A-Z: A Handy Summary of Practical Information
A
Accommodation
Choosing a hotel
There is never a shortage of places to stay in Tokyo. Accommodation ranges from deluxe Western-style hotels and no-frills business lodgings to budget âcapsule hotelsâ. Tokyoâs top hotels are among the finest in the world in terms of facilities and service. The older establishments especially exude a distinctive Japanese ambience. Business hotels target Japanese salarymen rather than foreign businessmen, providing bedrooms that are clean and functional, but barely big enough to contain the bed.
Traditional Japanese inns, or ryokan, provide a very different experience. At their best (and most expensive), they epitomise the essence of Japanese hospitality. You sleep on futon mattresses on tatami mats, bathe in a traditional bath, and are served exquisite kaiseki ryori meals in your room by attendants in kimono.
On an altogether different level, there are budget Japanese-style inns (minshuku) that give a taste of the traditional but at a fraction of the cost of a top ryokan. These simple family-run lodgings offer personalised service and simple accommodation, and give a close-up view of how many Japanese live.
Capsule hotels offer basic bunk-style accommodation in enclosed cabins just big enough to sit up in. They are not an option for long-term stays (you canât store luggage), but are good in an emergency. There are capsule hotels in most areas where salarymen go carousing. Most are for men only, but a few have floors reserved for women.
Hotel areas
For the sake of simplicity, many visitors choose to stay at places close to the circular Yamanote Line, where many of the main sights are located. Many of the bigger Yamanote stations like Shinjuku, Ikebukuro and Tokyo are transportation hubs linked to overground and subway lines that will take you to other sights within or outside the city.
Stations like these are mini-cities in their own right, offering a vibrant package of activities that include shopping, restaurants and nightlife. Each has its own distinctive character. While you may choose an area for a notable feature that interests you (Ueno for museums, Shibuya for fashion, Roppongi for nightlife), these micro-cities work hard at providing something for everyone. Central Tokyo (Roppongi, Akasaka, Nihombashi and Ginza) tends to be more expensive and cater to the business market, while areas such as Shinjuku, Shibuya, Ueno and Ikebukuro tend to have a greater choice.
Prices and bookings
Western-style hotels charge on a per-room basis, but at traditional ryokan inns and pensions, customers are charged per person, with the rate usually including dinner and breakfast. Many larger hotels also offer non-smoking rooms and women-only floors. All hotel rates include eight percent consumption tax. Luxury hotels may impose a 10 to 15 percent service charge. If your room costs over „10,000 per person per night, thereâs also a Tokyo Metropolitan Government tax of „100 per person per night („200 per person if the room costs over „15,000).
Useful websites include Japan Hotel Association (www.j-hotel.or.jp), Japanican (www.japanican.com), Japan Ryokan and Hotel Association (www.ryokan.or.jp) and Japan Guest Houses (www.japaneseguesthouses.com).
Note: budget travellers should book in advance for February, when thousands of students descend on the city for university entrance exams.
Addresses
Tokyo is one of the most complex cities in the world. Even the Japanese get confused when trying to get from A to B, which is why businesses often print little maps out on cards, websites and advertisements.
However, with a little knowledge of how the streets are laid out and numbered, you should be able to negotiate the city without too much frustration. Apart from main roads, very few streets have names. Addresses traditionally follow a big-to-small system, with the ku (ward) listed first, then the cho or matchi (district) and then the chome (an area of a few blocks), the block itself and the number of the building within that block. A typical address rendered in Japanese might read like this: Minato-ku, Hamamatsucho, 3-8-12, Riverfield Hotel, 4F. However, the English rendition of Japanese addresses often follows a different order, most commonly the one used throughout this guide: Riverfield Hotel, 4F, 3-8-12 Hamamatscho, Minato-ku; here, 3 is the number or the chome, 8 is the number of the block and 12 is the number of the building within that block.
Note: in Japan the ground floor equals the first; also look out for floor numbers often shown on the outside of the building.
Admission charges
Practically all museums and public galleries in Tokyo charge an admission fee â anything from „200 to „1,500 depending on the size and nature of the institution. If you are planning on visiting a lot of museums then investing in the GRUTT Pass (www.rekibun.or.jp/grutto) is recommended. This „2,000 ticket provides free or discounted entry to 80 public, national and private institutions, including all of Tokyoâs major museums. It is valid for two months after first being used and can be bought at participating venues and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government tourist information centre in Shinjuku (for more information, click here).
Age restrictions
The age of consent is 18, the same age it is legal to drive. If you are hiring a car in Japan, though, you must be over 21 and have an international driving licence. The legal age for drinking alcohol is 20, but this is not strictly enforced. For smoking the legal age is also 20.
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Budgeting for your trip
Tokyo has a reputation for being one of the most expensive cities in the world, but after over 15 years of economic stagnation, the cost of living index in capitals like London and Paris have caught up, and in some cases exceeded, that of Tokyo. Compared with other Asian capitals though, Tokyo remains the mos...