Fast Facts - Tokyo - page 306

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Fast Facts

1 FAST FACTS: TOKYO

If you can't find answers to your questions
here, call the Tourist Information Center
( & 03/3201-3331 ), open daily from 9am
to 5pm; the city-run Tokyo Tourist Infor-
mation Center ( & 03/5321-3077 ), open
daily from 9:30am to 6:30pm, or the TIC
TOKYO ( & 03/5220-7055 ), open daily
10am to 7pm. Another good source for
information is the Foreign Residents'
Advisory Center ( & 03/5320-7744 ),
which can answer a wide range of topics
from problems concerning daily life in
Japan and emergency numbers to Japanese
customs; it's open Monday to Friday from
9:30am to noon and 1 to 5pm. Finally, if
you're staying in a first-class hotel, another
valuable resource is the concierge or guest-
relations desk; the staff there can tell you
how to reach your destination, answer
general questions, and even make restau-
rant reservations for you.
AREA CODES The area codes for Tokyo
are & 3, if calling from abroad, and
& 03, if calling from within Japan.
BABYSITTERS Most major hotels can
arrange babysitting services, but expect to
pay a minimum of ¥5,000 for 2 hours.
Some hotels have day-care centers for
young children, though they are no less
expensive. See individual hotel listings or
“Family-Friendly Hotels” in chapter 5.
BUSINESS HOURS Government
offices and private companies are gener-
ally open Monday through Friday 9am to
5pm. Banks are open Monday through
Friday 9am to 3pm (but usually will not
exchange money until 10:30 or 11am,

after that day's currency exchange rates
come in). Neighborhood post offices are
open Monday through Friday 9am to
5pm; some major post offices (located in
each ward) stay open until 7pm.
Department stores are open from
about 10am to 8 or 9pm. Most are open
daily but may close irregularly. Smaller
stores are generally open from about
10am to 8pm, closed 1 day a week. Con-
venience stores such as 7-Eleven and Fam-
ily Mart are open 24 hours.
Keep in mind that museums, gardens,
and attractions stop selling admission
tickets at least 30 minutes before the
actual closing time. Similarly, restaurants
take their last orders at least 30 minutes
before the posted closing time (even earlier
for kaiseki restaurants). Most museums are
closed on Monday; if Monday is a national
holiday, however, museums will usually
remain open and close on the following
day, Tuesday, instead.
DRINKING LAWS The legal drinking
age is 20. Beer, wine, and spirits are readily
available in grocery stores, some conve-
nience stores, and liquor stores. Many
bars, especially in nightlife districts such as
Shinjuku and Roppongi, are open until
dawn. If you intend to drive in Japan, you
are not allowed even one drink.
DRUGSTORES There is no 24-hour
drugstore (kusuri-ya) in Tokyo, but ubiq-
uitous 24-hour convenience stores, such as
7-Eleven, Lawson, and Family Mart, carry
such things as aspirin. If you're looking for
specific pharmaceuticals or familiar