Japan (Lonely Planet, 11th Edition) - Chris Rowthorn [633]
Taxes
Japan has a 5% consumption tax (shōhizei). If you eat at expensive restaurants and stay in top-end accommodation, you will encounter a service charge that varies from 10% to 15%.
Tipping
There is little tipping in Japan. If you want to show your gratitude to someone, give them a gift rather than a tip. If you do choose to give someone a cash gift (a staff member in a ryokan, for instance), place the money in an envelope first.
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PHOTOGRAPHY
Japan is one of the world’s best places to buy cameras (digital or film), photographic equipment, memory and anything else that you can possibly think of to help you record your trip. Japan’s photo shops also offer a wide range of services for digital photographers, such as high-quality prints from digital files. The typical cost for printing digital photos is ¥35 per print.
For more information on buying cameras and other photographic equipment, Click here.
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POST
The Japanese postal system is reliable, efficient and, for regular postcards and airmail letters, not markedly more expensive than other developed countries.
Postal Rates
The airmail rate for postcards is ¥70 to any overseas destination; aerograms cost ¥90. Letters weighing less than 25g are ¥90 to other countries within Asia, ¥110 to North America, Europe or Oceania (including Australia and New Zealand), and ¥130 to Africa and South America. One peculiarity of the Japanese postal system is that you will be charged extra if your writing runs over onto the address side (the right side) of a postcard.
Sending & Receiving Mail
The symbol for post offices is a red T with a bar across the top on a white background (). District post offices (the main post office in a ward) are normally very conveniently open from 9am to 7pm weekdays and 9am to 3pm Saturday, and are closed Sunday and public holidays. Local post offices are open 9am to 5pm weekdays, and are closed Saturday, Sunday and public holidays. Main post offices in the larger cities may have an after-hours window open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Mail can be sent to, from or within Japan when addressed in English (Roman script).
Although any post office will hold mail for collection, the poste restante concept is not well known and can cause confusion in smaller places. It is probably better to have mail addressed to you at a larger central post office. Letters are usually only held for 30 days before being returned to sender. When enquiring about mail for collection ask for kyoku dome yūbin.
It should be addressed as follows:
Darren O’CONNELL
Poste Restante
Central Post Office
Tokyo, JAPAN
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SHOPPING
Japan is truly a shopper’s paradise, and it is not as expensive as you might imagine. As well as all the electronic gadgetry available in Japan, there is a wide range of traditional crafts to choose from, all of which make great souvenirs. The big department stores often have the best selections of Japanese gift items, and they usually have English speakers on hand.
Bargain hunters will want to check out Japan’s famous hyaku-en shops (¥100 shops) – you will be amazed what you can buy for ¥100 (about US$1). Hyaku-en shops can be found in the central shopping areas of medium and large cities (sometimes inside covered shopping arcades). Helpfully, they usually have the number 100 written in large letters on their signs.
Bargaining
Bargaining is largely restricted to flea markets (where anything goes) and large discount electronics shops (where a polite request will often bring the price down by around 10%).
Computer Equipment
Computers, computer accessories and software are widely available. Unfortunately for the foreign traveller, most of what’s out there – operating systems, keyboards