General Information

When you are leaving home for a travel, business or leisure in Japan, there are lots of things you should know about Japan. Myjapanphone.com prepared some general information about Japan, such as: Japan Electricity, Japan Medical Services, Japan Banks, Japan Police……and so on. If you come to Japan for the first time it will be very useful for you。
Emergency
There are two different phone numbers to dial in an emergency - 110 to call the police or 119 to report a fire or to call an ambulance. These emergency numbers can be dialed from a public telephone without paying for the call by pressing the red button that is located on the front of the phone.

Postal Service
Postcards and stamps are available from post offices, convenience stores and kiosks at train stations all over the country. Post boxes are located by street crossings, buildings and public facilities. The opening slot of the post box may differ depending on the size of mail that the post box is designed to accept.

Electricity
The electrical current in Japan is 100V AC. Two different cycles are used. Tokyo and eastern Japan are on 50 Hz whilst western Japan, including Osaka Nagoya and Kyoto, is on 60 Hz. Flat two pin plugs (identical to those in North America) are used in Japan. Most major hotels provide outlets for both 110V and 220V appliances such as shavers, hairdryers and travel irons.

Medical Services
If you need a doctor or first-aid contact your hotel front desk or ask someone around you. For hospital information, call (03) 5285-8181 in Tokyo. Japanese medical services and facilities enjoy a high international reputation.
Hospitals with English Speaking Doctors
In general, hospital reception desks are open 8:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m., Monday through Friday.
International Catholic Hospital (Seibo Byoin)
2-5-1 Naka-Ochiai, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 161-8521
Tel: (03) 3951-1111
Japanese Red Cross Medical Center (Nihon Sekijujisha Iryo Center)
4-1-22 Hiroo, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 150-8935
Tel: (03) 3400-1311
St. Luke's International Hospital (Seiroka Byoin)
9-1 Akashicho, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 104-8560
Tel: (03) 3541-5151
Tokyo Adventist Hospital (Tokyo Eisei Byoin)
3-17-3 Amanuma, Suginami-ku, Tokyo 167-0032
Tel: (03) 3392-6151

Police
You will notice that there are police boxes very often located by main street crossings in Japan, to keep an eye on people on the street and assist them to find their way to their destination. Japan's crime rate is very low compared to that of many other countries.
Koban, or police boxes, are located throughout Japan with police officers on duty in shifts 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. They handle everything from criminal cases and patrols to giving people directions and dealing with lost and found articles. Busy urban areas often have several police boxes. A police officer is called an omawari-san.

Lost and Found
If you left your bag or package in a railway station or other public area, go to the stationmaster's office or the nearest police box and ask for English-language assistance. If you left something in a taxi then go to your hotel's reception desk. Taxi drivers often bring the belongings back to your hotel.

National Holidays:
Most major department stores, tourist attractions and restaurants remain open on national holidays except over the New Year Period (officially 29 December - 3 January, however dates may vary). Most shops and restaurants, except for those within hotels, are closed over this period, as are government offices, banks, private companies & museums.
Many smaller shops and businesses are also closed over other traditional Japanese holiday seasons.

Taxes
Similarly to the United States and many other countries, Japan has a direct tax system centering on income tax and corporate tax. The most representative indirect tax is the consumption tax, which is added to the prices of basically all goods and services at the rate of 5﹪. In addition to the consumption tax, specific indirect taxes are also levied on alcoholic beverages, cigarettes, automobiles and certain other products. In Tokyo, a hotel tax of ￥100or or ￥200 has been charged on hotel and inn rooms with nightly rates of ￥10,000 or more since October 2002.

Trains and buses
Trains in Japan are almost always on time, but buses may sometimes be delayed by traffic. Ordinary (local) trains in Tokyo run from around 5:00 to midnight at intervals of about 5 minutes, and many short-distance buses in Tokyo run from around 6:00 to 22:00. Both trains and buses have different schedules for weekdays, and for Saturdays, Sundays and holidays. When taking a train, you purchase a ticket to your destination before boarding. When traveling by short- distance bus, the fee is paid in the bus.

Banks
Bank counters are open for business in Japan from Monday to Friday, 9:00 to 15:00. Banks that can exchange foreign currencies to yen are limited to certain banks in urban areas. When banks are closed, cash and travellers cheques can often be changed at major hotels or department stores. Automatic Teller Machines (ATMs) are widely available but they are not always open and do not always accept foreign credit or cashpoint cards. Automatic teller machines (ATMs) are usually open until 19:00 on weekdays and many also operate on Saturdays and Sundays. An in creasing number of convenience stores are installing ATMs as well. Some ATMs also permit cash withdrawals using credit cards.