Japan Transportation

How to Travel to Japan

Tokyo Narita Airport

Flights - Transportation By Air

Japan has dozens of airports including four major international airports, operating flights to/from over 150 cities all over the world. To travel to Japan from overseas, you can catch a flight to Tokyo Narita Airport (NRT), Tokyo Haneda Airport (HND), Kansai International Airport (KIX) in Osaka, and Central Japan International Airport (NGO) aka Chubu Airport or Centrair in Nagoya. Moreover, there are also flights from neighboring countries in East Asia and Southeast Asia, to more other cities in Japan, such as Fukuoka, Sapporo and Okinawa.

Here are the major international air routes and the time consumed to Japan:

Departure	Destination	Time/Hour	Departure	Destination	Time/Hour
Seoul	Tokyo	2.5	Vancouver	Tokyo	8.5
Los Angeles	Tokyo	9.5	Moscow	Tokyo	10
New York	Tokyo	12.5	Frankfurt	Tokyo	12
Rio de Janeiro	Tokyo	24.5	London	Tokyo	13
Madrid	Tokyo	17.5	Vienna	Tokyo	12
Paris	Tokyo	13	Bangkok	Tokyo	7
Rome	Tokyo	13.5	Beijing	Tokyo	4
Hong Kong	Tokyo	5	Sydney	Tokyo	9.5

International Ferries

Japan, surrounded by Pacific Ocean, has China, South Korea and Russia as its neighbors, and there are several port cities, thus you can take a ship to visit there from these countries. You can easily make reservations through travel agencies with ferry companies, but you should take weather and seasonal changes into your consideration. Once you make a reservation, you’d better confirm your schedule issues from ferry companies before you go.

Read more about How Can I Travel from US to Japan

How to Travel from UK to Japan

The Ways to Travel from Australia to Japan

How to Travel around Japan

Japan has an efficient public transportation network, especially between large cities. The public transportation is known for its punctuality and high quality service.

Plane

Japan has three major airlines, namely All Nippon Airways (ANA), Japan Airlines Corporation (JAL) and Hokkaido International Airlines. Ticket prices vary mainly depending on airlines and different seasons, and connecting flight ticket prices are lower than direct flights. If you need to go to downtown or other cities from the airport, it is convenient to take a train, bus or taxi.

Train

People usually take a train to travel between cities. JR is the abbreviation of “Japan Railways”, which was Japan’s largest railway company. Its railway lines are like a cobweb covering the whole country. Generally, there are five types of JR trains according to speed, including ordinary, rapid, express, limited express and Shinkansen trains. The ordinary trains, or called local trains, cost low but stop at every station. Express and limited express trains stop only at major stations but cost more. Shinkansen is Japan’s high-speed train route network, connecting Tokyo with other major cities such as Fukuoka in Kyushu. Shinkansen uses separate tracks and platforms, and the price consists of the basic fare and extra fare, which is calculated according to the length of a journey.

Shinkansen Train

Local Express Train

Main Lines of Shinkansen:

Line	Tokaido	Sanyo	Tohoku	Hokuriku	Joetsu	Akita	Yamagata	Kyushu
Route	Tokyo - Osaka	Osaka - Hakata	Tokyo - Aomori	Omiya - Kanazawa - Tsuruga	Omiya - Niigata	Morioka - Akita	Fukushima - Shinjo	Hakata - Kagoshima

Read more about Japan Train Seat Classes

If you choose JR trains as your main vehicle, you’d better buy JR Pass in advance through oversea travel agents. The longer the validity period, the higher the price.

In addition to JR, Japan has a considerable number of private railway companies building a huge complex transport system. Odakyu Electric Railway, Tokyo Metro, Keihan Railway and Hankyu Railway are all private railway companies. You can use their tourist pass to save money when travelling around a city.

Driving by a Rental Car

Car rental companies are available in most of the cities, airports and stations. You can make an appointment and then lease a car with your valid international driving license and credit card. Traffic in Japan keeps on to the left.

City Bus, Nara

Taxi

There are a large number of taxis. The starting price is generally 500-600 yen. From 22:00 to 05:00, you will be charged extra 20%. You can find a taxi stand in all local stations and airports. The taxi price is high, so it’s not advised to take it if you are not in a hurry.

City Bus

Public bus is the common means of transportation in Japan, especially Kyoto. Taking a bus with fixed price, you should pay first. Taking a bus charged by distance, you should pay when you get off. You’d better keep quiet in bus and do not smoke.

Highway/Long-Distance Bus

Long-distance buses run both daytime and overnight. While they are slower than express trains, the price is much cheaper. Every city has its own bus companies, linking it with the surrounding areas and other cities.

Cycling

Cycling is available as Seto Inland Sea area with Shimanai Kaido route, northern Kanto near the mountains, Nagano Highlands, and Hokkaido, etc. welcome cyclists. You may transport your own bicycle to Japan, or hire one for cycling. Keep cycling on the left of raods.

Ship

Ferry, Hiroshima

Japan has thousands of islands, so it is available to ferry routes. If you want to travel in a special way to see a different world, maybe ferries can be an interesting way. Large ferries have well-equipped facilities such as baths and restaurants. You can choose 2nd class, 1st class or special class tickets as you wish.

Read more about How Do I Get from Tokyo to Mt Fuji