Page 126 - (DK Eyewitness) Top 10 Travel Guide - Tokyo

124 ❯❯ Streetsmart

Tipping Postal Services and at both international
airports, where you should
It is not customary to tip Yubin-kyoku (post offices) be able to find staff who
at hotels, restaurants, in bear red signs resembling speak English as well as
taxis or for any service you a “T.” Mail boxes, too, are other lan guages. These
might otherwise do at red. Post office hours are centers can provide maps,
home, and in some cases usually from 9am to 5pm leaflets, and itineraries,
it is considered rude. on weekdays. Some main among other services.
High-end restaurants offices open on Saturdays At the Marunouchi exit
and hotels may add a 10 from 9am to 12:30pm. of Tokyo Station, staff at
percent service fee to bills. Express mail services, the JR East Travel
such as EMS, are reliable. Service Center can also
Telephone and Send priority mail from make hotel bookings (not
Internet the Tokyo International available elsewhere). The
Post Office and Tokyo Japan National Tourism
With the exception of Central Post, each with Organization (JNTO) has
train stations and some all-night counters. an information office in
conveni ence stores, public the Shin-Tokyo Building
phones are a rarity. Some TV and Radio on Marunouchi’s Naka-
phones accept inter- dori that’s open daily 9am
national credit cards. Buy The state broadcaster to 5pm. There is also the
telephone cards from the NHK has two local and Tokyo Tourist Information
big telecom companies, two satellite TV channels. Center, which has four
such as NTT and KDDI, Tokyo has five other local locations, one of which is
which you can get at channels. Satellite service in the Tokyo Metropolitan
convenience stores. SkyPerfecTV! has a Government Building in
Japan doesn’t have a huge range of channels. Shinjuku; it is open
GSM mobile phone system InterFM broadcasts 9.30am to 6.30pm.
so GSM-only mobile music and news. Go Tokyo is the
phones will not work here. city’s official tourism
Modern 3G and 4G phones Newspapers and information site and is
will, but you must either Magazines available in English.
have international roaming
enabled on the device, or The daily English-language Opening Hours
rent or buy a prepaid SIM newspaper The Japan
card from a Japanese Times has the best local General opening hours for
operator, such as DoCoMo news coverage and shops are from 10am to
and Softbank Telecom. international reportage, as 8pm daily, but you’ll find
There are vending well as useful information many convenience stores
machines selling pre-paid about what’s going on in also open 24 hours.
data-only SIMs at Narita Tokyo. You will also be Restaurants serve lunch
Airport and Aqua City mall able to find local news between 11.30am and
in Odaiba. Smart phones online at The Japan News 2.30pm and dinner from
will also allow you to make and the Asahi Shimbun. 6pm to 10pm, with last
calls via Wi-Fi using Skype The free weekly orders taken usually an
or similar VOIP apps. Metropolis magazine hour before closing. Bars
It is possible to rent a features art, culture, and open around 5pm and
cell phone at provider entertainment listings in close in the early hours of
service desks at Narita Tokyo, as well as feature the morning. Banks are
and Haneda airports or stories. Tokyo Weekender open 9am to 3pm Monday
via Rentafone Japan, has good Tokyo listings, to Friday, with some open
which can post the phone with features on Japan. until 5pm. Museums open
to your accommodation. at 9am or 10am and close
Etiquette requires Visitor Information around 5pm, with last
people to switch off their entry usually an hour
cell phones in temples, There are several very before that; most
gardens, and restaurants, useful tourist information museums and galleries
though it is often ignored. centers (TICs) in Tokyo are closed on Monday.

122-127_Top_10_Tokyo.indd 124 15/11/2016 12:26