Bullet train

Fast trains and fish markets

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January 5th 2012
The cheapest way I'd found of getting us around during our holiday was to use the local trains. There is a special deal you can get during two holiday periods in Japan, called a Seishun Kippu 18 - a ticket for 11,000 yen (roughly £90) which gives you five trains rides. You can share the ticket (so between us we used four of the rides). There is no limit to how far you can travel in a day, cha ... read more

Asia » Japan » Tokyo

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In 1603, a Tokugawa shogunate (military dictatorship) ushered in a long period of isolation from foreign influence in order to secure its power. For 250 years this policy enabled Japan to enjoy stability and a flowering of its indigenous culture. Fol... ... read more