How to get around Japan
Public transportation is excellent in Japan, especially the trains. With the help of a smartphone and a cellular connection, it’s possible to travel anywhere in Japan, even the most remote locations. Here are some tips and tricks I’ve learned over the years to navigating Japan.
1. Buy a Suica card if you’re in Tokyo.
Suica cards are contactless IC cards that work with trains, metros, and buses in Tokyo. You can buy them at Narita or Haneda Airport as well as at any JR East machines in train stations. If you have an iPhone or Apple Watch, you can digitally transfer your Suica into the Wallet app. You can then use your device as your Suica card and tap it against the terminal to pay. You can even add money to the Suica right from the Wallet app without having to go to a physical machine.
2. Get a JR Pass if you plan to visit multiple cities.
JR stands for Japan Rail and they are largest company that operate most trains in Japan. A JR Pass is something that can only be bought by foreign tourists. For a flat fee, you can ride unlimited trains operated by JR within a time frame. Typically, you choose a 7, 14, or 21 day pass. If you plan to visit more than two cities such as Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka, getting a JR Pass will likely be cheaper than buying the tickets individually.
Many companies online sell JR Passes so you can shop around and compare prices. I’ve had great experiences buying them from www.japan-rail-pass.com.
You will have the option to buy ordinary passes or upgrade to Green pass. Green cars are equivalent to business class for trains. The seats are more comfortable especially on the Shinkansen. If you are buying a JR Pass, you are likely going to spend many hours riding the trains. I recommend upgrading to Green as the price difference isn’t that much and the added comfort is well worth it.
3. You don’t have to activate your JR Pass right when you pick it up.
When you receive your JR Pass in the mail, you have will have to activate it when you arrive in Japan. You can do so at any airport by visiting the JR office. There, you will be able to pick which days you want your JR Pass to be valid. The start date does not have to be the day you visit the office. Therefore, if you are staying in Japan for 10 days but only bought the 7 day JR Pass, activate it when you plan to start traveling long distances.
4. Use the Shinkansen to travel long distances.
The Shinkansen is Japan’s bullet train and is a very convenient way to travel around the country. If you bought a JR Pass, it includes access to the Shinkansen. The benefit to taking the Shinkansen over flying in a plane is that there are no security checks when taking the train and your luggage stays with you. The overhead to getting on and off the train is significantly less than flying. You also have more flexibility with scheduling as the trains run more frequently and you don’t have to commit to a time far in advance as you would when buying a plane ticket.
5. Plan train schedules with HyperDia.
HyperDia is a website that helps you figure out how to get from Point A to B via train:
Type in the station names in the “From” and “To” fields.
Fill in the date and time information accordingly.
Click “More options”
Deselect everything except for Bullet Train (Shinkansen), Limited Express, Express, Local Train, and Japan Railway(JR). If you have a JR Pass, the Nozomi and Mizuho Shinkansen are not included so make sure that it is deselected as well.
Click “Search”
The search results will show multiple options with different travel times and costs. Again, if you have a JR Pass, the cost is irrelevant. If you are deciding whether a JR Pass is worth buying, this site is great for calculating an estimate if you were to pay out-of-pocket.
6. Reserve your seat on the train.
I recommend reserving a seat whenever you plan to take the train. It’s free and you can do so at any JR station. You can reserve day-of as well as future dates. If your trip has multiple legs, you are able to reserve seats for each leg all at once.
Many train cars are reservation-only. If you do not have a reservation, you have to sit in the no-reservation car which may be full or not have free seats next to each other, forcing you to separate from your travel partner. One time, I stood for two hours with my luggage as I didn’t have a reservation and every seat was taken in the no-reservation car! Don’t be like me and learn from my mistake. Make a reservation if possible.
7. Arrive early for trains.
Trains in Japan are extremely on-time. They are so punctual that in a rare occurrence when a train departed 20 seconds early from a station, the rail company issued a public apology on national TV.
Important to note, the times listed for trains are for when they depart, not for when they arrive. Trains such as Shinkansen will often arrive five minutes or more before departure time. Trains will not wait for passengers so try to arrive at the station at least 20 minutes before the train departs so that you can figure out the correct platform for where the train will be.
8. Take the bus for areas that trains don’t reach.
Some areas in cities don’t have metro coverage and buses are great options to get to those areas. Google Maps is usually pretty trustworthy for bus information.
If you are in more rural areas such as trying to get to hot springs, the train station will typically be quite a drive from the ryokans. Taxi is usually an option but is pricey. There will usually be a bus that can take you to where you need to go. Keep in mind that Google Maps will not always have accurate bus information in rural areas. You may need to contact your hotel for bus information, ask the train station for help, or do a quick Google search yourself.
9. Get discounted plane tickets for domestic travel.
Similar to how foreigners can buy a JR Pass, Japanese airlines offer discounted rates on domestic flights for foreign visitors. Flights are typically around 10,000 yen per flight on ANA or JAL. This is a great option for longer routes such as Tokyo to Kyushu or to Hokkaido. Taking the train, even the Shinkansen, would be a day’s journey while the flight would be less than 2 hours. You can find more information regarding the special fares here.