By: bound2explore                                                                                         August 8, 2018

If you have been to New York City and tried to navigate its subway system and trains, you know how intimidating it can be for a newbie. That, until I arrived in Tokyo and realized that Tokyo has so many train lines within the city. While Tokyo subway only consists Tokyo Metro and Toei subway, there are so many other line that operate in the Greater Tokyo. To learn on how to navigate Tokyo’s train system in Japan before your arrival date will make your trip runs smoothly.

First let’s start with the airport. There are two airports that serve the Greater Tokyo. The closest one to the city is Haneda airport and the furthest one is Narita Airport. If you have many luggage it makes sense to fly to Haneda and then take a taxi or airport shuttle to the hotel. But if you fly to Narita Airport, taxi fare will be quite expensive since it is far from the city. Also, if you arrive during rush hour you will be stuck in traffic.  Your best bet is to take the train to the city. There are few options  you can take. To simplify it, here is a step by step on how to Navigate Tokyo’s train system.

1. How to get to the center city from the airport

Now you have arrived at the airport. After collecting your luggage, go straight to the ticket counter to buy a train ticket. You can pick skyliner for faster but more expensive ticket or you can buy Narita sky access that cost cheaper. Remember, to buy Narita sky access ticket, you have to pay cash while skyliner accepts credit card payment. While you are at the airport, don’t forget to buy Tokyo Subway Pass.

Tokyo Pass is different than JR or Japan Rail Pass. Tokyo Subway Pass only covers most part of Tokyo while Japan Rail Pass is good if you are planning to visit other cities from Tokyo.  So if you only plan is to explore Tokyo, then get a Tokyo Subway Pass. You can buy Tokyo Subway Pass for 24 hours, 48 hours or 72 hours. If you think you will take a taxi or combination between taxi and bus, then maybe prepaid Pasmo Card will be a better option since you can use the card to pay for a taxi, train, bus and subway.

 

2. How to get around the city

Whether you buy a Tokyo Subway Pass or Pasmo Card, now you are ready to explore Tokyo. Tokyo Subway Pass covers both Tokyo Metro and Toei line. With Tokyo Subway Pass, you can have unlimited ride on both lines within the time period. Having Tokyo Subway Pass is definitely a money saver. I took metro all the time when I was in Tokyo. It is convenient, clean and the subway/metro has seats with cushion. If you visit Tokyo for Cherry Blossom festival and plan to stay by Ueno Park, then you can take Narita sky access. Narita sky access makes a stop at Ueno station.

If you stay in Asakusa area, Narita sky access also make a stop at Asakusa station.  In that case, you can save your Tokyo pass for later use. Remember, the clock starts when you first use the pass not when you buy it. Pretty much you can get around the city and visit all the landmarks using Tokyo Pass. From Meiji Shrine, Sensoji Temple, Imperial Garden, Tokyo sky tree, the famous Shibuya crossing, Shinjuku to Harajuku  area.

But if you travel far from the center city, you might need to buy a separate train ticket since you won’t be able to use the Tokyo Pass. Tokyo Pass only covers Tokyo Metro and Toei Line which do not serve a certain area. For example, we visited Sanrio Puroland  (anyone who loves Hello Kitty will definitely dream of visiting this indoor Theme park). To reach Sanrio Puroland by train, you can use Tokyo Pass up till you reach Shinjuku Station. From Shinjuku Station, you will have to buy a separate ticket to ride on Keio line that will take you to Keio Tama center Station. Keio Tama center station is the closest train station to Sanrio Puroland.

 

3. How to get to the suburb of Tokyo

Maybe you want to enjoy Mount Fuji from a closer distant or maybe you want to visit Yuzawa Snow resort.  In this case, you might want to purchase JR Tokyo Wide Pass. This is a discounted pass for unlimited rides in Tokyo and surrounding Kanto area. It is good for three consecutive days on train, limited express or Shinkansen, best known as the bullet train. Using JR Tokyo Wide Pass is the most economical way to visit other landmark or tourist spot outside Tokyo. As long as you are ready to explore on your own and have learnt on how to navigate Tokyo’s Train System.

 

 

4. How to get back to the airport

Now that you have explored Tokyo and surrounding area, the next question will be on how to get back to the airport. You can buy Narita sky Access ticket or skyliner and use it to travel on the train to Narita Airport. If your Tokyo Pass is still valid, use your Tokyo Pass to ride on Narita Sky Access (Toei line). If you stay around Asakusa, you can hop on the Narita sky access from Asakusa station. But remember there are two  Asakusa stations, one for the metro line and the other one is for the Toei line.

you arrive at the airport you will need a ticket to exit the station. Before you exit the station, go to fare adjustment counter and pay the difference. The person behind the counter will issue you a new ticket that you can use to exit the station. You will end up with a saving of fifty percent for a ticket.

 

I know that it can be intimidating when your first learn on how to navigate Tokyo’s Train System in Japan. With so many train lines, subway/metro lines plus monorail and bullet train it seems like too much information to grasp at one time. So my advice will be very simple. Focus on the tourist spots or area you want to see or things you want to do in Tokyo and surrounding area. Then decide which pass will work best for you. If you only plan to visit Tokyo, then get the Tokyo Subway Pass, if you want to mix you rides between taxi, bus and subway then get Pasmo card, if you plan to visit few areas outside Tokyo then get Tokyo wide pass.

Hope this blog post help you to learn on how to navigate Tokyo’s train system easily.

Happy explore!