- Narita or Haneda?
- From Narita Airport
- From Haneda Airport
- IC cards: Suica, PASMO and Welcome Suica
- JR, Tokyo Metro, Toei and the private railways
- Passes: which ones are worth it?
- Using the trains: practical tips
- Taxis, buses, bikes and boats
- Onward from Tokyo
- Longer trips north of Tokyo: Tochigi, the snow monkeys and Ginzan Onsen
Narita or Haneda?
Tokyo has two international airports. Haneda (HND) is on the bay about 15 km south of the centre; Narita (NRT) is in Chiba Prefecture, about 60–70 km to the east. If you have a choice at a similar price, pick Haneda: transfers are shorter, cheaper and run later into the night. Narita still handles a large share of long-haul and low-cost flights and has excellent rail links, so it is no hardship.
At both airports, arrivals are straightforward: immigration, baggage, customs, then train and bus ticket counters in the arrivals hall. Completing the online Visit Japan Web forms before you fly gives you QR codes that speed up immigration and customs. Travel times and fares below are approximate and may have changed — check before you travel.
From Narita Airport
Narita has three terminals. Terminals 1 and 2 each have a railway station; Terminal 3, used by low-cost airlines, is a walk or shuttle bus from Terminal 2.
| Option | Goes to | Time | Approx. fare | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Narita Express (N’EX), JR | Tokyo Station, Shinagawa, Shibuya, Shinjuku, Yokohama | About 55–90 min | Around ¥3,070–3,250 (discounted return tickets for foreign visitors) | Hotels in Marunouchi, Shibuya, Shinjuku; rail-pass holders |
| Keisei Skyliner | Nippori, Keisei-Ueno | About 36–45 min | Around ¥2,580 | Ueno, Asakusa, Akihabara, Ikebukuro; the fastest way into town |
| Keisei Access Express | Asakusa, Nihombashi, Shimbashi, Shinagawa (through services) | About 60–75 min | Around ¥1,300–1,600 | Asakusa and Ginza on a budget |
| Keisei Main Line | Nippori, Keisei-Ueno | About 75–80 min | Around ¥1,100 | The cheapest train |
| Airport Limousine Bus | Major hotels, Shinjuku, Tokyo Station, Tokyo Disney Resort and more | About 60–120 min | Around ¥2,300–3,600 | Heavy luggage, families, door-to-door comfort |
| Low-cost airport bus | Tokyo Station, Ginza | About 65–90 min | Around ¥1,500 | Budget travellers staying near Tokyo Station |
| Taxi or private transfer | Anywhere | About 60–90 min | Roughly ¥25,000–35,000 by taxi; pre-booked cars vary | Groups, late arrivals |
All N’EX and Skyliner seats are reserved; buy tickets at the counters or machines in the arrivals hall, or in advance online. The last fast trains leave in the late evening — if your flight lands after about 22:00, check the last departures or book a transfer.
From Haneda Airport
Most international flights use Terminal 3; some arrive at Terminal 2. Each terminal has stations on both rail lines.
| Option | Goes to | Time | Approx. fare | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Keikyu Airport Line | Shinagawa; through trains to Shimbashi, Ginza area, Asakusa and Yokohama | About 15 min to Shinagawa | Around ¥330 | Shinagawa, Shibuya and Shinjuku (change to JR), Asakusa, Yokohama |
| Tokyo Monorail | Hamamatsucho (JR Yamanote Line) | About 15–20 min | Around ¥520 | Tokyo Station, Ueno, Akihabara; covered by JR passes |
| Airport Limousine Bus | Major hotels, Shinjuku, Shibuya, Tokyo Station, Odaiba, Tokyo Disney Resort | About 25–60 min | Around ¥1,000–1,400 | Luggage, families, late arrivals |
| Taxi | Anywhere in central Tokyo | About 20–45 min | Roughly ¥6,000–11,000 (flat fares by zone) | Groups, after midnight |
Trains stop around midnight, and a limited number of night buses run after that. For a very late arrival, a taxi from Haneda is affordable in a way that it is not from Narita.
IC cards: Suica, PASMO and Welcome Suica
The single most useful thing you can do on arrival is get an IC card. Suica (issued by JR East) and PASMO (issued by the private railways and subways) work identically: tap in and out at the gates on virtually every train, subway and bus in greater Tokyo — and in most other Japanese cities — and pay in convenience stores, vending machines and coin lockers.
- Welcome Suica is the visitor version: no deposit, valid for 28 days, sold at JR East travel centres and machines at Narita and Haneda. Any unused balance is not refunded, so top up in small amounts towards the end.
- Standard Suica and PASMO cards carry a ¥500 deposit and do not expire quickly. Sales were restricted for a time because of a chip shortage and have been resuming; availability at any given station can vary.
- On your phone: iPhone users can add a Suica or PASMO to Apple Wallet and top up with a foreign card, and JR East offers a Welcome Suica Mobile app for visitors. Most Android phones bought outside Japan cannot be used this way.
Top up with cash at any ticket machine (English menus are standard). Fares by IC card are a few yen different from paper-ticket fares. Children aged 6–11 pay half fare with a child card, issued at staffed counters on showing a passport.
JR, Tokyo Metro, Toei and the private railways
Tokyo’s trains are run by different companies, which matters only because passes are company-specific and you pay a new base fare each time you change company.
- JR East runs the Yamanote Line, the loop that links Tokyo, Ueno, Ikebukuro, Shinjuku, Shibuya and Shinagawa, plus the Chuo Line across the middle, the Keihin-Tohoku, Sobu and Keiyo lines, and the Shinkansen.
- Tokyo Metro (nine lines) and Toei Subway (four lines) fill in the centre. Their lines are colour-coded and stations numbered, e.g. G09 for Ginza on the Ginza Line.
- Private railways radiate outwards: Odakyu to Hakone, Tobu to Nikko, Keio and Fujikyu towards Mount Fuji, Tokyu to Yokohama, Keisei to Narita, Keikyu to Haneda, and the Yurikamome to Odaiba.
With an IC card you can ignore the distinctions and simply follow a route-planner app such as Google Maps, which shows platforms, exits and fares. Typical central journeys cost about ¥150–330.
Passes: which ones are worth it?
Most visitors need no pass at all within Tokyo. The exceptions:
| Pass | Covers | Approx. price | Worth it if… |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tokyo Subway Ticket (24 / 48 / 72 hours) | All Tokyo Metro and Toei subway lines; not JR | Around ¥800 / ¥1,200 / ¥1,500 | you make three or more subway rides a day — it often pays for itself quickly |
| JR Tokyo Wide Pass (3 days) | JR trains around Kanto including the Narita Express, Shinkansen to Utsunomiya for Nikko, and the line to Kawaguchiko | Around ¥15,000 | you plan two or more long day trips within three consecutive days |
| Hakone Freepass (2 / 3 days) | Return travel from Shinjuku on Odakyu and nearly all Hakone transport | Around ¥7,000 for two days | you are doing the Hakone loop |
| Nikko Pass (Tobu) | Return travel from Asakusa and local buses | Varies by area and season | you travel by Tobu and take buses to the lake |
| Japan Rail Pass (7 / 14 / 21 days) | Nearly all JR trains nationwide, including most Shinkansen | Around ¥50,000 for seven days | you are making long round trips beyond the Tokyo region; not for Tokyo alone |
The Tokyo Subway Ticket is sold only to visitors (bring your passport) at the airports, large electronics stores and some hotels, and can be pre-booked online. Prices change — confirm the current ones.
Using the trains: practical tips
- Rush hours are roughly 7:30–9:30 and 17:30–19:30 on weekdays. Avoid them with luggage. Some lines have women-only cars at those times.
- Last trains leave around midnight to 00:30, and services restart about 5:00. There is no all-night service.
- Exits matter. Large stations have dozens; check which one you need before you go through the gate.
- Etiquette: queue at the platform markings, let people off first, keep phones silent, do not talk on calls, and wear backpacks on your front when it is crowded.
- Luggage: coin lockers are in every major station (about ¥400–1,000 a day, payable by IC card) but fill up by mid-morning; staffed left-luggage counters and hotel-to-hotel forwarding are the alternatives.
- Accessibility: nearly all stations have lifts and staff will set out a ramp for wheelchair users on request.
Taxis, buses, bikes and boats
Taxis are clean, safe and metered, with doors that open automatically. Fares start at about ¥500 and rise quickly; a 15-minute cross-town ride costs around ¥2,000–3,000, with a surcharge late at night. Ride-hailing apps such as GO and Uber call licensed taxis. City buses take IC cards and are useful in a few areas, such as between Shibuya and Roppongi. Share bikes are widespread and need an app. Water buses on the Sumida River link Asakusa with Hamarikyu and Odaiba — transport and sightseeing in one.
Onward from Tokyo
The Shinkansen leaves from Tokyo Station (also Shinagawa for the west and Ueno for the north): Kyoto in about 2 hours 15 minutes, Osaka in 2 hours 30 minutes, Kanazawa in 2 hours 30 minutes. For the day trips on this site, each destination guide has its own route table: Mount Fuji, Hakone, Nikko, Kamakura and Yokohama.
Longer trips north of Tokyo: Tochigi, the snow monkeys and Ginzan Onsen
Tochigi beyond Nikko. Nikko is the best-known corner of Tochigi Prefecture, and the same Tobu and JR lines continue to Kinugawa Onsen, Nasu and Ashikaga. Our guide to getting to Tochigi from Tokyo compares the Tobu and JR routes and the regional passes.
The snow monkeys. The Hokuriku Shinkansen from Tokyo or Ueno reaches Nagano in around an hour and a half; from there the Nagaden railway or an express bus continues into Yamanouchi, home of the Jigokudani Snow Monkey Park. The Yamanouchi guide to reaching the snow monkeys covers each step, including the forest walk to the park.
Ginzan Onsen. The Yamagata Shinkansen Tsubasa runs direct from Tokyo to Oishida, the nearest station to this snowy hot-spring village, and a local bus covers the last stretch. It is a long journey that works best with a night in a ryokan — see how to get to Ginzan Onsen from Tokyo for routes and winter tips.
