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Listings
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Banks and exchange
The area east of Kannai Station is where you'll find branches of major banks with foreign-exchange facilities; try along Kannai Odori and Honcho-dori. The World Currency Shop (daily except Tues 10am-7pm) can change travellers' cheques and cash outside normal banking hours; find it in B2 of Sogo department store, near the exit to Yokohama Station. For credit-card advances, Citibank's ATM on the west side of Yokohama Station (follow the walkway to find it next to the
Sheraton Hotel
) offers 24hr access. Otherwise, there are international ATMs in the two main post offices
.
Bike rental The outlet under the Marine Tower charges from ?300 for 2hr, rising to ?900 per day (10am-6pm). Buses Most long-distance and night buses leave from bus terminals on the east side of Yokohama Station. Nearby, YCAT is the departure point for limousine buses for Haneda and Narita airports. Cinemas The eight-screen MyCal Cinema (tel 045/222-2500), on the fifth floor of World Porters, shows the latest Hollywood releases, often in English. Tickets normally ?1800, but look out for special deals. Emergencies Kaga-cho police station (203 Yamashita-cho, Naka-ku; tel 045/641-0110), 10min walk from JR Kannai Station, has interpreters on call 24hr. For information about emergency medical care, call the 24hr helpline on tel 045/201-1199, but have a Japanese speaker on hand. If all else fails, try contacting the Foreign Advisory Service on tel 045/671-7209. Festivals The lunar new year (late Jan or early Feb) and China's National Day (Oct 1) are celebrated in style with lion dances around the streets of Chinatown. On July 20 the city puts on a dramatic firework display ( hanabi taikai ) over the harbour, while jazz fills the air for a week in early October. Internet access There's a Kinko's towards the northeast end of Honcho-dori (4-36 Honcho), where you can surf 24hr a day at ?210 per 20min, and the aptly named Cozy Cafe (Mon, Tues & Thurs-Sat noon-9pm, Sun & holidays noon-7pm; ?525 per 30min), with just three terminals, a couple of blocks inland (4-66 Benten-dori). Post offices The city's Central Post Office is located on the east side of Yokohama Station. However, the main office for international mail, including a poste restante service, is Yokohama Port Post Office (5-3 Nihon-Odori, Naka-ku) near Kannai Station. Both have 24hr mail counters.
Shopping
After cutting their teeth on MM21's World Porters, Landmark Plaza and Queen's Square, shopaholics should make a pilgrimage - on a weekday if at all possible - to one of Japan's largest factory-outlet malls, Bayside Marina, to the south of Yokohama. It's built to resemble Nantucket town, which means at least it's low-rise, and there are some pleasant waterfront restaurants. The Factory Outlet Zone boasts over fifty shops selling cut-price goods, including brands such as Timberland, Lacoste and Reebok. Other useful information
for tourists (each section contains more specific sub-sections): |
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Japan,
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