Navigating Tokyo

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

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 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

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

They exist everywhere. Currently, a 3% consumption tax is added to most items, including meals in restaurants and hotel rooms. Travelers from outside Japan are entitled to a refund of this tax on items taken out of the country; however, only the larger department stores and tourist shops seem equipped to deal with refunds of the taxes (and sometimes only if $100 or more is … [Read more...] about Taxes