Planning Your Trip to Tokyo - Tokyo - page 53

10am to 6pm; Tokyo Station ( & 03/5220-
5021 ), open daily from 9am to 8pm; 3rd
floor of Tokyo Midtown Tower, 9-7-1
Akasaka ( & 03/3408-2280; station:
Roppongi), open from Monday to Friday
from 11am to 7pm and Saturday from
10am to 5pm. Other locations are in
Shinjuku, Shibuya, Shimbashi, Akasaka,
and Odaiba. See www.travelex.com for
more information.
If you need to exchange money outside
of the hours above, inquire at your hotel.
Likewise, large department stores also
offer exchange services and are often open
until 8pm. Note, however, that hotels and
department stores may charge a handling
fee and offer a slightly less favorable
exchange rate.

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In Tokyo, all banks displaying an
authorized foreign exchange sign can
exchange currency and traveler's checks,
with exchange rates usually displayed at
the appropriate foreign-exchange coun-
ter. Banks are generally open Monday
through Friday from 9am to 3pm,
though business hours for exchanging
foreign currency usually don't begin until
10:30 or 11am (be prepared for a long
wait; you'll be asked to sit down as your
order is processed).
More convenient—and quicker—are
Travelex foreign-exchange kiosks, with
several locations across town, including
one in Hibiya at 1-5-2 Yurakucho
( & 03/5157-8311; station: Hibiya or
Yurakucho), open Monday to Friday from

5 HEALTH

STAYING HEALTHY
It's safe to drink tap water and eat to your
heart's content everywhere in Japan (preg-
nant women, however, are advised to
avoid eating raw fish and to avoid taking
hot baths). Although Japan had nine cases
of mad cow disease after its first confirmed
case in 2001, all slaughtered cows must
now be checked for the disease before the
meat is authorized for consumption. To
prevent the spread of avian and H1N1 flu,
all incoming passengers are monitored
upon arrival at Narita Airport for fever;
those with a higher than normal tempera-
ture may be quarantined. To be on the safe
side, therefore, you may opt for an influ-
enza vaccine before departing from home.
Otherwise, you don't need any inocula-
tions to enter Japan. Prescriptions can be
filled at Japanese pharmacies only if they're
issued by a Japanese doctor. To avoid hassle,
bring more prescription medications than
you think you'll need, clearly labeled in
their original containers, and be sure to
pack them in your carry-on luggage. But to
be safe, bring copies of your prescriptions

with you, including generic names of med-
icines in case a local pharmacist is unfamil-
iar with the brand name. Over-the-counter
items are easy to obtain, though name
brands are likely to be different from those
back home, some ingredients allowed else-
where may be forbidden in Japan, and
prices are likely to be higher.
WHAT TO DO IF YOU GET
SICK AWAY FROM HOME
Tokyo has some Western-trained physi-
cians and many more who speak some
English. If you get sick, you may want to
contact the concierge at your hotel—some
upper-range hotels have in-house doctors
or clinics (see the individual hotel listings
in chapter 5). Otherwise, your embassy in
Tokyo can provide a list of area doctors
who speak English (see p. 307 for embassy
contact information), as can the local
tourist office. You can also contact the
International Association for Medical
Assistance to Travellers ( & 716/754-
4883, or 416/652-0137 in Canada; www.
iamat.org), an organization that lists many

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