As if the total strangeness of Tokyo was not enough to confuse and disorient the Western visitor, it turns out that the streets have no names and the buildings are numbered in a random fashion that was possibly invented by a 13th century Buddhist monk. The secret of deciphering the addressing scheme appears to have died with him. Or maybe not. While it is almost hopeless, … [Read more...] about The Black Art of Finding A Japanese Address
Trip Planning
Tourist Information
Local Services The JNTO operates Tourist Information Centers to aid travelers. The TIC are located in Terminal 2 of Narita or at 3-5-1 Marunouchi, 1st Basement Floor, Chiyoda-ku, 03-3201-3331 (located near Tokyo Station). Here you can acquire maps and assistance. Office hours are 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. weekdays and 9 a.m. - noon on Saturdays. In addition to the services provided … [Read more...] about Tourist Information
Tokyo Police
Police boxes (koban) are scattered throughout the city (look for a red light shining above the door). The emergency number for the police is 110. … [Read more...] about Tokyo Police
Tokyo Neighborhoods
Tokyo has 23 ku (neighborhoods or wards). Central Tokyo is ringed by the Yamanote Line, and most points of interest are accessible from this train. … [Read more...] about Tokyo Neighborhoods
Telephone Information
The country code for Japan is 81; the city code for Tokyo is 3. When in Tokyo, omit the city code; if making a call to Tokyo from outside the city, dial 03 from outside the city (adding a 0 before the city code is standard procedure for all calls between cities in Japan). Public telephones are located everywhere. They are color-coded, and accept only certain types of coins … [Read more...] about Telephone Information