"JAPAN" a Japan Travel Page by tigerjapan

Living in Japan is one of the greatest things I have ever done. I decided to move here because i wanted to experience something totally different, to challenge me and remove me from my safety zone. It certainly did that!

One of the greatest things about Japan is how much of it's traditional world still exisits. Yes, Japan is a economic superpower of the modern world, but it holds onto it's heritage and traditions still.

I live in Tokyo, which is a neon-light filled hi-tech city, but even here i can still feel and see the remains of ancient Japan. I live in the ***amachi district, which is the original downtown area of Edo (original name for Tokyo). I chose to live here because it still has a tradtional feel and i like being able to walk around small streets with temples and old wooden houses. If i want the neon-craze a la 'Lost In Translation's' Japan, then i can jump the subway (or my bike) and head into Shibuya or Shinjuku.

Japan is an expensive place to visit, but there are ways to make your yen stretch: stay in smaller Japanese Inns or cheap Ryokans, eat cheap noodles or from smaller cheap restaurants (Japanese lunch sets are very reasonable) and buy a rail-pass in your home country.

Japan is like no other asian city. If you have a chance to come, take it!

If you are coming to Tokyo (or you live here) and want to save money I suggest you get one of these;

http://www.tokyocoupons.com/a.php?b=tf2102&c=index_en.htm

Anyway, just for fun here is a list of places i have been so far:

Kanto Region;

TOKYO
NIKKO
HAKONE
IZU
MT. FUJI & SURROUNDING AREA
CHICHIBU
KAMAKURA

Central Honshu Region;

INUYAMA
NAGOYA
TAKAYAMA
NAGANO

Kansai Region:

KYOTO
NARA
OSAKA
OKAYAMA
HIROSHIMA
MIYA-JIMA

Kyushu Region;

NAGASAKI

I still have so many places to see in Japan. These are not necessarily the best places to visit, just where I have have been.

If i had to recommend one area over another i would tell all tourists to deffinately see the KANSAI region first (Nara, Kyoto, Osaka). If you have a limited time, this is your best introduction to Japan.

Japan is not a difficult country to travel in. Signs are written in romanji (which means using the Roman script) and more and more information is becoming avaialble in English (and other langauages). You may find yourself using a lot of gesture to get your point across, but the Japanese are very friendly and you'll find them willing to try to understand, communicate and help. Never let the language barrier put you off.