Transport in Japan: the complete guide

The IC card (Integrated Circuit) is the most useful piece of Japanese transport for a tourist. It is a rechargeable prepaid card that works on:

• All the metro, buses and local trains of Japan\'s major cities.
• Konbini (7-Eleven, FamilyMart, Lawson) and many vending machines.
• JR local lines (but not the Shinkansen with a JR Pass).

The three main IC cards are Suica (Tokyo, JR East), Pasmo (Tokyo, private operators) and ICOCA (Osaka/Kyoto, JR West). They are mutually interoperable — a Suica bought in Tokyo works on the Osaka metro and vice versa. For the details of each, see the Suica and Pasmo guide.

How to get one

After a pause caused by a chip shortage, since March 2025 station machines have resumed selling the anonymous physical cards normally (Suica and Pasmo), so getting one on arrival is no longer a problem. You have several options:

• At station machines on arrival at Narita or Haneda (English interface). The standard Suica/Pasmo has a 500 ¥ refundable deposit plus whatever you load. The Welcome Suica for tourists has no deposit but expires after 28 days and is non-refundable.
• From an iPhone with Apple Pay — Suica can be added directly to Apple Wallet with no physical card and no deposit. One of the most convenient options.
• In the Suica app (Android) if your phone has compatible NFC.

Load between 2,000 and 3,000 ¥ on arrival and top up when it drops below 1,000 ¥. At the metro gates you simply tap the card or phone, without taking it out of your wallet.

The Shinkansen (literally "new main line") is Japan\'s high-speed rail network, with speeds of up to 320 km/h. It is the standard way to travel between cities. The main routes are:

The difference between train types matters above all with the JR Pass: the Nozomi is the fastest and most frequent, but with the basic pass you must pay a supplement to use it (for example, about 4,960 ¥ between Tokyo and Kyoto or Osaka). The Hikari takes just 15–25 minutes longer, is included at no extra cost and is perfectly sufficient for most tourist routes. The Kodama stops at every station and is the slowest. Prices are approximate and may rise 200–400 ¥ in high season (New Year, Golden Week, Obon).

Seat reservations

Almost all Shinkansen have reserved-seat cars and non-reserved cars (no reservation, first come first served). With a JR Pass you can make free seat reservations at JR ticket offices, at the machines or on the official website. In high season (sakura, Golden Week, Obon, November) always reserve, because the non-reserved cars fill up. Note that on some lines, such as the Nozomi and the Mizuho, all seats are reserved for much of the year.

The JR Pass is an unlimited rail pass exclusive to foreign tourists. There are 7-, 14- and 21-day versions, at 50,000, 80,000 and 100,000 ¥ in ordinary class. It covers almost all JR trains: the Shinkansen (with the Nozomi and Mizuho only on payment of a supplement), JR local trains, the Narita Express and the Haruka from Kansai airport.

Since the October 2023 increase it no longer pays off on as many itineraries as before, and from 1 October 2026 it becomes more expensive again at agencies and overseas sales points. As a quick rule:

• 10 days Tokyo–Kyoto–Osaka: the 7-day JR Pass (50,000 ¥, ~270 €) usually does not pay off if you only do that triangle. A Tokyo–Kyoto round trip is around ~28,000 ¥ (~155 €); adding day-to-day local trains, buying individual tickets works out cheaper.
• 14 days with Hiroshima or Kanazawa: the 14-day JR Pass (80,000 ¥, ~435 €) starts to pay off if you chain Tokyo, Kansai and Hiroshima or the north. Calculate your specific route.
• 21 days touring the whole country: the 21-day JR Pass (100,000 ¥, ~545 €) clearly pays off only with a very long route reaching, for example, Fukuoka, Hokkaido or the Tohoku.

Before deciding, the most reliable thing is to compare your exact route with the JR Pass calculator; it is often best to combine individual tickets with a regional pass (see below).

Since the nationwide JR Pass went up in price, for many itineraries it works out cheaper to combine individual tickets with a regional pass. These are cheaper than the nationwide pass, valid only within a specific zone and for a few days. They make sense if your trip is concentrated in one region rather than crossing the whole country.

• JR East (Tohoku / Nagano-Niigata): ideal if you combine Tokyo with the north (Sendai, Aomori) or the Alps. It covers the Shinkansen of those lines for several days.
• JR West — Kansai Area Pass: for getting around Osaka, Kyoto, Nara, Kobe and Kansai airport (Haruka). Very useful if your base is Kyoto or Osaka.
• JR West — Kansai-Hiroshima: extends the previous one to Hiroshima and Miyajima, covering the area\'s Sanyo Shinkansen.
• JR Hokkaido / JR Kyushu: specific passes for those islands, useful if you concentrate the trip on one of them.

Apart from the JR passes, there is the Hakone Free Pass, which is not a train pass as such but a pass covering the entire Hakone transport loop (mountain train, funicular, cable car, pirate boat on Lake Ashi and buses) for 2 or 3 days. If you visit Hakone, it almost always pays off compared with paying for each leg separately.

The prices of these passes change frequently, so confirm them on the official JR website before buying. To decide between the nationwide pass, a regional one or individual tickets, the most reliable thing is to calculate your specific route with the JR Pass calculator.

The Tokyo metro has 13 lines run by two companies: Tokyo Metro (9 lines) and Toei (4 lines). In addition, the JR Yamanote line loops around all the main neighbourhoods. For a tourist they are practically indistinguishable — the IC card works on all of them.

The system seems complex at first, but Google Maps gives you the full journey with line, platform and waiting time. You just have to follow the instructions. Some tips:

• Rush hour (7:30–9:00 and 18:00–20:00): the trains are packed. If you can, avoid moving large luggage at these times.
• Individual tickets are calculated by distance. With the IC card you automatically pay the correct fare on exit through the gate, with no calculations.
• Always to the back of the car and no phone calls: those are the two most important unwritten rules.
• Signage in English on all platforms, gates and inside the cars.

Yamanote line: the Tokyo loop

The Yamanote line (JR, covered by the JR Pass) connects all of Tokyo\'s main stations in a loop: Shinjuku, Shibuya, Harajuku, Ebisu, Meguro, Osaki, Shinagawa, Tokyo Station, Akihabara, Ueno, Nippori, Ikebukuro. For many trips within the city it is the most efficient option. We cover it step by step in the guide on how to get around Tokyo.

For travellers on a tight budget, night buses between cities are the alternative to the Shinkansen. The Tokyo–Osaka night bus costs between 3,000 and 6,000 ¥ (16–33 €), compared with the ~14,000 ¥ of the Shinkansen. The downside is time: the bus takes about 8–9 hours and the quality of sleep varies by operator and seat type.

The main operators are Willer Express and JR Bus. The buses with 3 or 4 seat rows and wide dividers ("relax seat" or "premium") justify the extra cost. Book online before the trip — it is cheaper and the seats fill up.

This option is especially useful for Tokyo–Osaka, Tokyo–Kyoto, Osaka–Fukuoka or Tokyo–Hiroshima trips if you have time and want to save on both accommodation and transport at once.

Domestic flights

For very long distances or to reach the islands, the plane beats the train. The flag carriers are ANA and JAL, alongside the low-cost airlines Peach, Jetstar Japan and ZIPAIR. A Tokyo–Sapporo (Hokkaido) or Tokyo–Okinawa is much faster by plane than by train, and booking weeks ahead the low-cost airlines offer fares that can drop below 30–60 € per leg. Both ANA and JAL have domestic flight passes for foreign tourists (ANA Experience Japan Fare, JAL Explorer Pass) with very competitive flat fares on long routes. For Hokkaido, Okinawa or southern Kyushu, always compare flying versus the Shinkansen.

Ferries

Japan is an archipelago, so ferries cover routes the train cannot reach: between islands of the Seto Inland Sea, towards Hokkaido, the Okinawa islands or small destinations. Most tourists only use short, very specific ferries, such as the JR ferry to Miyajima (included in the JR Pass) off Hiroshima, or the boats of the Hakone loop on Lake Ashi. For long crossings between islands there are overnight ferries with cabins, a cheap but slow alternative.

Taxis

Taxis in Japan are safe, clean and honest (they do not inflate the price), but expensive for continuous use. The flag fall is around 500–700 ¥ and each kilometre adds about 100–150 ¥, so a 10 km urban trip can easily cost 30–40 €. They make sense for heavy luggage, destinations with no metro at night, or when there are four of you and the fare is split. The GO app lets you order a taxi in almost the whole country with an English interface and card payment.