Utilities & Services

As you would expect, Tokyo has the full range of modern utilities, including mains gas. Electricity and gas are provided by private utility firms, while water and sewerage are the responsibility of the metropolitan government’s Bureau of Waterworks. For all these utilities there is no choice of suppliers, and connection will usually be handled by…

Electricity

Electricity in Tokyo is provided by the Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), a private utility firm. Connection will usually be arranged by your landlord or letting agent when you move into a new apartment, but you may have to arrange disconnection yourself when the time comes to leave. This and many other services can be…

Water

Water and sewerage in Tokyo are the responsibility of the metropolitan government’s Bureau of Waterworks. As with other utilities, connection to the water supply will be arranged by your landlord or letting agent when you move into a new property. If that is not the case, you can arrange to start and stop the water…

Gas

Gas is supplied by Tokyo Gas, a private utility firm (www.tokyo-gas.co.jp). As with other utilities, your gas connection will usually be arranged by your landlord or letting agent when you move into a new property. If not, contact Tokyo Gas on 03 5722 0111 (from a mobile) or 0570 00 2211 (from a landline). English-speaking…

Rubbish Disposal and Recycling

Rubbish disposal in Tokyo is complicated and can vary from ward to ward, and building to building. Much of the city’s waste is incinerated, meaning rubbish must be separated into burnable and non-burnable. In addition, bottles, cans and paper should be separated for recycling. Each type of waste will then be collected separately, at least…

Telephone

The dominant telephone company in Japan is NTT, a former state monopoly that has now been privatised. Getting a landline from NTT is usually quick and easy, thanks to their efficient English-language services – call toll free on 0120 364 463 for all enquiries. But it won’t necessarily be cheap: new users must normally pay…

Cheap Overseas Calls

Decreases in rates for standard landlines has seen the relative decline of alternative means to make cheap international calls. Callback services are no longer used much, but discount prepaid phonecards are still competitive. Brastel (www.brastel.com) and KDDI (www.kddi.com) are among the most widely available prepaid cards. These can be purchased online, and recharged either online…

Internet

Japan is heaven for any keen internet user. With broadband as standard, and connection speeds of up to 100 Mbps, nowhere else on Earth does it better, faster or more reliably. Tokyo offers a plethora of connection options, but while dial-up and ISDN services are still available, the vast majority of users now opt to…

Postal Services

Postal services in Japan are provided by Japan Post (www.post.japanpost.jp), a former state monopoly that is now in the early stages of a decade-long privatisation process. Post offices can be found all over town and are generally open 09:00 to 17:00, Monday to Friday, though some major branches offer limited 24 hour service. Postal service…

Radio

Radio is less influential in Japan than in many other countries, with both music and talk stations very much overshadowed by their television rivals. Nonetheless, there is a variety of stations for Japanese speakers, on both FM and AM, with public broadcaster NHK the biggest player in both genres. Those looking for specialist music channels…

Television

There are seven main terrestrial channels available in the Tokyo area: TV Asahi, Fuji Television, TV Tokyo, Tokyo Broadcasting System, NTV, and the two channels of public broadcaster NHK. All channels are in Japanese, but there is some bilingual broadcasting. Many western films and TV series are shown with both Japanese and English audio, and…