Ultimate Lifehack Guide to Riding Trains in Japan

There are two ways to pay for your train fare, the first is to buy a paper ticket at the automated ticketing machines, and the second is to use a transportation IC card. Paper ticket fares might also cost more than IC card fares depending on the operator. We would recommend getting an IC card for your time in Japan, which only requires a refundable ¥500 deposit and has an expiry date of 10 years. While you might notice differently branded cards for different operators, the system has been unified since the 2010s and cards now are virtually interoperable with almost every other card system (with the occasional exceptions).

For a paper ticket, you would go up to the ticketing machine and look at the rail map above. Find out the fare cost to get to the station that you require, then on the machine, you will first insert your cash, select the ticket fare you would like to pay, and then the machine would refund you your change afterwards. Newer machines might also allow you to just pick your destination, rather than choosing by fare amount. Then as you enter the gantry, look for those that allow ticket usage (gantries that do not indicate “IC Card only”), insert it through the front, and pick it up towards the back of the gantry. Keep the ticket safe, and repeat the process when you exit the gantry at your destination station. The system will keep the ticket upon exiting.

For an IC card, you can top up (or “Charge” in Japanese terms) the value in the card at any ticketing machine. Just go to the machine, insert or place your card, and insert cash to top it up. To use it, just tap it on the IC card reader at the gantry when you enter, and tap it again when you exit, and that’s it!

IC Cards can also be used for payment at some stores, and you can also get a digital IC Card on your iPhone. For more info, check out the Lifehack Guide to Cashless Payments in Japan.

Often times, Google Maps gives you a route without much consideration on which operator runs which line, instead giving you the route with the fastest timing. However, Japan’s system of public and private operators means that each train company collects their own fare system, and transferring across multiple train operators might prove costly.

Nationally, there is the large Japan Railways Group (or JR Group) that runs train lines across the entire country from Kyushu all the way up to Hokkaido in the north. They are also the company that runs the Shinkansen service, and the company that offers most of the regional rail passes available around Japan.

Each city then typically has its own subway operator, such as Tokyo Metro, Osaka Metro, Sendai Subway, Fukuoka City Subway etc. In addition to these subway operators, large cities might also have additional private operators such as Seibu, Tobu and Tokyu in Tokyo, or Hankyu, Hanshin, Kintetsu in the Kansai Region. The term private operators are typically used to apply to companies with no relation to the Japanese government.

Using multiple operators on a single journey means that you will have to pay each of these operators their fare individually, whereas if you transfer within the lines of a single operator, you would only need to pay a single fare.

One unique thing about Japan’s train systems is that oftentimes, lines are interconnected even between operators. Despite the fare collection being separate, they are connected for the convenience of commuters. For example, one could ride the train from Kawagoe in Saitama Prefecture on the Tobu Line, through Tokyo on the Fukutoshin Line, and all the way down to Yokohama in Kanagawa Prefecture on the Toyoko Line, all on a single train. Although it might be a single train ride, you would still be paying Tobu, Tokyo Metro, and Toyoko their fares individually, despite only tapping in and out once on the train.

A single-line can also run a through-service to multiple other lines, and so the train would split on the route after a certain point. It is thus always important to check the destination of your train, and not assume that all trains at the platform will take you to where you need to go.

Train lines in Japan can span a very long distance as they connect cities, and many stations are required to serve as many local communities along the line as possible. However, more stations means more stopping, leading to longer travel times on the train. To solve this, different types of trains will stop at fewer stations in order to get to the destination faster.

Most city subways typically serve every station, and the inter-city lines are the ones that typically have train types.

Here are some of the common types: (From slowest to fasters)

For example, traveling from Shibuya Station in Tokyo to Yokohama Station on the Toyoko Line, a Local train would take you 41 minutes with 20 stops, while a Limited Express would take you 25 minutes with 5 stops. That’s almost half the amount of time on the same line.

That being said, if you need to go to a station that’s only served by the local line, and you ride the express train, you will overshoot your stop.

Train types are usually indicated on the platform displays and on the train carriages themselves. Additionally, given Japanese trains’ adherence to their timetables, you can easily check what type of train departs at what time on a Japanese train routing app (see below).

Taking an Express train typically does not cost any more than a local train, however for many operators, Limited Express trains are a premium service with an additional fare cost. Almost all JR Limited Express trains require an additional fare. You can typically purchase this additional fare using a Limited Express Ticket machine on the platform, where you’ll buy an additional ticket that allows you to ride on the Limited Express train.

In addition, many Limited Express trains feature Reserved (指定席 shitei-seki) seating carriages and Non-Reserved (自由席 jiyū-seki) seating carriages. Reserved seats will typically incur yet another additional cost, but you will have a guaranteed seat on the train, while Non-reserved seats don’t carry an extra cost.

Train conductors will typically check tickets on these trains, verifying your Limited Express ticket and your Reserved seat ticket, and you can also buy your Limited Express tickets directly from these conductors on some trains. If you attempt to take a train that is not covered by your ticket or rail pass, you will be made to return to your departing station.

The Shinkansen is an intra-city bullet train system that runs from Kagoshima in Kyushu, all the way up to Hakodate in Hokkaido, with multiple branch lines going to different parts of Japan. The Shinkansen is similar to a Limited Express train, requiring a separate fare for riding it. It also features the aforementioned Reserved and Non-Reserved seating system.

The Shinkansen also has its own version of train types where some services stop at more stations than others. However, these services are usually named, and the hierarchy of fastest to slowest is not immediately apparent.

For example on the Sanyo Shinkansen, the services are ranked: (Fastest to Slowest)

Additionally, Shinkansen boarding areas are separated by gantries from that of the normal station, so you can’t just pop over to a Shinkansen platform to take a photo.

Of course, Google Maps does the job if you need to get from Point A to Point B, but it might not give you the flexibility that you need if you want to make more informed decisions about your route. Apple Maps is also a good alternative to Google Maps in Japan as it has detailed transport information, along with the correct train icons and station exit names that make it easy to follow and understand.

However, we would recommend Japanese transport apps as they offer more information and flexibility when it comes to picking your routes. In terms of multilingual support, we would recommend Norikae Annai by Jorudan. You can key in which station you are departing from and which station you want to go to, and then from the routes offered you can choose by speed, fare, and least number of transfers. You can also use it to check for first and last train timings, or plan in advance the train timings that you need to catch.

Before we end, we’ll also cover some of the neat tricks you can use to make your train riding journey an easier one.

First off, almost all platforms in Japan are numbered, so if your transportation app tells you which platform number you need to take the train from, you can just head straight to the platform.

When transferring trains in the city, or even inter-city, transportation apps typically tell you which carriage is best to stand at in order to make the transfer. For example, if your train is 8 carriages long, you’re standing at the front most carriage, but the transfer passage is the the back most carriage, walking the length of the train would take you 3 minutes that might cause you to miss your transfer. So you can check in advance which carriage to position yourself as you wait to board the train.

Most stations have numbered or named exits like Exit A1 or East Exit, so use this to navigate your way out of the station. Some exits can be located quite far from each other, so it’s best to check which exit you want to leave by before exiting the gantry. Most stations will have a station surroundings map at the platform with the exit numbers listed. Additionally, Google or Apple Maps will also sometimes provide the nearest exit to your destination if the information is available.

Lastly, if you are in a rush for time and making tight transfers, or looking for a coin locker to place your stuff, then you might want to take a look at the station map before hand. Almost every major train company uploads their station map online, so a quick search would help. Many of these might be in Japanese, so search up your station name in Japanese with the term 構内図 (Kounaizu) at the back to find what you need. There are also Japanese sites like Ekitan that compile this information across providers.

Hope that this guide proves helpful for your visit to Japan!