"Jepara town and regency" Jepara by theo1006

There are several destinations in Indonesia with the name of Jepara. Danau Jepara is in Sumatra. This Jepara is in Central Java, at one hour's drive from Semarang.

Jepara is famous for two reasons. First, Jepara is the birthplace of R.A. Kartini, the Indonesian icon for women's rights; a Kartini pilgrimage would take you here and to Rembang where she died. Second, Jepara produces wooden furniture with fine carvings.

For tourists Jepara is also the closest approach to the Karimunjawa Islands in the Java Sea. The slow ferry "Muria" takes you there in 6 hours. (A fast boat from Semarang takes 3 hours, but it does not take cars.)

About 300 expats live in Jepara, many of them involved in the furniture industry. A few shops and restaurants cater to their tastes. There is a white sandy beach close by, and there are good swimming pools in town.

Read more on the Jepara tourism site (in English...., or should we say Englonesian?).