Practical Information

Share

Passport and Visa

Every foreign tourist who wants to visit Japan needs to have a passport. Armenian citizens in case of visiting Japan need to receive visa. More detailed information can be taken from the official web-site of the Foreign Affairs Ministry of Japan. Besides, you can go to the Japanese embassy or consular of your country. Go to «visa» page.

Customs regulations

It is enough to have your verbal declaration about the imported products in order to cross the customs checkpoints:

  • if you don’t have baggage with you ; or
  • if you don’t import products out of the set norms and weights

Accordingly, in customs checkpoints you need to have written declaration about it. You don’t need to pay customs duties, of course, if customs worker is sure that you don’t have baggage out of the set norms and quantities.
You can have only 3 bottles of alcoholic beverages with 760ml volume and 40 cigarettes with you. You can take any kind of valuta with you. However, if money account exceeds 1 million yen so you have to write declaration about it. Young people up to 20 years-old cannot have alcoholic beverages and cigarettes with them.

Airport taxes

The passengers flying from main international airports of Japan need to pay airport taxes. The tax is included in tickets price. Charter passengers’ flight is on the same day and they don’t pay taxes. The children under 1 year-old are free of airport taxes, too.

Health system and vaccinations

You don’t need to have any special vaccination before visiting Japan. Health system is highly developed in Japan. In case of necessity tourists can have medical treatment of high level. However, in Japan having medical treatment the tourists have to pay for it. Accordingly, having medical insurance is very important issue. However, in big cities there are hospitals full of English speaking doctors.

Sanitary conditions and the water

Japan is probably the clearest country of that region. In Tokyo even streets, buses and metro wagons are perfectly clear. Food poisoning, straying dogs, malaria, tropical diseases are not typical to Japan. Water supply pipes are safe for drinking. Mineral water and the other imported waters are sold everywhere.

Quarantine of animals and plants

All animals and plants brought to Japan need to have compulsory quarantine in airports and ports. There are animals and plants which are not allowed to bring to Japan, at all. However, in case of permission, they need to have expertise sign given by the state competent bodies of exported country. It is a proof of the lack of any diseases.

Security

As a rule, Japanese people are very law-abiding. Accordingly, Japan becomes one of the securest countries of the world. The history of the lost wallet taken to hotel or nearby police station is a frequently occurred case. In Japan crime rate is the lowest in the world. Anyhow, the tourists need to be very attentive not to lose their personal things. Contacts of emergency situations in Japan: police-110, fire service/ambulance-119. Police stations, the so-called «koban», are located in general crossroads in populous parts.

Money

You can bring any valuta with you to Japan. Anyhow, if you have money or other means of payment exceeding 1 million Japanese yen, accordingly, in customs checkpoints you need to have written declaration about it. Japanese yen has this sign (¥). Coins are: 5, 10, 15, 50, 100 and 500. Bills are: 1000, 2000, 5000 and 10000. In all banks having exchange points the tourist can exchange their country valuta into yen. There are a lot of licensed exchange points, too. In international airports exchange points are opened in usual working hours. Exchange rate is indexed every day and depending on rate market it can be changed.
In big cities travelers’ checks are also accepted by banks, hotels (ryokan-typical Japanese hotel) and shops. International credit cards are accepted here, too. However, credit/debit cards are not widely used here especially out of big cities. Accordingly, in case of visiting rural places, tourists need to have cash money with them. There are ATMs (automated teller machines) everywhere, however, at 7 o’clock in the evening they are frequently closed. Moreover, on Saturdays, on lunchtime they don’t accept credit cards or other means of payment. All over Japan in mini-markets 7/11 the ATMs accept foreign banking cards. In receiving yen you can use VISA/PLUS, MasterCard/Cirrus and American Express cards. You have an opportunity to choose English language on ATM display.

Electricity

Household indicators and norms are 100 volts for alternating electricity. In Tokyo and in the eastern part of Japan 50 Hz is used, in that current moment, in the western part of the country, including Osaka, Nagoya and Kyoto, 60 Hz is used. In Japan flat and double plugs are used (similar plugs are used in the North America). In many big cities there are 110 volt and 220 volt equipments for connection of electric razor, hairdryer and road-iron.

Telephone

The country cod of Japan is 81. The prices of international calls are very different from internal ones. At night, on weekends and on holidays the prices are cheap. Local call prices cost 10 yen for a minute (among 23 central parts of Tokyo as well as in some big cities). If you pay 2 coins of 10 yen and speak less than a minute so the one of the coins is returned back. Paid call cards cost 1000 yen in trade automatic systems, booths, in rail stations and in mini-markets. These cards are used mainly for having international calls. You can have direct, international calls from social telephones. These phones have «International and internal phone» sign. Such kinds of telephones are available in airports, hotels and in other big buildings.

Mobile phones

Japan is considered to be the leader in the field of mobile communication technology. However, there is great difference in technologies, accordingly, not all mobile phones can be used in Japan. 3G-models may be used in Japan. Anyhow, for more and full confidence you can consult with your country communication operator. In Japan in booths there is mobile phone rent. The booths are located in Nara and Kansai airports. Accordingly, arriving Japan you can rent a mobile phone. The corresponding list of companies and their contacts information can be attained from the National Tourist Organization of Japan.

Tips

Giving individual tips is not accepted in Japan. Instead of this, in expensive hotels and restaurants 10 or 15 percent is added to the service price. Moreover, expensive Japanese hotels can add even 10 up to 20 percent to the service price. In business hotels, resorts and in other cheap places there isn’t any percent added to the service price. In traditional Japanese hotels the tourists can pay tips to the guide and the senior waiter (at the moment of their arrival the guests give senior waiter an envelope with the tips).

the material is taken from http://visitjapan.ru/sovety-puteshestvennikam/prakticheskaja-informacija/

translated from Armenian into English by Tatev Harutyunyan