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The best guide to Japan, packed with essentials Walking and driving tours to gardens, temples, castles, and museums, plus hikes in the Japanese Alps and up Mt. Fuji Kabuki, noh, bunraku, modern theater, dance, and nightlife Shopping for fans, dolls, ceramics, lacquerware, kimonos, folk crafts, and electronics, including great flea markets Where to stay and eat, no matter what your budget Smart hotels, modern resorts, hot-spring spas, temple lodging, minshukus, and traditional ryokan Western restaurants, sushi-ya, noodle shops, teahouses Fresh, thorough, practical--from writers you can trust Costs, hours, descriptions, and tips by the thousands All reviews based on visits by savvy writer-residents 59 pages of maps--and dozens of unique features Important Contacts A to Z; Smart Travel Tips; Fodor's Choice; What's Where; Pleasures & Pastimes; festivals; historical chronology; vocabulary section with Japanese characters; and more!

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Pleasures and Pastimes

Bathing
Partly because of the importance of purification rites in Shinto, Japan's ancient indigenous religion, the art of bathing has been a crucial element of the culture for centuries. Baths in Japan are as much about pleasure and relaxation as they are about washing and cleansing. Traditionally, communal bathhouses served as centers for social gatherings, and even though most modern houses and apartments have bathtubs, many Japanese still prefer the pleasures of communal bathing -- either at onsen (hot springs) while on vacation or in public bathhouses in their own neighborhoods. Japanese bathtubs themselves are different from those in the West -- they're deep enough to sit in upright with (very hot) water up to the neck -- and the procedures for using them are quite different as well. They are for soaking, not washing: Soap must not get into the bathwater. How is this accomplished? Before taking the plunge, you sit on a stool in a special area outside the tub that is equipped with faucets or shower hoses and a floor drain. There you wash with soap and rinse thoroughly in preparation for entering the tub. The water in the tub is as hot as the body can endure, and the reward for making it past the initial shock of the heat is the pleasure of a lengthy soak in water that does not become tepid. Many hotels in major cities offer only Western-style reclining bathtubs, so to indulge in the pleasure of a Japanese bath you'll need to stay in a Japanese-style inn or find a public bathhouse. The latter are clean, hygienic, and easy to find.

Besuboru (Baseball)
It is fair to say that baseball is as much a national pastime in Japan as it is Stateside. If you're a fan -- and perhaps even if you aren't -- you'll probably want to take in a game in Japan: The way the Japanese have adopted and adapted this Western sport makes it a fascinating and easy-to-grasp microcosm of both their culture and their overall relationship to things Western. The team names alone -- the Orix BlueWave and
the Chiba Lotte Marines, for example -- have an amusing appeal to Westerners accustomed to such monikers as the Yankees and the Indians, and the fans' cheers are different and chanted more in unison than in U.S. ballparks. But a lot is familiar, too. Two non-Japanese players are allowed
on each team; past and future American superstars, Kevin Mitchell and Cecil Fielder, to name two, have played besuboru. Tokyo Dome at Koraku-en is the place to see pro ball in the big city.

Dining
Japanese food is not only delicious and healthy but also aesthetically pleasing -- in fact the aesthetic experience of food is of utmost importance to the Japanese. Even the most humble box lunch (bento) from a railway station or on a train will have been created with careful attention to color combinations and overall presentation. This guide's regional chapters discuss local specialties in detail, and the Japanese are very proud of their local specialties -- from Kyoto's kaiseki ryori (elaborate, multi-course set meals) to the Japan Alps region's use of mountain vegetables and tasty local miso.

Onsen (Hot Springs)
No doubt the Japanese love of bathing has something to do with the hundreds of onsen (natural hot springs) that bubble out of their volcanic island. Many onsen are surrounded by resorts, ranging from overlarge Western-style hotels to small, humble inns; all are extremely popular among Japanese tourists. Traditionally the curative value of hot-spring water was strongly emphasized. Add to that today's need to get away from the frantic pace of life and relax. At resorts, onsen water is usually piped in to hotel rooms or large, communal indoor baths. And some onsen have rotenburo (year-round open-air baths) where you can soak outdoors in the midst of a snowy winter landscape. Some of the best-known spas near Tokyo are at Atami, Hakone, Ito, and Nikko; in Kobe, at Arima; in Kyushu, at Beppu and Unzen; and in Hokkaido, at Noboribetsu.

Shopping
Japan's depato (pronounced "deh-pah-to," meaning department stores) have to be seen to be believed -- from their automaton-like
white-gloved elevator operators to their elaborate wrapping of even the most humble purchase. Items made by every international designer you can name sit alongside the best of traditional Japanese arts and crafts items, and most have at least two basement levels devoted entirely to the
selling of food, from international grocery fare to ready-to-eat Japanese delicacies and everyday menu items. Everything mentioned below is
likely to be available in at least one major urban depato. Items made of washi -- hand-molded paper -- are one of the best buys in Japan.
Delicate sheets of almost-transparent stationery, greeting cards, money holders, and wrapping paper are available at traditional crafts stores,
stationery stores, and department stores. Small washi-covered boxes (suitable for jewelry and other keepsakes) and pencil cases are also strong
candidates for gifts and personal souvenirs. At first glance, the ceramics displayed in Japan seem priced for a prince's table. Doubtless some are, but if you keep shopping you can find reasonably priced functional and decorative items that are generally far superior in design to what is available at home. If you don't go to pottery villages such as Hagi and Arita, look in department stores, where the selection is vast and there are items priced for every budget.

Excerpted from Japan: The Complete Guide with the Best of Tokyo, Kyoto and Old Japan by Fodor's Travel Publications, Inc. Staff
All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.

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