Tokyo Travel Guide
Getting Around Tokyo
The world's best transit system, decoded — the Yamanote loop, subway lines and passes, IC cards, airport transfers, last trains, and whether the newly pricier Japan Rail Pass is still worth it.
Tokyo's public transport is a marvel: clean, safe, punctual to the second and extensive enough to reach every corner of a metropolis of tens of millions. It can look intimidating on a map, a spaghetti of colored lines run by different companies, but once you understand a few basics it becomes the easiest part of your trip.
The basics: JR, Tokyo Metro and Toei. Three main operators run most of the trains you will use. Japan Railways (JR East) runs the overground lines, including the Yamanote Line, the green loop that circles central Tokyo and links Tokyo Station, Shinjuku, Shibuya, Harajuku, Ueno, Akihabara and Shinagawa, and the Chuo Line, which cuts across the middle to Shinjuku and on west to Mitaka for the Ghibli Museum. Tokyo Metro and Toei run the subway, thirteen lines between them, each with a color and a letter; stations have numbers, such as G-19 for Asakusa on the Ginza Line. Private railways such as the Keio, Odakyu and Tobu lines run out to the suburbs and beyond. Transfers between operators sometimes mean leaving one set of gates and entering another.
IC cards: tap and go. The simplest way to pay is with a rechargeable IC card — Suica or PASMO — or a mobile version in your phone's wallet. Tap in and out at the gates and the fare is deducted automatically, across all operators and on buses. Visitor versions of these cards are sold at airports, and top-ups are possible at any station machine. IC cards also work at convenience stores, vending machines, lockers and many shops.
Subway passes. Visitors can buy 24-, 48- and 72-hour passes valid on all Tokyo Metro and Toei subway lines. They are good value if you will take several subway rides a day, but they do not cover JR lines, including the Yamanote Line, so check your plan before buying. For most visitors, an IC card is simpler; for heavy sightseeing days on the subway, the pass can save money.
Navigating stations. Big stations such as Shinjuku, Shibuya and Tokyo can feel like labyrinths, with dozens of exits. Use a maps app to find your route, platform and the best exit, follow the colored signs, and allow extra time for transfers. Signs and announcements are in English. Trains are busiest during morning and evening rush hours on weekdays; avoid traveling with big luggage then, and use luggage-forwarding services between hotels. Last trains run around midnight; after that, taxis are the main option, and they are clean, safe and metered, with doors that open automatically.
Airport transfers. From Haneda, take the Keikyu line or the Tokyo Monorail into the city in about half an hour, or a taxi. From Narita, the Narita Express runs to Tokyo, Shinjuku and Shibuya, and the Keisei Skyliner to Ueno, each in around an hour; cheaper airport buses and Keisei Access Express trains are slower alternatives. Some Toei Asakusa Line trains run directly from both airports to Asakusa and Nihombashi.
The Japan Rail Pass: still worth it? The nationwide Japan Rail Pass offers unlimited travel on most JR trains, including most Shinkansen bullet trains, for 7, 14 or 21 days. It rose in price on 1 October 2026: the 7-day ordinary pass now costs 53,000 yen for adults, up from 50,000, with similar rises for the longer and Green Car versions. The pass was already much more expensive after a big increase in 2023, so the calculation has changed. A round trip from Tokyo to Kyoto by Shinkansen costs roughly half the price of a 7-day pass, so the pass makes sense only if you are covering a lot of ground — for example, Tokyo to Kyoto, Osaka and Hiroshima and back within a week. For a trip that stays in Tokyo with a day trip or two, or a simple Tokyo-Kyoto-Tokyo route, individual tickets are usually cheaper. Regional passes covering specific areas, such as JR East passes for trips north of Tokyo, can be better value. Do the math with a fare calculator before you buy. Note that the pass covers the JR Yamanote Line in Tokyo but not the subway.
Day trips. Tokyo is a superb base for day trips. Kamakura, with its giant Buddha and temples, is about an hour by JR. Nikko's lavish shrines are around two hours by Tobu railway. Hakone, for hot springs and Mount Fuji views, is about ninety minutes by the Odakyu Romancecar from Shinjuku. Yokohama is under half an hour. The Shinkansen from Tokyo Station reaches Kyoto in a little over two hours.
Walking and cycling. Do not underestimate walking: many neighborhoods are best explored on foot, and distances between adjacent stations are often short. Bike-share schemes operate across the city, and cycling on quiet backstreets is pleasant, though main roads are busy. Comfortable shoes are essential — a day in Tokyo can easily mean twenty thousand steps, and you will be grateful for them.
Etiquette on the move. Queue at the marked lines on the platform, let passengers off first, and keep backpacks in front of you or on the rack in crowded trains. Keep conversations quiet and phone calls off. Priority seats near the doors are for elderly, pregnant and disabled passengers. Women-only carriages operate during rush hours on some lines. Do not eat on commuter trains, though eating on the Shinkansen is perfectly normal — buying an ekiben station bento for the journey is part of the fun.