Kyoto Travel Tips

Banks: 09:00 to 15:00, Monday to Friday
Post Offices: 09:00 to 19:00, Monday to Friday; 09:00-17:00 Saturdays; 09:00-12:30 Sundays and holidays
Department Stores and Shops: 10:00 to 19:30, daily
Museums: 10:00 to 16:00, Tuesday-Sunday
Business Offices: 09:00 to 18:00, daily

Kyoto, like much of Japan, is a very safe place for visitors. Crime rates are low and the city takes pride in being clean, comfortable and friendly. Naturally, there is a low risk of petty theft and the like, so always take the standard precautions when you travel out. Keep an eye on your belongings and you shouldn’t run into any trouble. Japan lies in the path of the seasonal typhoons, so try and stay abreast of the weather if you are visiting between June and October. 

Police: 110 

Electricity: 100V, 60Hz, with two-prong sockets.

No special vaccinations are needed to visit Japan. However, check that you are caught up on the basic inoculations such as tetanus and hepatitis. The standards in Japan are very high, so you should be able to drink the tap water safely. However, there’s always a small risk that your body will react to new micro organisms in the food and water, so stick to bottled water whenever possible and if you eat sushi make sure it’s from a decent-looking restaurant.

Should anything happen on your trip to Kyoto, there are excellent medical facilities in the city and in nearby Osaka and Tokyo. Most of the staff and doctors at the hospitals can speak English. The Sakabe Clinic is open 24 hours a day and is perhaps the best choice for foreign travellers. Visitors should make sure they are covered by their medical plan in Japan. If not, picking up some travel insurance is a good idea before you depart to help with any unexpected hospital trips. The cost of travel insurance is insignificant compared to a hospital bill from Japan. 

Ambulance: 110
Sakabe Clinic: + 81 75 231 1624

Japanese is the language of Japan and you may find that many of the older residents cannot speak any English. Younger people have typically studied a bit of English during their schooling and can probably hold a conversation.

The basic unit of currency in Japan is the yen (JPY). Bills come in denominations of 10,000, 5,000, 2,000 and 1,000 yen. Coins come in denominations of 500, 100, 50, 10, 5 and 1 yen.

You’ll find the best exchange rates at banks, and failing that, at the larger hotels, some department stores and duty-free shops. Credit cards are accepted by most of the larger establishments and ATMs are readily available in Kyoto but may be harder to find in the smaller towns. Cirrus and Plus ATM cards are the most popular international brands accepted by Japanese banking machines.

Visitors to Japan may bring 400 cigarettes, 100 cigars or 500 grams of tobacco, three bottles of spirits, 56ml of perfume and gifts with a value of 200,000 yen without incurring any customs duty. Visitors under 19 years of age are not entitled to a duty free allowance on tobacco or alcohol. When you arrive at the airport, you will simply have to make an oral declaration at the customs checkpoint.

As any experienced visitor to Japan will tell you, the customs and manners of the Japanese are very different from those in the West. A traditional code of social behaviour and politeness is followed by nearly every Japanese person, despite the seemingly rigid and strict nature of these rules. The Japanese are worldly enough that they don’t expect foreigners to understand, or even follow, the normal rules of behaviour. But they do expect a certain degree of formality and respect, and they truly love when foreigners make an effort to learn their strict rules of engagement.

Westerners are not often invited into the homes of Japanese, but it’s not due to a lack of interest or respect. The Japanese are extremely sensitive to the response a Westerner may have with regards to their hospitality, they would not like anyone to lose face. If you want to impress someone, use the honorific ending san when you address them; and always remember to take off your shoes when you enter someone’s home, a restaurant and even some shops. If you see shoes lined up neatly by the doorway, then you know what to do.

Most restaurants require that you remove your shoes before entering. At restaurants, table manners are also extremely important, even though the Japanese will show a certain level of tolerance to Western ignorance. Chopsticks are the tools of the trade when eating a Japanese meal, so you may want to practice a bit before you arrive in the country. Drinking is another time-honoured ritual in Japan, so be prepared for the seriousness of it all if you get started. Politeness is taken to the extreme when it comes to pouring a drink. Visitors should never pour themselves a drink, as this is very bad form. The host will always pour, and insist that your glass is full. Toasts are common once the table loosens up. Tips are not expected by waiters since a service charge is added to every bill at hotels, restaurants and ryokan. However, you can show your appreciation for excellent service by using a special printed envelope and putting the money inside. Despite the rules, the Japanese are very tolerant of Westerners and appreciate the effort more than anything.

Citizens of most of the larger Western countries don’t need to arrange their tourist visa in advance. You will receive one upon arrival at the airport, and need only show a return ticket and a passport that is valid for the duration of their stay in the country.

The Tourist Information Center (TIC) is the best site for information about Kyoto and Japan in general. The English-speaking office is located on the ground floor of the Kyoto Tower Building, just to the north of Kyoto Station, and is open Monday through Friday from 09:00 to 17:00 and Saturdays from 09:00 to noon. Contact them by telephone on:+81 75 371 5649