If you’re a gadget guru or just have a sweet spot for new technology, Japan is the place for you. Grab your latest invention and book airline tickets to Japan for a tour of high-tech heaven. After all, Japan is the country that invented economy cars, computers, gadgets, and gaming consoles. But while you’re playing with your new portable gaming station on your Japan flight take a moment to consider all the non-tech contributions that Japan has made. This is the country that brought us the bonsai, cherry blossoms, samurais and lavish garden designs. Aside from the wild inventions and cultural contributions that come from Japan, the Japanese are an enchanting people with a love for culture. If you’re planning a vacation to Japan, keep in mind that approximately 300,000 "matsuri" (festivals) are held every year.
Japan is a mountainous archipelago made up of four major islands and more than 4,000 smaller ones, though most of the population lives in cities. Despite its densely populated cities, Japan is easy to navigate and tourists will have no problem finding their way around. Public transportation is a breeze and the people are friendly and helpful.
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Japan’s climate varies with its latitude. The north has four distinct seasons while the south is subtropical. Okinawa averages a temperature of 21 C. The plum and cherry blossom trees bloom in March and April. The rainy season lasts from mid-June to mid-July. Except for Hokkaido and the mountains, it gets very hot and humid after a rainstorm. Typhoon season lasts from the end of August through September, but Japan generally only gets thunderstorms. Winter lasts from December to March and sees lots of snow with great mountain skiing.
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- Tokyo appears gaudy, noisy, and crowded, but look again: peaceful side streets, temples, shrines, bonsai trees, and somewhere a festival. The museums are world class as is the food, even the noodle shacks. It’s a shopper’s paradise offering designer fashions, souvenirs, crafts, high-tech, and antiques. At night, visit trendy clubs, Kabuki theater, sumo wrestling, and performing arts. You cannot be bored in Tokyo.
- A testimony to the celebration of life, Hiroshima is a modern city laced with rivers and tree-lined boulevards. Dedicated to art, streets are lined with statues, stone lanterns, memorials, and sculptures. Visitors come mostly to see Peace Memorial Park and museum. Next on the list are the Hiroshima Museum of Art, Hiroshima Prefectural Art Museum, and Shukkeien Garden.
- The prefecture of Okinawa has a unique history. As the kingdom of Ryukyu, Okinawa wasn’t integrated into Japan until 1879, and during World War II was the only site of ground battle in Japan. Okinawa reflects the Ryukyu language, arts, and music, and tropical plants bloom year-round. With its beaches, colorful fishes, and coral reefs, Okinawa’s most popular attraction is diving.
- Completely rebuilt after the war, Nagoya is a modern but laid-back city. Little recognized for its attractions, there’s plenty to see: the display rooms of the famous Noritake chinaware company, the Tokugawa Art Museum’s collection from a family that once ruled Japan, the Toyota Commemorative Museum of Industry and Technology, the open-air architectural museum, and cormorant fishing in summer.
- Hip, trendy Osaka is an international and progressive business center. Like Tokyo, Osaka is the place to shop for the latest techno gadgets and toys. Osaka has cultivated excellent performance arts, major museums, and lowlife comedy. The city is also known for its friendly people, food, aquarium, castle, Bunraku puppet theater, oldest state temple in Japan, and Universal Studios.
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