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.