Japan (Lonely Planet, 11th Edition) - Chris Rowthorn [638]
The Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO; www.jnto.go.jp, www.japantravelinfo.com) is the main English-language information service for foreign travellers to Japan. JNTO produces a great deal of useful literature, which is available from both its overseas offices and its Tourist Information Center in Tokyo. Most publications are available in English and, in some cases, other European and Asian languages. JNTO’s website is very useful in planning your journey.
Unfortunately for foreign travellers, JNTO is pulling out of the business of operating tourist information centres inside Japan. The sole remaining domestic office is the Tokyo office.
JNTO has a number of overseas offices:
Australia (02-9279 2177; Level 7, 36-38 Clarence St, Sydney, NSW Australia 2000)
Canada (416-366 7140; 481 University Avenue, Suite 306, Toronto, ON M5G 2E9)
France (01 42 96 20 29; 4 rue de Ventadour, 75001 Paris)
Germany (069-20353; Kaiserstrasse 11, 60311 Frankfurt am Main)
UK (020-7398-5670; H5th fl, 12/13 Nicholas Lane, London, EC4N 7BN)
USA Los Angeles (213-623 1952; 340 E 2nd St, Little Tokyo Plaza, Suite 302, Los Angeles, CA 90012); New York (212-757 5640; One Rockefeller Plaza, Suite 1250, New York, NY 10020)
Other Information Offices
There are tourist information offices (kankō annai-sho; ) in or near almost all major train stations, but the further you venture into outlying regions, the less chance you have of finding English-speaking staff.
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TRAVELLERS WITH DISABILITIES
Japan gets mixed marks in terms of ease of travel for those with disabilities. On the plus side, many new buildings in Japan have access ramps, traffic lights have speakers playing melodies when it is safe to cross, train platforms have raised dots and lines to provide guidance, and some ticket machines in Tokyo have Braille. Some attractions also offer free entry to disabled persons and one companion. On the negative side, many of Japan’s cities are still rather difficult for disabled persons to negotiate, often due to the relative lack of normal footpaths on narrow streets.
If you are going to travel by train and need assistance, ask one of the station workers as you enter the station. Try asking: ‘karada no fujiyuū no kata no sharyō wa arimasu ka?’ (Are there train carriages for disabled travellers?).
There are carriages on most lines that have areas set aside for people in wheelchairs. Those with other physical disabilities can use the seats set near the train exits, called yūsen-zaseki. You will also find these seats near the front of buses; usually they’re a different colour from the regular seats.
The most useful information for disabled visitors is provided by the Japanese Red Cross Language Service Volunteers (housi-2008@lanserv.gr.jp; www.lanserv.gr.jp/index.shtml, in Japanese; c/o Volunteers Division, Japanese Red Cross Society, 1-1-3 Shiba Daimon, Minato-ku, Tokyo 105-8521, Japan). Its website has online guides for disabled travellers to Tokyo, Kyoto and Kamakura.
For information on negotiating Japan in a wheelchair, see the website for Accessible Japan (www.tesco-premium.co.jp/aj/index.htm). Also, listings throughout this book indicate with the icon if a place has wheelchair-access.
Eagle Bus Company (049-227-7611; www.new-wing.co.jp/english/english.html) has lift-equipped buses and some English-speaking drivers who are also licensed caregivers. It offers tours of Tokyo and around for travellers with disabilities. However, the number of English-speaking drivers/caregivers is limited, so it is necessary to reserve well in advance. Group bookings are possible. It also offers English-language tours of Kawagoe, a small town outside Tokyo, which is sometimes known as little Edo.
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ADDRESSES IN JAPAN
In Japan, finding a place from its address can be difficult, even for locals. The problem is twofold: first, the address is usually given by an area rather than a street; and, second, the numbers are not necessarily consecutive, as prior to the mid-1950s numbers were assigned