JAPAN'S NATIONAL HOLIDAY IN 2015

January ~ March

Coming of Age day in Japan                                                                                                                                                   wikimedia

Jan 1st (Thu) New Year

Yes, everybody knows this day.

Jan 12th (Mon) Coming of Age Day

Japan holds this day annually on the second Monday of January. It is to congratulate all of those who have reached the age of majority (20 years old) over the past year. On this day, newly became adults wear Kimono or suit and party all night long.

Feb 11th (Wed) National Foundation Day

The holiday celebrates the foundation of Japan and the accession of its first Emperor.

Mar 21st (Sat) Spring Equinox Day

Vernal Equinox day is usually March 20th or 21st.

April ~ June

Photo of Greenery day in Japan                                                                      wikimedia

Apr 29th (Wed) Showa day

Showa Day is birthday of Showa Emperor (Hirohito), the emperor from 1926 to 1989.

May 4th (Mon) Greenery Day

Originally, this holiday was April 29th, but it was moved in 2007. Eco-friendly Japanese love the nature so much they even set a day to go out and plant trees at a national level. 

May 5th (Tue) Children's Day

A day of the children, by the children, for the children! 

May 6th (Wed) Constitution Day

This holiday is originally on Sunday May 3rd in 2015, so they take holiday on the 6th instead. 

July ~ September

Photo of Marine day in Japan                                                                                                                                yakei-kabegami.com

July 20th (Mon) Marine day

Every third Monday of July is the day Japanese islander give special thanks to the bounty of ocean. Many people take a trip to beaches and lots of aquariums hold special events on this day.

Sep 21st (Mon) Respect for the Aged Day

This day celebrates long life for elderly people.

Sep 22nd (Tue) Bridge Public Holiday

The Japanese government is too kind to provide an extra bonus holiday for being between the two holidays.

Sep 23rd (Wed) Autumn Equinox

Due to bridge public holiday, this holiday brings happiness to Japanese.

October ~ December

Photo of Emperor's Birthday in at the Imperial Palace                                                                                                      wikimedia

Oct 12th (Mon) Sports Day

It has been held since Oct 10th, 1966, to commemorate the opening of the 1964 Tokyo Olympics.

Nov 3rd (Tue) Culture Day

The holiday celebrates peace and freedom and promotes culture. 

Dec 23rd (Mon) Emperor's Birthday

It’s the reigning Emperor Akihito’s birthday. The Imperial Palace opens to the public twice a year and this is the day you could set foot on the palace and see the Emperor. Do you see people in behind the glass? They are the Royal Family and Emperor Akihito.

  

Something weird? eh? Yes, Japan has no Christmas holiday. 

More Japan

1. KYOTO'S 17 UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITES / By Drunken Whale

2. JAPAN'S 9 UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITES BETTER THAN THE OTHER 8 / By Macrus

3. TOP 6 SUSHI BARS IN TOKYO : IF YOU DON'T GO, YOU ARE AN IDIOT / By Shibasaki Tabong

4. 7 VERY IMPORTANT TIPS YOU WILL FIND IT EXTREMELY USEFUL WHEN TRAVELING JAPAN / By Mira 

5. 10 JAPANESE FOODS YOU GOTTA HAVE WHILE IN JAPAN / By Shibasaki Tabong 

6. YUMMY OR SEXY TOP 12 JAPANESE SOUVENIRS / By Shibasaki Tabong

7. TOKYO'S 6 TRANSPORTATION PASS THAT WILL MAKE YOU A SMART TRAVELER/ By Karly 

8. JAPANESE GEOGRAPHY FOR DUMMIES / By Macrus
 

9. 11 MUST-VISIT NEIGHBORHOODS FOR YOUR PERFECT TOKYO EXPERIENCE / By Karly

10. COMPLETE GUIDE FOR YOUR NAGASAKI TRIP / By Mira

Written by Drunken Whale

Unlike other writers, I was born and grew up in Korea. I can't write English well - not to mention speaking. But I love travelling and writing something - of course in Korean. So if you don't understand anything about my articles, it's purely because of my English.

TOKYO'S 6 TRANSPORTATION PASS THAT WILL MAKE YOU A SMART TRAVELER

Tokyo’s metro system is quite complicated. Tokyo subway is run by a state enterprise JR and private corporations operate Tokyo Metro and Toei subway.

Travelers mainly use JR subway. Out of JR subway’s 10 lines, stations on Yamanote line (light green), Sobu line (yellow) and Chuo line (orange) have pretty much all the popular tourist spots. Fares vary between 140 ~ 320 Yen per ride depending on your trips, but there are ways to save your valuable money.

1. Suica

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Suica is a rechargeable transportation card used for JR, Tokyo metro, Toei subway and city bus. You could buy it at every station and convenience store at 2,000 Yen. 1,500 Yen is the actual amount you could use for riding underground and bus, and 500 Yen is deposit. If your balance is running low, you could simply recharge it on ticket machines. This card can also be used in some restaurants and convenience shops.

2. Tokyo Metropolitan District Pass (Tokunai Pass)

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Tokunai Pass allows you to freely travel all the JR lines in 23 wards of Tokyo metropolis (Tokyo-to) at 750 Yen per day. Since JR line’s base rate is 140 Yen per travel, if you are planning to use JR lines more than 4~5 times a day, getting Tokunai pass will be beneficial. You should just get this pass if you plan to go around a lot. 

3. Tokyo Metro 1-Day Open Ticket

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With this one day pass, you could feely use 9 lines of Tokyo metro at 710 Yen per day. You could get this ticket at any Tokyo Metro station’s ticket machines.  

4. For Travelers : Tokyo Metro 1-Day Open Ticket

Foreign visitors can get discount on Tokyo Metro 1-Day Open Ticket. Only travelers land at Haneda airport are entitled to this offer, and price for one day and two day pass are 600 Yen and 980 Yen respectively.   

5. Toei Subway and Tokyo Metro One Day Pass

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You could use both 4 lines of Toei subway and 9 lines of Tokyo metro with this ticket. Since one day pass is 1,000 Yen, it is not easy to get your money’s worth out of this. But if you don’t mind paying a bit more for convenience, there is no reason to hesitate. 

6. Tokyo Tour Ticket (Tokyo Furii Kippu)

travelinghubby.com

Tokyo Tour Ticket is a full package day pass that allows you to use all the underground lines and city buses within Tokyo Metropolis at 1,590 Yen per day. You could get it from ticket machines at any station. 

More Japan


1.  JAPAN'S 9 UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITES BETTER THAN THE OTHER 8 / By Macrus

2. TOP 6 SUSHI BARS IN TOKYO : IF YOU DON'T GO, YOU ARE AN IDIOT / By Shibasaki Tabong

3. 7 VERY IMPORTANT TIPS YOU WILL FIND IT EXTERMELY USEFUL WHEN TRAVELING JAPAN / By Mira 

4. 10 JAPANESE FOODS YOU GOTTA HAVE WHILE IN JAPAN / By Shibasaki Tabong 

5. YUMMY OR SEXY TOP 12 JAPANESE SOUVENIRS / by Shibasaki Tabong

Written by Karly

She graduated in a university in Korea double majoring in social studies and political science. After graduation, she worked for a while at the Nation of Assembly of Republic of Korea, but now she is working as a reporter. Having a life goal of being a Asia-specialized travel reporter, she travels around the world in her spare time.

JAPANESE GEOGRAPHY FOR DUMMIES

Let’s take a closer look into a bit of geography of Japan here.

It will surely help you plan your trip better.






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Japan is ranked 10^th and 62^nd in terms of population and land size. Including every single tiny little one, it consists of 6,852 islands, but four main islands take up 97% of its territory.



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[ Island > Region > Prefecture ]

Japan is divided in 4 main islands - Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu and Shikoku. It has 45 prefectures (administrative divisions)  with the exception of capital city ‘Tokyo’ not belonging to any of these prefectures. Japanese also combine a few neighboring prefectures and call them a region. Only Honshu, the biggest island with 33 prefectures, is divided into 5 regions (Tohoku, Kanto, Chubu, Kansai, and Chugoku).

To sum up, Japanese use islands, prefectures and regions when talking about geography and only prefecture is an administrative district. Let’s practice with an example. Nagano prefecture is on Honshu Island and belongs to Chubu region!

[ 8 Regions & 45 Prefectures ]

Since the railway pass is sold by region, it would be wise to know Japanese regions to schedule your itinerary. Japanese rail service comes in pretty handy when traveling Japan.

1. Hokkaido - Island / Region / Prefecture


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The name of island also refers to region and, at the same time, prefecture’s name. Located in the northernmost part not far from Russia, it’s so cold you could see floating ice on the sea. Hokkaido is the perfect place to enjoy the beauty of great nature and hot spring.  

2. Honshu Island 

This biggest island has 5 regions, 33 prefectures and the famous Tokyo. Honshu, equipped with excellent JR service, is always crowded with a great deal of travelers. 

2-1. Honshu - Tohoku



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6 prefectures in the northern part of Honshu Island are called Tohoku region. Since a world famous Fukushima nuclear accident took place right here, you must have heard of it. It’s hot during summer but freezing with lots of snow in winter. Being not a popular travel spot, Tohoku is recommendable for travelers looking for tranquility, serenity or a bit of exposure to radioactivity.  

2-2. Honshu – Kanto

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Kanto has 6 prefectures and the capital of Japan, Tokyo. This center for Japanese politics and economy holds one third of entire Japanese population. This place is definitely on the top of travelers' list. 

2-3. Honshu – Chubu

Located in the center of Honshu, it includes 9 prefectures.  Chubu’s Kizaki Lake is Japanese people’s favorite holiday destination especially for uni students.

2-4. Honshu - Kansai

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Kansai that consists of 7 prefectures has top travel destinations such as Kyoto and Osaka. Thanks to Kansai’s wonderful transportation system, it is very convenient to travel around.

2-5. Honshu – Chugoku

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Located in the further south of the island, it has 5 prefectures including Hiroshima best known as the first city to be targeted by a nuclear weapon. Due to lots of mountains, public transportation system is not well established. Eastern side has got more to see.



3. Shikoku - Island / Region

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Shikoku island itself is classified as one region. The smallest one among the 4 main islands of Japan has 4 prefectures in it. The weather of this region is the hottest in summer but almost as cold as Hokkaido in winter at the same time. If you are planning to travel here, car or flight will be better options since railroads are not fully developed yet.

4. Kyushu - Island / Region

wikimedia

Kyushu is also a name of island and region, and there are 7 prefectures in it. Located most southwesterly of the 4 main islands, it encompasses the beautiful Okinawa islands, the heaven of vacationers far away south from mainland Japan. Many of famous hot springs are here, and it is a popular destination for university clubs' outings.



[ How far is it from one end to another? ]

Within its 4 main islands, from Hokkaido to Nagasaki is the longest distance. There is no land route or direct flight. If you depart from Sapporo airport in Hokkaido, you need to transfer at Tokyo or Osaka to reach Nagasaki airport. Flight time is about 3 hours.

From Okinawa, the southernmost point of entire Japan, to Sapporo takes about 3:40 by flight and transfer is needed as well.

[ How far are they from Tokyo?]

You can reach most parts of Japan in 1:00 ~ 1:40 from Tokyo by flight. It takes 2:10 to Seoul, 3:00 to Beijing and 4:30 to Hong Kong from Tokyo.

More Japan


1.  JAPAN'S 9 UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITES BETTER THAN THE OTHER 8 / By Marus

2. TOP 6 SUSHI BARS IN TOKYO : IF YOU DON'T GO, YOU ARE AN IDIOT / By Shibasaki Tabong

3. 7 VERY IMPORTANT TIPS YOU WILL FIND IT EXTERMELY USEFUL WHEN TRAVELING JAPAN / By Mira 

4. 10 JAPANESE FOODS YOU GOTTA HAVE WHILE IN JAPAN / By Shibasaki Tabong 

Written by Marcus 

He was born in Singapore and went to schools in China and Australia. Having Engineering background, he have worked in Japan and South Korea before finally settled in Seoul. When he is not working, he loves to go on a quick trip to anywhere he wants to go with his beautiful wife.