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Cars 4 Rental Information on Japan

General

Area: 377,864 sq km (145,894 sq miles).

Population: 127,450,000 (official estimate 2002).

Population Density: 337.3 per sq km.

Capital: Tokyo. Population: 8,130,408 (2000).

GEOGRAPHY: Japan is separated from the Asian mainland by 160km (100 miles) of sea. About 70 per cent of the country is covered by hills and mountains, a number of which are active or dormant volcanoes. A series of mountain ranges runs from northern Hokkaido to southern Kyushu. The Japanese Alps (the most prominent range) run in a north–south direction through central Honshu. The highest mountain is Mount Fuji at 3776m (12,388ft). Lowlands and plains are small and scattered, mostly lying along the coast and composed of alluvial lowlands and diluvial uplands. The coastline is very long in relation to the land area, and has very varied features. The deeply indented bays with good natural harbours tend to be adjacent to mountainous terrain.

Government: Constitutional monarchy. Head of State: Emperor Akihito since 1989. Head of Government: Prime Minister Koizumi Junichiro since 2001.

Language: Japanese is the official language. Some English is spoken in major cities.

Religion: Shintoism and Buddhism (most Japanese follow both religions) with a Christian minority. In Okinawa, however, people believe in Niraikanai, the realm of the dead beyond the sea.

Time: GMT + 9.

Electricity: 100 volts AC, 60Hz in the west (Osaka); 100 volts AC, 50Hz in eastern Japan and Tokyo. Plugs are flat two-pin and light bulbs are screw-type.

Communications:

Telephone

Full IDD service. Country code: 81. Outgoing international code: Variable; 0051 through the operator. Three companies provide international communications services: KDDI, IDC and ISD, each possessing their own international access number (001, 0061 and 0041, respectively). Credit cards can also be used directly in some phoneboxes.

Mobile telephone

The Japanese mobile network uses PDC (Personal Digital Cellular System) technology, which is not compatible with GSM or other mobile services. Visitors can hire handsets from companies such as NTT, Mover Rental Centre, 2-2-1 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100-8019 (tel: (3) 3282 0100) or Sony Finance, Rental Sales Department, Minamiaoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo (tel: (3) 3475 5721). For UK travellers, mobiles can also be hired before departure from Adam Phones (tel: (0800) 123 000), Cellhire PLC (tel: (0800) 610 610; e-mail: london@cellhire.com) or Mobell Communications (tel: (01543) 426 999).

Fax

Sending and receiving can be arranged at any hour at major hotels. KDDI offers facilities in Nagoya, Osaka, Tokyo and Yokohama.

Internet

There are many Internet cafes in Tokyo and in the main cities in Japan. The main ISPs include ASCII (website: www.ascii.co.jp), Jeton and Starnet. Some hotel telephones and the new grey telephones have modular sockets for computer network access.

Telegram

These can be sent from the main hotels and from the above company, also from larger post offices in major cities. Two rates are available. Overseas telegrams can also be sent from the Central Post Office in Tokyo until midnight.

Post

Letters can be taken to the Central Post Office in front of Tokyo Station or the International Post Office, near exit A-2 Otemachi subway station, which provide English-speaking personnel. Airmail to Europe takes four to six days. All main post offices have Poste Restante facilities and will hold mail for up to 10 days. Post office hours: Mon-Fri 0900-1700. The International Post Office and Central Post Office are open weekdays until 1900, and Saturday until 1700.

Press

The English-language daily newspapers in Tokyo include Daily Sports, The Daily Yomiuri, The Japan Times and The Mainichi Daily News.

Radio: BBC World Service (website: www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice) and Voice of America (website: www.voa.gov) can be received. From time to time the frequencies change and the most up-to-date can be found online.

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Money

Note: Japan has a strong cash culture, and it is usual to see people carrying large amounts of cash with them because of the low crime rate. It is only recently that credit cards have begun to become more popular. However, travellers may still encounter difficulties with foreign credit cards.

Currency: Japanese Yen (). Notes are in denominations of 10,000, 5000 2000 and 1000. Coins are in denominations of 500, 100, 50, 10, 5 and 1.

Currency exchange: All money must be exchanged at an authorised bank or money changer.

Credit & debit cards: American Express, Diners Club, MasterCard and Visa other major credit cards are widely used. Check with your credit or debit card company for merchant acceptability. ATMs are widely available although many do not accept foreign credit or debit cards. They only operate during normal banking hours and weekend services can be restricted to Saturday morning. A wide selection of foreign credit and debit cards are accepted, however, at over 21,000 post office ATMs, which are generally open Mon-Fri 0700-2300, Sat-Sun 0900-1900. Citibank machines also accept foreign credit cards and are often open 24 hours.

Travellers cheques: These can be exchanged at most major banks, larger hotels and some duty-free shops. To avoid additional exchange rate charges, travellers are advised to take travellers cheques in Japanese Yen or US dollars.

Currency restrictions: The import and export of local and foreign currency is unrestricted, subject to declaration of amounts equivalent to 1,000,000 or above.

Exchange rate indicators
The following figures are included as a guide to the movements of the Japanese Yen against Sterling and the US Dollar:

Date Nov ’03 Feb ’04 May ’04 Aug ’04
£1.00= 181.72 192.67 199.93 203.99
$1.00= 108.71 105.85 111.94 110.72

Banking hours: Mon-Fri 0900-1500.

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Health

Special Precautions Certificate Required
Yellow Fever No No
Cholera No No
Typhoid and Polio 1 N/A
Malaria No N/A

1: It is sometimes recommended to be vaccinated against typhoid.

Food & drink: Food and drink are generally considered safe but there is risk of parasitic infection and toxins from raw seafood.

Other risks: Vaccination against Hepatitis A is sometimes recommended; hepatitis C also occurs. Typhus occurs in some river valleys. Japanese encephalitis may occur and paragonimiasis has been reported. TB occurs.

Health care: Health insurance is strongly recommended, owing to the high cost of treatment. The International Association for Medical Assistance to Travellers provides English-speaking doctors. There are hospitals in all major cities.

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Climate

Except for the Hokkaido area and the subtropical Okinawa region, the weather is mostly temperate, with four seasons. Winters are cool and sunny in the south, cold and sunny around Tokyo (which occasionally has snow), and very cold around Hokkaido, which is covered in snow for up to four months a year. Summer, between June and September, ranges from warm to very hot, while spring and autumn are generally mild throughout the country. Rain falls throughout the year but June and early July is the main rainy season. Hokkaido, however, is much drier than the Tokyo area. Rainfall is intermittent with sunshine. Typhoons are only likely to occur in September or October but rarely last more than a day.

Required clothing: Lightweight cottons and linens are required throughout summer in most areas. There is much less rainfall than in Western Europe. Light- to mediumweights during spring and autumn; medium- to heavyweights for winter months, according to region. Much warmer clothes will be needed in the mountains all year round.

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Passport

Passport Required Visa Required Return Ticket Required
British Yes 1 Yes
Australian Yes 3 Yes
Canadian Yes 2 Yes
USA Yes 3 Yes
OtherEU Yes 1/2/3 Yes
Japanese

PASSPORTS: Passport valid for the duration of intended stay in Japan required by all.

Note: Whether or not they hold a visa, visitors who do not possess visible means of support for their stay, onward or return tickets, or other documents for their next destination, may be refused entry.

VISAS: Required by all except the following for tourism, short-term business meetings or to attend a conference:
(a) 1. nationals of Austria, Germany, Ireland, Liechtenstein, Mexico, Switzerland and the UK for stays of up to 6 months*;
(b) 2. nationals of Argentina, The Bahamas, Belgium, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Finland, France, Greece, Guatemala, Honduras, Iceland, Israel, Italy, Lesotho, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malta, Mauritius, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, San Marino, Singapore, Slovenia, Spain, Suriname, Sweden, Tunisia, Turkey and Uruguay for stays of up to 3 months;
(c) 3. nationals of Andorra, Australia, Barbados, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Hong Kong (SAR and British National Overseas), Latvia, Lithuania, Monaco, New Zealand, Poland, Slovak Republic and the USA for stays of up to 90 days;
(d) nationals of Brunei for stays of up to 14 days.

Note: *Nationals who are permitted to stay for 6 months will initially be granted a stay of up to 3 months and may then apply, while in Japan, to the local Immigration Department for an extension of up to a further 3 months. Such extensions are at the discretion of the Immigration authorities in Japan. For further information, contact the Consulate (or Consular section at Embassy); see Contact Addresses section.

Types of visa and cost: Temporary Visitor, Working, General/Student and Transit. Prices vary greatly according to nationality, the exchange rate and nature of intended visit. Visas for many nationals are issued free of charge. Contact the Consulate (or Consular section at Embassy) for further details.

Validity: Varies greatly according to nationality and purpose of visit. Most single-entry visas are valid for 3 months (extensions for another 3 months granted at the discretion of Immigration Department in Japan); double-entry and multiple-entry visas for 12 months. Enquire at the Consulate (or Consular section at Embassy) for further details.

Application to: Consulate (or Consular section at Embassy); see Contact Addresses section. Applications for all visas must be made in person.

Application requirements: Temporary Visitor: (a) Valid passport. (b) One or two completed application forms. (c) One or two passport-size photos. (d) Return air/sea ticket or copy. (e) Fee (cash only). (f) Proof of sufficient funds for stay (eg recent bank statement). (g) Proof of accommodation or travel itinerary. Working and General/Student: (a)–(f) and, (g) A letter of invitation from person or company in Japan may also be requested. Various other requirements are specified depending on what type of job or educational activity will be undertaken in the country. (h) A Certificate of Eligibility (original and photocopy), endorsed by the Ministry of Justice prior to application for the visa itself, is highly recommended in order to speed up the visa processing time. For more information, check with the Consulate (or Consular section at Embassy). (i) Pre-paid self-addressed envelope for return of passport by post.

Working days required: 5 for applications that do not need referral to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Tokyo. Up to 4 weeks if referral is needed. For those nationals that possess a Certificate of Eligibility, the processing time will be reduced to 3 days. Some visas may take 3 months or longer. Contact the nearest Consulate (or Consular section of the Embassy) for more information.

Temporary residence: Contact the nearest Consulate (or Consular section of the Embassy) for more information.

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