those who are going to spend many months in the country. The main operators are NTT DoCoMo, wow, from KDDI and Softbank (formerly Vodafone). THE monthly bill is around ¥5000 for users light and companies can charge a penalty for canceling the line before the end of the "loyalty" period. Several companies, some even present at international airports, also rent devices for travelers.

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