Fast Facts - Tokyo - page 313

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application forms, and documents certify-
ing the purpose of the visit.
VISITOR INFORMATION The Japan
National Tourism Organization (JNTO)
publishes a wealth of free, colorful bro-
chures and maps covering Tokyo and other
cities. These include a tourist map of
Tokyo, brochures of popular destinations
near Tokyo, and “The Tourist's Language
Handbook,” a phrase booklet to help
foreign visitors communicate with the
Japanese.
Japan Online: You can reach JNTO via
the Internet at www.jnto.go.jp (and at
www.japantravelinfo.com for North
American travelers; at www.seejapan.co.uk
for British travelers; and at www.jnto.org.
au for Australian travelers), where you can
read up on what's new, view maps, get the
latest weather report, find links to online
hotel reservation companies and tour
companies, and browse through informa-
tion ranging from hints on budget travel
to regional events. JNTO also showcases
local tourism attractions, Japanese cuisine,
and other topics on YouTube at www.
youtube.com/VisitJapan.
The Tokyo Metropolitan Government
maintains a website, at www.tourism.
metro.tokyo.jp , as does the Tokyo Con-
vention & Visitors Bureau, at www.tcvb.
or.jp . A different perspective is provided
by bloggers living in Tokyo at http://
tokyo.metblogs.com .
The JNTO Overseas: If you'd like
information on Japan before leaving
home, contact one of the following JNTO
offices.
In the United States: 11 West 42nd
Street, 19th Floor, New York, NY 10036
( & 212/715-1205; visitjapan@jntonyc.
org); and Little Tokyo Plaza, 340 E. Sec-
ond St., Ste. 302, Los Angeles, CA 90012
( & 213/623-1952; [e-mail]).
In Canada: 481 University Ave., Ste. 306,
Toronto, ON M5G 2E9, Canada
( & 416/366-7140; [e-mail]).

In the United Kingdom: Fifth Floor, 12
Nicholas Lane, London EC4N 7BN, Eng-
land ( & 020/7398-5678; [e-mail]).
In Australia: Level 7, 36-38 Clarence St.,
Sydney NSW 2000, Australia (no phone
service; [e-mail]).
In Tokyo: JNTO maintains three tourist
offices, known as Tourist Information
Centers (TICs), in Tokyo and in its air-
port to handle inquiries from foreigners
and the general public about Tokyo and
the rest of Japan and to provide free maps
and sightseeing materials. You can even
make reservations here for inexpensive
accommodations throughout Japan at no
extra charge.
If you arrive by plane at Narita Inter-
national Airport, you'll find TICs in the
arrivals lobbies of Terminal 1 ( & 0476/30-
3383 ) and Terminal 2 ( & 0476/34-
5877 ), both open daily from 8am to 8pm.
Otherwise, the main TIC is in the heart of
Tokyo at 2-10-1 Yurakucho ( & 03/3201-
3331; station: Yurakucho), within walking
distance of the Ginza. It's located on the
10th floor of a rather obscure office build-
ing next to Yurakucho Station called the
Kotsu Kaikan Building (look for the
building's circular top). Assuming you're
able to find them, the TIC staff is courte-
ous and efficient; I cannot recommend
them highly enough. In addition to city
maps (such as the “Tourist Map of Tokyo”)
and sightseeing materials, the office has
more information on the rest of Japan
than any other tourist office, including
pamphlets and brochures on major cities
and attractions such as Nikko and Kamak-
ura. Hours are daily 9am to 5pm.
There's also the new TIC TOKYO, fac-
ing the Nihombashi exit of Tokyo Station,
at 1-8-1 Marunouchi ( & 03/5220-
7055; www.tictokyo.jp). Open daily 10am
to 7pm, it dispenses information on trav-
eling throughout Japan, and books accom-
modations, tours, and even air tickets.
Another great source of information is
the Tokyo Tourist Information Center,

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