Job Discussion Forums

illflip · Joined: 29 Aug 2005 Posts: 16

This might sound stupid but I was wondering what the cheapest way to get around Tokyo and most efficient. Do they have monthly subway passes like we have here in North America? If so, how much are they? If anyone could give general information on how the subway system in Tokyo works that would be great.

azarashi sushi · Joined: 23 Jan 2003 Posts: 562 Location: Shinjuku

Hi Illflip ...

This might sound like a stupid answer, but the cheapest way to get around Tokyo is on foot or by bicycle. Ideally it's best to live in an area where you like to spend a lot of your time and you can walk or cycle from place to place. Most employers pay transportation costs to and from your place of work.

You can get monthly (or even six monthly) pass ... I've never looked into it that closely, but people generally get a pass from Point A to Point B along a certain route. If you ride that route 5 days a week you will save a bit of money by getting the pass.

JR has a SUICA card which is much like a debit card... You "deposit" a certain amount on your card and simply swipe the ticket gate as you exit. The amount of the fare is automatically deducted.

freddie's friend daniel · Joined: 17 Apr 2005 Posts: 84 Location: Osaka-fu

There are also day passes that allow unlimited travel on the subway lines. I thought that there were also passes that allowed unlimited travel on both the subway and the metropolitan JR lines but I was unable to buy one a few weeks ago in Tokyo. The guy at the station said they weren't on sale for some reason. I bought a day-pass for 2000 yen but you really have to be zipping about to get your money's worth out of it.

king kakipi · Joined: 16 Feb 2004 Posts: 353 Location: Australia

and don't forget to press the multiple trip ticket on the JR machine if you make the same journey frequently. You get 11 tickets for the price of 10.

king kakipi · Joined: 16 Feb 2004 Posts: 353 Location: Australia

....and if you can use one of the private, non-JR company trains, it is also substantially cheaper.

pnksweater · Joined: 24 Mar 2005 Posts: 173 Location: Tokyo, Japan

In short, there are ways to make riding the trains/subway more convenient and ways to save a little bit of cash.

Multiple trip tickets (book of 11 for the price of 10 for a set route) are one way. Getting a monthly pass is another... if you use it more than twice a day, five days a week, for four weeks.

Passnet, Suica, and day passes make traveling easier (given that the lines you're taking are included in the pass), but will not save you any money.

Subways use a paper ticket just like the trains in Tokyo. Cost is based on distance as well. In fact, aside from the differences in price scales and the under ground thing, there's not much noticable difference between Tokyo's train system and subway system.

TokyoLiz · Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Posts: 1548 Location: Tokyo, Japan

I used to travel a long distance into Tokyo on a Saturday, and I used the JR Holiday Pass. Check out this link at JR East

http://www.jreast.co.jp/e/pass/holiday_pass.html

Also, Metropolis Magazine has this informative article about tickets

http://metropolis.japantoday.com/moneytalks/321/moneytalksinc.htm

Cshannon · Joined: 10 Dec 2004 Posts: 114

Here`s my two bits: if you`re going to be in Tokyo long-term (working or whatever), and living reasonably close to your workplace, I`d seriously recommend getting a scooter/motorcycle. I don`t see many foreigners driving them and I don`t fully understand why not.
It`s by far the best and cheapest (except walking/cycling) way to go IMO. It`s easy to do. I pay around 600 yen a week for fuel and drive around everywhere. It cuts my commute time literally in half (no time wasted walking to/from the station and waiting etc.) and it beats getting on a jam-packed train first thing in the morning.
Possible downsides could include 1)driving outside if it`s raining (for this I just use a 100 yen style rain coat and it keeps my suits and I perfectly dry) 2) getting caught in traffic jams when you`re in a hurry (though this only really effects cars - scooters usually just bypass all the traffic, slipping through the cracks as it were). As for a license, I just have a Canadian plus an international one. I think for bigger bikes you may need a Japanese license, but I`m not sure exactly.
Finding free parking is almost never a problem, even in strict no-parking zones you`re unlikely to ever get a ticket unless you park for a long time (just too many illegally parked bikes and scooters, too few parking tickets I guess), and I usually just use the smaller side streets to park anyway.
I used to use the train for a few months when I first got here. Switching to a scooter changed my life for the better. Not only is it really cheap and convenient but you`ll get to know the city way better than if you`re underground in the metro all the time. I honestly don`t understand why anyone would want to take the train unless they really had to...
Used scooters can usually be bought for under 100,000 yen (try Yahoo auctions) depending on how old/big. If you get a big one you can even use it to go on far trips by highway (like to Osaka or Kyoto etc.) too. It`s a very good investment IMO.
So that`s my suggestion. But if you`re only in town for a few weeks or something, don`t bother...

BTW, I`m living/working inside the Yamanote line in a very urban setting, so I`m not sure how well all my points would hold up if you were in, say, Saitama or rural Kanagawa etc. with a very far commute

Jon Taylor · Joined: 09 Mar 2005 Posts: 238 Location: Tokyo

Regarding the above scooter post I have a question or two.....

- What size cc of scooter can one drive on a standard driving licence in Japan (this differs from country to country and many allow up to a 125cc) I do not have a specific motorbike licence

- Once you have bought the scooter, how many more costs aside from the obvious gas are required (eg....insurance, registation etc)

I agree with what you said Cshannon and am seriously considering the purhcase of a scooter.

The Dog Ate My Keitai · Joined: 24 Aug 2005 Posts: 67 Location: Japan

I think this was asked a while back.... (about scooters). Try these threads:

http://www.eslcafe.com/forums/job/viewtopic.php?t=13157&highlight=scooter

http://www.eslcafe.com/forums/job/viewtopic.php?t=5951&highlight=scooter

Hope that helps. I found them with the "Search" function and used "scooter" as a keyword and limited my search to the Japan forum.

Cshannon · Joined: 10 Dec 2004 Posts: 114

prufrock · Joined: 05 Oct 2005 Posts: 12

In South Korea, the smaller/est scooters require no license at all. Not in Japan, eh? How about riding on sidewalks?! Thanks for any help.