We lived in London for many years so we were used to travelling around on an underground system.
If you have never lived in a sprawling metropolis you may find the Tokyo Metro slightly terrifying but it really isn’t that bad if you get yourself a map and plan where you are going before rocking up to a Metro station.
We found it to be an absolute pleasure to travel around Tokyo. The train carriages were very quiet, no one was brushing past you, commuters queued up to get on the trains and generally, it all seemed to be well organised and calm. I appreciate we weren’t travelling during rush hour when I know travellers do get physically pushed into trains by people pushers in a practice known as ‘train stuffing’ 🙂
This poster totally sums up Japanese society; polite and well mannered.
Here’s a typical ticketing area on the Tokyo Metro. There’s a combination of manned booths and self-service machines.
Like most underground transport systems around the world, the lines are colour coded.
Yes I know it looks scary but it’s easy to get around once you get used to it.
The Metro ticket machines look daunting but instructions for buying tickets are available in English.
This is what the tickets look like.
If you are planning on travelling a lot on the Metro within a 24 hour period buy a 24-hour ticket as it is much better value and just much more convenient.
You can also buy a 72-hour ticket for the Metro & Subway. It’s well worth it if you are planning on travelling a lot which I’m sure you will be.
These Route Finders are also incredibly helpful.
You will get lost, it’s just a given so these gadgets allow you to input your intended destination and allow you to take a print out away with you so you can successfully get to where you need to be.
Print out from the Route Finder.
Spotlessly clean Metro stations and platforms.
I’ve travelled on Metros and Underground systems all over the world and I have to say this is the best by far. Once you get the lay of the land and you get used to buying the tickets you need it really isn’t hard getting around Tokyo.
As I said, plan your journey beforehand and buy 24-hour tickets when you can to save money.