Location
Far East

Local time
GMT +9

Capital
Tokyo

Language
Japanese, English

Electricity
100V AC 50Hz (Tokyo & East Japan); 100V AC 60Hz (Osaka & West Japan)

Int. direct dialling code
81

Driving
Driving is on the left. International Driving Permit required

Currency
Yen (JPY)

Notes
JPY: 1,000, 2,000, 5,000, 10,000

Coins
JPY: 1, 5, 10, 50, 100, 500

Banks
0900-1500 Mon-Fri

Offices
0900-1700 Mon-Fri

Shops
1000-1900

Emergency services
Police: 110. Fire & Ambulance: 119

Climate
Generally a temperate climate with four distinct seasons. Winters are cool and sunny in the south, getting colder further north with heavy snowfalls in Hokkaido. Spring and autumn tend to be fairly mild and pleasant. Summer, between Jun-Sep ranges from warm to very hot. Rainfall is fairly evenly spread throughout the year, although between Jun- early Jul is the main rainy season. Typhoons are only likely to occur in Sep-Oct, rarely lasting more than a day

Clothing
Lightweights in summer for most areas, light or mediumweights for spring and autumn and heavier, warmer clothing for the winter months. Much warmer clothes will be needed in mountains all year round