When exchanging travellers cheques in smaller, regional post offices, you will need the address of someone who lives in Japan. We were turned away when unable to provide a resident’s address – they would not accept our hostel’s address without the name of a resident. Luckily for us we had a friend who lived in [...]
Kamikochi is well worth a visit with at least a one night stay. Glorious hikes which are long and fairly easy, spectacular mountains, beautiful ponds and forests. Aim to stay away from the main tourist route and push up through the main valley. Accommodation is pretty expensive, but provides a real insight into contemporary Japanese [...]