Banks open on weekdays from 9am to 3pm, and close on Saturdays, Sundays and national holidays. Post offices tend to work 9am to 5pm on weekdays, closing at weekends and also on national holidays, though a few open on Saturdays from 9am to 3pm. Central post offices, on the other hand, stay open till 7pm in the evening, open on Saturdays from 9am to 5pm and on Sundays and holidays from 9am to 12.30pm. Larger offices are also likely to operate an after-hours service for parcels and express mail, sometimes up to 24 hours at major post offices.

The majority of museums close on a Monday, but stay open on Sundays and national holidays; last entry is normally thirty minutes before closing. There's almost invariably an admission charge to museums and other tourist sights. In the Guide we give the cost of an adult entry ticket; school-age children and students usually get reduced rates, which may be up to half the adult price.

While most museums and department stores stay open on national holidays , they usually take the following day off instead. However, during the New Year festival (January 1-4), Golden Week (April 29-May 5) and Obon (the week around August 15), almost everything shuts down. Around these periods every form of transport and accommodation will be booked out weeks in advance, and all major tourist spots will be besieged.