Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
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Shibuya, Harajuku, Shinjuku, and Ikebukuro in the north;
Yasukuni Dori
and
Shin-
juku Dori,
which cut across the heart of the city east and west from Shinjuku to Chi-
yoda-ku; and
Sotobori Dori, Chuo Dori, Harumi Dori,
and
Showa Dori,
which pass
through Ginza. Other major thoroughfares are named after the districts they're in, such
as
Roppongi Dori
in Roppongi and
Aoyama Dori
in Aoyama (dori means “avenue” or
“street,” as does michi).
An intersection in Tokyo is called a crossing; it seems every district has a famous cross-
ing. Ginza 4-chome Crossing is the intersection of Chuo Dori and Harumi Dori. Rop-
pongi Crossing is the intersection of Roppongi Dori and Gaien-Higashi Dori.
FINDING AN ADDRESS
Because streets did not have names when Japan's postal system was established, the coun-
try has a unique address system. A typical Tokyo address might read 6-4-21 Ginza,
Chuo-ku, which is the address of the Ginza Nikko Hotel. Chuo-ku is the name of the
ward. Wards are further divided into named districts, in this case, Ginza. Ginza itself is
broken down into
chome
(numbered subsections), the first number in the series, here
6-chome. The second number (4 in the example) refers to a smaller area within the
chome—usually an entire block, sometimes larger. Thus, houses on one side of the street
will usually have a different middle number from houses on the other side. The last
number, in this case 21, refers to the actual building. Although it seems reasonable to
assume that next to a no. 21 building will be a no. 22, that's not always the case; buildings
were assigned numbers as they were constructed, not according to location.
Addresses are usually, but not always, posted on buildings beside doors, on telephone
poles, and at major intersection traffic lights, but sometimes they are written in kanji
only. One frustrating trend is that new, modern buildings omit posting any address
whatsoever on their facades, perhaps in the belief that no one understands the address
system anyway.
FINDING YOUR WAY AROUND
If you're traveling by subway or JR train, the first thing you should do upon exiting your
compartment is look for yellow signs posted on every platform that tell which exit to take
for particular buildings, attractions, and chome. At Roppongi Station, for example, you'll
find yellow signboards that tell you which exit to take for Roppongi Hills, which will at
least get you pointed in the right direction once you emerge from the station. Stations
also have detailed maps of the area complete with addresses, either inside the station or
at the exit; these are your best plans of attack when you're trying to find a particular
address.
As you walk around Tokyo, you will notice maps posted beside sidewalks, giving a
breakdown of the postal number system for the area (look for a white circle with an “i”
in the middle). The first time I tried to use one, I stopped one Japanese, then another,
and asked each to point to the location of a particular address on the map. Each person
studied the map and pointed out the direction. Both turned out to be wrong. Not very
encouraging, but if you learn how to read these maps, they're invaluable. Nowadays,
many of them include landmarks translated in English.
Other invaluable sources of information are the numerous police boxes, called
koban,
located in every neighborhood throughout the city. Police officers have area maps, and
helping lost souls seems to be their main occupation. You should also never hesitate to
ask a Japanese person for directions, but be sure to ask more than one. You'll be amazed
at the conflicting advice you'll receive. Apparently, the Japanese would rather hazard a
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