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CHILDREN The Japanese love children and, with standards of health
and hygiene so high, there is no real reason not to bring your kids here.
All the products you need - such as nappies and baby food - are easily
available at shops and department stores, though taking a pram on
subways and trains is problematic, since there are often no elevators at
stations. Children under 6 ride free on trains, subways and buses, while
those aged 6 to 11 pay half fare (this applies to the Japan Rail Pass
too). On domestic flights, children under 3 fly free but have to share a
parent's seat, while kids aged 3 to 11 are charged half-price. Unless
they're very young, reduced accommodation rates for children are rare,
although the large Western chain hotels, such as the Hilton and Holiday
Inn, don't charge extra if children share rooms with their parents. Only
at upmarket hotels will you be able to arrange babysitting. Virtually
all tourist attractions have a set of reduced charges for children,
depending on their age.
CIGARETTES One of Japan's bargain buys, cigarettes are available in a
vast range of brands - usually from vending machines - at around ¥250 a
pack.
CONTRACEPTIVES The Pill has recently been legalized in Japan, but is
available only on prescription and costs around ¥3000 a packet; it's
better to bring them with you. The "morning-after" pill is also
available on prescription, but it's more difficult to find a clinic
offering it. Local-brand condoms are widely sold in pharmacies and
vending machines.
ELECTRICITY The electrical current is 100v, 50Hz AC in eastern Japan
including Tokyo, and 100v, 60Hz AC in western Japan including Nagoya,
Kyoto and Osaka. Japanese plugs have two flat pins and, although they
are identical to North American plugs, you'll need a transformer to use
any foreign appliances safely.
EMERGENCIES In order to get a quick response from the national police
emergency number (tel 110) or the ambulance and fire services (tel 119),
you'll need to speak some Japanese. JHelp.com (tel 0120-461997) is a
24hr English-language toll-free service, while the Tokyo English
Lifeline (TELL; tel 03/3968-4099) is open for calls daily 9am-4pm and
7-11pm. In the last resort, contact the Prefecture's Foreign Advisory
Service .
JAPANESE CALENDAR Although Japan uses the Western system of dates for
months and days, for years it more commonly uses its own Imperial
system. This calculates the number of the year from the accession of the
last emperor. Each emperor is assigned a special name. For example,
Hirohito's reign (1926-89) is called Showa. The current Emperor Akihito
began counting his reign, called Heisei, in 1989, so 2001 was Heisei 13.
LAUNDRIES A laundry service is available in all types of accommodation,
with most cheaper hotels and hostels having coin-operated washing
machines and dryers. All Japanese neighbourhoods also have coin
laundries ( koin randorii ), often open long hours, which charge between
¥200 and ¥300 per wash and ¥100 for around ten minutes of drying time.
Virtually all Japanese washing machines use cold water.
LEFT LUGGAGE Usually only at the largest train stations in big cities
will you find left-luggage rooms, though all train stations, many subway
stations and some department stores and shopping centres have coin
lockers where you can stash your luggage. These come in a range of
sizes, charging from ¥300 to ¥600 for a day's storage.
PHOTOGRAPHY All major brands of film are available across Japan at
relatively cheap prices, especially if bought in bulk from the discount
camera shops in the big cities. If you want special types of film, it's
best to stock up here, too, before setting off to Japan's more remote
areas, where the choice is more limited. Worth considering are
disposable cameras, which come in a vast range of sizes and types (with
or without flash; panoramic; sepia-tinted or black-and-white images;
advance photo system), cost from as little as ¥700 and make great
presents.
PUBLIC TOILETS All trains and subway stations, parks, department stores
and large hotels have public lavatories; ask for the otearai or toire ,
pronounced "toy-ray". Note that, hotels and department stores excepted,
there is rarely toilet paper, so carry around some tissues; the small
packs carrying advertising that are dished out free at busy stations and
shopping districts are ideal.
STUDENT CARDS It's a good idea to bring along an International Student
Identity Card (ISIC), since many museums and other tourist facilities
charge lower prices for students.
TAMPONS While you won't find foreign brands such as Tampax in Japan,
larger chemists sell locally produced tampons and pads.
TAXES A departure tax (known locally as a "passenger service facility
charge") of ¥2650 is levied on all adults leaving from Kansai
International airport (children aged 2-11 years pay ¥1330).
TIME ZONES The whole of Japan is nine hours ahead of Greenwich Mean
Time, so at noon in London, it's 9pm in Tokyo. Japan is fourteen hours
ahead of Eastern Standard Time in the US. There is no daylight saving,
so during British Summer Time, for example, the difference drops to
eight hours.
TIPS Tipping is not a Japanese custom and nobody expects it. The only
exception is at high-class Japanese inns, where it's good form to leave
¥2000 for the room attendant, but only if the money is put in an
envelope and handed over discreetly.
WEIGHTS AND MEASURES The only exception to Japan's use of the metric
system is its measurement of rooms, usually quoted in jo , the size of
one tatami . It's worth noting that tatami size varies around the
country, Tokyo having the smallest size at 1.76m by 0.88m.
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