Tokyo Transportation

The transportation in Tokyo is incomparably well-developed with a complete variety of transport modes, which make it extremely convenient to get there and travel around the city. You’re welcome to pick your favorite vehicle regardless of its speed. With a local transportation IC card, you can easily take the public transportation like metro as well.

By Air

Both Narita Airport and Haneda Airport are the international airports in Tokyo, operating flights to/from all around the world. The navigable cities are mainly distributed in Asia, North America and Europe. Narita Airport is located in Chiba Prefecture east of Tokyo, while Haneda Airport is closer to the downtown as by Tokyo Bay.

Shinkansen To/From Tokyo

Shinkansen is the high-speed railways in Japan. Tokyo is a crucial Shinkansen hub as the starting point of multiple major lines. Tokaido Shinkansen Line extends westwards to Nagoya, Kyoto & Osaka, and Tohoku Shinkansen Line reaches Fukushima, Sendai, Morioka & Aomori as far as north. Meanwhile, Joetsu Shinkansen Line and Yamagata Shinkansen Line are also connected with Tokyo via Omiya and Takasaki northwestwards.

Tokyo Station is the major Shinkansen railway station to take the Japan bullet trains. Reserved seats and non-reserved seats can usually be chosen, but a non-reserved seat is often cheaper relatively. With signs in the station and the information on your ticket, you can find the platform and trains quickly. Besides, JR Shinjuku Station and Shinagawa Station are also accessible by some bullet trains of Shinkansen.

Tokyo Station

Ordinary JR Railways & Private Local Railways

Many ordinary JR railways are run on a busy schedule in Tokyo, while the vast majority of rails are operated JR East. In particular, Chou Line and Soba Line stretch to the downtown, and the slower local Chou-Soba Line cross Tokyo in east-west direction. Yamanote Line is the most important railway in the urban area, as this loop route links the most hubs in the city.

These JR railways, as well as private local railways, weave a large rail network that radiates outwards from the downtown. In addition to Narita Airport and Haneda Airport, you have more than one choices to reach Nikko, Yokohama, Kamakura, Hakone, Mt. Fuji, and more places in the surroundings of Tokyo.

A Metro Station in Tokyo

Metro in Tokyo

There are 13 metro lines totally, which are all the underground railways in the metropolis. 9 metro lines belong to Tokyo Metro, while 4 lines are operated by Toei Subway, covering all the wards of Tokyo. For the dense and busy metro network, you can reach your destination pretty fast. These metro lines are distinguished by different colors and broadcasted with multiple languages onboard, making it easy for oversea travelers to take. A transportation IC card would make you metro trip easier, and the diverse metro passes can help to save the expense on travelling in Tokyo.

City Bus & Shuttle Bus

City bus in Tokyo is not the major transport mode in Tokyo, but an auxiliary means to the urban rails, as it is often slower than the ground rails and metro. City bus could run into communities, especially it is more convenient to go to some rural places in the outskirts. Thus, you may transfer to a city bus to your destination after getting out from the metro/rail station. Furthermore, some community shuttle buses run around a specific area, which is also a convenient service for people’s daily travel. However, please don’t take a public bus with big baggage in Tokyo.

Express Bus

Express bus is a cost-effective way to go to the airports, farther places, and even another city far away. It’s much cheaper than Shinkansen, and similar to the ordinary trains in the speed and fare. The night express bus is comparatively cheaper in most of the time. On arrival at Narita/Haneda Airport, the express bus is not bad to get to the downtown of Tokyo or neighboring towns. Also, the express buses are available to travel between Tokyo and Mt. Fuji, Gifu, Kyoto, Osaka, Nikko, Sendai, Akita, etc. You could go to the express bus station, such as that at Shinjuku, to get the ticket and take the bus on spot. Otherwise, you need to consult the operator for detailed stops and departure time so as to catch the right bus.

Taxi in Tokyo

As is well-known, taxi is an expensive way of transportation in Tokyo. The flag-down fare reaches JPY 500 within 1,096m (1,199 yards), JPY 100 is added for every 255m (279 yards) when excessing the distance, meanwhile expressway toll fee and night surcharge are often included into the bill. Anyway, it’s easier to get to your destination directly. Also, a considerable number of taxi drivers can speak English well. Going from the airport, you can find some fixed-fare taxi to the urban wards, which require a fixed fare instead of that charged by travel distance.

Taxi

Ferry on Sumida River

Sightseeing Boat, Water Bus & Ferry

In Tokyo, the sightseeing boats and water buses are mainly running on Sumida River and Tokyo Bay. It may departs at Asakusa and go back after a cruise on the river, some may go from Asakusa Nitemmon to Odaiba Seaside Park directly. Tokyo Bay cruise, especially the night cruise, is more like a sightseeing project around Odaiba, passing through the Rainbow Bridge.

What’s more, if you would like to explore the offshore islands near Tokyo, Izu Islands and farther Ogasawara Islands, ferry is accessible at Takeshiba Pier, Odaiba. If you want to go to one of the island, please go to the pier on time after successful reservation.

Transportation Cards - Suica & PASMO

A transportation card can help you a lot when taking public transportations of the maze-like transport network in Tokyo. It is enough with a transportation card - Suica or PASMO card regardless of JR railways, metro, city bus, private local railways, etc. Moreover, its electronic money can be utilized for shopping in convenience stores, vending machines, and more spots with the logo of this card.

As a practical tourist Suica card can be got at Haneda Airport only, you can also apply for an online card, Sucia or PASMO, on the smart phone, via Apple Pay.