Tokyo

TOKYO TRAFFIC SHORTCUTS

TWO FAST SHORTCUTS TO TOKYO VIA THE AQUALINE

TAKE Routes 297 and 409 through Ushiku to the Aqualine
or

TAKE scenic Route 168 branching off 297 before Ushiku
CONTINUE on to the Aqualine

also

TAKE Scenic Route 168 to Nakadaki via the Aqualine

FROM OHARA
(thanks to www.gregoryclark.net for the following shortcuts):
TAKE Route 465 out of town beginning at the northern end of the town shotengai.
Do NOT start from the Ohara Route 128 bypass.
If going from Ohara:

Take Route 465 out of the town, beginning at the northern
end of the town shotengai (main drag). In other words you
do not start from the Ohara Route 128 bypass.

Set your distance meter at zero.

When distance meter says 6 K, you have reached Yamada
crossing. Turn right, still on 465.

At 9 K you are at the Konodai crossing, leading into the little
town of Kuniyoshi (Isumi). Veer left across the bridge, still on
465.

(If going from Nakadaki):

(Go out of the Nakadaki entrance, turn left down to the
intersection at Yoshida’s garage and the mauve beauty
salon (400 meters). Turn left here and go 300 meters to the
sign-posted Isumi turnof. Go left again (do not go across the
red bridge in front of you). You are on Route 154.

Go through the Kaya tunnel. Follow the road as it swings
gradually to the left and on across a bridge till you reach the
Konodai crossing.. At this point, set your distance meter at 9
kilometers and follow the directions for the route from
Ohara.. You are on Route 465.)

Back on the route from Ohara, keep on 465, going directly
across Kariya crossing (1O.3 K. from Ohara), Ono entrance
(12.2 K.), Namekawa crossing (12.8 K.) and then to the
Funako crossing (15.9 K.) just before the town of Otaki.

At the big Funako crossing, turn right off 465 and onto
Highway 297 (sign says to Chiba, Ichihara) which allows you
to bypass Otaki. (Those with time, however, are urged to
drive into Otaki and then past the railway station and up to
the museum in the castle that overlooks the town.)

Keep on 297, going across Yokoyama crossing (17.8 K),
climb a steep winding hill, go on past the Route 148
Mutsuzawa turnoff to the right, past the Route 171 Tsukizaki
turnoff to the left (27.2 K), past the Route 168 turnoff to the
Takataki on the left (27.8 K) and on to the Yonezawa
crossing at Ushiku (34.O K)

At Yonezawa crossing, turn sharp left onto Route 409 in the
direction marked Kisarazu. This takes you immediately
across rail tracks. After crossing the tracks, immediately veer
right into the Ushiku shotengai, at the end of which is the
Ushiku Sansaro intersection where you turn left (34.6 K), still
on 409.

Stay on 409, through a hilly section till you come to the
Takaya crossing (43.3 K). Go across, still on 409, then
across the Santaka crossing (43.7 K) and onto the Sanga
crossing (44.7 K)

At this point you can opt to stay on 409 and find your way
through to the Kita Kisarazu IC on the Tateyama
Expressway, and end up having to pay an extra 550 yen
just to get to the Aqualine. A smarter move is to turn right
onto the unnumbered, unmarked Koiki Nodo (wide area farm
road) which heads north, straight as an arrow.

(For students of Japan, it is a road built from MAF slush
funds, as distinct from Ministry of Transport budgets. That is
why the Transport people refuse to recognise its existence
with a number or a signpost. However, it also happens to be
very convenient, especially for rural people in the district.)

The Koiki Nodo takes you on and on, seemingly forever,
under the Tateyama Expressway (48.9 K), and at 53.2 K
you will find yourself going around a very large S bend.

At 53.9 K you reach the big Kanno crossing on the busy
Highway 16. Go straight across highway 16 (here the Koiki
Nodo magically turns into Route 143).

After two more traffic lights you find yourself at the
Sodegaura City Office turnoff (55.O K) where you turn left
onto Route 87. (For cars coming from the opposite direction,
the sign to turn right at the crossing says Route 143,
Umadate)

Stay on 87 to the Takayanagi crossing (56.7 K) where you
turn right onto the road that runs parallel to the Expressway
above you.

Stay on this road as it swings from one side of the
Expressway to the other till you reach the Aqualine entrance
toll booths (59.6 K).

You have reached your destination.

From the other side of the Aqualine bridge and tunnel (about
15 minutes drive, unless you stop over at the Umihotaru
complex for food or a drink or the view across Tokyo Bay)
you are led directly onto the Wangan heading either towards
Yokohama or Tokyo. This road can sometimes be jammed in
the Tokyo direction from just north of Haneda.

If jammed, one choice is to get off at Haneda and make your
way into Tokyo via back streets, or Highway 1.

AQUALINE SHORTCUT BACK TO TOKYO VIA ROUTE 168 (by Kyle Murphy)

A word of advice to anyone wanting to drive back to Tokyo
on a Sunday evening, especially in summer. Both the
Wangan and Keio expressways get badly congested. Trip
times can easily exceed three hours.

Using the Aqua Line is the obvious alternative, since it is
deserted even at peak times and the 3,000 yen toll is not all
that much more than what you pay on the other routes. But
there is one problem — a vicious intersection at Ushiku where
highway 297 running up from Otaki meets highway 409
running east west from Mobara to Kisarazu. Traffic can
be badly delayed at peak times. Highway 409 from Ushiku
across to the Aqua Line is also fairly ugly.

The neat way to avoid all this trouble is to look out for the
left turn onto highway 168 as you drive up 297. It is just
beyond the
traffic lights turnoff for 171, and a few miles south of Ushiku.

Route 168 takes you through nice countryside to a collection
of lakes. Drive straight across the two bridges and a railway
line to the other side of the lakes where 168 swings due left
with a sign for Kisarazu. From there it is more driving
through attractive rural country till you hit the north-south
Kamogawa road on the other side of the peninsula. That
road will take you to the far end of 409 and then on to
the Aqua Line if you like, but we suggest driving across that
Kamogawa road to hit 409 further down and closer to the
Aqua Line.

If you leave 409 to get onto the Tateyama Highway and then
on to the entrance expressway for the Aqua Line it will cost
an extra 550 yen. Or you can stay on 409 and take the road
directly under the entrance expressway for free. Either way
total time from Nakadaki should not be much more than one
hour. Allow 15 minutes for the Aqua Line and you
should be back in Tokyo in little over 90 minutes.

The alternative route to Nakadaki via the Aqualine and
route 168: (also by Kyle Murphy, with amendments by GC)

Get on Shuto go across Bay Bridge and go towards Haneda
(700 yen)

Go through the Aqua Line Tunnel (3,000 yen)

On the other side you follow the Expressway and it will come
to a "T" junction with the Tateyama Expressway. You want to
go towards Chiba. And NOT towards Tateyama.

Get off at the first exit (Kita Kisarazu after you get on the
Tateyama Expressway. 550 yen, and 11.1 K from the
Aqualine toll booths). (Note: You can avoid that toll by
getting off the expressway at the Aqualine toll booths and
driving under the expressway till you come to route 409
going off to the left.)

After you go through the Kita Kisarazu toll booth the road
comes immediately to a "T" junction with a stoplight. You
want to go to the right. The sign there says Routes 409 and
410 in the direction of Mobara,Kamogawa, and 33 in the
direction of Academia Kazuza.

About 300 meters further on there is another stoplight at the
Takinoguchi crossing (11.7 K.). The signboard says
Mobara,Kuriri to the left in the direction of Route 409, with
Route 33 lying straight ahead. If you turn left it will take you
the Nakagawabashi crossing (12..0 K). Turn right over the
river onto Route 409. Keep following the signs for 409, and it
will take you through a messy, and at times crowded,
shopping center.

(At Takinoguchi crossing, you can also go straight on Rte 33.
Follow this road for about 1-2 km and you will see a corner
where you can follow 33 either to the right (sort of
straight) or to the left. TURN LEFT and follow the road and it
will come out on 409. The reason to do this is less stoplights,
wider road and less traffic.
Note by Greg Clark: The only drawback is that people have
been lost for hours on this bypass route)

Once you are back on 409, follow the road for about 1-2 km
beyond the messy shopping center and eventually it will try
to have you cross a set of railroad tracks. Do not cross the
RR tracks. At that point (14.9 K) you will see a sign that
indicates Kuriri and Rte 167 (sign is overhead) veering off to
the right. Go straight on this road. Eventually it will cross the
Railroad.

Just beyond that crossing you will come up to Rte 410 (17.8
Ks from your Aqualine starting point) at a crossing called
Mariyatsu. The sign in front of the crossing will indicate that
for Rte 168 you should turn right onto RTe410, go about a
short distance and turn left to get onto 168. Do not do this.

Instead, go straight across Rte 410 and follow the road in
front of you. After a few hundred more meters it will merge
into RTe 168 anyway. There is a school on the left at the
point where they merge.

Follow Rte 168 through the hills and vales. Sometimes it
gets very narrow but it
goes through all the same. At 22.0 K you come to a fork,
with a sign saying Ushiku on the left and Takataki on the
right. Go right.

At 24.2 K the road will come to come to a
point where you have the option of going straight (this would
seem to be the
intuitive way but is incorrect) Turn left. The road is wide at
this point.
Overhead is a sign indicating that if you go straight it will
take you to a camping ground, and if you go left (the correct
way) you will go to Takataki.

Keep going straight in the Takataki direction on Rte 168. It
will come to broad valley with a large Lake (reservoir
actually). At this point (28.0 K) there is a "T" junction. Turn
to the right in the signposted direction of Chiba,Yorokeikoku,
and follow the road. You will come to a stoplight (28.5 K)
where you go straight in the sign-posted direction of
Tsurumai. Just a few hundred meters beyond there is a
railroad crossing. Go across and up and over the hill. At the
foot of the hill on the other side you will again hit the lake
(or its cousin). At that corner is a temple on the left and an
excellent soba shop is on the right. You can park in front or
back. The sansai soba and agetempura (with little shrimp) is
to die for.

After the refreshments keep going straight on Rte 168,
through another signpost saying Tsurumai (29.8 K). Beyond
here the road is narrow but the views are spectacular.
Eventually the road will come out on a non-signposted Rte
297 (32.5 K). Here turn to the right.

(The reason for taking 168 is to avoid a very uninteresting
409 and an ugly long delay intersection in a depressing little
berg called Ushiku.)

You will follow Rte 297 for a fairly good length of time. It will
come into an area (I hesitate to call it a city) called Otaki (for
directions just do the reverse of GC’s Ohara-Nakadaki route
to the Aqualine above). There is a shopping center with a
Gusto, MacDonalds, pachinko Palors etc. This is important
because just beyond the Gusto's is an intersection where
Rte 465 crosses 297. AT THIS POINT TURN LEFT onto
465. Follow this road for about 8kms. It will cross a river and
just beyond there is an intersection with Rte 154 coming in
from the left. TURN LEFT ONTO RTE 154. From here it is
about 3 kms to Nakadaki, the promised land.

(Note by GC: For further details see the Ohara-Nakadaki
route to Aqualine, and just do everything in reverse.)

You will go through a tunnel (Kaya,) with the river you just
crossed over to your left. Eventually, the road will come to a
strange little corner and you will follow around to the right. (If
you were to turn left you would recross the river on a red
bridge).

From that strange little corner it is about 300 yards to the
Nakadaki Center turnoff, marked by a purple beauty house
on the right and a car repair shop on the left. Turn right, and
the center is another 400 yards further on.

Note by GC: To go to Kyle’s place, DO turn left at the
strange little corner, and go across the red bridge. At the T
junction turn left and follow a gradually diminishing and
leftward winding road till it turns sharp left, and then right at a
river with three large wooden houses and a small car park
on the right and rice fields on the left. Just beyond the corner
to the right there is another wooden house on the left, and
immediately after a dirt branch road goes off to the left.
Follow that dirt road and after 200 or so meters you will
come to a large wooden squash court building. Kyle and his
lady are just behind that building, cavorting on the banks of
the wide Isumi River.

thanks to www.blogd.com for the following Tokyo shortcuts!

As I have explained before, street layouts in Japan are somewhat complex, following a different system than is used in the United States. And despite the fact that relatively few people in Japan have cars, the streets tend to be full of them at any given time. Sure, it may not be as bad as you hear New York is at times, and as I ride a scooter, a lot of the frustrating traffic jams are for me more an exercise of finding a way past the stopped cars through the gaps and crevices.

As a result, driving down the main drags can be, well, a drag, if you'll forgive the piss-poor pun. Streets are not quite so tidy as they are in the U.S. They angle, they turn, they merge, they don't usually run parallel. So it's not easy to find a backstreet route in the first place. But it can be even harder because of a phenomenon I like to call "the neighborhoods of no through passage." I discovered these early on, when I tried to take shortcuts. I would drive down what looked like a promising street to cut through a mass of houses and other buildings to get to an objective that was blocked by traffic on the main roads. (Sometimes there are no gaps to ride through.) A few minutes later, I found myself dumped back out on the road I started from, having found that You Can't Get There From Here.

In the U.S., when a neighborhood wants to cut down on traffic cutting through, they usually install speed bumps along the main roads and 4-way stop signs at every intersection. This slows people down enough to discourage those who are trying to find an alternate route. In Japan, however, they have found an alternate method: creatively designated one-way streets. Take a look at the scan below, of an area in central Tokyo:

0607-Tokmap1-450

Note all those blue arrows. They designate one-way streets. Now, starting from the big red street along the bottom, try to take any of the streets heading upwards to the top of the map, without going against any of the arrows, and without going to the yellow street on the left. Go ahead, try it. Similarly, try finding a route from the yellow street at the left all the way to the right side.

Now imagine trying it without the benefit of a map.

Pretty clever, huh? They do an excellent job of blocking you out. Oh, a route can be found, but it's extraordinarily tricky, especially without a map to guide you. (And even then it's still hard!) The residents probably come to know the area well enough to be able to get where they want to go easily enough, but strangers quickly become ensnared and no matter how hard they try, they can't get to where they want to go. As a result, drivers tend to avoid taking the back streets.

And no, the streets aren't one-way because they're narrow. In Japan, streets that would be so narrow as to be back-alleys in the U.S. often serve as two-way streets in Japan, as I pointed out in this post. The one-way system has got to be for keeping shortcut-seekers out.

Now, the thing is, there usually is a workable backstreet route--but it's hard to find. It takes trial and error, and some time studying maps. Or, an easier method: follow the taxis.

Taxis do this kind of thing for a living. They know all the back streets. Which is why all the photos I took of backstreets here (all are of streets between Shinjuku and Ikebukuro, which will be my route to and from work) have taxis in them. So if you want to go from point A to point B, just follow the cabs, and you'll get there. The back streets that allow for a path from one place to the other are full of cabs, as well as the other practiced drivers who have found the routes. The back streets may be narrow and tiny, but they're well-used.

Some of the back streets are actually quite pleasant; they wind past parks and are sometimes tree-lined. You wonder why more people don't know about them. But then you look at the map of the area and you can see why. They're so far buried in convoluted mazes of streets, it sometimes seems a wonder that people can find them at all.

One thing I do know: without a map, you can get lost in Tokyo really easily.

____________________________________________________________________________

Tokyo Japan - Getting Around

General Directions:

by Satoshi Matsuoka,@ Tokyo Inst. Technology/NII

When you arrive at the NARITA airport, NEVER TAKE A TAXI, as it will cost over $200 US. The definitive way to get to Tokyo - Yuurakucho - Shinbashi area is to use the JR Narita Express, and get off at Tokyo Station, and then taka a local train, a taxi, or simply walk. I also recommend NOT to take a shuttle bus, since NARITA express is much more convenience and wont get you stuck in the rushhour traffic.

As it was in my older guide, Narita Express is one of the two train company lines (JR and Keisei co.) that leave adjacent to each other from the underground stations at the Narita airport, both Terminals 1 and 2. The other line is Keisei Skyliner, which is cheaper and will make more sense if you are going to North of Tokyo, but not in this cae. There are various local, non-express trains that are much cheaper but unless you have been to Japan several times and know the Tokyo geography let's leave them out unless you are adventurous.

The first stop for the Narita Express is Tokyo Station, about a 50-55 minute ride. It arrives at the underground platform of Tokyo Station, 4 levels deep (very deep). BTW, most of the trains at Tokyo St., including the Shinkansen, leave from above ground-level platforms, so in most cases you have to find your way up to make your connection.

For details see: http://www.jreast.co.jp/e/estation/e_tokyo.html Narita express arrives at the Sobu line platforms shown at the bottom.

For JR train maps http://www.jreast.co.jp/e/info/map_a4ol.pdf

Once you get off, if you are staying at Yaesu Fujiya, find your way towards the surface and walk to the hotel (outside of the top Yaesu Central Exit). It will be a fairly long walk from the platform (about 15-20 min), but you cant shortcut it much with a taxi since you will be making your way cutting through a huge station, and getting to a taxi stand is already a 5-10 min walk unless you know your way.

If you are staying near Yuurakucho/Ginza, take the option 2 below.

If you are staying near Shinbashi/Shiodome, there are two options:

Option 1 (recommended). The Southbound JR Yokosuka line leaves from the same level as the Narita express, and it's next stop is Shinbashi. One caveat is that there are two platforms / 4 tracks, and sometimes it leaves from a track on the other one so you have to climb up one level and come down again. This is a good strategy in any case since the # of lines of display on signboard on the platform is fairly limited, whereas if you go up one level there is a more comprehensive one. Or, you can ask a station master walking around in their uniforms.

At Shinbashi a few minutes later you will again arrive at a similar underground platform. Go up the escalators, and find your way towards Shiodome; there will be bunch of signs there. If it is not raining it may be easier to head to the surface and look for a Skyscraper cluster and what seemingly is an elevator walkway leading to them. Also, you could stick to the underground corridor which also is fairly easy as there will be lots of maps once you get to the corridors.

Option 2. From the Narita Express platform climb up a series of escalators to arrive at one of the three main concourses. The Southbound Yamanote and Keihin-Tohoku lines are platforms 5 and 6 (towards Shinagawa). It will take about 5 mins to reach there. Hop on either of them and the next stop about 800meter away is Yuurakucho, and Shinbashi is a stop after that. During midday around 10:00-15:00 Keihin Tohoku becomes an express and will not stop at Yuurakucho or Shinbashi. Look at the electronic signboard and also the side marking on the train and if it has the red express mark dont ride on that. In case you end up in Hamamatsucho I have already outlined below for Villa Fontaine.

At Shinbashi, if you are heading towards Shiodome, there are two staircases. Climb down the staircase with a train connection sign to pink (Asakusa-line) subway and Yuri-Kamome (Skytrain) and Shiodome. If you see an orange (Ginza line) it is the wrong one. Again, if it is not raining, it may be easier to stay above ground by re-climing the escalators to the Yuri-Kamome (skytrain) corridors then going underground and possibly losing the sense of your directions (although there are lots of signs, and huge number of people walking around so you could ask).

For Dai-ichi Hotel the situation is opposite. It is fairly a short walk from the Shinbashi station thru a busy shopping/nightlife district, which will seem like a different world c.f. Shiodome which is clean and futuristic.

Japan Cellular Phone Survival Guide for Foreign Visitors

by Satoshi Matsuoka,@ Tokyo Inst. Technology/NII May 4, 2006

1. Preface

The agonizing days of cellular phone isolation for Japan are now over. With the 3G W-CDMA (UMTS GSM2) technology developed by the Japanese mega-carrier NTT Docomo having to become successor to the global GSM (2G) service, it is now possible to roam in Japan if you have a 3G phone. Even if you don’t, you could just buy or rent a 3G handset at the airport, and stick in your personal SIM card, and you get your familiar voice and SMS services; simple, right? Well maybe not so, because the roaming charges could be outrageous beyond anyone’s imagination, and/or if you are a cellular user in the US, you may not own a SIM-based phone. Moreover, some of the tricks that people use w.r.t. preparid SIM cards may not work in Japan. OTOH, there are alternative tricks that will make your cellular life extremely cost-effective, nearly or sometimes even beyond your home cellular bills. Given several such boundary conditions, getting the best deal in using a cellular phone for foreign visitors still remains a little tricky with various choices. Here are some of the latest info assembled, with various help from friends such as Phil Papadopoulos @ San Diego Supercomputing Center, and Charlie Catlett @ Argonne National Labs. So, if you are one of the lucky few who have unlimited phone accounts paid by your institution, already own a 3G handset, and your friends don’t care about their phone bills either because either they are very rich or they always call you from work, you need not read on. However, if you don’t qualify in the above arena, this document may be of a little help.

2. General Knowledge of the Japanese Cellular Phone System

Japan currently has 3 major cellular phone carriers: NTT Docomo, AU, and Vodafone (which just got bought out by a new venture IT conglomerate Softbank) So. There are smaller carriers such as Willcom that uses a totally different small-cell technology, but they are only relevant for a small set of friends in Taiwan and Thailand, so they will not be covered here. All the carriers now heavily sport 3G technology as their mainline service, while the 2G services that had been secluded Japan from other international standards in the case of NTT Docomo and Vodafone, are practically gone, except to support legacy users. The plethora of services as well as the capabilities offered by the phone are still leading the world, although countries such as Korea are catching up pretty fast. Now, there are two types of 3G services being offered, W-CDMA UMTS (GSM2) and CDMA 2000 1x . The former is being offered by NTT Docomo and Vodafone, while the latter by another carrier AU which is a subsidiary of KDDI. The two systems are not compatible (of course you could phone across them). To roam in Japan, you need a 3G handset of either type, plus roaming agreement between your carrier and the corresponding carrier in Japan. The easiest way is of course to check with your carrier, typically on a web page. It will also list the roaming charge. If you don’t own such a terminal, you will have to rent a SIM-unlocked 3G handset, typically when you arrive at an airport in Japan (Japanese 2G handsets did not support SIM cards). Another option of course is to rent a Japanese cellular phone at the airport, 2G or 3G. This may be sometimes advantageous, because roaming charges could be quite outrageous, and also for all Japanese phones, all incoming calls are free, domestic or international. The latter allows for interesting combinations of tactics to possibly really lower your cellular phone bill while in Japan, especially when you make frequent trips here.. It has its demerits, however, as will also be described. Below is another good link FYI. It is a little outdated (e.g., NDD Docomo now sells 5 models that are dual W-CDMA / GSM handsets. Also, the reception of UMTS on the NTT Docomo network seems to have improved with the new FOMA network.

http://euc.jp/misc/cellphones.en.html

3. The Ultimate Selection: To Roam or Not to Roam

Aside from having a 3G handset or not, if you roam you will pay the roaming charge. The trouble is that roaming charges could be very expensive. For example, with the US operator Cingular (AT&T Wireless), the roaming charge is pretty outrageous at $2.25/min, send or receive. By subscribing to “Cingular World Traveler” at $5.99/month, you could lower it to $1.69/min, but still pretty expensive. This is somewhat higher than the roaming charge in Europe, e.g. Germany, at $1.25 and $0.99 respectively (still very expensive tho). You will want to check with your local carrier, but as a general principle roaming of any form is expensive. Some people use alternative, prepaid SIM cards to lower the cost. This strategy does not really work in Japan, as 1) There are no prepaid SIM cards (only prepaid phones), and foreign “great deal” prepaid SIM cards from countries such as Estonia (being sold at sites like http://www.telestial.com) will likely not work in Japan due to lack of carrier roaming agreements. Another option is to actually rent a Japanese phone with a domestic Japanese number. The call rates are typically 80-100 yens/minute for domestic, and 250-300 yens for overseas. Moreover, as mentioned above incoming calls are free, i.e., only the caller pays. Thus, if you have a international calling card with an access number in Japan, the overall average charge could be substantially lower than that of roaming. Yet another similar strategy if you frequent Japan is to buy a prepaid cellular phone, and employ a similar strategy. You don’t have to pay the daily rental fee, the call rates (especially foreign outgoing ones) are lower, and you may obtain more services such as email/SMS depending on the carrier. SMS is not exactly supported, but currently the Vodafone’s “Short Mail” service is seemingly interoperable with SMS, and as a last resort “Long Mail” service is Internet Mail capable. AU does not offer inter-carrier email service. Non-carrier rental services will depend on the company. Another advantage of Vodafone rental is that you can precharge your phone online, while AU you cannot, and have to obtain a charge card from an AU shop or at a convenience store. One note is that, all rental handsets you could get at the airport will be English-capable, but some prepaid ones (or the monthly contract phones below) may not be. Check on the web page or ask the local store to make sure that yours will support the “English mode”. Confusing as there is simply too much variety? Well, here is an algorithm to select the best choice for you, as shown in Figure 1 below. BTW, comments based on your experiences are most welcome here.

4. Techniques to lower your cost

As mentioned, “cheap” prepaid SIM cards do not seem to work here in Japan. If you frequently come to Japan, then it may be worthwhile just to get a Japanese phone contract. Some handsets go for 1 yen (+3000 yen activation charge), and monthly basic charge may be low as 3000 yens or so. Technically you need an official Japanese ID with an address in Japan but http://euc.jp/misc/cellphones.en.html mentions that some small independent shops that are abundant by the zillions in the Akihabara-Yurakucho area may sell you one with your passport only (large electronics shops such as Bic Camera in front of TIF will likely not). Monthly charges can be paid with a credit card. An alternative is to have a friend or a affiliate that will obtain the phone locally in Japan on your behalf. The benefit of this plan is that you get the FULL advanced 3G services offered here on the latest handsets, such as digital TV broadcast, music downloads, 3 million pixel cameras, GPS pedestrian and automobile navigation, full web browsing, etc. Another strategy in non-roaming situation was suggested by Phil Papadopolous to combine Skype callin and call forwarding with a Japanese phone to significantly reduce the overall cost. To summarize Phil’s messages:

I'm trying something right now (set up this morning) -- Skype-in +forwarding to a regular phone. My skype-in number is (Phil’s US Skypein Phone #). This gets forwarded right now to my domestic cell (Phil’s US Cellular #) at 1.7 cents/minute. If you rent a Japanese phone at Narita (or if you get a prepaid Japanese phone), you can set up Skype to forward to that number. Once I forward to my Japanese Cell phone, folks can call my Skype-in number and get forwarded to me fairly inexpensively. The overall rates will be: outgoing on AU: 100 Yens/Minute (about 90 cents at today's exchange---note with AU prepaid domestic and international outgoing calls cost the same, while with rentals you may want to use your calling card), while incoming is free. Hence when somebody calls you via forwarding from Skype you personally pay the skype-out rate to a Japanese mobile phone which is .12 Euro/min (about 15 cents/min), while the folks calling you will pay the long distance domestic charge to your Skypein number. I don't think there is a cheaper way to call a Japanese Cell phone from the US, and you don’t have to give out the changed Japanese number every time :-).

Notice this does not work well for roaming as incoming calls are not free and in fact could be as expensive as the outgoing.

5. Useful Links

http://euc.jp/misc/cellphones.en.html#import http://www.narita-airport.jp/en/guide/service/list/svc_19.html http://roaming.nttdocomo.co.jp/index.html http://www.vodafone.jp/scripts/english/top.jsp http://www.vodafone-rental.jp/inbound/eng/service/index.html http://www.au.kddi.com/english/index.html http://www.rental-mobile.com/en/domestic/index.html http://www1.sonyfinance.co.jp/rental/rte_m_new_jp_e.htm http://www.cingular.com/customer_service/AffordablePackagesfortheWorld

// Algorithm for deciding to Roam or Rent

If you have a contract with a SIM card 
Then 
Decide_roam()
Else 
Rent_Japanese_phone()

Procedure Decide_roam()
	family_charge = international_calling_charge(your country, Japan)
	roam_charge = roam_send_charge(your carrier, Japan)
+ roam_recv_charge(your carrier, Japan)
+ family_charge
	If NOT (you own a 3G handset)
roam_charge = roam_charge + 3G rental_charge
	
	rental_charge = Japanese_handset_rental_charge
		+ domestic_rental_send_charge  //receive is free
		+　intl_calling_card_charge //incl. access charge
+ family_charge
	prepaid_charge = Japanese_prepaid_handset_charge
		+ domestic_prepaid_send_charge //receive is free
		+ intl_calling_card_charge  //incl. access charge
+ family_charge

If you absolutely need to be contact contacted via your phone number
		Then Roam();
Else If your business is paying for the roam charge
and family_charge is small thus roam_charge < tolerance
Then Roam();
Else If you expect infrequent calls and thus roam_charge < tolerance
	Then Roam();
Else If roam_charge < rental_charge
	Then Roam();
Else if prepaid_charge comparable to rental_charge 
and you frequently come to Japan
Then Get_Japanese_Prepaid_Phone();
	Else
		Rent_Japanese_Phone();
End Procedure;

Figure 1: Algorithm for deciding whether to roam or rent a phone in Japan

Places to eat

by Satoshi Matsuoka,@ Tokyo Inst. Technology/NII

There are zillions of restaurants to eat around the Ginza/Yurakucho/Shibashi/Shiodome area.

http://www.bento.com/ra-ginza.html

has a fairly good guide, including around TIF and Shiodome.

TIF has so many good and quick restaurants around esp. for lunch, I suggest people go outside to dine.

Shiodome info below

For folks staying @ Villa Fontaine looking for inexpensive dining, Pedi Shiodome 2nd floor (next building), Caretta Shiodome B2F, as well as Shiodome Center building B1F, 1F, and 2F offer a variety of food courts and restaurants. If you dont drink alcohol expect budget of 1000-1500 yen for a reasonable dinner. If you want to venture to the west side of Shibashi station then there are zillions of small down-to-earth Japanese food places, also applicable to folks staying in the Shinbashi area.

If you really want to go really economical, but want to dine Japanese, visit the Oo-toya restaurant on the 2nd floor of the Pedi Shiodome building. There you could get a whole dinner menu for 700 yens or so, in a pleasant atmosphere. Many of the office workers dine there and is very clean. I sometimes take my family there when we need to dine quickly. Another recommendation is Katsukura @ B2F of Caretta, where they serve good Japanese-style pork cutlette dish for less than 1000 yens. There are also other very good ones. Most economical restaurants have menu pictures and/or samples outside, so you could wander around and pick & choose easily. If they dont then chances are they are expensive.

If you want to go upscale, climb to the top floor restaurants of any of the skyscrapers. The food and the view would be superb; expect 1000-2000 for lunch deals, but 5000-10,000 yens for dinner. I frequent the Caretta (the red turtle) building where my favorite Japanese noodle Kaiseki restaurant "Issa-an" is on the 46F, but others are also quite recommended.

Of course there are also convenience stores with good bento boxes for about 500 yens, as well as the McDonalds, Subways, and Stabucks. The last thing you could do is to starve in the general area.