Japan: About Japan
From ExecutivePlanet.com
About Japan
Japan is an island in Asia with about 120 million people, but yet not much larger than Italy or the state of Montana in geographical size. Because it is such a mountainous country, you will find most of the population centered in specific areas, mainly Tokyo, Yokohama, Osaka, and Nagoya in that order. It takes about ten and a half hours by plane to Tokyo from California (only 8.5 hours on the return!), and most Chinese cities, Korea, Singapore and the like can all be reached as well within 2-6 hours.
In order to fly in and out of Japan, most business travelers fly into Narita, which thankfully now has 2 runways and a newly renovated terminal. Do enjoy the shopping and food in the terminals while you are there. It is recommended to take the airport limousine bus to your destination in Tokyo for about US $25 and a 1.5 to 2 hour ride, or take the Narita express train. Taxis will set you back several hundred dollars going from the airport to downtown Tokyo. There are less crowded airports in Nagoya and Osaka that some business travelers do make use of as well, but it's rather out of the way unless you specifically have business in that region.
The climate in Japan is rather humid, especially in the summer. Usually there is a rainy season from mid-June to mid-July, and then it really gets hot. Also typhoons begin their ascent north in the summertime and last through the autumn, so make sure to keep an eye on the weather and typhoon movements as very often there can be flight cancellations. In recent years, typhoons have been hitting land several times a year, whereas in the past, it was a much rarer occurrence.
Springtime is cherry blossom time and very nice weather. Fall is also a very nice time to visit. Winter is somewhat mild with slight cold spells, and little or no snow in Tokyo.
There are many national holidays throughout the year, but the three times in which to watch out for several days of business closure are Golden Week (a week of several holidays) around April 29 - May 6, Obon (time to go home to pay respect to the dead) usually around the 3rd week of August, and New Years celebrations around end of December through the first days of January.
Most Japanese are either Buddhist or Shintoist, or both, but actual practice is rather limited to holidays, and it's mostly just for show. Nevertheless, religious interest has been gradually picking up, with Christianity, Islam, Bahai, and other faiths growing.
