Japan is an island country in East Asia (about 12 hours flight time from the UK). Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of China, Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea in the south. The characters that make up Japan's name mean "sun-origin", which is why Japan is sometimes identified as the "Land of the Rising Sun".
Japan comprises over 3,000 islands, the largest of which are Honshū, Hokkaidō, Kyūshū and Shikoku, together accounting for 97% of land area. Most of the islands are mountainous, many volcanic; for example, Japan’s highest peak, Mount Fuji, is a volcano. Japan has the world's tenth largest population, with about 128 million people. The Greater Tokyo Area, which includes the capital city of Tokyo and several surrounding prefectures, is the largest metropolitan area in the world, with over 30 million residents.
I booked a tour holiday with a company called Explore. Unfortunately, although stated in the holiday literature, it was not made clear at the time that our "Tour Leader"s knowledge of the places that we visited would be limited (though her translating was good having lived there for 9 years), as she was not a "Tour Guide" who would have had an in depth knowledge of each place we visited.
A tour does mean that you don't have to worry about organising anything except a few lunches and evenings out, though the package was expensive (they ALL are, though a 3rd of the cost is the flight, and another costly component is a stay in a Ryokan - though this is an absolute must for the authentic Japanese experience and I would strongly recommend you spend as some nights in one even if organising a trip yourself).
Once you are out there though everything is cheap (esp Japan's wonderful food, I hope you like raw fish!). The flight was through Japan's national air carrier Nippon Airways, and I was able to book my exact seat on-line for both coming and going, though unless you are disabled you cannot request an emergency exit seat for the extra leg room (it is a long flight).
You must take mostly Yen with you. Travellers Cheques are seldom acceptable, and whatever they say about Credit Cards in the blurb take with a large pinch of salt - places that take Credit Cards will not take regular International ones, only Japanese ones. You can take Euros as a backup currency though (and spend it on another holiday when you come back home with it still in your pocket). If you go to the less populated areas of the country in the north or south off the usual tourist map (like Hirado island on the Explorer trip) you will be in the "sticks" so forget about internet access and credit cards there.
The most popular time of year is the "Cherry Blossom season" around April each year, and trips to Japan around this time are more expensive (especially for flights), are often booked up 9 months in advance, and you will also find all of the tourist attractions very crowded. I went in June which is just on the edge before the monsoon season, so it was rather wet. A cagoule is advisable for this time of year, as it will protect you from heavy rain yet wont make you any hotter than necessary, as the temperatures are still very warm.
Toyko
Because it is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family, Tokyo is the capital of Japan, and one of the largest cities in the world with a total population of over 8 million people.
Tokyo was originally known as Edo, meaning estuary. Its name was changed to Tokyo (tō (east) + kyō (capital), literally meaning eastern capital) when it became the de facto imperial capital in 1868.
Tsukiji fish market
The biggest wholesale fish and seafood market in the world and also one of the largest wholesale food markets of any kind.
The Tsukiji fish market is located near the Tsukiji Shijou Station on the Oedo subway line and Tsukiji Station on the Hibiya subway line. There are two distinct sections of the market as a whole. The "inner market" (jonai shijo) is the licensed wholesale market, where the auctions and most of the processing of the fish take place, and where licensed wholesale dealers (approximately 900 of them) operate small stalls. The "outer market" (jogai shijo) is a mixture of wholesale and retail shops that sell Japanese kitchen tools, restaurant supplies, groceries, and seafood, and many restaurants, especially sushi restaurants. Most of the shops in the outer market close by the early afternoon, and in the inner market even earlier.
If visiting, make sure you arrive there between 5 and 6am (yes really, the earlier the better), otherwise you will miss the Tuna auction which will all be over by 7am, and the outer market activity which will significantly die down after 8am.
http://www.tsukiji-market.or.jp/tukiji_e.htm
Hama-Rikyu Gardens
A popular public park in Tokyo, Japan. Located at the mouth of the Sumida River in Chuo-ku, it was opened April 1, 1946. The park is a 250,165 m² landscaped garden surrounding Shioiri Pond, the park itself surrounded by a seawater moat filled by Tokyo Bay. It was remodeled as a public garden park on the site of a villa of the Shogun Tokugawa family in the 17th century.
The Gardens are unique in having a tidal pond fed by the Sumida River.
When visiting the park you must stop a while at the teashop in located in the middle of the pond in the garden for refreshing matcha (green tea) and Japanese sweets in a tea-ceremony style.
http://www.jref.com/practical/shimbashi.shtml
Kaminarimon Gate & Sensoji Temple
Sensō-ji is an ancient Buddhist temple located in Asakusa, is Tokyo's oldest temple, and one of its most significant. Adjacent to the temple is a Shinto shrine, the Asakusa Jinja.
At the entrance to the Sensoji is the Kaminari Mon, or "Thunder Gate". It holds a huge paper lantern painted in dramatic red and black to suggest thunderclouds and lightning. Passing it is the Nakamise-dori, the street leading from the Thunder Gate to the temple itself, and it is lined with small shops selling souvenirs ranging from fans, ukiyo-e (woodblock prints), kimono and other robes, Buddhist scrolls, traditional sweets, to Godzilla toys, t-shirts, and cell-phone trinkets. These shops themselves are part of a tradition of selling to pilgrims who walked to Sensō-ji, and worshipers and tourists flocking to Sensō-ji have shopped at the small stores for centuries. This leads to the Hozo Mon, or second gate. Beyond it stands the main temple building (dedicated to the bodhisattva Kannon), while to the left is a five storey 48m high pagoda. 
Next to the Sensoji is the Asakusa Jinja, a Shinto shrine built by Tokugawa Iemitsu in 1649 in honour of the three men who established the Sensoji Temple, namely the two fishermen Hinokuma Hamanari and Hinokuma Takenari, and the village headman who built the temple, Haji no Nakatomo. According to legend, a statue of the Kannon was found in the Sumida River in 628 by two fishermen, the brothers Hinokuma Hamanari and Hinokuma Takenari. The chief of their village, Hajino Nakamoto, recognized the sanctity of the statue and inshrined the statue by remaking his own house into a small temple in Asakusa so that the villagers could worship the Kannon. The blessings of the Kannon gradually received a high reputation throughout Japan, and people near and far flocked to Asakusa to venerate the statue
http://www.worldgreatestsites.com/sensoji.htmMeiji
Meiji Jingu Shrine
Meiji Jingu is located near Harajuku Station, and is a Shinto shrine dedicated to the souls of Emperor Meiji (died 1912) and his wife (died 1914), After the demise of the Emperor and Empress, this shrine was constructed to venerate them. Their souls were enshrined on November 1, 1920. The original building was destroyed during World War II. The present shrine was completed in October, 1958.
This shrine is within an area of 700,000 square-meter (about 175 acres) evergreen forest of 120,000 trees from 365 different species, which were donated by people from all parts of Japan when the shrine was established.
http://www.meijijingu.or.jp/english/
The Imperial Palace & The Imperial Household of Japan
After the Meiji Restoration and the resignation of Tokugawa Yoshinobu, the last Tokugawa shogun, the Imperial court moved from Kyoto to Tokyo and the former Tokugawa stronghold of Edo castle became the residence of the emperor (the Kyoto Imperial Palace was preserved).
The East Gardens are usually accessible to tourist, but most of the palace is generally off-limits to the public. The inner palace is open to the public on only two days during each year, the Emperor's birthday and at the New Year (January 2).
The Imperial House of Japan (also referred to as the Imperial Family or kōshitsu) comprises those members of the extended family of the reigning Emperor of Japan who undertake official and public duties. Under the present Constitution of Japan, the emperor is the symbol of the state and unity of the people. Although he is not technically head of state, he is frequently treated as one. Other members of the imperial family perform ceremonial and social duties but have no role in the affairs of government.
The Japanese monarchy is the oldest continuous hereditary monarchy in the world still in existence. The imperial house recognizes 125 legitimate monarchs since the accession of Emperor Jimmu (traditionally dated to February 11, 660 BC), including the reigning emperor, Akihito.
Before September 2006, there was a potential succession crisis since no male child had been born into the imperial family since Prince Akishino in 1965. Following the birth of Princess Aiko, there has been some public debate about amending the Imperial House Law to allow female descendants of an emperor and their descendants to succeed to the throne. In January 2005, Prime Minister Koizumi Junichiro appointed a special panel of judges, university professors, and civil servants to study changes to the Imperial House Law and to make recommendations to the government. On October 25, 2005, the commission recommended amending the law to allow females in the male line of imperial descent to succeed to the throne. There is broad public support for such a change.
41 years after the birth of Prince Akishino in 1965, and after much speculation and public interest in the male only succession, Prince Akishino's wife, Princess Kiko, gave birth to a baby boy in September, 2006. The child, Prince Hisahito, is now third in line to the Imperial Throne. Princess Aiko, who now holds no right to succession, would have precedence over him as well as over her uncle if the law is ever changed.
The above Wikipedia and Wikimedia Commons image is from the user Chris 73 and is freely available at http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:Imperial_Palace_Tokyo_Map.png under the creative commons cc-by-sa 2.5 license.
http://sankan.kunaicho.go.jp/english/guide/koukyo.html
Kamakura
The Great Buddha (Daibutsu)
text to follow
http://sightseeing.in-japan.jp/2007/06/a_pilgrim_in_kamakura.html
More to come...
Other Links
The Art of War by Sun Tzu, translated by Lionel Giles (1910)
http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Art_of_War_%28Sun%29
Constitution of the Empire of Japan (Nov 29, 1890)
http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Constitution_of_the_Empire_of_Japan
American Diplomacy in the Orient by John W. Foster (1903)
http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/American_Diplomacy_in_the_Orient
The Potsdam Declaration or the Proclamation Defining Terms for Japanese Surrender (not to be confused with the Potsdam Agreement) was a statement issued on July 26, 1945 by Harry S. Truman, Winston Churchill, and Chiang Kai-Shek which outlined the terms of surrender for Japan as agreed upon at the Potsdam Conference. The agreement stated that if Japan did not surrender, "They would face prompt and utter destruction."— Excerpted from Potsdam Declaration on Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Potsdam_Declaration
The Japanese Instrument of Surrender was the written agreement that established the armistice ending the Pacific War and with it World War II. (September 12, 1945)
http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Japanese_Surrender_Documents_of_World_War_II
Constitution of Japan (Nov 3, 1946)
http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Constitution_of_Japan
More to come...
Tour DVD
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Japan Tour DVD Japan Highlights |
Lee Curry (2007)
"I've finally got around to giving the DVD the attention it deserves this evening and have to say what a enjoyable and thoroughly professional piece of work it is.
The production is excellent and there's a great deal more going on in it than one first thinks.
The Russian stuff took me back but also made me want to visit again without the snow. The China highlights made me feel as if I'd already been there which I think is not just testimony to your photographic work but again, due to the overall production quality and atmosphere with the choices of soundtrack.
It is a wonderful keep-sake of the holiday and I'm sure I will be referring to it for years to come. I'm really happy with it, many thanks."