Tokyo
UN/LOCODE JPTYO · Japan · Asia-Pacific · 13
Crew guide
Shore leave
Tokyo is Japan's busiest port complex (Tokyo Bay covers multiple terminals: Oi Container Terminal, Aomi, Shinagawa, Tokyo International Cruise Terminal). Shore leave is granted under the standard Japanese port-call procedure. Welfare provision is shared between several Mission to Seafarers, Stella Maris, and Japan-specific welfare orgs across the bay. Crew-change logistics are more complex than at Yokohama because the bay is larger.
Walking distance + transit
Oi Terminal is 30-40 minutes from central Tokyo by agent van. The cruise terminal at Aomi is on the Yurikamome line (15 min to Shimbashi). Tokyo's public transport is world-class — JR Yamanote loop covers the central business district end-to-end.
Essentials
- ATMs: 7-Eleven, Family Mart, Japan Post Bank are the universal foreign-card-friendly options
- Money changers: airport on arrival; Shinjuku and Shibuya have a handful of in-city options
- Hospital: St Luke's International Hospital (Tsukiji) has English-speaking staff; Tokyo University Hospital
- Prayer rooms: Tokyo Camii (Yoyogi-Uehara) is the principal mosque; airport has prayer rooms
- Halal food: Asakusa, Roppongi, Shinjuku clusters; HappyCow app for vegetarian/halal mapping
- Supermarket: 24/7 convenience stores everywhere; supermarkets standard 10pm closing
- SIM card: eSIM (Airalo, Ubigi) is simplest for short visits; physical SIM bureaucratic
Seafarer tips
Do: download the Japan Travel app (NAVITIME) for transit; use Suica or Pasmo IC card for trains/buses/convenience stores. Don't: eat or drink on the train (taboo); be late (Japanese culture deeply values punctuality). Watch for: Tokyo's port complex is spread across multiple terminals — confirm with the agent which berth you'll join and the corresponding crew-change-friendly route to the airport. Narita is far (90+ minutes); Haneda is much closer (45 minutes from most berths).
Last verified: 2026-06-29. Confirm with ship's agent before going ashore — local policy changes.
Tokyo (UN/LOCODE JPTYO) is a designated seaport with an adjacent airport in Japan (13) in the northern Asia-Pacific region. The port operates on Asia/Tokyo, uses the Yen (JPY), runs shore power at 100V/50Hz (Type A/B). Nearest major airport for crew changes is Tokyo Haneda International Airport (HND), 15 km from the port.
Reference
- Coordinates
- 35.6833, 139.75
- Time zone
- Asia/TokyoUTC +09:00no DST
- Local currency
- JPY— Yen
- Languages
- ja, en
- Nearest airport
- HNDTokyo Haneda International Airport~15 km
- Electricity
- 100 V50 Hzplugs A, B(country default — verify at berth)
- Climate
- CfaHumid subtropical
Country-coastal Köppen zone (most ports cluster on the coast). For port-coordinate resolution use Kottek 2006 0.5° grid.
- Function codes
- 12345---
seaport · rail terminal · road terminal · airport · postal exchange
- Port authority
- Bureau of Port and Harbor Tokyo Metropolitan Government
Operational details
Compiled from public port-authority and P&I-club directories. Always verify current contacts via your agent before arrival.
Pilotage / VTS
Tokyo Wan VTS Centre
- VHF: Ch 16 / 67 / 22
- Phone: +81 3 3500 1122
- Web: www.kouwan2.metro.tokyo.jp/kowan/English/English.html
P&I correspondents
- · Cornes & Co Tokyo
- · Yusen Shipping Japan
- · Sompo Japan Nipponkoa Marine
Port agents
- · Inchcape Japan Tokyo
- · NYK Line Agency Tokyo
- · Wallem Japan Tokyo
ISPS security level (normal): 1
Mandatory pilotage for vessels ≥10,000 GT; Tokyo Bay TSS; congestion at Oi and Aomi container terminals; typhoon season Aug-Oct.
Helplines for seafarers in Japan
Welfare, abandonment, wages, medical, mental health, harassment — 24/7 lines where available. See full helplines directory.
- Tokyo MoU SecretariatAsia-Pacific · Mon-Fri 9-18 JST · en, ja
- ISWAN SeafarerHelpGlobal · 24/7 · en, ar, es, fr
- ISWAN Mental Health & Wellbeing helplineGlobal · 24/7 · en, es, ru, tl
- ITF SeafarersGlobal · 24/7 for emergencies · en
- ISWAN — Family helpline (for relatives of seafarers)Global · 24/7 · en, hi, tl
- ISWAN Yacht Crew HelplineGlobal · 24/7 · en
Other ports in Japan
Survival information
Practical information for crew arriving here. Verified where possible — see sources. Spot a mistake or missing detail? Tell us.
Emergency contacts
- Japan Police: 110 · 24/7
- Japan Fire / Ambulance: 119 · 24/7
- Japan Coast Guard (emergency): 118 · 24/7
- ITF inspector — Tokyo: +81 3 3733 2233 · business hours
Hospitals / clinics
- St Luke's International Hospital9-1 Akashi-cho, Chuo-ku, Tokyo
Shore leave
Japan generally issues a port shore-pass via the agent for crew of visa-waiver nationalities. Crew from countries requiring a Japan transit visa (incl. CN, RU, IR) must obtain it in advance. Reference: mofa.go.jp/j_info/visit/visa.
Plan it: /tools/shore-leave-port-card
Transport
Nearest major airport: Tokyo Haneda International Airport (HND (~15 km)). Vessel agent normally arranges taxi or seafarer-centre shuttle to/from the airport at sign-on / sign-off. Confirm transport with the agent at least 24 hours before disembarkation.
SIM & Wi-Fi
Major operators: NTT Docomo, KDDI au, SoftBank. Tourist SIM at HND/NRT/KIX airport arrivals or convenience stores. Free Wi-Fi at International Seafarers' Centres (port-specific). 4G coverage strong at port areas.
Consular contacts
Related rights: shore leave · medical care · abandonment · unpaid wages.
Port-state-control region: tokyo MoU · how to file a PSC complaint.
Tokyo: seafarer FAQ
- Is shore leave allowed at Tokyo?
- Shore leave at Tokyo: Japan generally issues a port shore-pass via the agent for crew of visa-waiver nationalities. Crew from countries requiring a Japan transit visa (incl. CN, RU, IR) must obtain it in advance. Reference: mofa.go.jp/j_info/visit/visa.. Shore leave policy is set by the port authority, the flag administration, and the visa regime of Japan. Confirm with the agent before stepping ashore.
- What visa or shore-pass do I need for Tokyo?
- Seafarers calling at Tokyo on a vessel are generally exempt from regular tourist visas under Convention 108 / 185 (Seafarers' Identity Documents) if their flag administration has ratified the convention and they hold an SID. The standard document is the seaman's book + ship's crew list. Japan may also require a shore pass issued by the agent. Confirm before you board the vessel — visa rules vary by nationality and by recent immigration-policy changes.
- Is there a seafarer welfare centre at Tokyo?
- Yes — 2 seafarer welfare centres are listed for Tokyo in our directory. The centres are typically run by the Mission to Seafarers, Stella Maris (Apostleship of the Sea), or a regional ministry, and offer wifi, transport, shop, chaplaincy, and advocacy. Walk-in is normal; no appointment needed.
- Is there a crisis or welfare helpline I can call from Tokyo?
- Yes — 6 helplines are listed for Japan in our directory, plus ISWAN's 24-hour multilingual SeafarerHelp (+44 20 7323 2737) and the ITF Helpline. Helplines handle crisis support, abandonment, wage theft, mental health, and bereavement.
- What's the nearest hospital to Tokyo?
- Most major ports have a port-area hospital with seafarer-accustomed admissions; the welfare centre and the ship's agent can both advise. For serious cases, the nearest international hospital is normally in the same city or the next major city. The nearest major airport is Tokyo Haneda International Airport (HND), about 15 km away — useful for medevac planning.
- Is Tokyo a recognised crew-change port?
- Yes — Tokyo is listed in our directory of recognised crew-change hubs, consolidated from IMO MSC.1/Circ.1636, ICS/IFSMA briefings, and ITF priority-port reports. Recognised hubs typically have better port-state and immigration facilitation for crew-change operations, faster visa processing for seafarers, and more welfare-centre presence.
For the arriving crew
- Pilot ladder (SOLAS V/23) — rigging + inspection + Master's duty of care.
- Pre-arrival checklist — the standard bridge + engine + agent workflow before entering port.
- Ships' agent — role + documentation + interface with pilotage + tug + immigration.
- Currency at port — cash-carrying limits + declaration + safe practices.
- Hours of rest — STCW VIII/1 + MLC A2.3 rest rules during port operations.
Sources & verification (13)
- country_iso3 · ISO 3166-1 (JP)retrieved 2026-05-06
- country_name · ISO 3166-1 (JP)retrieved 2026-05-06
- currency_code · ISO 4217:2015 (JPY)retrieved 2026-05-06
- currency_name · ISO 4217:2015 (JPY)retrieved 2026-05-06
- languages · CIA World Factbook (public domain), national-language listing (JP)retrieved 2026-05-06
- timezone_iana · IANA tz database (Asia/Tokyo)retrieved 2026-05-06
- timezone_utc_offset · ECMA-402 Intl.DateTimeFormat (computed) (Asia/Tokyo)retrieved 2026-05-06
- timezone_dst · ECMA-402 Intl.DateTimeFormat (computed) (Asia/Tokyo)retrieved 2026-05-06
- electricity · IEC TR 60083 plug-and-socket standard list (JP)retrieved 2026-05-06
- function_codes_expanded · UNECE Rec. 16 — UN/LOCODE function-code mask (12345---)retrieved 2026-05-06
- nearest_major_airport · OurAirports (CC0) — davidmegginson.github.io/ourairports-data (HND)retrieved 2026-05-07
- wikidata_qid · Wikidata SPARQL (P1937 UN/LOCODE join) (Q1139888)retrieved 2026-05-07
- climate_classification · Kottek et al. 2006 / Beck et al. 2018 — country-coastal Köppen zone (JP)retrieved 2026-05-07
Last verified
High confidenceEditorial confidence: how we grade. Data sources and methodology: /sources.