JNTO has been continually working to improve, expand and enhance reception services for visitors from abroad. The main aims of the working programs involved are:
1)to improve and enhance the quantity and quality of tourist information services,
2)to ease and hopefully resolve visitors' language problems,
3)to promote mutual understanding and friend-ship between foreign visitors and the Japanese,
4)to generate greater international tourism in local areas, and
5)to reduce the travel costs of overseas visitors.
Golden Pavilion(Kyoto)
(1)Tourist Information Services
(a)Tourist Information Centers (As of June 1995)
JNTO operates the following three Tourist Information Centers (TICs) for visitors from abroad:
Tokyo Office: Located near Japan Railways
Yurakucho Station Phone: (03) 3502-1461
Kyoto Office: Located near JR Kyoto Station
Phone: (075) 371-5649
The multilingual staff of TICs answer all sorts of inquiries and distribute travel brochures, maps, lists of hotels, ryokan, youth hostels, minshuku and tourist restaurants. TICs also offer the following information and services:
Operation of Teletourist
Operation of Japan Travel-Phone
Information on tours
Information on budget travel
Information on the Home Visit System
Number of Inquiries Handled by TICs FY1994
(b)Teletounst Service
Tokyo TIC offers foreign visitors taperecorded information by telephone on major events in and around Tokyo. The service, called "Teletourist," is available 24 hours a day throughout the year by dialing the following Tokyo number: (03) 3503-2911 (English).
(c)'i' Tourist Information Offices Network
Since 1981, JNTO has been endeavoring to establish a nationwide network of tourist information offices for foreign visitors. As of March 31, 1995, the number of offices displaying the "?" sign reached 85. Most of them are operated by nonprofit local tourist associations.
