| Flying
to Japan
My favorite time to depart
from San Francisco is around 1:00 pm. That flight usually
arrives in Narita around 4:00 or 5:00 pm, depending on Daylight
Savings Time in San Francisco. Body time is around midnight,
and I make sure I don't sleep on the flight over. I find
if I can stay awake another 4 hours or so, that puts body
time at 4:00 am, and Tokyo time either 8:00 or 9:00 pm.
I then usually sleep about 10 hours, waking up at 6:00 or
7:00 am Tokyo time, completely refreshed.
Conversely, my favorite
time to depart from Narita is 7:00 pm or so. After eating
dinner on the flight, it's about 10:00 pm. I then try to
sleep as best I can on the plane. I can usually get about
4 or 5 hours of sleep before having to wake up for the arrival
in San Francisco at around 11:00 am Pacific time. I'm usually
very tired that day, but after one night's sleep, I'm back
on Pacific time with no problems.
Note that as of January
1st, 1999, you no longer need to paya Passenger Facility
Service Charge when you leave Japan. This charge has been
incorporated into your ticket price.
Going Between Tokyo and
Narita International Airport
I always take the JR (Japan
Railways) Narita Express (N'EX) from Narita airport into
downtown Tokyo. It stops at Tokyo station, Shinjuku, Ikebukuro
(only some trains), Yokohama, and Ofuna (only some trains).
The cost to Tokyo station is 2890 yen for a normal seat,
and 4890 for a seat in the Green car (first class). The
time to Tokyo station is just under one hour. The cost and
time to the other stations will be higher.
The train is quite comfortable.
It has bathrooms, vending machines, and phones. You can
purchase tickets in advance, but I've never done so because
you never know if the plane will be late, your baggage will
be the last one to show up on the carousel, or you might
get delayed at customs. There are automated ticket machines
that can display in English, so you needn't wait in the
inevitable long line at the JR travel office. These machines
are available just as you get to the station level, and
is right across from the JR travel office.
If you get off the N'EX
at Tokyo station, you will find yourself on the B5 level
of the station. There are escalators to the B4 level, then
another escalator to the B1 level, then, depending on which
exit you are closest to, there may be an escalator to the
ground level.
There are also elevators
which will take you from the B5 to the B1 level. If you
plan to return to Narita via the N'EX, make sure you take
the correct elevator back down to the B5 level. If you enter
Tokyo station through the Marunouchi North or Marunouchi
Central entrances, once you pass through the ticket entrance,
turn around and you will see an escalator down to the B1
level.
If you get off at Shinjuku
and are headed for the hotels in the area, be sure to follow
the signs for the West exit.
Less expensive ways to get
into downtown Tokyo include the Keisei Skyliner (not a JR
train), or any of the myriad hotel "limousine buses".
The hotel buses will take you directly to most of the major
hotels, but they are affected by traffic jams. Do not, under
any but the most dire circumstances, take a taxi. You'll
regret paying the Y30,000 or more cab fare.
When returning to Narita,
most airlines will let you check-in at the Tokyo City Air
Terminal (T-CAT, pronounced "tea cat") and will
take care of your luggage. You might need to check in earlier
than usual (so your luggage can get from Tokyo to Narita).
The T-CAT can be reached via taxi or by taking the Hanzomon
subway line to the Suitengumae stop.
Going Between Tokyo and
Haneda International Airport
The easiest way to get to
Haneda is to take the monorail from near Hamamatsucho station
(on the Yamanote line). The monorail costs under 500 yen
and takes 22 minutes from Hamamatsucho. There are luggage
bins on the monorail, but very large suitcases will be awkward
to handle. It appears that you can check your baggage at
the monorail station at Hamamatsucho, but I have not tried
this.
Be aware that some airline
personnel at Haneda airport do not speak or even appear
to read English very well. This could delay your check-in.
Also, like Narita, some gates are not true jetways. Instead
you board a bus which takes you to the aircraft, which you
board by climbing a set of stairs.
Getting to the Kansai Region
from Kansai International Airport
There is another JR train
called the Haruka which is similar to the N'EX. It starts
at Kansai International and makes stops at Tennoji, Shin-Osaka,
and finally Kyoto station, taking 73 minutes for the entire
trip. The cost to Kyoto is 3430 yen for a normal seat, 4150
yen in the Green car. Simply take the walkway from the airport
terminal to the train station. There are automated ticket
machines, but they do not appear to be able to display in
English. Be aware that the walkway is not completely covered,
nor is the station completely enclosed (though it is covered).
That can make it very hot, very cold, or very wet, depending
on the local weather.
To get to Kobe, in good
weather, you can take the ferry from Kansai International
to Kobe station.
Money
I find it's most convenient
to use a credit card to pay for expensive things, such as
hotel bills. You're at the mercy of currency fluctuations,
but the convenience of not having to bring lots of cash
or traveler's checks is worth it.
Although Japan has lots
of cash machines (ATM to an American), almost all of them
are tied to Japanese banks, and most of them have no relationships
with American banks.
Fortunately,
Citibank offers checking
and/or savings accounts that are accessible from international
locations. You merely need to open an account and the ATM
card you receive will work world-wide.
One caveat is that some
international ATM's can only access the "primary account"
of any one account-holder. This is almost always the checking
account, not the savings account. Therefore to be safe you
should open a checking account, not a savings account.
If you don't like Citibank,
you have two alternatives:
- A Bank of America branch
in Akasaka (withdrawals from checking account only).
- One ATM in Shibuya that's
on the Cirrus and Plus networks.
There are three very
important things to remember about ATM's:
- Almost all ATM's in Japan
close around 9:00 pm on weekdays, 6:00 pm on weekends.
Some ATM's are located inside businesses and may close
even earlier.
- Your bank may not automatically
allow your ATM card to work internationally. You may have
to take your card into a branch and verify your identity
to have it activated for international use. (Naturally,
the Citibank account does not suffer from this problem)
- Almost every international
transfer will involve a service charge, usually either
1% of the withdrawal amount, or a flat fee (The Citibank
account does not suffer from this problem either)
Another thing you could
do is open an account at a bank (or post office) in Japan.
I've never done this, so I don't know the procedures or
prerequisities. At best, you'll need to acquire your own
seal (hanko) to make things official. If you deposit your
money in an interest-bearing account, you'll likely get
the privilege of having to file extra forms with your country's
tax authorities.
I think the next best thing
after a credit card is using traveler's checks in yen denominations.
Not every bank in America will have these, so you might
need to find a bank that can do this for you. I know that
Citibank can do this and strongly suspect Sumitomo and Sanwa
Banks can do it too. The reason for getting the checks in
yen denominations is that when you cash it in at a Japanese
bank, you won't get lots of small change, only bills.
You are also insulated from
fluctuating exchange rates. This could be good or bad.
Finally, most credit cards
will allow you to take a loan on your credit. American Express
has at least two locations in Tokyo (in Shinjuku and Marunouchi),
where you can get money. Since AmEx is technically a debit
card, they will ask you for your checking account information
and make a withdrawal from it in the amount you request
(plus a 1% or so service charge).
I suggest you get some Japanese
currency before heading to Japan. Most every bank can do
this, but will require some lead time. Every bank that provides
this service will charge a service fee.
Luggage
Because most train stations
in Japan often have lots of stairs and few if any elevators
or escalators, and because some flights will not have jetways,
I find it's best to travel as light as you can get away
with. If you have to bring along lots of stuff, you absolutely
must have a suitcase with rollers on it,
or a rollable luggage cart.
If you plan to make short
side trips within Japan, it may make sense to bring a smaller
soft suitcase and use that for your side trips. As long
as you have a reservation at the hotel when you return from
your side trip, the hotel will store your luggage for you.
Both the N'EX and Haruka
lines have ample storage space for luggage, even for large
suitcases or golf bags. The shinkansen, however, does not
have much storage space, except in the split-level green
cars.
Long-distance, cross-country
luggage delivery service is available, but it will take
at least one day for the luggage to be delivered.
I prefer to stay at a hotel
close to a train station, for convenience. One I have used
the most is the Yaesu Fujiya Hotel, which is close to Tokyo
Station. The rates are reasonable (about Y11,000 for a single,
Y13,000 for a double or twin), but the rooms are very small
(though impeccably clean). (Note: As of March, 1997, I was
charged Y14,850 for a single room at the Yaesu Fujiya.)
A friend recently recommended
the Hotel President Aoyama, and I found it to be a very
nice place to stay. The rate is Y12,000 or Y13,000 for a
single, the rooms are larger than at the Yaesu Fujiya, the
clerks speak English, there's a 24-hour convenience store
next to the hotel, and the nearest subway
station is only one block away (the Aoyama Itchome station
servicing the Ginza and Hanzomon lines). The only two drawbacks
I found were that the taxi ride from Tokyo station to the
hotel is a bit expensive (average Y2000 each way), and unlike
the Yaesu Fujiya, there are no restaurants close by that
serve a "Morning Set" (see the section below on
Eating). Otherwise, I highly recommend this hotel.
If you're more used to "standard
American" sized rooms, the Century Hyatt in Shinjuku
is nice, but try to get a corporate rate as the "rack
rate" is very expensive (about Y22,000 for a single).
There are not many hotel
clubs in America which have good rates for hotels in Japan.
One such club has world-wide membership: the Tokyu
Hotel Chain. You get quarterly
coupons good for a discount at their hotels. I found their
Kyoto hotel very nice.
My wife and I recently stayed
(2005) at the
Shinagawa Prince Hotel.
It is within walking distance of Shinagawa station (although
you have to walk through a pedestrian mall and up a slight
slope), and thus accessible from both the N'EX and the southbound
shinkansen. It has multiple buildings with varying sizes
of rooms. We stayed in the Annex (now called the North Tower)
and it was a tiny room. If you can afford it, the Main Tower
and Annex Tower are likely to be larger. As part of your
reservation, you should get a booklet of breakfast coupons.
There was a breakfast buffet with both Western and Japanese-style
foods, and also a true Japanese-style breakfast restaurant.
There's also a nice curry restaurant up the slope at the
Takanawa Tennis Center.
Note that a "double"
room has one double-width bed; a "twin" has two
single-width beds.
Short-Distance Travel
Short-distance (intra-city)
within Japan is quite convenient, if a bit bewildering to
someone not used to reading maps or figuring out transfer
stations. The four ways you're most likely to use are:
- Walking
- Taking a JR train
- Taking a private train
- Taking the subway
The methods for the last
three are very similar. You buy your ticket at the embarking
station, run it through the entrance wicket, then again
at the exit wicket at your destination. If you can't find
the correct fare for your destination, just buy the cheapest
ticket, then go to a special machine near the exit wickets.
It'll tell you how much extra to pay, then code the ticket
to let you out.
JR has two extra methods
of dealing with tickets. The first is the "orange card".
You buy it at special machines (denominations start at Y1,000
and run up to Y5,000), then use it at the ticket machine
to buy a ticket. The amount of your purchase is deducted
from the cash value remaining on the orange card. The second
is the "IO card". Again, you buy it at special
machines, but instead, you run the IO card through the wickets.
The value of your journey is deducted from the cash value
remaining on the IO card.
Both the orange and IO cards
make ticket purchaing more convenient. The IO card might
seem the most convenient, because you don't need to stop
and buy a ticket but instead go right through the wickets.
The orange card, on the other hand, offers you more value
for your money. Specifically, purchasing an orange card
for Y5,000 gives you Y5,300 of ticket-buying power.
There is a card you can
use for subway wickets, called the "SF Metro Card"
(no relation to the city of San Francisco). I do not know
if this card will work on the two different subway systems
in Tokyo, but I think they will.
For those interested, the
two systems are TRTA ("Eidan"), whose symbol is
a stylized "S", and TOEI, whose symbol is vaguely
leaf-shaped. Fortunately, all the TOEI lines begin with
the word "Toei", so it's easy to distinguish between
the two.
Long-Distance Travel
The shinkansen or "bullet
train" is the pride and joy of Japan. Since its inception,
it has had a perfect safety record of no fatalities. The
train runs on specially-welded rails at speeds of up to
200 kilometers per hour.
Reservations can be made
at any JR travel office, and there are automatic ticket
machines at major stations. If you like gambling, you can
forego the extra charge for a reserved seat and just purchase
a ticket in the self-seating area. There are smoking and
non-smoking cars in both the reserved and self-seating sections.
There are two classes of
reserved seats: normal and green (first class). Some green
cars are split-level; the bottom level will usually contain
a cafeteria. Some shinkansen have full-blown dining cars
with sit-down meal service. I've never experienced this.
Remember that the shinkansen
has limited space for luggage.
The JR Pass
The JR pass is a very useful
aid to traveling on JR trains. You must purchase it outside
of Japan, and Japanese nationals cannot purchase it. There
are three different durations (one, two, and three weeks),
and two different classes: normal and green (first class).
When you purchase the pass,
you actually only receive a receipt. You can exchange it
for a pass at most large JR stations, and at Narita airport.
When you get the pass, you specify the starting date from
which you wish the be able to use the pass. Once the pass
is active, all travel on all JR lines is free (with some
exceptions for sleeper trains).
There are two drawbacks
to the JR pass. The first is that the pass might not pay
back its value unless you take a lot of
local trips, or one medium-distance round trip on the shinkansen.
The second is that you cannot use the normal automatic wickets
at the station. Instead you must pass by the ticket agent
window, which is usually crowded with people. I've been
successful just flashing the pass (with its expiration date
visible) while walking past the window.
Eating
Japan has some of the best
foods in the world, including most kinds of ethnic cuisine.
The drawback is that it can be very expensive. The horror
stories of $10 cups of coffee and $100 steaks are true.
However, if you don't mind
doing a bit of exploring and experimenting, you can eat
very cheaply, even in Tokyo. The secret is to eat as the
locals do.
For breakfast, forget your
hotel's coffee shop and go out looking for a restaurant
serving a "Morning Set" or "Morning Service".
These can most often be found near the closest train station.
For about Y700, you can get a thick slice of toast, salad
and hard-boiled egg or fried egg with bits of ham, a small
piece of fruit (usually half of a banana), and one cup of
tea or coffee (no refills).
For lunch, many restaurants
offer a "teishoku" or set lunch. These usually
cost around Y1000, and usually consists of an entree, rice
and pickled vegetables. I've also read that you can sometimes
sneak into a company or governmental office cafeteria and
take advantage of the subsidized prices. I haven't tried
this, myself.
Many restaurants will offer
a teishoku for dinner as well. For both lunch and dinner,
it's often worth looking through the various department
stores to find a restaurant. That's right, a department
store. Most of the larger chains will have one or even two
whole floors devoted entirely to restaurants. Prices there
will be competitive with comparable restaurants outside
the department stores.
Be aware that most restaurants
close around 9:00 or 10:00 pm.
Snackers (or very light
eaters) may want to explore the ticket noodle shops. Outside
the shop is a ticket machine. After paying for your selection,
you receive a ticket. You take the ticket inside and exchange
it for your bowl of noodles.
Restrooms
Public restrooms are usually
few and far between in Japan. Your best choices are hotels
or department stores. They will usually equipped with Western-style
toilets and will almost always be scrupulously clean. After
that, restaurants are your next best bet. They will probably
be Japanese-style (ones you squat over, rather than sit
upon), but they will still be clean. The worst places are
train stations. They will nearly always be Japanese-style,
and although the toilets themselves are sanitary, the stall
and restroom itself will usually not be very clean. In fact,
they may be downright smelly. You may want to carry some
extra packets of tissue paper (as some locations won't have
toilet paper available) and a handkerchief to dry your hands
with.
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