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Tokyo - Japan
- Restaurants
1 Akasaka Restaurants
2 Akihabara Restaurants 3 Aoyama and Omotesando Restaurants 4 Daikanyama
Restaurants
5 Ebisu Restaurants 6
Ginza Restaurants 7 Gotanda Restaurants 8 Harajuku Restaurants
9 Ikebukuro Restaurants
10 Odaiba Restaurants 11 Roppongi Restaurants 12 Shibuya Restaurants
13 Shinbashi Restaurants
14 Shinjuku Restaurants 15 Other Tokyo Restaurants 16 Tokyo Restaurant
and Bar Chains
Most of Tokyo's religious
buildings that are worth seeing, including the Hie shrine of Kyoto's tutelary
goddess, many times rebuilt, and the Gokokuji Temple with a statue of Kannon,
the goddess of mercy are also located -in the middle of stretches of green.
The temple and the "scarlet Pagoda" of Asakura are also dedicated to the
same goddess.
For larger purchases there
are multistory super gigantic shopping centers under most of the stations.
The most popular shopping zone is as always the famous Ginza its
department store palaces and but also theaters and Bookworms can rum through
more than a hundred bookstores in the Kanda distict. And in the district
of Aki-habara tiny shops and technical markets overflow with entertainment
electronics and computer goods.
Prostitution in Japan
At a street corner, a young
girl around the age of seventeen, dressed in a navy blue school uniform
and white socks, stands looking vacantly into the street. After a few minutes
a middle-aged man approaches the girl and offers to take her out to an
expensive dinner; in addition, he offers her a satisfying amount of pocket
money. With a shy, quivering glance and a sweet smile the girl graciously
takes the man’s arm. On the corner of areas like Shibuya, a central Tokyo
entertainment district, popular with Tokyo’s younger generation the scenario
described has become a common and casual rendezvous (Moffett, "Little Women"
48). Japan, a country with the second strongest economy and highest academic
standing in the world, is facing a major problem with a wide-spreading
and popular after-school activity of its young female students. An increasing
number of Japanese schoolgirls are soliciting their bodies for entertainment
and extra "pocket" money in a society that is setting extremely high prices
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The number of teenage prostitutes
began to climb around 1974. By 1984 the number reached alarming levels
and is still increasing (Morrison 3). National Police Agency statistics
for 1995 show that 5,841 female minors were involved in telephone club
liaisons or other sex-related activities. One quarter of these girls were
still in junior high school. There was a 16.2 percent increase from previous
years (Schreiber 86). The Tokyo Metropolitan Government survey of 110 schools
in 1996 found that 4 percent of high-school girls, and 3.8 percent from
junior high, had acted as paid escorts (Moffett, "little Women" 50).
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Teen prostitution is not
shocking news that Japan has just witnessed for the first time. But during
recent years, the spectacle of teenage schoolgirls selling their bodies
to purchase designer clothes is making many Japanese uneasy. Currently,
Tokyo Metropolitan Government is taking the steps to curb the acts when
adults pay for sex with children under eighteen. Laws to punish those who
solicit prostitution with teenagers are being decided upon. But laws simply
against teen prostitution may not be enough. Many of the young prostitutes
are willingly marketing their bodies, most of them operating on their own.
They understand what they are doing and indicate that they see nothing
wrong with having sex for money.
The problem is not only that
the obsessed Japanese men are seeking out young companions but also the
schoolgirls in uniform are enthusiastically seeking out their male patrons.
In order to ameliorate the problem, the society will need to attack the
root of the problem, working with and educating students to prevent further
young girls from being involved in prostitution, helping to reform those
who are, and, also taking actions against the promoters and "trafficker"
of Japan’s sex-industry. Failure to act accordingly may eventually result
in an increasing degeneration of morals and ethics in its young female
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Japanese Restaurants very rarely
offer an English or romanized menu. The major exceptions are the restaurants
located in large international hotels, but they tend to be rather expensive,
and also they close very early - usually at 21:00. So until I have collected
more Japanese restaurants with an English menu (or you have learned to
read a Japanese menu), please try the few that are already here, or go
and enjoy Japanese food with Japanese friends or business associates.
Tokyo has many different neighborhoods
or districts in which to party. PubClub's local party guide recommended
Roppongi. It's friendly to Westerners, known as "gaijin." Many transplants
from the US and Europe work there. It's where the Hard Cafe Tokyo is located,
and better still (for girls) has Tokyo's newest high-end mall, Roppongi
Hills. And guys, it's crammed full of young, well-groomed Japanese women.
It also has a some very nice restaurants with bars that serve real Western-style
food.
Language: Japanese is the official
language. Most Japanese people will have studied English at school, but
few can speak it well or understand what is said to them.
Currency: The currency is
the Japanese Yen (JPY), which is equal to 100 sen. Major credit cards are
accepted in the larger hotels and stores, but most Japanese operate with
cash. Cash and travelers cheques can be exchanged in banks, post offices
and currency exchange bureaux. Banks are usually open Monday to Friday
9am to 3pm. Travelers cheques offer the best exchange rate and are best
taken in US dollars. ATMs do not accept all credit and debit cards; only
the international ATMs in post offices, airports and some major stores.
Time: Local time is GMT +9.
Electricity: Electrical current
is 100 volts, 60Hz in the west (Osaka, Kyoto, Nagoya, Hiroshima); 100 volts,
50Hz in eastern Japan (Tokyo, Sapporo, Yokohoma). Flat two- and three-pin
plugs are used.
Communications: The international
access code for Japan is +81. The outgoing code depends on what network
is used to dial out on (e.g. 001 for KDDI) followed by the relevant country
code (e.g. 0011 for the United States). City/area codes are in use, e.g.
(0)3 for Tokyo and (0)82 for Hiroshima. Local calls can be made from any
public phone, but only some allow international calls. Telephone cards
are sold at kiosks and from vending machines. The local mobile phone operators
use technology that is not always compatible with international networks,
but 3G has roaming agreements with most international networks, and local
handsets can be hired from the airport and various other locations. Internet
cafes are widely available.
| Duty Free: Travelers to
Japan over 20 years do not have to pay duty on 3 bottles of alcoholic beverages;
200 cigarettes or 50 cigars or 250g tobacco, or a proportionate mix of
these (non-residents are permitted twice the amount); perfume up to 59ml;
and gifts and souvenirs to the value of ¥200,000. Prohibited items
include all types of firearms and ammunition, narcotics, pornography, counterfeit
money, all plants and vegetables with soil, fresh fruit, vegetables, and
plants or parts thereof. |
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Tokyo
- Japan
