Insurance

Check your existing insurance policies and credit card coverage before you buy travel insurance. You may already be covered for lost luggage, canceled tickets, or medical expenses. The cost of travel insurance varies widely, depending on the cost and length of your trip, your age, your health, and the type of trip you're taking.

Trip-Cancellation Insurance -- Trip-cancellation insurance helps you get your money back if you have to back out of a trip, if you have to go home early, or if your travel supplier goes bankrupt. Allowed reasons for cancellation can range from sickness to natural disasters to the State Department declaring your destination unsafe for travel. (Insurers usually won't cover vague fears, though, as many travelers discovered who tried to cancel their trips in Oct 2001 because they were wary of flying.) In this unstable world, trip-cancellation insurance is a good buy if you're getting tickets well in advance -- who knows what the state of the world, or of your airline, will be in 9 months? Insurance policy details vary, so read the fine print -- and especially make sure that your airline or cruise line is on the list of carriers covered in case of bankruptcy. For information, contact one of the following insurers: Access America (tel. 866/807-3982; www.accessamerica.com); Travel Guard International (tel. 800/826-4919; www.travelguard.com); or Travel Insured International (tel. 800/243-3174; www.travelinsured.com).

Medical Insurance -- Most health insurance policies cover you if you get sick away from home -- but check, particularly if you're insured by an HMO. With the exception of certain HMOs and Medicare/Medicaid, your medical insurance should cover medical treatment -- even hospital care -- overseas, which in Japan can be quite expensive. However, most out-of-country hospitals make you pay your bills up front, and send you a refund after you've returned home and filed the necessary paperwork. And in a worst-case scenario, there's the high cost of emergency evacuation. If you require additional medical insurance, try MEDEX International (tel. 800/527-0218 or 410/453-6300; www.medexassist.com) or Travel Assistance International (tel. 800/821-2828; www.travelassistance.com); for general information on services, call TAI's Worldwide Assistance Services, Inc., at tel. 800/777-8710.

Lost-Luggage Insurance -- On domestic flights, checked baggage is covered up to $2,500 per ticketed passenger. On international flights (including U.S. portions of international trips), baggage is limited to approximately $9.07 per pound, up to approximately $635 per checked bag. If you plan to check items more valuable than the standard liability, see if your valuables are covered by your homeowner's policy, get baggage insurance as part of your comprehensive travel-insurance package, or buy Travel Guard's "BagTrak" product. Don't buy insurance at the airport, as it's usually overpriced. Be sure to take any valuables or irreplaceable items with you in your carry-on luggage, as many valuables (including books, money, and electronics) aren't covered by airline policies.

If your luggage is lost, immediately file a lost-luggage claim at the airport, detailing the luggage contents. For most airlines, you must report delayed, damaged, or lost baggage within 4 hours of arrival. The airlines are required to deliver luggage, once found, directly to your house, hotel, or destination free of charge.

Health & Safety

Staying Healthy--It's safe to drink tap water and eat to your heart's content everywhere in Japan (pregnant women, however, are advised to avoid eating raw fish or taking hot baths). Although Japan has had nine cases of mad cow disease since the first confirmed case in 2001, all slaughtered cows must be checked for the disease before the meat is authorized for consumption.

You don't need any inoculations to enter Japan. Prescriptions can be filled at Japanese pharmacies only if they're issued by a Japanese doctor. To avoid hassle, bring more prescription medications than you think you'll need, clearly labeled in their original vials, and be sure to pack them in your carry-on luggage. But to be safe, bring copies of your prescriptions with you, including generic names of medicines in case a local pharmacist is unfamiliar with the brand name. Over-the-counter items are easy to obtain, though name brands are likely to be different from back home, some ingredients allowed elsewhere may be forbidden in Japan, and prices are likely to be higher.

If you suffer from a chronic illness, consult your doctor before your departure. For conditions like epilepsy, diabetes, or heart problems, wear a Medic Alert Identification Tag (tel. 800/825-3785; www.medicalert.org), which will immediately alert doctors to your condition and give them access to your records through Medic Alert's 24-hour hot line.

Contact the International Association for Medical Assistance to Travelers (IAMAT; tel. 716/754-4883 in the U.S., or 416/652-0137 in Canada; www.iamat.org) for information regarding local English-speaking doctors. In Japan, the local consulate and sometimes even the local tourist office can provide a list of area doctors who speak English. If you do get sick, you may want to ask the concierge at your hotel about medical assistance -- some hotels even have in-house doctors or clinics. If you can't find a doctor who can help you right away, try the emergency room at the local hospital. Many emergency rooms have walk-in-clinics for emergency cases that are not life-threatening, though there are usually set hours of operation and you'll have to pay out of pocket (and then try to get reimbursed from your insurance company later).

Staying Safe--One of the greatest delights of traveling in Japan is that the country is safe and the people are honest. When a friend forgot her purse in a public restroom in Osaka in 2003, someone turned it in to the police station complete with money, digital camera, and passport. That said, petty crime is on the increase and you should stay alert for pickpockets in congested areas like subways in big cities like Tokyo. Women should avoid public parks at night. Otherwise, I feel safe walking anywhere in Japan day or night.