Navigate the Tokyo Subway

Tokyo sightseeing is easy when you use the Tokyo underground. Here's how to ride the Tokyo subway in a few simple steps.

Steps

  1. Plan ahead before you plunge in on rush hours which extend from 7.30am to 9am and from 5pm to 7pm. This is certainly not a venture for those who value their personal space. Benches on board fold up to maximize capacity, and platform attendants wearing white gloves push passengers through the doors. Some subway lines have women-only cars during the morning rush hours, so women and young children can ride more comfortably.
  2. Listen for an apology over the loudspeaker if your train is slightly behind schedule, say 30 seconds. Even at an intense frequency of every 2-3 minutes there is a strict schedule that is followed to the second. A train late by only a minute (which is considered "on time" in any other place in the world) is a major concern here.
  3. Know your 'going out' options. Enjoying a night out? You'll have to choose between heading home early on the last train, staying out much later and catching the first, or taking a taxi. The subway operates between 5 am and 1 am, when all transportation services cease.
  4. Take the Tokyo subway map in English at your hotel desk, or in the subway stations. It is very simple to navigate the Tokyo transportation system. Signs on subway stations include the station names in English. Each line has a letter (example: the Ginza line has a line symbol of G) and a color. You simply follow the signs indicating the line symbol + line color.
  5. Look for the correct station. When you arrive at the platform there are two ways of recognizing your preferred station / direction- using the station name as your guide– they appear in English, or there is a letter and number code to identify it each station. The letter stands for the line, the number reflects where on the line the station is.
  6. Buy prepaid rail passes. They are rechargeable "smart cards". There are two major brands of rail pass: Suica, and Pasmo. They can be used on just about every subway, train and bus line in Tokyo (with the exception of JR's Shinkansen and limited express trains). Most Tokyo Subway tickets and rail passes are sold from automated vending machines which have an English language option (see note below for more detail). Ticket machines are located at each subway station. Some of the larger stations have ticketing offices. There is an initial ¥500 deposit that you must pay when purchasing a rail pass, this fee is refundable at the subway station when you leave Japan. You choose how much money you want to put on the pass, depending on the time you plan to spend in Tokyo.
  7. Swipe the card over the card reader on the gate, which is indicated by a blue light. When you place your ticket, it will display the amount of cash left on your pass.
    • Going out of the station without knowing the right exit number for your desired destination, can lead to extensive walking in the endless passageways of the Tokyo subway system. You can find your exit number easily on the vicinity maps which are located on the platforms, or after exiting the fare gate. Once you've identified your exit number, you follow the appropriate exit signs. Subway inspectors located on platforms and next to fare gates, are also very willing to help.
  8. Note: As an alternative to a pass, if you are brave, you can purchase your tickets individually from station to station. It seems a bit scary at first but it gets easier the more you do it. If you get stuck you can always ask for help.
  9. To purchase tickets at a station:
  10. Locate the ticket purchasing area- usually there is English that will say "Tickets". The Japanese for ticket is きっぷ (kippu). If you cannot find it, there is almost always a window next to the turnstiles leading in and out of the station and you can ask for help there.
  11. Above the ticket machines there is a diagram with the names of locations and the price for going there. For example, under Ueno (上野) if the number is 760, it costs 760￥ to go to Ueno from your current station.
  12. Approach one of the ticket machines that says "commuter ticket". On the JR line this is usually green.
  13. Set the instructions to English if you need to. The first button to push is JRきっぷ (JR Ticket). This will bring up a display with various numbers. This is where you select the number you saw under your destination (so, in the example of Ueno, 760).
  14. Pay with yen. Be aware there is no Dollars option. Sticking with our example you would owe 760￥.
  15. Collect your change and ticket.
  16. Insert your ticket into the slot of one of the turnstiles, pass through, and make sure to pick up your ticket on the other side. It will have a hole punched in it now. You'll need it to exit the station at your destination, so don't forget it!
  17. From there, find the appropriate line headed to your destination (For example, Ueno would be the 山手線 (yamanote sen). This is probably the hardest part, so don't give up if you don't understand right away. Ask the station attendants or people at the information booths for help. See tips for various ways to ask in Japanese.
    • If at the end of your trip you find you've ridden too far or paid for a ticket to someplace farther than you actually went, use the Fare Adjustment machines located near the exits- the machines look like the ticket buying machines but are yellow. Just slip your ticket in and it will tell you the difference to be made up. Then you can go through the turnstiles with no worries.

Tips

  • A few polite ways to tell people what you want in Japanese and ask for assistance. First, get their attention with "sumimasen (excuse me/I'm sorry)":
    • Kippu ba wa doko desu ka? (Where can I buy a ticket?)
    • ～e ikitain desu ga... (I want to go to ～)
    • ～wa dore no sen desu ka? (Which line is ～?)
    • Sumimasen ga wakarimasen. (I'm sorry but I don't understand.)
    • Wakarimashita. Domo Arigatou Gozaimasu. (I got it. Thank you very much.)
  • There are a few more rail pass options- The Tokyo Free Kippu is a day travel pass that covers all JR, subway and city bus lines within the 23 wards. The Holiday Pass (available only on weekends, national holidays and during summer vacation-July 20 through August 31) covers the entire JR network in the Tokyo metropolitan area.
  • You choose how much money you want to put on the pass, depending on the time you plan to spend in Tokyo.
  • Tokyo subway system must be the cleanest public transportation on earth.
  • For anyone traveling alone, the best people to ask for help are station attendants, police officers, or families with children.
  • Women should be on guard in the train station and while riding. There are often instances of inappropriate groping by 'chikan' (train molesters), especially during rush hour. If you feel someone is invading your space it is best to confront the offender and tell him to stop loudly and directly. Drawing attention to the action is the best way to stop it.
  • Prepaid fare cards are convenient although they don't give you any discounts

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