You might think that booking a hotel in Japan is a daunting task. The ideal place to start your hotel search would be the Internet. You could directly visit the websites of hotels located in Japan and make your reservations. Most of the sites offer an option to surf in English. Sites like the www.JapaneseHotelDirectory.com enlist information on different types of hotels and accommodations.

The Japanese hotel association website also offers information on accommodations. Staying in a western-style hotel in Japan is equivalent to the experience in the US. The staffs at the hotel speak English and provide excellent customer service. The western-style hotel options in Japan include deluxe, business or capsule.

Foreign visitors are better accommodated in deluxe hotels in terms of language and food. Of course, you will not miss the Japanese influence because you will find Japanese restaurants in these hotels too. Business hotels offer reasonable prices. While the rooms are smaller than in a regular hotel and have an attached bathroom they are preferred mostly by traveling businessmen. These hotels do not have a restaurant or any other services, aside from vending machines. Visitors can expect convenience as these business hotels usually are located close to local train stations.

Capsule hotels are representative of the premium on space in Japan. These hotels offer a bed in a small capsule with a television and a shared bathroom. Located near railway stations the checkout is usually around 9 a.m. the next morning. Washing facilities are located within the hotel and some hotels even have luxury bathrooms and massage parlors.

Apart from the regular hotels, visitors to Japan can also look forward to accommodations like the Ryokan, Minshuku and Pension. Ryokan is essentially a traveler’s inn. Visitors who stay in a Ryokan experience traditional Japan as most of the rooms are in Japanese Style and you sleep on a futon on the tatami mat floor. While the rates are the same as a business hotel in the cities, Ryokan’s in resort areas are reasonably priced apart from giving you a unique Japanese experience.

Minshuku referred to as people’s accommodation are somewhat similar to the Ryokan but are generally family-run businesses. They are cheaper than the Ryokan’s. From the outside many look like a large house and sometimes you get to eat with the family. The downside is that English is not spoken and many of the houses appear old and run-down.

Pensions are the westernized version of the Ryokan and Minshuku. They are located in the resort areas and offer the same services albeit with a European flavor. Rates are generally per person and that includes Western or French style dinner and breakfast.

There are a few travel tips you need to know before you travel to Japan.

* Eating is Japan is quite a challenge especially if you do not know where to look for the right food. For instance, Tokyo itself has more than 60,000 restaurants. So the key is to eat just like the Japanese - look for local restaurants on the streets instead of high-rise hotels. You will usually find the best deals and the easiest way to choose your food will be to point to it on the display window (usually menus are in Japanese).

* Visit the Japanese National Tourist Organization website for a wealth of information on travel and hotels.

* Carry an easy to read conversion dictionary from your native language or English to Japanese.

* The Japanese generally have a quiet and peaceful culture. They are very particular about etiquette. So it’s very important to know their table manners, socially acceptable forms of greetings, tipping policies, hygiene, etc.

About the author:
Henry Huxton is site moderator of JapaneseHotelDirectory.com

Rumor has it that star of the “Mission: Impossible 3″ movie, Tom Cruise, will hit Japan in the next few weeks for a promotional campaign ahead of the movie’s release there on July 8.

In typical Cruise style, and reminiscent of his previous stunts at other major openings, an entire shinkansen (bullet train) will be chartered from Tokyo to Osaka. With up to 150 guests on board, it is sure to be the experience for any Tom Cruise fan’s dreams. On the journey Cruise plans to personally meet every passenger and pose for photographs with them. Upon arrival at Osaka, the guests will then be invited to attend the opening night of the movie in that city too.

The Nozomi class bullet train that the Cruise PR team intends to charter is the current fastest shinkansen schedule in the fleet with a top speed of 300 km/h (186 mph) and makes the 515km (340 mile) run from Tokyo to the south-western city of Osaka in only 2.5 hours.

Mount Fuji, or as the Japanese call it – Fujisan, is a dormant volcano and the highest peak in Japan. Sometimes referred to incorrectly in the West as Fujiyama, Mount Fuji is Japan’s most famous mountain and a cultural icon. Throughout Japanese history Mt Fuji features heavily and one of the most famous depictions of the almost sacred mountain is the “36 Views of Mount Fuji” series of ukiyo-e woodblock prints by Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849).

Some quick facts about Mt Fuji include that it is 3776 metres (12290 feet) high, approximately 161km (100 miles) south-west of Tokyo and that the last eruption of Mount Fuji was about 300 years ago, in 1707.

The busiest time to visit the mountain is July, when with Japanese schools have their holidays, however about a third of all climbers are foreigners. The snow capped pinnacle can quite treacherous outside of these months with freezing temperatures, avalanches and strong winds. When the snow melts in warmer weather it more resembles a lunar landscape covered with black volcanic rock.

Although many people have seen the well known photograph of Mount Fuji with the shinkansen bullet train barrelling through the fields in the foreground, perhaps the easiest and best way to get to Mt Fuji from Tokyo is by bus which only takes a few hours. The highway bus departs from Shinjuku station, however you may need to change buses at Kawaguchiko station. The official climbing season runs from July to August and crowds of young and old make the ascent each day. During this period there are around 15 buses each day leaving from Shinjuku in Tokyo. At other times transport can be limited and climbing Mt Fuji is not recommended anyway.

Even in the summer high season it is important you prepare for climbing Mt Fuji properly. Climbing experience is not required and you will see many small children and elderly folk along the way. Good study shoes, some water and energy snacks are a must, along with a raincoat, torch, hat and warm clothing if you intend to hike at night. Even in the warmer months the temperatures at the top can drop to around 6°C (43°F). If you are unsure about heights you may want to consider picking up some altitude sickness tablets and even some ‘canned’ oxygen which is available for purchase on the mountain or beforehand from stores in Tokyo like Shinjuku’s Tokyu Hands.

The way up is divided into 10 stations or checkpoints. Generally visitors elect to start climbing about halfway up Mount Fuji on the Kawaguchiko trail at station 5. They arrive by bus or car and the climb takes around 7 hours to reach the summit and then another 4 to get back down again. The round trip can be completed in a very long day. Many people choose to begin their trek at nightfall and time it so they and arrive at the peak at dawn.

During July and August there are huts, toilet facilities and food stops open on the mountain in case you need to rest or take some time-out. But be warned, they can be rather pricy and a bit primitive so make sure to take a bit of cash with you too.

There is a famous Japanese saying that goes — “You are a fool if you don’t climb Mount Fuji, you are also a fool if you climb it twice.”

On a clear day seeing the sunrise from this highest point in Japan is quite a breathtaking spectacle and is sure to be the highlight of your sightseeing in Japan. It’s definitely a worthy side trip from Tokyo and the view from the top of Mount Fuji will be forever be etched in you mind. This is one experience that you do not want to miss on your visit to the land of the Rising Sun.

The Japanese adopted these Chinese-style characters into their language around the fifth century A.D. Each kanji character conveys a particular meaning and, depending upon the context, can have various pronunciations. While the characters at first appear similar to Chinese, many have evolved in sound and style, and the meaning can actually be quite different in Japanese.

Japanese is usually written using a combination of hiragana, katakana and kanji scripts. We will discuss hiragana and katakana some more in another article, but kanji are those really complicated looking characters. Originally the kanji symbols developed from simple pictograms, but over time have become more refined and combined with others can express many different meanings.

After learning the basic greetings and phrases in Japanese, you will probably soon realize that in order to get deeper into the language you are going to need to ramp things up a bit and take the plunge into the dreaded kanji. For kanji study a great deal of patience is required, and there are some excellent books available on the topic.

Japanese usually learn kanji when young, spending many hours writing them over and over until memorized. However for a foreigner who wishes to study the Japanese language, exploring the meaning behind each character along with a good set of kanji flashcards can really help to reinforce the memory. These kind of kanji study aids along with a good kanji dictionary are a great help and make learning the kanji an enjoyable and rewarding experience!

Kanji characters have experienced a rise in popularity in the West in recent years, and many people can now be seen sporting a kanji symbol tattoo. It is very important to consult a native Japanese speaker for a correct translation when designing your tattoo, as there have been instances of them being down back to front or upside down! Combining multiple characters together, if not done carefully can have unintended and very embarrassing consequences!