There are 308 Tourist Information Centres for foreigners in Japan but they vary greatly in the kind of information they provide and how they are managed. Feedback from tourists suggests that there should be more centres in better locations. The government is aware that standards need to rise but is concerned about the extra costs this implies. As a result of the jigyo shiwake spending review, the Japan National Tourist Office was recently relieved of the management of the Yurakucho TIC, which is currently on the 10th floor of the Tokyo Kotsu Kaikan. One of the busiest in the country, it will be run by Mitsubishi Estate, the main landholder in the Marunouchi district from next year. Mitsubishi will move it to a 1st floor location in the Shin Tokyo Building, closer to Tokyo Station, and equip it with wi-fi. A new working group has been set up to look at whether this kind of solution might have a broader application. Some are concerned that private interests may affect the neutrality of the information available, while others argue that the internet is making the old style of tourist centre redundant. The group will include Isao Sawa, owner of the Sawanoya Ryokan in Asakusa, which has a high percentage of foreign guests. Writer and broadcaster Elizabeth Kiritani, who first came to Japan in 1979, has also been named. Separately, the Tourism Agency plans to review the operations of some 1200 other government-run information centres, catering primarily to the domestic market.
Sources here and here (Japanese).