TOKYO UNDERGROUND
Tokyo Underground:
The Tokyo underground railway is extensive and integrates with the
metropolitan railway and bullet train service. The Tokyo underground is very
clean and well patronised.
Railway service
within Tokyo is provided by JR, the two subway networks, and various
private lines.
If you are planning to do any train travel in Tokyo, the first thing
you should do is familiarize yourself with the JR Yamanote Line (山手線).
The Yamanote is a commuter line that runs in a loop around central
Tokyo, and effectively defines the geography of the city. Almost all
inter-regional JR lines and private lines start at a station on the
Yamanote. All of JR's commuter lines are color-coded, and the Yamanote
is green.
The JR Chuo (orange) and Sobu (yellow) lines run side-by-side,
bisecting the Yamanote loop from Shinjuku on the west to Tokyo on the
east. As they are mainly designed to carry commuters from the suburbs
into and across town, they are not very useful for travellers. JR's
other commuter lines, the Saikyo and Keihin-Tohoku, run off the rim of
the Yamanote loop to the north and south.
Tokyo has an extensive subway network. It is inexpensive (¥160-¥300),
frequent, and sometimes practically the only choice for a place like
Roppongi (far from nearby JR station). Two companies operate a subway
service - the Tokyo Metro, which has a larger network, and Toei, which
runs primarily commuter lines. Unfortunately a change of lines between
Metro and Toei will require a special transfer ticket (or a fare
card).
A number of private commuter lines radiate from the Yamanote loop far
out into the outlying wards and suburbs, and almost all connect
through to subway lines within the loop. The private lines are useful
for day trips outside the city, and are slightly cheaper than the JR.
Fares and hours
All train stations are equipped with automated vending machines.
Fares are based on distance, and the minimum fare (1-3 stations)
ranges from ¥110-¥170 depending on the line. If you can't figure out
how much it is to the destination, you can buy the cheapest ticket and
pay the difference at the end. Most vending machines will let you buy
a single ticket that covers a transfer between JR, subway and private
lines, all the way to your destination.
Prepaid fare cards are extremely convenient, allowing you to slip in
and slip out without having to know how much the fare is. Passnet
cards can be used on all the subways and private lines in Tokyo. JR
has its own fare card system, called IO-Card. Both are sold in
denominations of ¥1,000, ¥3,000, and ¥5,000. JR also has a
rechargeable contact-less smart card called Suica. As it requires a
¥500 deposit and is designed to be combined with a commuter pass, it
is not especially advantageous for travellers.
Many of the private lines interoperate with the subways, which can
occasionally make a single ride seem unreasonably expensive as you are
in essence transferring to another line and fare system, even though
you're still on the same train. It pays to check your route
beforehand.
All train lines in Tokyo run from around 05:00 to 01:00. During peak
hours they run about once every three minutes; even during off-peak
hours it's less than ten minutes between trains.
Enlarge Image -
Tokyo Underground Train
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(Article
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Wikitravel article and may be copied freely) |
