Japan - what to see and the best way to travel

In my capacity as the UK Director of Operations for One World Tours Limited, I am often asked all kinds of travel questions.
A client recently enquired about travelling to Japan for the first time and wanted my advice on what to see and the best way to travel when visiting this remarkable land. Here are my tips....

Because only 30% of this beautiful country is inhabitable, as you can imagine everyone is packed into these small areas so the public transport has to be good!
I found that one of the better ways to get around was on the Japanese Rail (JR) system. You will have to book a rail pass for this facility before leaving home to start your journey, up to 3 months before you plan on travelling.

Once you have activated your pass, you will be free to travel almost anywhere in Japan.

The interesting thing about this method of travelling is that the trains are never late and although they can become very crowded at peak times it is a very efficient way to get from A to B. There are specific carriage numbers on the platforms where the trains stop at precisely when they pull in at the stations. There are even colour coded lines on the floors of the station that lead you to the train that you need to catch. The whole system is designed with the customers requirements in mind.

The Japanese are a very respectful race and some of the rules that they display in their carriages are most welcoming and amusing when you compare them to our own rules in England.

For example you are advised not to play loud music, take up more space than is necessary or talk on a mobile phone all things that are freely ignored on our trains!

The bullet train was a really effective way to cover long distances in a relatively short space of time. It was refreshing to see the uniformed staff all lined up on the platforms embarking on the trains, giving them a thorough but quick clean before the next passengers got on.

It is quite impressive to watch these magnificent works of technology zooming through the stations and then to see one slowing down with its sleek design commanding attention.

You can manoeuvre the seats that all face one way if there is more than 2 in your group so that you can all sit facing one another.

Refreshments are bought to your carriage many times throughout your journey to ensure that you have all that you require.

The down side though is that you can still smoke in designated carriages in Japan and if you do not note this when you are reserving your seats, which you can do for your entire stay when you activate your pass, you could be stuck in a smoke filled environment for your whole journey.

You don’t really feel the speed that you are travelling at but it is quite an achievement to cover such distances in such a short passage of time, opening up the whole of Japan to you even if you are only visiting for a week.

The only problem that I genuinely had with getting used to the whole system, was when I reached the station that led back to my hotel, because there were so many exits, I never came out at the same place twice! More of a bad judgement on my behalf I would say. I do think however that I finally found the correct exit the day before I was scheduled to leave after 9 days!

As you can imagine the roads in the major towns and cities are generally very busy and slow moving, so travelling by train is the best way to go when in Japan.