Japan Travel Information including Japan National Tourist Organization link

<H2>Tourist Office Information sources</H2></A> <p>We research our information through direct mailings with each office, and through contact with the individual Embassy representing each country in the UK. <BR><BR>Country Connect has worked with UK-based national tourist offices since 1989, and has established regular news-feeds for timely distribution to the UK travel industry via closed, managed networks. <BR><BR> In addition to the contact information, Country Connect offers a country-by-country link to official government information, as well as to the Columbus World Travel Guide and the WorldWise database compiled by the Suzy Lamplugh Trust. </p> <A name=feedback> <H2>Send us a message</H2> </A> <A href="feedback.html"> Let us know what you think of Country Connect</A> <BR> <br><br> <p>From the majestic cone of Mount Fuji, snow-cloaked much of the year, to the pine islets of Matsushima, seen by moonlight, Japan has a natural grandeur both subtle and dramatic. Wave-pounded crags of wild shores afford sharp contrast with whispers of wind in bamboo groves. The high backbone of the Japan Alps, active and dormant volcanoes, lakes and sea, and the transmutations of nature with changing seasons, all draw visitors to the nation's finest natural attractions, including those in the system of grand national parks. <p>Hot-spring resorts, seaside resorts, ski and other recreational resorts make Japan a country active in land and water sports. From the highland resorts of Hakone and Karuizawa to the ocean beaches of Izu and Okinawa, pleasure in active leisure characterizes the Japanese people.</p> <p>Domestic cuisine is another kind of delight. From the grids of countryside rice paddies to the nets of fish and seafood drawn from ocean waters, the basic need for sustenance has, through the centuries, led to food preparation and service raised to the status of a fine art. Even the most modest dishes appeal to the eye as well as the appetite.</p> <p>Japan is both old and new, and the two aspects of its culture coexist in a benign environment. An "intelligent" office building, the epitome of modern Japan in the socalled information age, may have a tiny Shinto shrine on its roof as a testament to the traditional beliefs and values that do not die out. The splendid achievements of Japan's classical arts and architecture are preserved with pride, as seen in Nikko, Kamakura, Kyoto, Nara and Kanazawa. The towers of feudal castles still dominate some cityscapes, the most famous being the Heron Castle at the centre of Himeji City. Pavilions and teahouses breathe the past into the present amid the verdants vistas of classical landscape gardens, most notably at the Katsura Detached Palace at Kyoto. The nation's preoccupation with robotics, super-computers and industrial dreams for the future does not conflict with its deep-seated devotion to the tea ceremony, flower arrangement, or other traditional arts and crafts. Although small in total land area, the country is big enough to accomodate the newest genres of music and drama side by side with Noh, Kabuki and the Bunraku puppet show.</p> <a href="http://www.countryconnect.co.uk">Tourist Offices by Country Connect</a> <br> </BODY>