Airlines Aeroflot (tel 03/343-9671); Air Canada (tel 03/3586-3891); Air China (tel 03/5251-0711); Air France (tel 03/3475-2211); Air India (tel 03/3214-1981); Air Lanka (tel 03/3573-4261); Air New Zealand (tel 03/3287-6311); Air Nippon (tel 03/5435-0333); Air Pacific (tel 03/3435-1377); Alitalia (tel 03/3592-3970); All Nippon Airways (tel 0120-029333, www.ana.co.jp ); American Airlines (tel 03/3214-2111); Asiana Airlines (tel 03/3582-6600); British Airways (tel 03/3593-8811); Canadian Airlines (tel 03/3281-7426); Cathay Pacific (tel 03/3504-1531); China Airlines (tel 03/3436-1661); Delta Airlines (tel 03/5404-3200); Dragonair (tel 03/3506-8361); Egyptair (tel 03/3211-4521); Eva Air (tel 03/5408-3500); Finnair (tel 0120-700915); Garuda Indonesia (tel 03/3240-6161); Iberia (tel 03/3578-3555); Japan Airlines (international tel 0120-255931, www.jal.co.jp ); Japan Air System (international tel 0120-711283, www.jas.co.jp ); KLM (tel 03/3216-0771); Korean Air (tel 03/5443-3311); Lufthansa (tel 03/3578-6777); Malaysia Airlines (tel 03/3503-5961); Northwest (tel 03/3533-6000); Pakistan International (tel 03/3216-6511); Philippine Airlines (tel 03/3593-2421); Qantas (tel 03/3593-7000); Sabena (tel 03/3585-6151); SAS Scandinavian Airlines (tel 0120-678101); Singapore Airlines (tel 03/3213-3431); South African Airways (tel 03/3470-1901); Swissair (tel 03/3212-1016); Thai International (tel 03/3503-3311); United Airlines (tel 0120-114466); Varig (tel 03/3211-6751); Vietnam Airlines (tel 03/3508-1481); Virgin Atlantic (tel 03/3499-8811).

Airport information Haneda tel 03/5757-8111; Narita tel 0476/34-5000.

American Express 4-30-16 Ogikubo, Suginami-ku (tel 0120-020666); travel service centre (Mon-Fri 9am-7pm).

Banks and exchange You'll find dozens of authorized "Foreign Exchange Banks" all over central Tokyo; Tokyo Mitsubishi Bank generally handles the broadest range of currencies. If you need money outside banking hours , the major department stores often have exchange desks, though most handle a very restricted range of currencies. You can make credit card withdrawals from "international ATMs" at the post office and at cash corners run by Visa (tel 0120-133173), Mastercard (tel 00531/11-3886) and Citibank (tel 0120-504189); call their 24hr toll-free English-language helplines to find the machine nearest you - some are accessible 24hr. The American Express office in Ogikubo also has a 24hr ATM (American Express cards only). Visa and Mastercard holders can make over-the-counter cash withdrawals from Tokyo Mitsubishi Bank's head office (2-7-1 Marunouchi), while major branches of Sumitomo Bank (due to be renamed Mitsui Sumitomo) handle Visa card withdrawals only.

Bike rental Try Rental Acom in Shinjuku (tel 03/3350-5081) or Shimbashi (tel 03/3432-8522), both open daily 10am-7pm, which also rents just about anything else you could need. For a minimum of two days an ordinary bike is ¥2100 and a mountain bike ¥4200. You'll need to present your passport and make an advance booking in Japanese.

Car rental The main rental companies are: Avis (tel 03/5550-1015); Hertz (tel 0120-489882; www.hertz-car.co.jp ); Nippon (tel 03/3468-7126); Nissan (tel 03/5424-4111); Orix (tel 03/3779-0543) and Toyota (tel 0070/8000-10000). All have branches around the city and at Narita and Haneda airports, and English-speaking staff. Prices start at around ¥6500 per day for the smallest car, plus ¥1000 insurance.

Credit cards For lost credit cards call the relevant toll-free 24hr number: American Express (tel 0120-02012); Mastercard (tel 00531/11-3886); Visa (tel 0120-133173).

Embassies Australia, 2-1-14 Mita, Minato-ku (tel 03/5232-4111); Canada, 7-3-58 Akasaka, Minato-ku (tel 03/3408-2101); China, 3-4-33 Moto-Azabu, Minato-ku (tel 03/3403-3380); France, 4-11-44 Minami-Azabu, Minato-ku (tel 03/5420-8800); Germany, 4-5-10 Minami-Azabu, Minato-ku (tel 03/3473-0151); Ireland, 2-10-7 Kojimachi, Chiyoda-ku (tel 03/3263-0695); Israel, 3 Nibancho, Chiyoda-ku (tel 03/3264-0911); Italy, 2-5-4 Mita, Minato-ku (tel 03/3453-5291); Netherlands, 3-6-3 Shiba-koen, Minato-ku (tel 03/5401-0411); New Zealand, 20-40 Kamiyamacho, Shibuya-ku (tel 03/3467-2271); South Africa 2-7-9 Hirakawacho, Chiyoda-ku (tel 03/3265-3366); Spain, 1-3-29 Roppongi, Minato-ku (tel 03/3583-8531); United Kingdom, 1 Ichibancho, Chiyoda-ku (tel 03/3265-5511); USA, 1-10-5 Akasaka, Minato-ku (tel 03/3224-5000).

Emergencies Phone Jhelp.com (tel 0120-461997, www.jhelp.com ) for a 24hr English-language toll-free service, or try the English-language helpline of Tokyo Metropolitan Police on tel 03/3501-0110 (Mon-Fri 8.30am-5.15pm). Tokyo English Life Line (TELL; www.tell.gol.com ) provides telephone counselling on their helpline (tel 03/3968-4099; daily 9am-4pm & 7-11pm).

Hospitals and clinics To find an English-speaking doctor and the hospital or clinic best suited to your needs, phone the Tokyo Medical Information Service (tel 03/5285-8181; Mon-Fri 9am-8pm); they can also provide emergency medical translation services. Otherwise, two major hospitals with English-speaking doctors are St Luke's International Hospital, 9-1 Akashicho, Chuo-ku (tel 03/3541-5151) and Tokyo Adventist Hospital, 3-17-3 Amanuma, Suginami-ku (tel 03/3392-6151); their reception desks are open Mon-Fri 8.30-11am for non-emergency cases. Among several private clinics with English-speaking staff, try Tokyo Medical and Surgical Clinic, 32 Mori Building, 3-4-30 Shiba-koen, Minato-ku (tel 03/3436-3028, by appointment only) or the International Clinic, 1-5-9 Azabudai, Minato-ku (tel 03/3582-2646).

Immigration To renew your tourist or student visa, apply to the Tokyo Regional Immigration Bureau, 2F, 1-3-1 Otemachi, Chuo-ku (Mon-Fri 9am-noon & 1-6pm; tel 03/3286-5241), signed from Otemachi Station.

Internet access Free email and Internet connections are still available in Tokyo, but for how long is anyone's guess. At the time of writing the following were offering free services: Net Time Mobile Square, Tokyo Sankei Building, 1-7-2 Otemachi; Marunouchi Café, 3-2-3 Marunouchi, where you can also plug in your own computer (closed Sun); and the bar Quest, 2F, Nakano Building, 5-8-3 Roppongi, though they only have three terminals, so get there early to bag one. Of the places that charge, Manga Sabo, B2 Mitsuba Building, Shibuya (opposite HMV and beneath the Tokai Bank), is one of the cheapest (¥420 per hr including unlimited soft drinks) and is open 24hr. Bagus, 6F, Sanzen Building, 28-6 Udagawacho, also in Shibuya, comes close, with rates at ¥470 per hour. Though it's more expensive at ¥210 per 20min, Kinko's, the 24hr one-stop office service centre, has branches scattered all over Tokyo; call their toll-free number (tel 0120-001966) to find the one nearest you.

Left luggage Most hotels will keep luggage for a few days. If not, the baggage room at Tokyo Station takes bags for up to fifteen days, at a daily rate of ¥410 for the first five days and ¥820 per day thereafter; you'll find it at the far southeast end of the station, beyond the Express Bus ticket office. Note that coin lockers can only be used for a maximum of three days.

Lost property If you've lost something, try the local police box ( koban ). Alternatively, ask your hotel to help call the following Japanese-speaking offices to reclaim lost property: Taxis (tel 03/3648-0300); JR trains (tel 03/3231-1880); Eidan subways (tel 03/3834-5577); and Toei buses and subways (tel 03/3431-1515). If all else fails, contact the Metropolitan Police Lost and Found Office (tel 03/3814-4151).

Pharmacies The American Pharmacy, Hibiya Park Building, 1-8-1 Yurakucho (Mon-Sat 9.30am-8pm, Sun & hols 10am-6.30pm) has English-speaking pharmacists and a good range of drugs and general medical supplies. Alternatively, Boots, 5-4-3 Ginza, daily 10am-9pm), just east of the Sony building, has English-speaking pharmacists, and there's another pharmacy above the National Azabu supermarket (nearest subway station is Hiro). Major hotels usually stock a limited array of common medicines.

Post offices Tokyo Central Post Office is on the west side of Tokyo Station (Mon-Fri 9am-7pm, Sat 9am-5pm, Sun & hols 9am-12.30pm; 24hr service for stamps and parcels). The International Post Office, 2-3-3 Otemachi; (same times) is a bit less convenient, but usually quieter. For English-language information about the postal services, call 03/5472-5851 (Mon-Fri 9.30am-4.30pm). Poste restante can be collected from the basement counter of Tokyo Central Post Office (Mon-Fri 8am-8pm, Sat 8am-5pm, Sun & hols 9am-12.30pm); remember to take along your passport. The postal address is 2-7-2 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100.

Sports The baseball season runs from April to the end of October. The Nippon Ham Fighters and Yomiuri Giants both play at Tokyo Dome (tel 03/3811-2111) in Suidobashi, while the Yakult Swallows are based at Jingu Stadium (tel 03/3404-8999) near Gaienmae Station. Tickets start from ¥1000. If you're keen to see some martial arts action, the TIC at Yurakuchuo has a full list of dojo that allow visitors to watch practice sessions for free. There are now 27 teams in the two J-Leagues, the professional soccer leagues ( www.jfa.or.jp ), of which the local team FC Tokyo will play at the new Tokyo Stadium, which opened in Chofu (on the Keio Line from Shinjuku) in 2001. Tickets vary from ¥1500 to ¥5000 depending on the stadium. If you want to watch one of the tournaments at the National Sumo Stadium , try contacting a ticket agency or, better still, line up early - before 9am - outside the stadium box office for one of the unreserved tickets sold on the day (¥2100); note that tickets are particularly hard to come by on the first and last days. Dates of tournaments, amongst other useful information, are posted on the Nihon Sumo Kyokai Web site ( www.sumo.or.jp ).

Taxis The major taxi firms are Daiwa (tel 03/3503-8421); Hinomaru Limousine (tel 03/3212-0505, www.hinomaru.co.jp ); Kokusai (tel 03/3491-6001) and Nippon Kotsu (tel 03/3586-2151).

Ticket agencies To get tickets for theatre performances, films, concerts and sporting events, it's best, in the first instance, to approach one of the major advance ticket agencies. Ticket Pia (tel 03/5237-9999) can be found in the main city areas, such as Ginza, Ikebukuro, Shibuya and Shinjuku, or try phoning Lawson (tel 03/3569-9900) or CN Playguide (tel 03/5802-9999). Major events sell out quickly, but you can go directly to the venue on the day and see if you can get a ticket from the box office or a tout outside; but expect to pay well over the odds.

Tours Japan Travel Bureau (Sunrise Tours; tel 03/5620-9500, www.jtb.co.jp ) and Japan Gray Line (tel 03/3436-6881, www3.tky.3web.ne.jp/~easy5 ) offer all-inclusive bus tours of Tokyo and nearby attractions, including Kamakura, Nikko and Hakone, with English-speaking guides. Prices start at around ¥3300 for a half-day tour of the main sights, to ¥9000 for a full day including lunch or dinner - well over double what a similar DIY tour would cost. Tours can be booked at the TIC in Yurakucho and at all major hotels.

Trains For English-language information on JR's services, including train times and ticket prices, call the JR East-Infoline (tel 03/3423-0111; Mon-Fri 10am-6pm).

Travel agents For international tickets, try one of the following English-speaking agents: No.1 Travel (Shinjuku; tel 03/3200-8871, www.no1-travel.com ), with two other branches in Shibuya and Ikebukuro; A'cross Traveller's Bureau (Shinjuku; tel 03/3340-6741, www.across-travel.com ), also in Shibuya and Ikebukuro; and Hit Travel (Ebisu; tel 03/3473-9040). The main domestic travel agents are Japan Travel Bureau (JTB; tel 03/5620-9500, www.jtb.co.jp ), with dozens of branches all over Tokyo, Nippon Travel Agency (tel 03/3572-8744) and Kinki Nippon Tourist (tel 03/3263-5522) - the contact numbers take you to their foreign tourist departments.

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