General Information

Passport and Visa

Every foreign visitor entering Japan must have a valid passport.
Visitors from visa required countries should apply to a Japanese consular office or diplomatic mission in their respective country. For further details, please contact your travel agent or the local consular office in your country.

Language

The official language of Japan is Japanese. However, many people may understand English. The official language at the FAST-zero ‘17 is English.

Currency Exchange / Cashing

Only Japanese yen (¥) is acceptable at regular stores and restaurants. Certain foreign currencies and credit cards may be accepted at limited number of hotels, restaurants and souvenir shops. You can buy YEN at foreign exchange banks and other authorized money exchangers on presentation of your passport.

ATM

Traveler’s checks and Credit Cards

Traveler’s Checks are accepted only by leading banks and major hotels in principal cities, and the use of traveler’s checks in Japan is not as popular as in some other countries. VISA, MasterCard, Diners Club, and American Express are widely accepted at hotels, department stores, shops, restaurants and nightclubs.

Tipping

In Japan, tips are not necessary anywhere, even at hotel and restaurants.

Climate

The temperature in Nara during September can vary from 20℃ to 30℃ .

Electricity

The voltage used throughout Japan is uniformly 100 volts, A.C. There are two kinds of frequencies in use; 60 Hz in western Japan (including Nara, Kyoto, Osaka and Nagoya) and 50 Hz in eastern Japan (includingTokyo). A convertible type of electrical appliance such as a hair dryer, travel iron and shaver will therefore be convenient; otherwise a step-down transformer is required to convert the voltage. There are no columnar-shaped plugs or 3-pin plugs used in Japan but 2-flat-pin plugs are used instead. It is therefore advised to purchase a plug adapter beforehand.

Time Zone

All of Japan is in the same time zone, 9 hours ahead of G.M.T.