CITY FACTS - Things you should know when planning a visit to Tokyo
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Language: Japanese is a difficult language to master and this is especially true for the written word. However, it is advisable for a visitor to try and learn at least a few words and phrases as this will be greatly appreciated by the Japanese. The language is pronounced a little like Spanish or Italian, with similar vowel sounds and patterns of consonant-vowel. An easy way of remembering vowel sounds is to think of the word "Spaghetti", which has the right Japanese pronunciation of "a", "e" and "i", and "Uno", which is how you say "u" and "o". Most consonants are pronounced as they would be in English. Final vowels are generally voiced, except for "u", which is almost silent when it appears at the end of the word.
Getting connected in Tokyo: If you travel with a laptop, it is possible to connect to the Internet via the telephone sockets in most hotel rooms or public telephone booths.
Tokyo fast facts:
1. Region: Kanto.
2. Country: Japan.
3. Continent: Asia.
4. National Status: Constitutional Monarchy.
5. National Population: 126, 428, 000 (2000 estimate. Source: United Nations Population Division, 1996).
6. National Capital: Tokyo.
7. City Population: 28, 025, 000 (2000 estimate. Source: United Nations Population Division, 1996).
8. Local Time: 9 hours from GMT, 14 hours from Eastern Standard Time and 17 hours from Pacific Standard Time. It is 3 hours and 30 minutes ahead of Indian Standard Time.
9. Official Language: Japanese.
10. Currency: Yen.
11. Main Religions: Buddhism and Shintoism.
Banking: Banks in Japan are open from 9 am to 3 pm, Monday to Friday. Banks that exchange foreign currency and traveler's cheques will usually display a sign saying "Foreign Exchange Authorized Bank". When cashing traveler's cheques or exchanging money, be sure to bring along your passport as you must present it for identification. Not all bank ATMs are open 24 hours in Japan. Virtually all are open from 8 am to 6 pm.
Emergency Help: Even the most veteran travelers experience trouble on their travels from time to time. In the advent you meet some unexpected emergency, the following is a list of numbers which should help you through any crisis, be it big or small:
EMERGENCY:
Police: 110
Fire: 119
Ambulance: 119
Tokyo English-speaking Police: 3501-0110 (Mon-Fri, 08:30 am - 05:15 pm)
MEDICAL EMERGENCY OR ILLNESS:
AMDA International Medical Information Center: 5285-8088
International Catholic Hospital (Seibo Byoin): 3951-1111
Poison Control Center - U.S. Air Force Hospital, Yokota: 0425-52-2511, Ext. 57740
St. Luke's International Hospital (Seiroka Byoin): 3541-5151
Crisis Counseling, Emergency and Information -
TEL (Tokyo English Lifeline): 3968-4099
TEL Community Counseling Service: 3968-4084
International Calls and Public Phones: International calls can be made from hotel and other telephones as well as from the green and gray public telephones with gold panels. Telephone cards are necessary when making international calls and can be purchased at the numerous convenience stores spread across the city, NTT offices or vending machines. There are several companies to choose from when making overseas calls from Japan. The access codes for the communication companies are:
001, 0078 KDDI
0033 NTT Communications
0041 Japan Telecom
0061 Cable and Wireless IDC
0066-55-111 AT&T
To make a call, dial the access code, the country code, the city code and the local telephone number you are calling. For local calls from a payphone, insert a 10 Yen coin and dial the number. To avoid the warning buzzer, which will interrupt your call after 90 seconds, it is advisable to insert several coins at once. When using higher denomination coins, the phone will not return any unused amount.
Post Offices: Post offices (yubinkyoku) are open from 9 am to 5 pm. The main offices are also open on Saturdays between 9 am and 5 pm for postal services but closed for financial transactions). Some post offices have after-hours service counters which are open all night. Many large hotels sell postal stamps for letters and postcards.
Convenience Stores: If you find hotel restaurants a bit pricey for three meals a day, there's bound to be a squeaky clean convenience store nearby. Open 24 hours a day, you can find affordable bento box lunches in the range of 500 Yen. Clerks at the billing counter usually ask if you want the pack to be heated in the microwave. Virtually all convenience stores have boiling water available in self-service hot water pots for customers wanting to constitute a bowl of instant noodles or soup on the spot.
Tourist Assistance: There are several agencies which offer information on hotels, transportation, sightseeing tours, dining out and shopping. Many of these offer information in English and other international languages.
Information and Assistance:
Japan National Tourist Organisation (JNTO) Tourist Information Center (TIC) - 03-3201-3331
Japan Travel Phone - 0088-22-4800
Teletourist Service (English) - 03-3201-2911
Lodging:
Japanese Inn Group (Ryokan-style lodging) - 03-3843-2345
Minshuku Center (Family-run lodging) - 03-3216-6556
One-Day Passes: Japan Railways (JR) offers a one day pass - Tokyo Free Kippu - good for all non-express JR trains plus all subways within Tokyo's 23 wards. The cost is 1580 Yen. You can also opt for the more economical 730 Yen one day pass - Tokunai Free Kippu - valid for non-express JR trains only within the 23 wards. You can inquire by calling the friendly JR East Infoline at 03-3423-0111.
You can find detailed maps of Tokyo in the Transportation section of this site. If there is anything else that you would like to know, please feel free to drop us a mail at [email protected]. We will try to answer your queries as best as possible.