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Capital: Tokyo
Airports: Our page for airports in Japan will help you to decide your best airport to reach your destination in Japan.
Railways: The page for railways in Japan will introduce you to one of the world's finest rail systems and its options for traveling overland.
Currency: The Yen (¥) (= 100 sen) is the basic monetary unit. For the current rate of exchange visit the Olson and Anderson web site.
Time Zones: Current local time. Standard time is nine hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). Daylight savings time is not observed in Japan.
Languages: Japanese. English is spoken in some large commercial areas.
Visit the CIA World Fact Book for a large variety of particulars regarding Japan.
Travel Advisories: Travelers should check the web sites listed on our international pages that provide advice of possible security and health risks when visiting this region.
The Japan National Tourist Organization web site and its North American web site are excellent resources to begin planning a trip to Japan.
The Tokyo Metropolitan Government has tourism information in English and other languages on its web site.
The Japanese embassies in the United States, Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and other countries have web sites that provide essential information for travelers and should be checked in early planning stages.
The Web Japan site is sponsored by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) and is an excellent resource for information on a variety of topics about Japan and its people. The Japan Atlas pages provide useful maps for travel planning.
The Japan Information Network is a non-government source for additional information.
This Japanese-English dictionary may be useful for translations.
UNESCO has several sites in Japan on its World Heritage List.
Visit the Hostelling International and the Japan Youth Hostels, Inc. web sites for information about hostelling in Japan.
Recommended Reading: Hirohito and the Making of Modern Japan by Herbert P. Bix is an excellent history of Japan during the period of Hirohito's reign from 1926 through 1989. The Emperor of Japan: Meiji and His World by Donald Keene relates the history on one of the most important eras in Japan's history. The Making of Modern Japan by Marius B. Jansen is a classic history of Japan leading into the modern era. Japan: Its History and Culture by W. Scott Morton
Guides: Lonely Planet - Japan | Japanese phrasebook | Japanese audio pack | Tokyo; Rough Guides - Japan | Japanese phrasebook | Tokyo Miniguide