Driving In Japan In Japan, it’s easy for foreigners to rent and drive a car. Japan even recognizes the driver’s licenses from a handful of U.S. states, meaning those residents can drive on their existing licenses, without any additional steps. For the rest of us, the best bet is to get an “International Driver’s License” …
ATMs and Banking When compared to other countries, Japan is a case study in contrasts. Walking the streets of the Akihabara district of Tokyo, a person could think they’re actually in a future designed by Arthur C. Clarke (in the Space Odyssey way, not the Fahrenheit 451 way). However, the banking industry continues to be …
Thousands of Years of History Egypt, Mesopotamia, China, and the Indus Valley rank among the oldest human civilizations. Japan isn’t quite that old, but is absolutely unique in the world’s historic cultures. While Japan benefits from China’s proximity (borrowing their architecture, written language, and even food preparation techniques), it has a distinct culture of its …
One Country, Two Power Grids Modern industrial Japan is oddly unique. Two, incompatible power grids deliver energy to the nation, effectively dividing the country into east and west. When the country opened its borders to the industrial world in the 1860s, two competing infrastructures descended on the country, with Europe focusing on Tokyo in the …
English—Just because it’s written doesn’t mean it’s spoken The second most common language in Japan is English, and yet, most Japanese can’t fluently speak the language of the international traveler. For English-speaking visitors, this seems odd, given that signage, directions, and even common instructions appear written in English. For the last few decades, English class …
Travel tours are like dog breeds. Some are big, others are small. Do you want to travel with a throng of 30, or with an intimate group of six. If small group sounds good to you, keep reading…