12M people; no addresses. Even taxi drivers need help.
Between 1600 and 1945, the fishing village that began as Edo and became Tokyo was leveled every half-century or so by fire, earthquake, tsunami, volcanic eruption or war. Consequently, it has few classic sights. What it does have is a population of more than 12.5 million people, a jumble of skyscrapers and its own system for making everyone comfortable.
A good example is the city’s system of streets. Finding an address in Tokyo can be very challenging, even for a taxi driver. There are really no street names and addresses. Within a given district each building has a hyphenated number. The best way to find your destination is to show the written “address” to a local. Even taxi drivers do this.
“On foot, I did get lost many times even when I had a map and clear instructions,” says one expat. “I had to get used to remembering landmarks.
“I did find the trains in Tokyo very easy to use. The destinations and announcements are provided in English and that facilitated traveling around by myself,” he continues. “But, because the train station maps are shown in Japanese I could never figure out how much the train fare was. A colleague let me know that I could buy a train card (Suico or Pasmo) for 500yen (approximately six dollars) that acted sort of a pre-paid phone card. If I added money to it prior to travel, the train turnstiles would deduct the correct amount automatically.”
Prices? You will be relieved to know that Luanda, Angola, has now become the most expensive city in the world for expats. Of course, it is a “developing” country.
Tokyo is demoted to second. “Many hotels are affordable,” our expat says, adding “I did not find the food all that expensive. Prices were similar to Los Angeles, but Americans are used to bigger portions.”
The New Haneda Airport
Located within the metropolitan area of Tokyo, Haneda Airport is scheduled to open in October. It is easy to access from downtown Tokyo and ANA offers several early morning flights within Japan to facilitate meeting in other cities. Jean Saito of ANA says that “ANA has an arrival lounge with shower rooms and a departure lounge for ANA’s First, Business, Diamond, Platinum, Superfyers as well as Star Alliance Gold Members. ANA’s departure lounge offers meal service, refreshment and amenities specific for our midnight departure flights. Since our flight to Haneda leaves late at night from Los Angeles, it will allow our customers to connect from other interior points on the same day.”
The United States Department of Transportation has awarded route rights to American, Delta and Hawaiian airlines. Under a new Open Skies agreement, US carriers are permitted for the first time to offer transpacific services to Haneda subject to a daily limit of four late-night flights.
TIME — Tokyo is GMT+9 hours. No daylight savings time.
ENTRY Requirements — A valid passport and an onward/return ticket are required for tourist/business “visa free” stays of up to 90 days. Passports must be valid for the intended period of stay in Japan.
MEDICAL ADVISORIES — The last H1N1 outbreaks were in May 2009. US prescriptions are not honored in Japan, so travelers who need ongoing prescription medicine should arrive with a sufficient supply for their stay.
EMERGENCY NUMBERS — The number for the police is 110; fire and ambulance are 119. US Embassy: 81-3-3224-5000. Canadian Consulate: 81-3-5412-6200.
CUSTOMS — 100 cigars, 400 cigarettes and three bottles of alcohol are permitted. Portable professional equipment that will be used during your stay in Japan are all free of duty and/or tax if they are considered quantitatively appropriate and are not for sale.
CRIME & SAFETY — Roppongi is an entertainment district that attracts foreign clientele, but it is also a high risk district for theft and drink spiking. Tokyo has not seen any terrorist activity since 1995.
CURRENCY — Japanese currency is the yen. Notes are in 1,000; 5,000 and 10,000 denominations. Coins are in 1, 5, 10, 50, 100 and 500 yen denominations. ATMs are not widely available, but they are available at post offices. All of the widely used credit cards are accepted.
TELEPHONE — Public telephones can be found everywhere in Tokyo. Gray and green telephones accept both 10- and 100-yen coins and cards. Red telephones accept 10-yen coins only. Mobile phone rentals are available.
ELECTRICITY — The electrical current is 100 volts at 50 cycles. North Americans who have electronic equipment that operates at 110/60 will have no problems with this.
GETTING AROUND — Taxis are quite expensive, but the price on the meter is what you pay; no tipping. For less expensive travel around the city, get a subway map.
BUSINESS HOURS — Department stores and most other shops are open daily from 10am until 7pm.