Page 377 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide: Japan

PR A C TIC AL INFORM A TION  375

converting information stores. These newspapers,
into English, volume control and the Mainichi Daily News
(handy in noisy public places), and The Asahi Shimbun, are
and an emergency button also accessible online. For
for dialing police, fire, and news about business and
ambulance (see p371). These technology, the best publi­
phones also offer international cation is the Nikkei Weekly.
direct dialing. There are several easily
The old­fashioned pink available English­language
phones occasionally found in magazines, in particular
restaurants are for local calls Metropolis, NAGMAG, and
and only accept ¥10 coins. Kansai Scene (see p363), with
Calls from public phones extensive listings and classified
are automatically connected adver tisements. Foreign­
via NTT unless you use a language bookstores often
phone card issued by another stock imported magazines.
operator (see opposite). A magazine printed by Cart Witt Media The three magazines
mentioned above, along with
Newspapers and many others, are also available
Internet Magazines
online. Another good source
Internet cafés, also known as The range of newspapers in of information that is only
manga cafés, are widely avail­ Japanese is extensive. The accessible online is Japan
able. You usually pay for a most demanding of the reader Today. As the names indicate
private booth with a reclining is The Asahi Shimbun; the least, Outdoor Japan Online
chair. Kinko’s provides Internet Gendai, a tabloid containing a and Outdoor Japan Traveler
access; it has many branches in fair amount of pornographic Magazine are great resources
Tokyo and also in other major material. Somewhere in for visitors who aim to travel
cities. Some computer stores, between, selling around ten out of the cities.
including Apple, provide free million copies daily, is the
Internet access. A number of Yomiuri Shimbun. Japanese Television and Radio
coffee shops such as Tully’s magazines come and go,
or Starbucks offer free or seeking to follow news, NHK is the state broadcaster,
inexpensive Wi­Fi. For a list business, and leisure trends. and it runs two terrestrial and
of Wi­Fi hotspots, check As for manga comic books two satellite channels. The
JiWire Global Wi-Fi Finder or (see p29), they cover every nightly 7pm and 8pm (only
Freespot. Another option for subject imaginable; the regular at 7pm on weekends) news
finding free Internet access is to bestseller is Shonen Jump, bulletins on NHK can be heard
search for unsecured spots on aimed at young men. in English on bilingual TVs,
crowded shopping streets, or Two English­language which are often found in
try the lobbies of large hotels, newspapers are printed in hotels. Other nationwide
which sometimes have free Japan – The Japan Times networks include Nippon TV,
Wi­Fi zones. Some shops and and The Japan News. They are TBS, Fuji TV, and TV Asahi.
restau rants display the Soft Bank sold at kiosks in train stations, Cable and satellite are also
Wi­Fi logo (see p368) to indi cate major hotels, foreign­language widely available, as is digital
that free Wi­Fi service is bookstores (see p116), and broadcasting on NHK and
available for SoftBank users. sometimes in convenience the other networks. Check
Metropolis for English­language
TV program listings.
The state radio station
NHKFM broadcasts news and
mainly classical music. There
are also several commercial
radio stations, among which
some, such as J-Wave and
Inter FM in Tokyo and Cocolo
in Central Honshu, offer a
number of programs in
English. Check up­to­date
listings pages for frequencies
and for times of programs.
It is possible to listen to
J­Wave and Inter FM online
and check listings on the
Bright posters and signs at an Internet café websites given in the directory.

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