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INFORMATION, MAPS AND WEB SITES |
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The Japan National Tourist Organization (JNTO) maintains a number of
overseas offices , which are stocked with a wealth of free maps and
leaflets, varying from general tips on Japanese culture to detailed area
guides, lists of accommodation and practical information about local
transport. You'll find a selection of the same material on the JNTO Web
site .
Within Japan, JNTO operates four Tourist Information Centres ( TIC ),
all of which have English-speaking staff. These offices are located in
central Tokyo, Tokyo's Narita airport, Kansai International airport and
Kyoto (see individual city accounts for details). They provide a similar
range of information as JNTO's overseas offices, covering the whole of
Japan as well as their local area, and can usually answer all sorts of
individual queries. Not surprisingly, you may have to queue at busy
times. The offices in Narita, Kyoto and Kansai airport provide
accommodation booking services (no commission), while the Tokyo TIC is
located next door to the Welcome Inn Reservation Centre . Though the
staff will help sort out routes and timetables, they can't make travel
reservations, nor usually sell tickets to theatres, cinemas and so on (some
occasionally have discounted tickets on offer); instead, they'll direct
you to the nearest appropriate outlet. It's worth noting that much of
their printed English-language information isn't always available in the
regions, so stock up while you can.
Local tourist offices with English-speaking staff are called " i "
centres , of which there are now nearly one hundred in 67 towns and
cities, usually located in or close to the main train station. In
practice, the amount of English information available - whether written
or spoken - is a bit hit-or-miss, but at least the staff should be able
to assist with local maps, hotel reservations (some charge a small
commission) and simple queries. Next level down are the ordinary tourist
information offices, where there's little chance of getting English-language
assistance. Nevertheless, they can usually supply maps, transport
information and, sometimes, help with accommodation.
If you're stuck, JNTO runs the excellent Japan Travel-Phone (daily
9am-5pm; toll-free tel 0088-224800), which provides English-language
information and assistance, not only on travel-related topics. You can
call from any grey or green public phone - insert a phone card or ¥10
piece to get the dial tone - except within Tokyo and Kyoto, where you
should phone the appropriate TIC at a local call rate (¥10 per minute).
Another useful source of English-language information is the Goodwill
Guides , groups of volunteer guides located in nearly thirty cities
mostly in central and western Japan. The guides' services are free -
although you're expected to pay for their transport, entry tickets and
any meals you have together - and the language ability obviously varies.
But they provide a great opportunity to learn more about Japanese
culture and to visit local restaurants, shops and so forth with a
Japanese speaker. The TICs have a list of groups and their contact
details, or the local information office should be able to help with
arrangements; try and give at least two days' notice.
A number of cities also operate a Home Visit System , where English-speaking
Japanese families welcome foreigners into their homes for a couple of
hours, usually after the evening meal. Again, arrangements can be made
through the local "i" centre or TIC a few days in advance.
Japanese addresses
Japanese addresses are described by a hierarchy of areas, rather than
numbers running consecutively along named roads. A typical address
starts with the largest administrative district, the ken (prefecture)
accompanied by a seven-digit postcode - for example, Nagasaki-ken
850-0072. However, there are four exceptions: Tokyo-to (metropolis),
Kyoto- fu and Osaka- fu (urban prefectures) and Hokkaido are all
independent administrative areas at the same level as the ken , also
followed by a seven-digit code. Next comes the shi (city) or, in the
country, the gun (county) or mura (village). The largest cities are then
subdivided into ku (wards), followed by cho (districts), then chome
(local neighbourhoods), blocks and, finally, individual buildings.
Japanese addresses are therefore written in reverse order from the
Western system. However, when written in English, they usually follow
the Western order; this is the system we adopt in the guide. For example,
the address 2-12-7 Kitano-cho, Chuo-ku, Kobe-shi identifies building
number 7, somewhere on block 12 of number 2 chome in Kitano district, in
Chuo ward of Kobe city. Most buildings bear a small metal tag with their
number (eg 2-12-7, or just 12-7), while lampposts often have a bigger
plaque with the district name in kanji and the block reference (eg
2-12). Note that the same address can also be written 12-7 Kitano-cho 2-chome,
Chuo-ku.
Though the system's not too difficult in theory, actually locating an
address on the ground can be frustrating. The consolation is that even
Japanese people find it tough. The best strategy is to have the address
written down, preferably in Japanese, and then get to the nearest train
or bus station. Once in the neighbourhood, start asking; local police
boxes ( koban ) are a good bet and have detailed maps of their own areas.
If all else fails, don't be afraid to phone - often someone will come to
meet you. And fairly soon technology should come to the rescue with hand-held
personal navigation systems, much like those for cars, which are
currently under development.
Japan national tourist organization
Australia Level 33, The Chifley Tower, 2 Chifley Square, Sydney, NSW
2000 (tel 02/9232 4522, jntosyd@tokyonet.com.au ).
Brazil Av Angelica, 2466 S/131-13 andar Higienópolis, CEP01228-000, São
Paulo (tel 011/214-6487, www.japao-infotur.org.br ).
Canada 165 University Ave, Toronto, ON, M5H 3B8 (tel 416/366-7140, jnto@interlog.com
).
China 6F, Chang Fu Gong Office Building, 26 Jianguomenwai Dajie,
Chaoyang-qu, Beijing 100022 (tel 010/6513-9023); Suite 3704-05, 37F,
Dorset House, Taikoo Place, Quarry Bay, Hong Kong (tel 2968-5688).
France 4 rue de Ventadour, 75001 Paris (tel 01.42.96.20.29).
Germany Kaiserstrasse 11, 60311 Frankfurt am Main (tel 069/20353).
South Korea 10F, Press Centre Offices, 25 Taepyongno 1-ga, Chung-gu,
Seoul (tel 02/732-7525).
Thailand 19F, Ramaland Building, 952 Rama 4 Rd, Bangrak District,
Bangkok 10500 (tel 02/233-5108).
UK Heathcoat House, 20 Savile Row, London W1X 1AE (tel 020/7734 9638,
www.jnto.go.jp ).
USA One Rockefeller Plaza, Suite 1250, New York, NY 10020 (tel
212/757-5640, info@jntonyc.org ); 401 North Michigan Ave, Suite 770,
Chicago, IL 60611 (tel 312/222-0874, jntochi@mcs.net ); 360 Post St,
Suite 601, San Francisco, CA 94108 (tel 415/989-7140, sfjnto@webjapan.com
); 515 Figueroa St, Suite 1470, Los Angeles, CA 90071 (tel 213/623-1952,
info@jnto-lax.org ).
Maps
The Japan National Tourist Organization publishes four tourist maps
covering Japan, Tokyo, Kansai and Kyoto. These are available free at
JNTO offices abroad and at the TICs in Japan, and are perfectly adequate
for most purposes. Tourist offices in other areas usually provide local
maps, which are of varying quality, and often only in Japanese, but
generally adequate. If you need anything more detailed, most bookshops
sell maps, though you'll only find English-language maps in the big
cities (see individual city Listings for details). By far the most
useful are the bilingual maps published by Kodansha or Shobunsha, which
are available from specialist shops outside Japan . Kodansha's Tokyo
City Atlas and Kyoto-Osaka Bilingual Atlas are a must for anyone
spending more than a few days in these cities, while Shobunsha's Japan
Road Atlas is the best available map for exploring by car. If you're
hiking , an excellent guide is the relevant Area Map , published by
Shobunsha in Japanese only.
Note that maps on signboards in Japan, such as a map of footpaths in a
national park, are usually oriented the way you are facing. So, if
you're facing southeast, for example, as you look at the map, the top
will be southeast and the bottom northwest.
Web sites
Although Japan has been surprisingly slow to make its presence felt on
the Internet , there are a rapidly growing number of Web sites out
there, many of them in both English and Japanese. Yahoo's directory (
www.yahoo.com ) is a good jumping-off point for a general overview of
Japan-related sites; we've detailed a few of the more useful and well
established.
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