Japan, Wondrous Wetlands - more info
MEETING and DROP-OFF
1600, 4th June 2010
We'll meet at Kushiro airport before travelling on for approximately one hour by minibus.
The drop-off time is 1200 (midday) on the 19th
VISA and PASSPORT
A full British passport is required (by British citizens) to enter the country. Nationals of Germany, Ireland and the UK do not require a visa for a stay of less than 6 months. Please check with your relevant embassy for up to date details.
HEALTH
The best up-to-date information on health issues can be found at the NHS 'Fit For Travel' website.
MONEY
It is advisable to bring about 20000 Yen (about £100), for personal spending.
FOOD
We try to use local produce on the BTCV holidays. Your favourite snacks may not be available so please bring your own if you can't live without them. Please ensure to notify us of any special dietary requirements. Traditional Japanese cooking is very distinctive. The staples of Japanese cooking are rice, fish, eggs and vegetables (which means they turn up at virtually every meal – including breakfast!), accompanied by green tea (drunk without milk or sugar), sake (rice wine) or Japanese beer (biru). The best known brands of beer include: Kirin, Sapporo, Asahi, Suntory and Orion. Japanese etiquette requires that you should not pour out your own drink but should serve your neighbour who will then do the same for you. The various dishes of the meal are served together, not in sequence; soup is eaten with the meal, rather than as a starter. It is worth bearing in mind that it is difficult to be a strict vegetarian in Japan. Although the host organisation and the leader will be notified of your specified dietary requirements in advance, you may want to bring along some of your own food supplies if you are worried about this. Anyone happy to eat fish should have no real problem.
CULTURE
Cultural etiquette: although the Japanese way of life is gradually being "Westernised", particularly in the cities, much importance is still attached to the etiquette of Japanese life. The Japanese are very polite. When greeting anyone, it is not usual to shake hands; instead the two parties bow to one another, although foreigners, in general, are not expected to bow. Great importance is attached to the correctness of dress, although this is not likely to be a problem while on the work site. However, you may need to take some presentable clothing as it is possible that we'll be invited to meet the mayor or other official to talk about the project. On entering a Japanese house or a temple, visitors take off their outdoor shoes and put on slippers. Slippers are always provided so it is not necessary to bring them; however, bear in mind that the Japanese do tend to have very small feet! Rooms floored with reed mats (tatami) should be entered only in socks or bare feet. It is a severe breach of social etiquette to step on tatami with dirty feet! Beware of wearing ankle length shoes that seem to take forever to remove (and replace) when entering (or leaving) rooms or building. Blowing your nose in public is a major social no-no. Retreating to privacy is the accepted way of coping. Loud sniffing occurs almost everywhere! Having said that, foreigners can usually get away with almost any infringement of etiquette and are not expected to master more than the simplest Japanese words.
LANGUAGE
Japanese. Most younger people have learned to read and write English but have had little opportunity to practice spoken English.
TIME ZONE
Japan is 8 hours ahead of the UK.
PHONE International country code: +81
RISK ASSESSMENT
All BTCV projects are subject to a detailed assessment of associated risks and threats. View a summary of the Risk Assessment for this project.
