We have checked how to take buses in Japan on previous article and I informed you that I would introduce train and subway systems in Japan. I think most of you who are visiting Tokyo will mainly use train because you can basically go whenever you want by train. It is also possible to move from Tokyo to somewhere else in Japan by trains if you are willing to spend at least 2~3 days only for moving.
Same concept can be applied to trains and subway as well for the usage of trains and subway. Do you remember PASMO and SUICA which are smart transportation cards? Taking trains and subway will become much easier if you have these cards. It will be helpful for you to save time since buying paper tickets from ticket machines requires you to find your destination among uncountable stations and sometimes they don’t even mention the name of station. In this case, you have to find your destination from a big map and check how much it costs. Therefore, having smart cards plays an important role when traveling Japan. Charge and ta pit. Everything will finish with these two actions.
RAIL PASS IN JAPAN
Public transportation is operated by government in some countries. However, it’s different in Japan. private companies operates various lines in Japan and that’s why the rate differs by which train you take even though you are departing from same location and heading to same destination. For example, using Keisei line is a little more expensive than using JR line but it doesn’t means that Keisei line is bad. Keisei line will have advantages like having more scheduled trains than JR lines. Each rail company has their own rail pass. (Smart cards cover almost all rails so don’t worry about it.)
(1) JR PASS
[source : http://www.japanrailpass.net/]
Only foreign tourists can buy JR pass. It is popular among tourists because you can travel long distance with reasonable price. The cost varies depend how many weeks and which type of train you want to use from JPY 29,110 to JPY 81,870. There are two types of pass, the ordinary and green car, and you can enjoy spacious and comfortable seats if you choose to buy green car pass. The usage of JR lines, Tokyo Monorail from and to Haneda Airport, JR ferry to Miyajima, and JR buses are included in this pass.
They also have something called JR seishun 18. It costs only JPY 11,850 and it is valid for 5 days. It is not available all the time so you should be careful if you wish to use it. Basically it is available in March 1 to April 10, July 20 to September 10, and December 10 to January 10. For purchasing you should be in hurry because they close ticket sale before the end date of each season. Plus, if you are foreigner living in Japan or have Japanese nationality, you can still use it. The usage of Shinkansen such as nozomi is also restricted.
(2) Tokyo Metro Pass
You can use Tokyo Metro Line and Toei Subway line unlimited times within 24, 48, or 72 hours if you choose to buy Tokyo Metro Pass. 24 hours ticket will be JPY 800, 48 hours for JPY 1,200, and 72 hours for 1,500 yen. This pass covers major tour spots in Tokyo so if you just want to visit famous places like Asakusa, Shinjuku, and Shibuya, it worth it. However, you may not be able to use this pass when you move from airport to downtown Tokyo and when you decide to go to Odaiba. The rate for children becomes almost half of adult’s rate. If your hotel is located in not-covered area, you will have to pay extra charge for transfer.
READING TRAIN MAP?
This is the train map only in Tokyo. Though I am currently living in Japan, it’s so hard for me to read this. I always bring mobile battery, especially when I go to somewhere I have never visited before, since I am so worried about myself getting lost due to dead phone.
Here I tell you one episode of mine. I don’t remember exactly but it was around 3 or 4 years ago. I was a student and I needed to take a test. The test site was quite far like it was an hour and a half away from my house. Everything was fine before I noticed that my phone was dead. I went to the nearest station to go back home but the map… I couldn’t read the map. Ticket machine there had a system of reading map first and choosing rate only. I needed to transfer 3 times and I managed to get back home. It took 3 hours, though.
If you are challenging person, I recommend you that buying tickets every time you take trains. If you are not, please buy smart card and use map application of your phone. So staying connected while traveling to Japan is very important. It will save your time as well as your energy. Regardless of its highly-advanced technologies, it is not easy to find free wireless(WiFi) hotspots in Japan. So, what we recommend for tourists who want to stay connected 24/7 and have exciting journey, is to use wifi rental services, which is also known as pocket wifi.
wifi rental japan is proud of being able to provide competitive price to you. It only costs JPY600(USD4~5) per one day. You can enjoy unlimited data wherever in Japan at any time with reasonable price.
*Advance mode only
*If you use more than 10GB within 3 days, speed limit will be applied to avoid congestion.
wifi rental japan wishes that all tourists have more comfortable and meaningful travel in Japan.
If you have any inquiries, please feel free to ask us.
