Japan in brief
Are you interested to know about Tourism In Japan? The archipelago stretches from south of the Russian Sakhalin Island in the north to near Taiwan in the southwest. Japan’s main islands are (from north to south) Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu. The country shares maritime borders with China, North Korea, South Korea, the Philippines, Russia, and Taiwan.
Japan is spread over 6000 islands and has a surface area of 377,915 km², making it slightly larger than Germany or somewhat smaller than the US state of California.
The country has a slowly shrinking population, and the proportion of older people is rising. In 2021, 125 million people live in Japan. The national capital and largest city is Tokyo. Other major cities are Fukuoka, Fukushima, Kobe, Kyoto, Nagoya, Osaka, Sapporo, Sendai, and Yokohama. The official language is Japanese. Let’s discuss tourism in Japan.
Japan | 日本, Nippon
Background:
While retaining its time-honored culture, Japan rapidly absorbed Western technology during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
After its devastating defeat in World War II, Japan recovered to become the third most powerful economy in the world and a staunch ally of the US.
While the emperor retains his throne as a symbol of national unity, actual power rests in networks of powerful politicians, bureaucrats, and business executives.
The economy experienced a significant slowdown in the 1990s following three decades of unprecedented growth.
Official Sites of Japan
Political system
Japan is a constitutional monarchy, but the power of the Emperor (Tennō) is limited.
According to the constitution of 1947, Japan is a parliamentary democracy.
The ceremonial head of state is the emperor; he appoints the Prime Minister, the head of the government of Japan.
The legislature consists of a two-chamber parliament (National Diet). The Shugiin, the House of Representatives is the lower house, which is re-elected every four years. The Sangiin (the House of Councilors) is the upper house of the National Diet, its members all serve six-year terms.
Official Sites of Japan
The Imperial Household Agency
Introduction to the official duties and various public activities of Their Majesties, the Emperor and Empress, and other members of the Imperial Family.
Kantei of the Prime Minister
Official website of the Prime Minister of Japan and his Cabinet.
Shugiin
The House of Representatives is the lower house of Japan’s National Diet. (English version of the Shugiin)
Sangiin
The House of Councillors is the upper house of Japan’s legislature.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Official website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan.
Diplomatic Missions
Permanent Mission of Japan to the United Nations
Japan’s representation to the UN.
Embassy of Japan
Embassy of Japan in the United States of America, Washington D.C.
Japan Embassies and Consulates Abroad
Websites of Japan Embassies and Consulates around the world.
Foreign Embassies and Consulates in Japan
Embassies, Consulates and International Organizations in Japan.
Visa for Japan
Information on visa requirements to enter Japan.
Statistics
Statistics Bureau & Statistics Center
Japan in figures.
Arts & Culture of Japan
Arts & Culture
The Japan Foundation
Organization for international cultural exchange in Japan.
Japanese cuisines
There’s more than just sushi.
MeijiShowa
Vintage Images of Japan. The agency licenses old photographs, illustrations, and maps of Japan between the 1860s and 1930s (Meiji, Taisho, early Showa) for editorial, advertising, and special projects.
Kyoko Date
Page about the first virtual cybergirl.
Tokyo Girls’ Update
The magazine propagates the “in” things for Japanese gyarus (gals).
Japan’s Most Influential Fashion Brands
Article about Japan’s old and new fashion trends.
Shift
The Japan-based international online magazine features creative culture.
Harajuku Cosplay Steampunk
Museums
Art Museums For Tourism in Japan
National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto – MOMAK
The National Museum of Modern Art in Kyoto was established in 1963. The Collection Gallery exhibits selected works of nihonga (Japanese-style painting), and yōga (Western-style painting).
National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo
The National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo (MOMAT), consists of the main building and the Crafts Gallery in Kitanomaru Park near the Imperial Palace, and the National Film Center in Kyobashi near Ginza.
Mori Art Museum – MAM
A contemporary art museum in Roppongi Hills, Tokyo.
Other Museums
Kyoto National Museum
The Kyoto National Museum was established as a National institution for the collection and preservation of cultural properties.
Minpaku
The National Museum of Ethnology in Osaka is one of the major museums in Japan.
Osaka Museum of Natural History
The museum shows more than 10,000 items of species, including a variety of animals, plants, insects; it also maintains a flower, greenery, and nature information center.
Tokyo National Museum
The museum collects, houses, and displays a comprehensive collection of artworks and antiquities from Japan as well as from other Asian countries.
Music
J-pop
Wikipedia entry about the phenomenon of Japanese pop music.
Billboard
Japanese Music: Top 100 Songs Charts.
Yellow Magic Orchestra (YMO or Human Audio Sponge)
Influential Japanese electronic music band.4
Otaku
Cosplay anime/manga characters at the Tokyo Game Show (TGS). TGS is one of the largest video game exhibitions in Asia.
Gaming
Video gaming in Japan
Video gaming in Japan is a major industry. Wikipedia article about Game Boy and co.
Sports
Olympics
Tokyo 2020
Official website of the 2020 Summer Olympics, which will be held in Tokyo from Friday 24 July until Sunday 9 August 2020.
Martial Arts
Aikido
Aikikai is the original school of Aikido, a modern Japanese martial art developed by Morihei Ueshiba.
Judo (All Japan Judo Federation)
The Japanese martial art, the ‘gentle way,’ was created in 1882 by Japanese educator and athlete Kanō Jigorō.
Jujutsu (Jiu-Jitsu Global Federation)
Japanese martial art, using an attacker’s energy against him.
Japan Karate Association
Budo culture.
Kendo
The Art of the Sword.
Ogasawara-Ryu
The Ogasawara-ryū is a school of etiquette, archery, and mounted archery that views etiquette as the building block of its techniques.
Sumo
Sumo is a form of competitive full contact wrestling that originated in Japan.
An illuminated nebuta float kept in the Nebuta Museum in Aomori. The Aomori Nebuta Festival is a summer festival that takes place in early August in Aomori, a coastal city in the north of the island of Honshu. The festival is famous for the floats of brave warrior-figures which are carried through the center of the city.
Traditional Japan
Tea
Chado
The Way of Tea – The Urasenke Tradition of Tea.
Sado/Chado – Tea Ceremony
The ritualized preparation and serving of powdered green tea in the presence of guests.
Ogasawara Sencha Service School
An Introduction to Tea Ceremony by Head Tea Master of Ogasawara Sencha Service School.
Traditional Culture For Tourism in Japan
GODS of Japan
Comprehensive A-to-Z Photo Dictionary of Japanese Buddhism (Buddhist & Shinto Deities)
Ikebana International
The Art of Flower Arrangement.
Japanese Buddhism
Page about Buddhism in Japan by japan-guide.com
Japanese garden database
Japanese gardens around the world.
Japanese Mythology
Japanese myths site by Shimane Prefecture.
Kabuki-za
Kabuki-za theater in the Ginza district of Chūō, Tokyo, is the principal theater in Tokyo for the traditional kabuki drama form.
Kunijo Kabuki Ekotoba
An illustrated manuscript of Japanese classical play Kabuki.
Tourism in Japan
A scene from Matsushima islands in Matsushima Bay in Japan. The group of islands in Miyagi Prefecture is one of the Three Views of Japan, Japan’s three most celebrated scenic sights.
Destination Japan – Travel and Tour Guides for Tourism in Japan
Japan National Tourist Organization
Travel and tourism guide on Japan, the Japanese, and much much more.
Web Japan
Japan-related magazine, operated by the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA). The site was launched to help people around the world get to know more about Japan and the Japanese.
Japan Tourism Agency
The agency website offers information on Japan’s tourism destinations.
Japan History
Sannai-Maruyama site
The Sannai Maruyama site was inhabited by hunter-gatherers in the Jōmon period, around the time from 3900 BCE – 2900 BCE.
Japan Guide – History
Most general facts of Japanese history.
National Museum of Japanese History
The museum’s homepage.
National Archives of Japan
Japan’s official documents and records.
Samurai
Wikipedia entry about the hereditary military nobility and officer caste of medieval and early-modern Japan.
Best Tourism in Japan