3/24/2016 NEW POST!
Getting Around Tokyo
East Side, West Side how do I get to each side? Truth be told, I am originally from New York
and by nature I am not intimidated by subways, trains, commuting crowds or mass
transit. On my first trip to Tokyo in
2013 the first 2 weeks of my stay were through a tour with Gate1 Travel. In this entire tour we only had 2 days that
included “tours of the city” – one was a full day tour of Tokyo the other was a
full day tour of Kyoto. We arrived late
in the evening to Tokyo. The next
morning we were up and out on our full day tour of Tokyo. We were picked up by a motorcoach and enjoyed
a full day tour on the Hato Bus. When
the tour concluded, we were left at Tokyo Station to find our way back to
Shinagawa on our own. At first I was a
bit put off. But, give my mother in law
a map and she will lead you anywhere on Earth!
The next morning, we woke up, had breakfast and my mother in
law (map in hand) said “OK, let’s go!” and we found our way to Shinagawa
Station, purchased tickets to Ueno and found our way around Ueno Park, to the
Shitamachi Museum, then onto Ginza.
Done. The rest of my stay in both
Tokyo and Kyoto was like this. The days
after tour day was self-touring. Maps,
tour books, on and off trains/subways.
I take for granted that we are “city people” and pretty much
don’t think twice about going into a rather large and crowded train station and
finding our way around. I have some
friends, an older couple who after hearing my husband and my Japan recap
decided to go visit this amazing place for themselves. When they came back to Florida and told us
about their explorations, she kept mentioning this “on and off bus” …I had NO
idea what she was talking about! I said
“What do you mean On/Off bus?!! Didn’t you take the train?!!” It was at this moment I realized that they
were originally from Idaho. Not
accustomed to large train stations, subways or even commuter trains! It wasn’t easy getting my foot out of my
rather large mouth! They opted to
utilize the on/off bus around Tokyo because they found it most comfortable for
them. When we were there in 2013 I never
even noticed an on/off bus! Again, as a
former New Yorker I wouldn’t be caught dead on one in NYC! I thought to myself “WHY would anyone ride an
on/off bus when the train is so easy?!”
Well…. on our last trip in 2015 after eating something in Kyoto that
must have had some shellfish in it and my legs/ankles feet swelled up and I had
an awful rash it was near impossible to walk and I was in pain. On our last full day of Japan, we exited Tokyo
Station and started walking through Marounuchi like we always did. From the corner of my eye I saw this:
Sky Bus Tokyo – THE On/Off Bus! We went over to investigate further - $25 for
24 hours. There were 3 busses with
different routes. All included in the
price! The next bus leaving was the
Tokyo Tower/Odaiba/Ginza bus. We boarded
and decided to just enjoy the ride as it was a gorgeous sunny day. Now I understood why they used this service
to see Tokyo. It is much more expensive
than utilizing trains/subways but I can see why this was a good option for
people who are intimidated by using public transportation.
The website for the Sky Bus Tokyo:
City Busses:
I can honestly tell you that I have utilized city busses in
Tokyo and in Kyoto. I’ve done it and
probably won’t be doing it again. City
busses are hot and WAY more crowded than trains (unless you are getting on a
train during rush hour…and we did that ONCE…it was CRAZY!). Also, I didn’t find the busses any easier
than the trains. I prefer trains and
subways because they are so much quicker. The trains in Japan run to the second. If it says the train departs at 12:03 that
train departs at 12:03! In fact, the
trains are so reliable that you cannot use their lateness as an excuse at
work. In the RARE occurrence there is a
delay or late train the conductors actually hand out slips to riders so they
can bring to their company to prove the train was late! Also, I found it really interesting that you pay your bus fare when you are departing the bus...this system would never work in NYC.
Taxi’s
Taxis are your most expensive mode of transportation in
Tokyo. I have taken them when need be
(like when it was DOWNPOURING and we were supposed to meet Yoshie and Takashi
at a fancy restaurant for dinner).
A quick note about Taxi's - the guide books that I read before my first trip in 2013 said that you "had to have cash" no one took credit cards. Well, this was just one of the incorrect things listed in guide books. Not only was my American credit card accepted everywhere - it was also accepted in taxi cabs - even when we were in Kyoto. Maybe I should compose a blog about all of the incorrect things that were published in my MANY guide books.
A quick note about Taxi's - the guide books that I read before my first trip in 2013 said that you "had to have cash" no one took credit cards. Well, this was just one of the incorrect things listed in guide books. Not only was my American credit card accepted everywhere - it was also accepted in taxi cabs - even when we were in Kyoto. Maybe I should compose a blog about all of the incorrect things that were published in my MANY guide books.
Trains and Subways:
My preferred way to get around Toyo is using the JR line
trains and the subway system. If you are worried that you will
not be able to navigate stations and trains fear not! English is written in almost 90% of stations
and on station maps.
I don't want your head to explode but here's a quick look at the JR Tokyo Train map and the Tokyo Subway System map:
JR Tokyo Train Map:
Tokyo Subway Map
Let’s start at the beginning:
Purchasing a ticket:
So you want to get from your hotel in Shinagawa to Harajuku. Step one is purchasing a ticket from the many
ticket machines that line the outside (and inside) of the station. Don’t be intimidated by the machines. English
is an option so you will be able to use the ticket machine! Before you can purchase a ticket you will
need to figure out how much it will cost to get from Shinagawa to
Harajuku.
Most maps will have the names of station in English. If I happened upon one that was not, I looked
at the circular chart for Yamanote (lime green color train line) saw the most
expensive fare of ¥190 and bought that one just to be safe!
Most stations have ticket windows with employees who can
help. I suggest asking if they speak
English first – “Eigo hanashemas ka?” Even if they say no or “iie” you can say
the name of the station you are trying to get to and they will be able to
assist you.
Train Ticket Machines
The easiest way to navigate the stations and ticket dilemma
is to purchase a Pasmo or Suica card (see last blog post) as these prepaid
smart cards are re-fillable metro type cards.
You swipe and go. So you avoid
the ticket machines (except for your initial purchase and then reloading money
on them if you need to).
You simply tap the card and go through the turnstyle
JR Trains:
There are multiple train companies in Japan. JR is the line that enables you to use your
JR pass as well as any JR line trains.
The easiest train to utilize in Tokyo would be the Yamanote Line. All trains are color coded and this one is
the lime-y green color. The Yamanote
train line goes in a large circle all around the city:
Most of the tourist hot spots can be reached using the
Yamanote Line OR by transferring/walking to another station from the Yamanote
Line.
As you can see Tokyo Station is only 2 stops to Akihabara
“Electronics Town”. Or, you can take the
Yamanote Line in Shinjuku and go to Shibuya in mere minutes. Get to know the Yamanote! It will be your easiest train line while in
Tokyo. Plus, it goes in a circle/loop around the city so you can't get lost! If you miss your stop the train will eventually end up there again. It is so easy to navigate this train line that after you go a
few stops you will be ready to try other train lines and subways. Tokyo really is very easy to navigate when
using trains.
Here are some photos showing how clearly trains are marked. Here is a Yamanote line train and signage showing you the way to through the station to the train:
Stations: Before I
headed to Japan on my first trip the thing that I was most afraid of
--actually, the ONLY thing that had me worried was one portion of my trip where
I would be heading from Kyoto Station to Maihama Station (Tokyo Disney) on my
own. I was very worried about this. It seems ridiculous to me now that I wasted
so much energy worrying about traveling alone.
Japan is one of the safest countries in the world. I was so anxious about this portion of my
trip that my friend, Yoshie sent me an actual map of Tokyo Station with sticky
notes, arrows, highlighted walking path – you name it she had it on the
map. Down to every detail “you will take
the elevator and walk passed the pharmacy on your left hand side” I still have
the map!
Photo of said map
So, that morning came. My in laws were taking a motorcoach from
Kyoto to Osaka International Airport and I would be taking the Shinkansen from
Kyoto Station to Maihama…alone to eventually meet up with my husband who was flying in from New York that day “DOOM DOOM DOOM!!!” My in-laws pick up time was later than my train
to Tokyo. My mother in law walked with
me from the hotel to the station. It
was eerily quiet. We didn’t say much. I had purchased my Shinkansen ticket the day
prior so all I had to do was go through the ticket turnstile and up to the
track. I said goodbye, hugs and kisses and she said to
be safe. After the trip she told me when
she saw me go through the ticket turnstile and around the corner her heart sank and she
was very worried about me traveling alone.
I turned that corner and headed to the elevator. For a country with so many people at one of
the busiest stations in Japan there was NO ONE I mean NO ONE on the elevator
with me. I got inside and realized that
I didn’t know what to press! Everything
here was in Japanese! Not like Tokyo
where stuff was written both in English and Japanese! I began pressing buttons to try to find my
track…. door opens, look outside and see track numbers…nope not this one. Try again…next one…. nope….3rd
time was the charm. I got out and looked
to find my train car number and seat number and wait for the train. Luckily, there was a very nice lady and her 2
young children waiting in the spaces before mine. We chatted a bit and she confirmed that I was
in fact, in the right spot. Oh, I failed
to mention that my morning found me shopping for more souvenirs at the Daiso in
Kyoto. I had so many souvenirs that I
had a huge shopping back attached to my way too heavy luggage. It was VERY difficult maneuvering my bags as
I had to pick them up to get from the train platform on to the train. Lug, lug, lug found my seat. There was already a man sleeping in the seat
next to mine. I had to wake him up to
move my stuff passed his legs as I had the window seat. He looked at me and said “Tokyo?” I said
“Hai, yes, sir…. how long?” He said “2”.
I guessed hours. He fell back to
sleep. I sat there, gazing out the
window at the gorgeous landscape going by.
I had my Wi-Fi to go with me and decided to use it to “what’s app” text
with my best friend back at home. I
wanted to make sure someone knew that I was on that train! My fear I guess was that if something
happened between Kyoto and Tokyo no one would know where I was or what
happened. We texted nearly the entire
way (Lilly never sleeps so she was up and awake back in NYC). A while went by and the nice man sleeping
next to me woke up, looked at me and said “Not next stop, one after is Tokyo” I
said “arigato gozaimus”. And he went back to sleep. Worried for no reason as any idiot would have
known when we arrived in Tokyo…. the English scrolling news above the doorway
flashed “Next stop is Tokyo Station” followed by the English speaking announcer
“The next stop is Tokyo Station”. Once
again worried for no reason! But now it
was time to schlep my crap and luggage…. almost twisted my ankle getting from
said train to platform. Wanting very
badly to find an elevator I walked forever until I came across one. Took the elevator down and then walked the
LOOOONNNGG way in Tokyo Station from the Shinkansen area to Keio Street area
where my train to Maihama (Tokyo Disney) at this time I was HATING my
luggage. Wished I would have utilized
the luggage transport service but I didn’t even think of it. I needed to use a rest room so I made a stop
for that…in the ladies’ room was teen agers who were decked out in matching
Minnie Mouse outfits, each carrying 3 Duffy bears, every piece of Disney
memorabilia hanging from their back packs…. I figured that it would be a good
bet they were heading the same way as me!
I followed them down to the Keio line.
When we reached the train platform there were 2 trains! I asked a college aged guy which train to
Tokyo Disneyland?!! He said one was an
express train and he wasn’t sure if it stopped at Maihama. I took the sure bet and opted to ride the
local train to Maihama Station. Once
again, nervous that I wouldn’t know which train station was mine…. until the
magical music started playing and the station name flashed across the scrolling
lights above the door way…. also, there were 10,000 teenagers with Disney
outfits getting off the train. I got off
the train and asked someone to direct me to the free shuttle to the Hilton
Tokyo Bay…. he said I could take the monorail “way over there” or wait for the
free shuttle. Trying to save a buck I
opted for the free shuttle…and if you read my first trip report you know how
that went! Basically an hour wasted waiting for a free shuttle that came to the
original bus stop I was told to wait at (and then proceeded to move between the
stops every 15 minutes).
The point of that story (I think…it’s so long that I forgot)
is that there is no reason to be anxious or intimidated by trains in
Japan. They are very easy to navigate.
So, we covered trains, taxi’s and busses…. the other way to
get around Tokyo is your feet! You can
walk everywhere in Tokyo (and you will).
Our pedometer showed we walked an average of 11.5 miles every day on our
last trip (we didn’t have pedometers on our first trip so I have nothing to
compare that to). Sometimes I opt to
walk between stations because it’s easy.
As an example; we typically start out by going to Tokyo Station. You can pretty much transfer to almost any
train line here. We enjoy walking the
beautiful area near Tokyo Station called “Marounuchi”. We like to walk from the station to Ginza and
then take the Ginza line to Asakusa or sometimes we like to walk from Tokyo Station
to Yurakucho to visit the many shops and restaurants in the area. From here you can get on the Yamanote
line. Many times you have multiple
places to visit in a given day. You may
find yourself walking between stations.
My best advice – PURCHASE GOOD WALKING SHOES! If there is nothing else that you learn from
reading my nonsensical blog posts it is that you need to have the best walking
shoes you can afford. The last thing you
want is for your feet to give up on you!
Those of you who have done marathon style Walt Disney World touring
understand the amount of walking you do…. it’s not even close to the amount of
walking you do in Tokyo.
One last photo...Here's how crowded trains are during rush hour...seriously it is THAT crazy!
Now you are in the know about how to get around the most
exciting city in the world!
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