Tokyo offers free online travel consultation
Planning a trip to Japan can be a daunting experience for travelers unsure about where to go and how to get to places, and that is where having access to a travel concierge would be advantageous. Tourist information centers typically offer a wealth of travel information and are good places to visit for travel advice.
For visitors already in Tokyo, there are five Tokyo Tourist Information Centers located in areas popular with tourists and are also easy to access by public transport. Visitors can pick up brochures about Tokyo and its surroundings or consult a travel guide expert in person. Complementing the physical centers is the Online Tourist Guide service, which visitors can access outside of Tokyo or anywhere in the world for travel advice. Both the Tokyo Tourist Information Center and the Online Tourist Guide are useful services aimed at providing travelers with reccomendations and travel information based on their interests and needs.
Online Tourist Guide
The Online Tourist Guide is a free online service provided by the Tokyo Tourist Information Center with the goal of providing tourist information to travelers to Tokyo. As an online service, travelers can access it anywhere in the world before arriving or while they are on the road in Japan. This means that travelers can plan their trip in advance with the help of travel guide experts.
The online service is pretty straightforward to use. All you would need is a smartphone or a computer with a working speaker and microphone, then access the online tourist guide webpage and select your preferred language - English, Chinese, Korean and Japanese are available - finally, connect to a travel concierge.
During the online call, users will hear the travel concierge's voice, but the visual of the concierge on screen will be represented by a cute avatar. The talking avatar can make the overall experience interesting and relaxing for users. It is, however, worth remembering that connecting to the Online Tourist Guide is a Live audio call with a real person and not an AI chatbot. While the travel concierge is represented by the avatar, users can decide if they want to have their video camera function on - the call will still go through with the video camera off.
Services available on the Online Tourist Guide include sightseeing information, access and transport information, accommodation and volunteer tourist guide information. Supporting features during an online call include screen sharing and chat functions, which provide additional means of sharing and explaining information. Lastly, users can receive a transcript of the chat function if it was used. This can be particularly useful for future reference especially if links were sent.
Tokyo Tourist Information Center
The Tokyo Tourist Information Centers are the brick and mortar versions of the Online Tourist Guide. The physical information centers offer additional services like free Wi-Fi, sightseeing maps and brochures, and depending on location, wheelchair and stroller rentals, and luggage forwarding and cloak services. The pictures below show the services and layout of the Tokyo Tourist Information Center at Busta Shinjuku.
List of Tokyo Tourist Information Centers
Note: Operating hours are subject to change under certain circumstances, such as facility closure or a natural disaster.
- Busta Shinjuku (Shinjuku Expressway Bus Terminal, 3F)
Open from 6:30 to 23:00, seven days a week. - Haneda Airport (Terminal 3, 2F)
Open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. (Currently open from 8:00 to 23:00, seven days a week until further notice) - Keisei Ueno (In front of Keisei Ueno Station ticket gate)
Open from 8:00 to 18:30, seven days a week. - Tokyo Metropolitan Government (Building No.1, 1F)
Open from 9:30 to 18:30, seven days a week. - Tama (ecute Tachikawa, 3F).
Open from 10:00 to 21:30, Monday through Saturday (until 21:00 on Sundays and national holidays)
