The back story
Getting around Tokyo: the loop, the metro and the bullet train
The Yamanote loop, thirteen metro lines, IC cards that pay for everything, two airports and the Shinkansen from Tokyo Station: Tokyo’s transport, made simple.
Photo Credit
Image courtesy of © Cfktj1596 · CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia CommonsTokyo’s trains are clean, punctual and dense. JR East’s Yamanote Line runs in a loop through Tokyo, Shinjuku, Shibuya and Ueno; Tokyo Metro and the Toei Subway add thirteen lines beneath the centre. A rechargeable IC card such as Suica or PASMO pays for all of them, and for buses, lockers and convenience stores. Haneda airport is close to the city; Narita is farther out, with fast trains to Ueno and Tokyo Station.
The airports
Haneda is linked to the city by the Tokyo Monorail and the Keikyū Line; Narita by the Keisei Skyliner to Ueno and JR’s Narita Express to Tokyo Station and Shinjuku.
Trains and IC cards
Buy a Suica or PASMO card at a station machine, or add one to your phone, and tap in and out. Exits are numbered: check which you need before you leave the platform.
Avoid the morning rush, roughly 7:30 to 9:30, with luggage.
Shinkansen
The Tōkaidō Shinkansen leaves from Tokyo and Shinagawa for Kyoto and Osaka (JR Central); the Tōhoku and other lines leave from Tokyo and Ueno (JR East).
Photo Credit
Image courtesy of © MaedaAkihiko · CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia CommonsTaxis and the river
Taxis are metered and spotless; Tokyo Cruise water buses link Asakusa, Hama-rikyu and Odaiba.
Our advice: send big suitcases ahead by luggage delivery (takkyūbin), which hotels and airports arrange.
Why it's on our list
- The airports
- Trains and IC cards
- Shinkansen
- Taxis and the river
Location
The map comes from Google Maps, which sets its own cookies once it loads.
More in depth
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