Destination: JAPAN! 去日本

Have you ever thought about going to Japan? There are many places in Japan worth visiting, but if you only have a little time, you absolutely cannot miss visiting Tokyo. This city is the country's capital and the center of everything that happens in Japan.

When in Tokyo, be sure to check out Harajuku during the day. Many fashionable young people go there to shop, be seen, or just hang out. In the evening, walk over to Shibuya, another district popular with young people. Shibuya is so full of bright lights and huge TV screens that it is almost as bright at night as it is at noon.

Other places to go are the Ginza, the famous shopping district, and Shinjuku, home of the busiest train station in the world. If you are more interested  in history, you can go to Kamakura, one of the old shogunate capitals, which is only an hour away from Tokyo by train.

Tokyo is the present capital of Japan, but for centuries the capital was Kyoto. Still the cultural center of Japan, Kyoto is an absolute must-see. The city is filled with traditional wooden buildings, temples, shrines, and castles, some of  which are over 1,000 years old. Kyoto can be reached from Tokyo by bullet train. Riding the bullet train is an interesting experience in and of itself. 

Some prime destinations in Kyoto are Kiyomizu-dera, an exquisite Buddhist temple, and Nijojo, one of the few large castles in Japan that was not destroyed during World War II. However, the greatest thing about Kyoto and the surrounding Kansai region is the people. They are very friendly, and enjoy a more relaxed pace of life than people in Tokyo.

If you have some extra time, you might take a side trip to Nara, which was the capital before Kyoto. Nara houses one of the largest bronze Buddha statues in the world. Also interesting is Osaka, the biggest city in Kansai, known for its fun-loving, boisterous people.

你想过去日本玩吗？日本有许多值得参观的地方，但如果你时间不充裕，东京是一个绝对不容错过的城市。它是日本的首都及发生一切事情的中心。

在东京，白天一定得去原宿瞧瞧。许多时髦的年轻人都去那儿购物，招摇，或只是闲逛。晚上，则要到涉谷走走，那是另一个年轻人喜爱的地方。涉谷的夜晚灯火通明，巨型电视屏幕随处可见，和正午一样明亮。

其它你可以去看的地方有银座──著名的购物区，新宿──世界上最繁忙的火车站。如果你对历史更感兴趣，你还可以去镰仓──古幕府时代的首都之一，从东京搭火车到那儿大约只需要一个钟头。

东京是日本现在的首都，但几个世纪以来，日本的首都一直是京都。仍然是日本文化中心的京都是一个必游的景点。这个城市里到处都是传统木造的建筑物、寺庙、神坛及城堡，有些已有一千多年的历史。从东京出发，可以坐子弹式高速列车到京都。搭乘子弹式高速列车也是相当有趣的经历。

京都的一些主要景点有：清水寺──精致典雅的佛寺，以及二条城──日本极少数在第二次世界大战中没被摧毁的大城堡之一。不过，京都与周边关西地区最大的特色还是当地的居民。他们非常友善，比起东京人，他们享受着比较轻松的生活节奏。

如果你有多余的时间，你可以顺便到奈良一游。它是京都之前的首都。奈良收藏了世界最大的青铜佛像之一。关西第一大城──大阪亦富有生趣，以其好娱乐、喜喧闹的居民而闻名。