Everybody heads home to visit village graveyards, and transport is packed. For a longer trip, you can also purchase a phone, but doing this legally requires an Alien Registration Card (or an obliging Japanese friend willing to front for you). (Pointing at people in general is rude; with chopsticks, doubly so.). First offenders who apologize are usually let off with a warning, but theoretically you can be fined up to ¥200,000. They have two slots, one for regular domestic mail, and the other for overseas and express mail. GPRS does not work in Japan. ), Teeth blacking was a common practice in Japan for women and it is called ohaguro, it was their standard whether to be considered beautiful and appealing. A mushroom that causes the consumer bouts of rage. The Shimabara Rebellion is the most famous Christian uprising in Japan, and it was this rebellion that led to the ousting of the Portuguese and Catholic practices from Japan (although Christianity had already been banned by this time), along with approximately 37,000 beheadings of Christians and peasants. However, enforcement is lax, and the law specifically defines prostitution as "sex in exchange for money." A few are: Kobe, Kyoto, Nagoya, Osaka, Sapporo, Sendai, Fukuoka, Tokyo and Yokohama also have subway (underground) services. In addition to cans of soft drinks, tea and coffee, you can find vending machines that sell beer, sake and even hard liquor. For express trains that require a surcharge and seating reservation, you will usually be able to find a staffed window. Also, some limited express trains operated by JR West to and from the Kansai region have reserved seats specifically for women and their children. Pre-paid cards can be purchased at convenience stores, train station kiosk stores and sometimes in vending machines next to the phone. One of the best options for visitors who plan to do a lot of traveling is the Japan Rail Pass [13], which allows unlimited travel on almost all JR trains, including the Shinkansen (bullet train), for a fixed period of 7, 14 or 21 consecutive days. : The most important holiday in Japan is New Year's (お正月 Oshōgatsu), which pretty much shuts down the country from December 30 to January 3. Most anime fans will even try to find Japanese-language anime DVDs, but there are difficulties to doing so: there are usually no subtitles on domestic releases (with the exception of Studio Ghibli releases, which all offer English subtitles), and Japan is in DVD Region 2 and uses NTSC video formatting, so if you live outside of Region 2 and/or use PAL or SECAM, you may not be able to play the DVDs. The major chains all have good English-language song selections. Internet cafés can be a safe and inexpensive place to spend the night if you miss the last train. Many of the nations head temples are located in Kyoto, like the Honganji Temples and Chion-in Temple. However, some stores may not allow you to earn points and receive a tax refund on the same purchase. Having to wait 15-30min, depending on how busy the branch gets, is not unusual. Other JR services, particularly suburban ones, use the following generic labels: Please note that for some JR rapid trains, they may start the first half of their run like an express train with few stops, but in the second half of their run may stop at every station like a local train. Some people also use mobile phones to pay for their purchases where the mobile phone either has a built-in chip that allows it to function like a stored value card (e.g. They are classified by their destinations and are generally easier to use and less congested than the Tokaido Shinkansen. This is to some extent institutionalized: large travel agency databases note the few hotels are prepared to handle foreigners, and they may tell you that all lodgings are booked if only these are full. Non-alcohol beers are also widely available. Ignorance is not considered an excuse, and you can expect to be jailed and deported if caught. Archaeological evidence, however, has only managed to trace the Imperial line back to the Kofun Period during the 3rd to 7th centuries CE, which was also when the Japanese first had significant contact with China and Korea. For trips on the Tokaido and Sanyo Shinkansen, Shin-Osaka is the largest transfer location, but if you can make the same transfer at nearby Shin-Kobe, it will be much easier. Women on crowded rush-hour trains should be aware of the existence of chikan (痴漢) or molesters. If you have prescription drugs, check with the Japanese Embassy prior to your departure to find out whether or not your medicine is allowed in Japan. ¥240/min domestic and international. If you are at a local station (or a subway station) you will have more difficulty as you nearly always have to buy it using a machine whose instructions are in Japanese (although newer machines have an English mode). BONUS: BOLA BABES. In major cities such as Tokyo and Osaka, a flat rate toll is paid when entering the expressway system. While this cannot be charged under child pornography laws (being drawings, no children can be said to have been involved in their creation), they are still illegal in the U.S and several other countries under laws regarding obscenity. If you are stung, receive prompt medical attention, as prolonged exposure to the venom could cause permanent damage or even death. This was then followed by the Kamakura Period, when the samurai managed to gain political power. Some famous brands are Kojika and Taikai, distilled in Kanoya, Kagoshima. Many of them have an all-you-can-drink (飲み放題 nomihōdai) deals at about ¥1,000 (US$10) for 90 min (on average), although you will be limited to certain types of drinks. The following is a brief list of the most common messages and their translations: Warning hazards for repair, breakdown and construction are always well illuminated at night and tend to also appear at least once before the main obstacle on higher speed roads such as expressways. It can seem full of contradictions. This is only an emergency option if you cannot find anything else and you are freezing outside. There are often very limited baggage allowances, however, and these should be checked before purchasing a ticket. These are the trains which travel north of Tokyo. The most important, most-travelled shinkansen route in the country is the Tokaido Shinkansen, which links Tokyo with Nagoya, Kyoto and Osaka. Japan has its share of dirty areas. Selection can be excellent in the larger cities, with specialized stores and large department stores offering the most extensive offerings. It was one of the many courses served to Luffy during the farewell banquet concluding his first visit to the island.[91]. "other mixed alcohol, type 2"). Freshly harvested fruits from Kuri's Paradise Farm. Real Estate Co has several apartment buildings across Japan. Kanoya, Kagoshima is home to the Kanoya Air Base Museum（鹿屋航空基地史料館） which holds documents of kamikazes and other Japanese war history. Young Japanese women often dress in a manner that could be considered quite sexually provocative by Western standards, even during the daytime. So for one or two people it's not cost-effective for direct long distance travel between cities. Firstly, there is usually a big map above all the machines that shows the current station in red, often marked with "当駅" (tōeki). It is a symbol of Japan. ¥1,500 per day for iPhone unlimited data communications. The appearance is indistinguishable from a pricy kissaten, but the purpose is more specific: serious discussions over matters such as business or meeting prospective spouses. Minamoto no Yoritomo, the most powerful of them, was dubbed shogun by the emperor and ruled from his base in Kamakura. Shipping included. According to the Japanese it both cools them down and makes them taste better. It is also wisteria and azalea season, which is extremely beautiful. A few restaurants, such as Mister Donut, Jonathan's and Skylark, offer unlimited refills on coffee for those who are particularly addicted to caffeine (or want to get some late-night work done). Minimum wage laws are under the authority of the parliamental government. English and Chinese are often spoken by a some clerks in establishments such as major stores. Also, the basic fare is NOT included in the seat reservation cost, unless you have a valid rail pass. If you miss the last train, many bars, clubs, and Karaoke shops are open until the first train runs again in the morning, and there are often capsule hotels near the major stations if you don’t want to stay up until the trains start running again. Some discs are also released without any region coding at all, and can be used with any NTSC-compatible player. Video games are a huge business in Japan, but Japan's NTSC-J region code is incompatible with consoles in Europe, North America, Australia and mainland China, so you will need to buy a Japanese console to play these games. For example, since 2006, a vegan meet-up group in Tokyo has been holding monthly buffets at local restaurants. Then again, if you forget, you can always go into the nearest convenience store and pick one up for ¥500. Here are some Japanese culture you have to know before they opened their country to the Western world. The Hito Hito no Mi taking the form of a mushroom. Camping wild is illegal in most of Japan, although you can always try asking for permission, or simply pitch your tent late and leave early. Millions of real salary data collected from government and companies - annual starting salaries, average salaries, payscale by company, job title, and city. On a busy train, making a reservation in advance can ensure a comfortable journey. Decaffeinated coffee is very rare in Japan, even at Starbucks, but is available in some locations. Be sure to double-check with your network provider before departing. Just do not find trouble with them, and they will not bother you. Though the cramped cities and older buildings present many barriers to those with disabilities and other mobility issues, Japan is a very wheelchair accessible country. Almost 99% of the population is of Japanese ethnicity. That’s not to say that Japan embraces the large scale preservation of historical structures or that people generally practice traditional ceremonies, but people generally believe that if a small number of people want to continue on a tradition or preserve a building that they own, they should be allowed to do that. Some chains across the country are: Though Starbucks has planted its flag in Japan almost as well as in the United States, the Japanese kissaten (喫茶店) has a long history. If you are not sure if you have enough money for the trip, your driver may be able to guess the approximate cost of a trip beforehand. Opening hours of most shops are typically 10AM-8PM, though most shops are open on weekends and public holidays except New Year, and close on one day a week. In some other stores advertising "duty free" (免税 menzei), you just present your passport to the cashier when making payment and the tax is deducted on the spot. It's also an offence to "drive under the influence" with no set minimum that can be fined up to ¥300,000, with a suspension of license. One Piece Wiki is a FANDOM Anime Community. Tokyo also has two separate subway companies and these lines offer through service to lines of a half dozen other companies servicing locations further out. Step back in time at one of Japan's open air museums, like, Although mostly unknown to western tourists, Japanese tourists collect. It can take several times longer however to reach your destination than by express trains or Shinkansen, and the Seishun 18 Ticket is not suited for those with limited time. Every year it has been visited by many people for sightseeing and mountain climbing. For instance, most Japanese 2G mobile phones operate on the Personal Digital Cellular (PDC) standard, which was developed and is used exclusively in Japan. Although everyone bathes naked at hot springs, for the beach or pool, you still need a bathing suit of some kind. The Okinawan religion also has its own spiritual sites. [78], Being a natural property of seawater, it is also a key weakness of Zombies created through the Kage Kage no Mi. There are thousands of kanji in everyday use and the Japanese spend years learning them, but the kana have only 50 syllables each and can be learned with a reasonable amount of effort. Long-distance highway buses (高速バス kōsoku basu; ハイウェイバス haiwei basu) serve many of the inter-city routes covered by trains at significantly lower prices, but take much longer than the Shinkansen. For foreign tourists, there are also tollway passes that may be beneficial, such as the Kyushu Expressway Pass, the Hokkaido Expressway Pass, the Central Nippon Expressway Pass, the Tohoku Expressway Pass, the San'in-Setouchi-Shikoku Expressway Pass, and full Japan Expressway Pass. the closest stations will probably be about ¥140, more distant ones rising to perhaps ¥2000.