Japan is a country of wonder, an area of excesses, striking contrasts and apparent complexity. Having both a millennial culture dating back to the Aïnous, an ethnic group in northern Japan that has found traces of 12,000 years, and an incredible modernity, which is observed at every moment in major metropolises, the 3,000 km long volcanic archipelago displays a variety of landscapes and climates almost without equal. The occasion for a unique and unforgettable trip.
A relaxing destination…
The word «travel» has only been made in Japan. And it's all the more enjoyable because comfort is the whole time. Japan is the ideal destination. It is above all a safe country, with the lowest crime index in OECD countries. It is then a clean, almost immaculate area - Tōkyō is considered the cleanest city in the world. Hospitality takes its full measure, this art is called omotenashi. It is difficult to translate this word because we do not have the equivalent in French, but it combines both the concepts of kindness, attention and patience without being intrusive. You will be surprised by the help you will receive throughout your stay. Another reason is the yen's decline. Japan has long been regarded as an expensive country and has become affordable in recent years. Of course, we must compare what is comparable. The prices displayed in Tōkyō are very similar to those of Paris, London or New York. Finally, Japan is also a country where we can have fun. Whatever the reasons why you will come to the country of the Sun rising, for the love of the gardens, the Zen landscapes, for the prints, bathing in hot springs, geishas, for the magic of temples and that of castles, for the tea ceremony, for the theater of Tōkyō, for the devaluation. Megalopoles, sumos, mangas, samurai, gastronomy… this is the time to go there. In 2020, Tōkyō will host the Olympic Games and the Japanese government intends to invite 20 million tourists that year. It is therefore high time to live this trip to Japan.
Because so oriental and so different, while being incredibly developed, Japan is full of reasons for travel to come to discover it. Japan's attractiveness lies, for example, in the approximately 1,000 temples of Kyōto, in the speed and design of the Shinkansen, the ancestor of the TGV, or in the size of megalopoles and their bubbling. Some westerners will be affected by the variety of landscapes, aesthetic research in the ikebana floral arrangement, traditional architecture, sumō meetings, the chaotic urbanization of major metropolises, Japanese mangas, and Japanese cinema, cherry trees in the month of April, kabuki theater or the number of record inventions each year. at the Patent Office… All these elements contribute to Japan's interest. And, to do nothing, Japan is certainly one of the safest countries in the world to travel, alone, as couples, with friends or with its children. Apart from private clubs, the traveler is welcome everywhere, especially these days while the Japanese industry suffers from the global economic crisis.
An Art of Living that Suggests
Most of the Japanese population lives on only 20% of the national territory. So with such a density of individuals per square kilometer, it's better to be organized and respectful of his neighbor. The traveler who chose the country of the Sun lifting for destination already intuitively intuitively responded to him. He instinctively feels, according to the mangas, the images or the writings he has read, that Japan is a different life proposition. He may have already drank sake, sung karaoke with Japanese friends, listened to the bamboo flute Shakuhachi, participated in the tea ceremony, or attended Paris-basho, the Parisian stage of sumō tournaments… He confessed to a art of living apart, strange of course., but seems to hold the road. The most interesting thing about this unusual urban landscape for a European is to be able to answer "how is it that…" this reality exists? How is it that the Japanese have some of the longest life expectancy in the world? Why is Japanese the only language in the world to have ideograms with two parallel reading systems? Why is it that the Japanese have particular deference attitudes to each other? Why is it that all religions are present in Japan, but that the Japanese are not believers? Why is Japan the record industrial country for the low crime rate? Why is one in two Japanese sleeping on the train? In short, the Japanese lifestyle is unavoidable.
An exceptional gastronomy
If there are Japanese restaurants around the world, it's not for nothing. And if the Japanese have one of the longest hopes of life on the planet, either. Japanese gastronomy is an art, the better it is a religion, which is so linked to elements and seasons. Lovers of fish and other seafood will naturally delight, as will vegetarians. Carnivores for them can, if their stock exchanges permit, taste the best beef in the world. Tōkyō is often cited as the world capital of gastronomy, with the best restaurants in the world (the most expensive ones), it holds the record of star restaurants. In the countryside, these are the local specialties that come at very affordable prices. It's time to discover healthy cuisine and where small details make the difference.
The country of the link
Japan is surely the country of union, all forms of relationships and relationships. Here are some examples. The Japanese house is not just a shelter or a cut against the outside world. This is the very expression of the link between the interior and the outside, but unlike the Japanese life expectancy, the Japanese house is that of industrialized countries that lasts least long (30 years). We do not say «good appetite» in Japanese, but Itadakimasu, something like «I am fed my life.» In public transport, many advice is provided to ensure that travelers' relations are pleasant. The smallest packages are wrapped with great attention and always opened with care. The great moments of Japanese are fun at work, sake with colleagues, cherry cherry trees (hanami), some 500 handwritten greeting cards sent at the end of the year, life with friends or girlfriends at school and in post-school activities, weekend golf days or the weekend. first sunrise of the year. Kaiseki cuisine expresses the link with nature in the presentation of dishes and respect for seasonality. In a word, everything that can bind is welcome. One of the most popular expressions of the Japanese is Ichi-go ichi-e, «at every moment his meeting». And the promise of an unforgettable trip to the visitor…
Smart news
When? Spring and autumn are the high tourist seasons in Japan, especially when visiting temples or sacred mountains. To avoid the greatest tributaries, it may be useful to plan his trip at the end of November-early December, late February-early March, or summer.
Go there. Take about 12 hours of travel with a direct flight and between 850 € and 1,300 € on average for the return trip.
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