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Country: Kingdom of Thailand Area: 514,000km² (1.4 times that of Japan) Language: Thai Capital: Bangkok Population, 67,764,000 (as of 2008) Government: Constitutional Monachy Religion: Buddhism 95% , Islam: 4% , Other: 1% Currency: Thai Baht (THB) City Bank Exchange Rate Time Difference: Two Hours Behind Japan (GMT+7) Voltage: AC220V (50Hz) Plug shape same as Japan ＞More information（Wikipedia）
The People of Thailand: Thai people are mostly Buddhist. In general they are cheerful and because they often approach foreigners they don't know with a smile, Thailand has come to be known as the Land of Smiles. Many people are kind and can communicate easily so please talk to them and enjoy communicating with one another. However, there are bad people in every country so please be careful with anyone approaching you in an unnatural manner. Food： The staple food in Thailand is rice. Thai rice is the most common,long and thin with less viscocity than Japanese rice. Dishes tend to be mostly spicy with condiments so those who are not good with spicy food need to be careful. However, meals served at hotels and tourist restaurants tend to be less spicy. Those who like spicy food can enjoy real Thai cooking at street stalls or restaurants for local people but please be careful as you can get an upset stomach if the food is too spicy. It is also wise to choose food that has been thoroughly heated when visiting places such as street stalls where hygiene control is doubtful. Throughout the year there is plenty of fruit and depending on the season fruits that are expensive in Japan, such as mangos, mangosteen and rambutan, can be bought cheaply at market stalls and supermarkets so please try them. Japanese restaurant chains can also be found in big shopping centres and department stores. The King： Thailand is a constitutional monarchy. In particular, the current King, Rama IX (King Bhumibol) is extremely popular among the public because of his personality, considerable insight and charity work. Most people (we can go so far as to say every single person in the country) respect him and are proud of him. Depending on the situation, you can be arrested for lese-majesty or disrespect so please refrain from saying or doing anything that could insult the King in front of Thai people, even if it's not deliberate. Religious Precautions: In Thailand, freedom of worship is guaranteed but 95% of Thai people are Buddhist. Please be aware that Buddhist festivities and anniversaries can become a holiday. In addition, when visiting sacred places such as temples for tourism purposes, please abide by the customs there when it comes to clothes and behaviour.。
Visas： If you are staying in Thailand as a tourist for less than 30 days you can enter the country without a visa. If you plan to stay for longer than 30 days you must get a visa before you travel. For more information, please check with the Embassy of Thailand (in your country). Passport Validity： In order to enter Thailand, your passport must be valid for over 6 months according to the rules. If it isn't, you will have to apply for a new passport before you travel. Currency Exchange： In Thailand, there are exchange counters run by banks everywhere if it's a tourist area, not to mention in airports. They are open until 20:00. You can change Japanese yen at any counter so there is no need for you to change your money in Japan. If you are arriving in Thailand late at night, it will be extremely useful to change just the minimum amount of cash you require or bring a credit card that you can use in ATMs abroad. Many ATMs can be found in convenience stores, banks etc and are open 24 hours. Credit cards with the PLUS and CIRRUS marks on the back can be used at almost all ATMs.
Language for a Pleasant Stay： You can speak basic English at almost all tourist areas. There aren't many places where Japanese is spoken. If you are worried about language it would be a good idea to bring something with you like a pocket dictionary.。 Electrical Appliances to Bring from Japan： The power supply in standard homes in Thailand is 220V. Almost all electronic devices sold in Japan, such as laptop computers and walkmen, are designed for use at 220V on the assumption that they will be taken abroad but before using them please check the back of the device or the wall adaptor to find out the working voltage. If the device does not work at 220V, you will need a transformer. Mobile Phones： Mobile phones from Japan can be used if they are compatible with the prescribed roaming services in Thailand. However, it may be possible that some services such as email and lists of websites cannot be used so please contact your mobile phone operator for details. In addition, international phone calls on a roaming service can be extremely expensive so we highly recommend that you check the prices beforehand. It is also possible to buy a mobile phone in Thailand. The cheapest ones tend to cost around 3,000yen. A call to Japan is cheap at 7 to 20 baht per minute. If you are going to regularly call abroad, it can be cheaper to buy a prepaid phone in Thailand. Internet Connections： Standard hotels can lend their guests computers that are connected to the Internet, and also have fixed line ADSL connections and wireless LAN so you can connect your own computer. These services are sometimes free and sometimes not so please enquire with the hotel you're going to stay at. There are also many Internet cafes in town that you can use for a low cost but in most cases the computers will not have Japanese input functions (they can display Japanese). If you plan on sending emails regularly, we recommend that you bring your own device such as a laptop computer.
