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Passport

Of course you need a passport.
If you don't have it, please contact the following agency in United States.

If you aren't US citizen, contact your local Foreign administrate office.

Disembarkation / Embarkation card

This is a card you need to fill in before entering Japan.

Normally this document will be handed out to you from a flight attendant when you abroad.

Card (2) will be attached to your passport and used when you will leave Japan.

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National Holidays

You need to check your schedule.

2018

Here is a calendar for this year for planners to Japan this year.

*September 24 and December 24 are National holiday observance which are  maked up for overlap of holiday on Sunday.

2017

2016

 Jan 2nd is off-day in 2016.

2015

May 6 and Sep. 22 are off-day in 2015.

If you hit these holidays in Japan, enjoy it.
There are a lot of places to satisfy your requirement.
Sightseeing, shopping, Museum, Music.

All department stores and Public spaces are open from 10:00 to 7:00
even National Holiday (except New Year's Day).
Many companies take off from Dec.29 to Jan 3 at least.
Service industry (restaurant, museum) takes off Jan 1 and 2. Recently the situation has a little bit changed. Super Markets are open on even Jan 1st.
These rules vary. Please check it at concierge at your hotel.

Bon is another peak period not good to visit Japan.
It is around from Aug 10 to Aug 15.
We can expect the trains for long distance are fully crowded.

Temperature

Temperature and weather are the most important items to check before traveling.

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Time Difference

In Japan we have one time standard.

And no "day light saving" time.

Time Difference international

This table shows the Time Difference from Japan to your country.
In the case of Boston, it says -14 hour.
In Japan Noon =>
In Boston Noon -14 becomes
10 o'clock in the evening on previous night.

Electric Voltage

All area in Japan, Electric Voltage is 100 Volt. Eastern Area of Japan 100 Volt 50 Hertz Western Area of Japan 100 Volt 60 Hertz If your country's voltage is 120 Volt, your hair dryer can be used in both area but less power. If you have a dryer with voltage change switch(115 <-> 230), it is what you need to bring.

Water

All tap water is safe to drink.

Restaurants serve you a glass of water or a cup of tea.
This is free of charge and safe.

Radio in Japan

If you want to listen to the English Radio station,
AFN Pacific (American Forces Network) AM 810 k Hz.
This station is for US Army/Navy around Tokyo area.
Now you can listen to this station on your smart phone.

Android Apps

iTunes Apps

InterFM FM 76.1 M Hz.
Just opened new FM station for international people.
Kind of public Radio for foreign people various news and information
with various language.

Telephone

Telephone call to your country costs a lot.

Why don't you bring a card which is issued by your telephone company with you.

If you are from US, AT&T or MCI card will be good to carry.

ATT 1-800-222-0400

MCI 1-800-444-4141

You just call an operator and tell them you want to have an international calling card.

They will send the telephone card and let your know the special access phone number to be able to make a direct call to your home country.

In the case of AT&T, it is 0039-111

If you are staying in a hotel, dial '0' to connect it to outside line.

You have another option to save money to call out.

ATT Pre-paid card

You can call from pay phones, home phones, office phones,mobile phones and hotel phones using AT&T pre-paid card.

Same rates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
Why don't you call AT&T before your departure?

Prepaid cellphone

Prepaid cell phone is available for travelers to Japan.
It would be better to make an advanced reservation. 

Public Phone

Public phone requires coin, 10 Yen, 100 Yen, or a telephone card, prepaid plastic money - only good for telephone.

Some telephone can only accept a telephone card.
Recently so many cell phones are used in Japan and the number of the public phones is decirease dramatically.

International Call

Correct Call for Domestic

Dial 106

Dial Information in English by Nippon Telephone & Telegram

0120-364-463

Monday - Friday

From 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Interpreter Service

If you have a trouble on phone, you can ask AT&T to help you as an interpreter.

Dial 0031-11-2522

It costs you 4.5 Dollars/minutes.

Internet access

There are many Internet access points in Japan.
Still you feel stressed a lot.

Here is a guide to get a prepaid SIM.

You may want to send a picture card or a letter to you family. You can buy postcards any gift shops then you need stamps. International postage is complicated. The postage to your country varies country by country. >It is better to check the charge at WEB site of Japan Post.
Here is the explanation of international postage.

Check Japan Post Office

Accommodations (Hotels etc.)

There are several types of Accommodation facility in Japan.

• Hotels

• Business Hotel

• Ryokan(Japanese Inn)

• Pension

• Minsyuku

• Youth Hostel

You can select your favorite type of facilities when you make a reservation.

When you make a reservation, you had better to check all facilities in your room.
See following chart for your reference:
There is no definition of each facility and equipment. The following chart is my guts feeling for your reference.

Hotel

You can enjoy your staying with comfortable feeling because everything is similar to the Continental level hotels.
All clerk can speak English and you don' t feel any difference from English native hotel.

Following is the example of famous hotel chains in Japan..

Make a reservation in Tokyo now?
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Business hotel (hotels for the lower budget business man)
Someone call the bath equipment in business hotel as a "Yellow submarine"
You know the submarine equipment are well designed compactly.
The size of room starts from 100 sq feet or 6 m x m
Larger cities than middle size have business hotels.

Kanko Hotel

Minsyuku
Minsyuku follows the Youth hostel price-wise.
Family operates a lodging using their house.
It is tough to find the English speaker at a Minsyuku.
If you want to stay in a Minsyuku, you had better to know some Katakoto Japanese (simple communication level Japanese).
Bath is shared with all guests so you have to use the bath with other guests.
Some Minshukus have coin operated air-conditioners. They require 100 Yen for one hour of operation.
No bed is available.
A room has Tatami mattress, typical Japanese flooring covered with straws mattresses.
Here Tatami mattress is a woven rush.
It is very popular in Japanese houses.

Lower budget Minsyuku have no air-conditioners
Meals are served in the dining room which has Tatami mattresses flooring.
You need to knee and sit down on Zabuton cushions.
The rest-room is shared with other guests also.
A room has 6-10 Tatami mattresses, a low table and 4-6 Zabuton mattress.
When you are going to sleep, you need to pull the Futon from the closet and arrange it to fit into your room.


Pension
Also Pension is operated by a family but the house is normally rebuilt to accept guests.

There are various types of rooms.
- Two beds
- Three beds
- Two Futon
- Three Futon
You can specify the type of room like above in addition to the selection of with bath and powder room.
The meal is served in the dinning room.
An owner of a Pension might be able to speak English. You had better to ask it when you make reservation.

Typical Japanese inn
Facility of Ryokan is similar to Kanko Hotel but they have more heritage

Youth Hostel

Youth hostel is the cheapest facility of lodging.
The manner of using youth hostel is universal.
There are 350 youth hostels in various locations in Japan.

You can make a reservation of Youth Hostel in Japan from a office in your country.
The cost of youth hostel is around 3000 Yen and around 4500 Yen if two meals are included.

Bathing in Japan

Sento:

It used to be public bath in town.The bath tub/shower in the house wasn't so popular in Japan until 20 years. At least one or two Sentos were in a town and it was the community place for people.The number of Sento decreased dramatically by increasing of home shower equipment.The Sentos are changing their style from public bath to Hot Spring facilities to survive.

The long Chimney is a symbol of Sento facility.There are two entrances for men and women in front of Sento.Take off your shoes and put your shoes in to a shoes locker.A person at entrance is called "Bandai" requests you to pay a fee.
Around 300 yen is a fee to take a bath.Then you will find open free space that is supposed to take your clothes off.There are shelves and lockers for your clothes.

You can put your clothes into a locker and keep the key on your wrist to the bathroom.Take a towel with you to wash your body.
The second room has one or two bath tabs and faucets.One thing you have to notice is not to wash your body in the tub.We will share same water with other peoples.The bathtub is to dip your body for soaking.Put towel on your head to avoid to put it into bathtub sanitarily.You wash your body in front of faucet then rinse.

Hot springs (Onsen)

Vending Machines
 

Also vending machines are available in many hotels.
If your hotel doesn't have a room service, it should have vending machines somewhere.
You can buy any beverage of variety of selections, juice, green tea, oolong tea, beer, etc.

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