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Transportation
Japan has one of the world's
most highly developed transportation systems, with a rail
service alone that covers almost all possible destinations.
In addition, there is national highway service, and domestic
air service. Buses and taxis provide connections around
the clock in the cities, while ferry boats link up Tokyo,
Osaka and Kobe with the main ports on Hokkaido and Kyushu.
In addition, Japan offers comprehensive international
air service through its four airlines, Japan Airlines,
All Nippon Airways, Japan Air System and Japan Asia Airways,
as well as a host of foreign-based companies which fly
to all corners of the globe. |
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Railways
Railways in Japan include Japan Railways (JR), a group
of six railway companies covering the entire country,
plus a variety of companies which operate in many of the
larger cities. JR especially is renowned for its extreme
punctuality, with the heavily traveled trains on its Tokyo
commuter lines running through the stations at 1.5-minute
intervals at peak times.
And of course its Shinkansen, or "Bullet Trains,"
provide uftrafast and highly reliable rail links almost
all the length of Japan. Its lines are the Tokaido Line.
the Sanyo Line. the Tohoku Line and the Joetsu Line.
JR's long-distance services include super express, limited
express. express. berth and reserved seat, with charges
varying according to distance. Within cities, buy tickets
for local lines at the vending machines at each station,
and approach the green-sthped windows ("Midorino-madoguchi")
for tickets of different classes, as well as for long-distance
travel. |
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Japan Rail Pass
For the visitor, JR's Japan
Rail Pass offers excellent value and convenience. Rail
Pass, which is available only to sightseeing visitors
and must be bought from outside of Japan, gives its bearer
unlimited travel on JR lines and affiliated buses and
ferries.
(The Pass cannot be used for the new super express Nozomi.)
Enjoy Japan by Rail
Japan is a trainspotter's
paradise. From early morning until around midnight, the
trains come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes, and
they all run on time. You can set your watch by them!
Rail networks in the big cities are surprisingly easy
to use, and if you miss one train, there'll be another
along sooner than you think. And don't go to Japan without
riding the Shinkansen bullet train. The 1,715km route
from north to south takes only 7 hours 30 minutes, but
you don't have to go all the way. Trains passing through
several regions sell different boxed lunches as they travel
across the country. Try more than one, if you've got the
appetite!
Additional Benefit of Japan Rail Pass
For those who have the Japan
Rail Pass, JR offers a special discount rate for the JR
Hotel Group hotels. If you show your Japan Rail Pass at
check-in, you will receive a rate discount of about 10%.
Regional Japan Rail Passes
For the regional travelers,
the following JR Passes give a reasonable price and convenience;
JR EAST PASS for northeastern Japan from Tokyo except
the island of Hokkaido, JR-WEST RAIL PASS for western
Japan from Kansai International Airport and JRKYUSHU RAIL
PASS for all over Kyushu Island. They also offer their
own privileges to the purchasers. |
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Domestic
Airlines
With some 86 airports serving domestic and overseas
flights, Japan is highly convenient by air travel.
lntra-city Transportation
Subway lines are available in all major cities,
and provide prompt, efficient transportation. JR's
Yamanote.sen loop line of Tokyo and its Osaka-Kanjo-sen
loop line both circle the centers of their respective
cities. In Tokyo, JR rates start from V130, subway
fares at Y160 and V190 for EIDAN and TOEI, and both
increase with the distance traveled.
Most stations have vending machines for tickets
and automatic ticket-checking machines at their
entrance / exit gates.
Bus service is available in all cities, but can
sometimes be difficult for non-Japanese speaking
visitors to use.
Taxis, on the other hand, are also widely available
and can usually deliver customers to addresses written
in Japanese or on business cards. If the red light
in the lower left corner of the windshield is lit,
then the cab is free and it can be flagged down
(except in the Ginza area between 10 p.m. and 1
a.m. weekdays, when taxis can be taken only from
their specified zones). Be careful when approaching
a taxi's left rear door: it is opened and closed
from within by the driver.
Car Rental services are available in most large
and medium-sized cities as well as at airports and
some train stations, with international driver's
licenses recognized. |
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