The most popular form of transport in major urban areas in Japan is trains. Japan’s trains are famously efficient and reliable, though they can also be extremely crowded. Japan Rail (JR) was privatized in 1987 and split up into seven companies that each cover a different region of Japan. The JR companies operate the Shinkansen (bullet train) and most other long-distance trains, and some urban and suburban lines. Especially in urban areas, there are numerous railway lines run by private companies and local governments. Tokyo has two separate networks of underground train lines, the Tokyo Metro and the Toei Subway. These subway lines are color-coded, and the stations are numbered.

Train Categories (in general)

Finding times and ticket prices

See the section on train route planners. Most train companies have websites in English, and major stations have information counters with staff who speak English and other languages. The JR East InfoLine (050-2016-1603) can give information in English, Chinese, and Korean, and is open 10 am–6 pm.

Buying a ticket

Tickets are nearly always one-way. Pre-school children travel free with an adult, and elementary-school students (age 6–12) travel for half price. To buy a ticket, first look at the map or table above the vending machines to find the fare to your destination, and then buy your ticket from one of the machines. These all take 10 yen, 50 yen, 100 yen, and 500 yen coins, and 1000 yen notes, and some also take 5000 yen and 10,000 yen notes. To cancel your transaction, press the red button. If you are not sure of the fare, you can just buy the cheapest ticket, and then pay the balance at one of the fare-adjustment machines just before the ticket-gate at your destination.

A single station often contains completely separate sections, with separate ticket-gates for different companies’ trains. But in some stations, the same ticket-gate is used by more than one company. For example, Wako-shi station is on the Tobu Tojo line, the Tokyo Metro’s Yurakucho line and the Tokyo Metro's Fukutoshin line, and some trains change from one to the other at this particular station. Make sure you buy your ticket from the correct vending machine.

Riding the train

Most commuter trains have “priority seats” that are specially reserved for disabled people and others who need to sit down, such as pregnant women, the elderly and people with physical disabilities. The train operators ask passengers to switch off their mobile phones if they are near these seats, because the radio waves interfere with pacemakers.

In Japan, you have to keep your ticket until you exit the ticket-gate at your destination.

Charge-cards

These do not save you any money, but they save you from having to buy a new ticket every time. They can all be bought from ticket counters or ticket-vending machines. If you do not have enough money left on a card to cover the fare, insert it into the fare-adjustment machine at your destination and pay the difference before exiting the ticket gates. In the Tokyo area, PASMO and Suica cards work on all subway, private, and local JR trains, and some buses. You just pass the card over the indicated area on the ticket-gate—there is no need to take it out of your wallet. The cards require a 500 yen deposit and can be charged up to 20,000 yen. You can set your PASMO up so that when the balance gets below 2000 yen, it is automatically charged from your credit card (though this can only be done with certain credit cards). Icoca is the equivalent of Suica in the Kansai area, and both these cards can be used in both areas. Some cell phones can also be set up to be used as charge cards. Check with your cell phone provider.

Cheaper tickets

Teikiken (commuter pass)

If you commute to work by train it will probably be cheaper to buy a commuter pass (teikiken) for the journey between your two stations. These can be purchased for one, three, or six months, and can be used any number of times a day, and on non-working days. Schoolchildren can get discounted commuter passes, but not if they are at international schools or other non-registered schools. Also available are commuter-pass versions of Pasmo and Suica cards.

Kaisūken

If you often travel between the same two stations, you can save money by buying a kaisūken for this journey. Kaisūken are carnets, sometimes called “multiple-trip tickets” though this is misleading. Most transportation companies offer some type of kaisūken. As an example, the basic type of Tokyo Metro kaisūken is 11 tickets for the price of 10. The off-peak kaisūken is 12 tickets for the price of 10 and the weekends and holidays kaisūken is 14 tickets for the price of 10. On some railways, you can get off at intermediate stations, but on others, you can only use the two stations specified on the tickets. Kaisūken are available from some ticket machines and ticket offices, and expire after three months.

One-day passes

One-day passes are available in some areas. Two examples are the Tokyo Metro’s one-day open ticket (710 yen for adults, 360 yen for children), and the Tokyo Tour Ticket (1580 yen for adults, 790 yen for children), which gives unlimited travel on JR and both subway networks.

Japan Rail Pass

The Japan Rail Pass is an excellent bargain, and gives unlimited travel on all JR trains, including most Shinkansen. Some regional JR companies also issue similar passes. The JR passes are only available to foreign tourists who have “temporary visitor” stamps in their passports. However, they may be useful for people who come to visit you in Japan.

See http://www.japanrailpass.net/.

Seishun Jūhachi Kippu

One of the most well-known and popular discount tickets is the Seishun Jūhachi Kippu. This gives five days of unlimited travel on JR trains for a mere 11,500 yen. The catches are that it is only available during three periods each year, around the school holidays, and that you cannot use express or Shinkansen trains.

Shinkansen and other special trains

For the Shinkansen (bullet train), Narita Express, overnight trains, and some other special-quality trains, you have to pay the basic fare, which covers the geographical distance between the two points, plus a supplement to account for the superior quality of the train. If you made the same journey on normal trains, you would only pay the basic fare. Reservations for the Shinkansen and other long-distance JR trains can be made up to a month in advance at the JR ticket reservation office (Midori no madoguchi) in any major station, or at http://www.eki-net.com/ (in Japanese). Some Shinkansens still have some smoking cars, though they seem to be being phased out. Shinkansen tickets include any extra travel on JR within the two cities at each end of the journey. For example, if you buy a Shinkansen ticket from Tokyo to Kyoto, then you can travel from Ikebukuro to Tokyo, then on the Shinkansen to Kyoto, and then from Kyoto station to Uzumasa, without paying any extra. Many Shinkansens do not stop at every station, so make sure that the train is going to stop at your destination. For more information, see the JR East website.