Last year I visited Hong Kong and was able to purchase a transportation pass good on just about any mode of transportation (except taxis of course) in the area. When the value of the card had been used I was able to simply add more at select stations.

We will be arriving in Tokyo on December 24th for a week. Does the Tokyo transportation system have something similar that can be purchased at the airport or other locations in the city?

My other question is regarding the bullit trains. We would like to take a day trip to another city via one of these trains. I would welcome any suggestions and information regarding destinations and the cost etc. would be greatly appreciated.

Answers to these questions are in the Sticky (at the top of this forum).
Searching this forum will also bring up many related threads.

Hint: Bullet (http://cgi.ebay.com/STEVE-MCQUEEN-BULLITT-1968-JAPAN-POSTER-Original_W0QQitemZ180190045566QQihZ008QQcategoryZ6 0332QQcmdZViewItem#ebayphotohosting) trains are called "Shinkansen"

My other question is regarding the bullit trains.

Paging Steve McQueen....

Do a search under "Suica". This is the stored value transit card for the Tokyo/Yokohama area and can be used on all JREast and subways/private RRs, and I believe city transit buses. It's like the Octopus card you refer to. (Or is it Oyster in Hong Kong, Octopus in London?) Depending upon where you want to go in Tokyo, however, you may find a special 1-, 2- or 3-day subway pass/card offers more value as the Suica deducts the fare amount based on the distance traveled at normal fare rates. The day cards are sold at a fixed discount rate and if you're doing a lot of riding in a day, can be a better value. But note there are different cards for the subways and JR lines, and most cannot be used on the other system. Suica is a simpler card and works on all public mass transit systems.

Also check out the N'EX/Suica combo which gives you a ride into Tokyo or Yokohama (and connecting JR lines if needed) on the Narita Express, plus Y2,000 credit on a Suica card (which can be reloaded in Y1,000 increments at any subway or JR station), for the same price as a one-way Narita Express ride (Y3,500). It can only be purchased at the JREast ticket office in the lower level of either NRT terminal.

There is no such deal on the return, so if you are looking for a cheaper way back to NRT from Tokyo, there is the Kesei Skyliner which is best caught at Nippori station (connects to JR city lines) and costs just Y1,900, Y600 cheaper than the N'EX. There are also ordinary Kesei and JR "Limited Express" trains that are just like standard subway cars to NRT, but stop at more local stations enroute, and take about 20-minutes longer. The savings can be as much as Y1,000 or the non-stop special trains.

As indicated above, you can purchase a Suica stored value passcard at JR rail stations that is good on trains and subways. If you are in a subway station, you can purchase the PASMO card that is also good on subways and trains. The value is debitted each time you pass through a gate and can be "recharged" with more value when it is depleted. Most tourist maps and guidebooks include a subway/rail map of Tokyo.

As for shinkansen trips, the "standard" trip for first-timers would be to Kyoto. That, however, is not a good "daytrip." I'd recommend just arranging a hotel stay in Kyoto for a couple of days and taking the shinkansen down. If you absolutely must keep all of your hotel nights in Tokyo, then don't bother going all the way to Kyoto. You won't have enough time to see much before returning.

For information on shinkansen times and fares, look at: http://www.hyperdia.com/cgi-english/hyperWeb.cgi .

Like the others, I recommend looking at the "sticky" at the top of the "Japan Forum" page.

JR

Thee is no such deal on the return, so if you are looking for a cheaper way back to NRT from Tokyo, there is the Kesei Skyliner which is best caught at Nippori station (connects to JR city lines) and costs just Y1,900, Y600 cheaper than the N'EX. There are also ordinary Kesei and JR "Limited Express" trains that are just like standard subway cars to NRT, but stop at more local stations enroute, and take about 20-minutes longer. The savings can be as much as Y1,000 or the non-stop special trains.

On my most recent trip, I arrived at Keisei Ueno at exactly the wrong time and would have had to wait around there longer than I felt like to catch the Skyliner. Instead, I took the regular local train. It was about a 90-minute ride in a subway-style car and gave me the grand tour of the Tokyo-Chiba suburban sprawl, but it was only ¥1000, a great deal for budget travelers.

On my most recent trip, I arrived at Keisei Ueno at exactly the wrong time and would have had to wait around there longer than I felt like to catch the Skyliner. Instead, I took the regular local train. It was about a 90-minute ride in a subway-style car and gave me the grand tour of the Tokyo-Chiba suburban sprawl, but it was only ¥1000, a great deal for budget travelers.


Yes, that's their Express to NRT, which is the same as JR's "Limited Express" to NRT that is equally much less than the N'EX.

BTW Keisei doesn't accept credit cards for payment of their SKYLINER or Express, so you must have the cash or stored value in your SUICA card. I didn't have Y1,900 left but fortunately was able to make the Y1,000 for their Express.

Different railways use different definitions to describe their trains, confuses the heck out of me sometimes. Since some have "limited express trains" that require no additional fare, and some do like JR.

JR's Limited Express train is the Narita Express.
Whist JR's cheaper train is a "Rapid Service Train", there's about one per hour.

Keisei runs a "Limited Express" train, which is about equal to JR's "Rapid Service Train", but it runs more frequently, even though it is 15-20 minutes slower, it it can be faster then the Skyliner just because it has more departures per hour.

For me, I'm a Keisei person, more often I'm taking the Keisei Limited Express, but then again I'm never hauling large amounts of luggage with me.

I assume in Hong Kong you got their Octopus card. As mentioned by the previous posters in Tokyo, you have Suica and Pasmo that do similar things for travel in the Tokyo metro region, not only trains, but purchases at stores etc.

As others have already implied Suica and Pasmo are now interchangeable so you only need to get one or the other.

http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2359_002.html

But unlike London's Oyster card there is no discount when using Suica or Pasmo :td:. I find Suica convenient for buying hot and cold drinks from vending machines on station platforms.

If you are arriving in Tokyo on 24th as I am :) and planning to take a day trip to another city on Shinkansen, I suggest you do so in the earlier part of the week and avoid the last few days of the year when half the Japanese population will be on the move! :eek:

But unlike London's Oyster card there is no discount when using Suica or Pasmo :td:.

Yeah, gotta love that discounted £1.50 Oyster fare for Zone 1 journeys.

That's .... erm .... 338yen

Thumbs down to stinkin' Tokyo Metro that won't discount its 160yen fare.

Boo! :td:

Yeah, gotta love that discounted £1.50 Oyster fare for Zone 1 journeys.

That's .... erm .... 338yen

Thumbs down to stinkin' Tokyo Metro that won't discount its 160yen fare.

Boo! :td:

Yeah, if only I could get to NRT by Tokyo Metro :rolleyes:

Yeah, if only I could get to NRT by Tokyo Metro :rolleyes:

Well that's another topic entirely.

Yes. It takes too long to reach NRT, but the route via subway and Keisei lines is very easy and the price can be as low as 1,000yen. Strictly speaking it's not all subway all the way -- but it is all doable with SUICA or PASMO.

Yeah, gotta love that discounted £1.50 Oyster fare for Zone 1 journeys.

That's .... erm .... 338yen

Thumbs down to stinkin' Tokyo Metro that won't discount its 160yen fare.

Boo! :td:


Well, we all know the UK is too bloody expensive for we mere mortals from the rest of the world. Always have to accept the £ as being numerically "equal" to our own currency and bite the bullet and forget that everything will cost about twice as much when we actually do the conversion! For Japan, we NAmericans can just drop the last two zeros, then enjoy a further 10% discount when our credit card bills come in...

Considering the efficiency, spread of routes and ease of use, having one card to handle all the rail and bus services -- plus station vending and coffee shops -- is a pretty good deal. (OF course, I suppose they enjoy having our Y500 deposit/float to play with, and know we stupid tourists will be sucked in the by classic design of the card and thus not bother asking for a refund, but rather just keep it as a souvenir!)

Yes. It takes too long to reach NRT, but the route via subway and Keisei lines is very easy and the price can be as low as 1,000yen.
Not if your journey starts in the western suburbs of Tokyo as mine does :(

Single fare from central London (actually anywhere on the London Underground network) to LHR:

With Oyster
£3.50 (Y791) Monday to Friday from 0700 and before 1900
£2.00 (Y452) At all other times including public holidays

Cash
£4.00 (Y904) At any time

Now if you insist on riding the Heathrow Express that's another matter :confused:

Not if your journey starts in the western suburbs of Tokyo as mine does :(

Single fare from central London (actually anywhere on the London Underground network) to LHR:

With Oyster
£3.50 (Y791) Monday to Friday from 0700 and before 1900
£2.00 (Y452) At all other times including public holidays

Cash
£4.00 (Y904) At any time

Now if you insist on riding the Heathrow Express that's another matter :confused:

Most Britons travelling for holiday rarely use LHR but STN, LTN & LGW.

You might as well directly compare LHR and HND. HND wins.

Most people on the East of London who commute into London aren't even on the Underground (just as you might not be directly linked to a Metro station out in the Western suburbs of Tokyo)

From, say, Romford to LHR it isn't £4.00. I'd get you the price, but the www.nationalrail.co.uk website is as slow as its trains right now - 20 minutes and it still won't spit out the info (I've done my laundry since I started this, something I have to do at a snailspace). But from memory, the trip costs about £10.

The £4.00 to LHR from the underground network is a recent (and very welcome) phenomena. And it's actually £2.00 on evenings and weekends (whether that's official or not I don't know, but that is what it costs) - but gawd help you attempting this journey on a typical Sunday. One Monday evening, returning from NRT, a 1hour 40mins £2.00 journey from LHR to the East side of London took 4 hours. It's not that uncommon.

Comparing like for like with Tokyo and London - Tokyo rail costs to its airports are much more reasonable for the majority of its users. And the services are far more reliable with more options available. I can't wait for Keisei to open their hyper fast Ueno-NRT link.

(and still no sign of a price from NationalRail)

I can't wait for Keisei to open their hyper fast Ueno-NRT link.

Yea, because 36 minutes to Nippori, of all places, will change the world. Not. Personally I can't get that excited about the thing, since it'd really only be 10-20 minutes faster than the N'Ex to Shinjuku/Shibuya plus you'd have to haul your luggage halfway around the Yamanote-sen.

Quite honestly, speed is irrelevant. I want a cheap, safe train. Get the fare dow to Y500 and I'll be very happy.

Yea, because 36 minutes to Nippori, of all places, will change the world. Not. Personally I can't get that excited about the thing, since it'd really only be 10-20 minutes faster than the N'Ex to Shinjuku/Shibuya plus you'd have to haul your luggage halfway around the Yamanote-sen.

What a shame that doesn't work out for you, but some of us do have reasons to want to start or end in Nippori/Yanaka (which I've stated a few times is my favourite part of Tokyo).

Works for me. Works for me very well indeed, thank you. :)

Quite honestly, speed is irrelevant. I want a cheap, safe train. Get the fare dow to Y500 and I'll be very happy.

Even when you had the option of a free trip to/from Shinjuku (Wa-shoi! Bus) you chose not to take it.

1,000yen using Keisei seems (just under £5.00) has always seemed very reasonable to me. The Suica deal NEX/combo deal obviously seemed totally reasonable to you.

My point is that almost everyone is happy with the current fares and options.

Yea, because 36 minutes to Nippori, of all places, will change the world. Not.

I think it is worth getting a little bit excited about the Narita Rapid Railway. The transfer to Yamanote at Nippori is pretty painless and puts you within 20 mins of Shinjuku. (So I estimate 30 mins time savings for Shinjuku rather than the 10-20 that you mention).

The subway connections at Ueno are also as convenient for central Tokyo dwellers as anything that the N'EX offers.

There are rumors that some NRR trains might do a straight-thru service into the Asakusa Line subway route. That would also help.

There's never going to be a single solution to the NRT trip that suits everyone, but I think that the NRR will improve things for many. And JR will probably also up its game in response. (Maybe with reduced fares or maybe with increased frequency for places like Shibuya that are currently underserved).

The £4.00 to LHR from the underground network is a recent (and very welcome) phenomena. And it's actually £2.00 on evenings and weekends (whether that's official or not I don't know, but that is what it costs)
Yes, the price is official. The prices I quoted are from the TFL’s web site (http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tfl/tickets/faresandtickets/2007/farefinder/). The point is that there are reasonable fares to the capital’s main international airport (HND is hardly one :confused:) from the centre of the town using the Oyster card.

My point is that almost everyone is happy with the current fares and options.
Obviously I’m not one of them　:(. The daily NEX train to Narita (yes, only one a day) stops at the station convenient to where my mother lives but there is no lift or escalator down to the platform at this station :mad:. Catching this train is the only option for me to get to Narita (other than an overnight stay at an airport hotel) in time for mid-morning flights to one of the European hubs. This train is always packed but late morning trains I catch in the opposite direction are at best 25% full. Reduced fares for off-peak travel must be the only option for NEX to remain competitive.

... I think that the NRR will improve things for many. And JR will probably also up its game in response. (Maybe with reduced fares or maybe with increased frequency for places like Shibuya that are currently underserved).
If the good people of Matsudo manage to persuade the NRR to stop at Higashi-Matsudo then there's a chance that I and those living in the western suburbs can connect from the Musashino Line, which could actually be more convenient than catching the NEX train in the morning. It really depends on how frequently the NRR will run and stop at Higashi-Matsudo.

The point is that there are reasonable fares to the capital’s main international airport

Really? I thought the point of this thread was to answer the OP's question about whether Tokyo has a transportation pass like the Hong Kong Octopus card, that's good on just about any mode of transportation (except taxis of course).

FWIW - I could point out some trains that reach NRT before the first N'EX from the Western suburbs. But what would be the point?

Even when you had the option of a free trip to/from Shinjuku (Wa-shoi! Bus) you chose not to take it.

1,000yen using Keisei seems (just under £5.00) has always seemed very reasonable to me. The Suica deal NEX/combo deal obviously seemed totally reasonable to you.

My point is that almost everyone is happy with the current fares and options.


First, the Bus was no longer running on my most recent trip. And I suspect the reason is that it wasn't justifying the money it cost for its sponsor, given your report of its being empty when you took it. It was a promotional ploy by a company, primarily aimed at residents and not tourists.

Second, Y1,000 may be cheap to you having to experience the outrageously expensive cost of living in London and the UK (where the government soaks visitors more than £40 just to fly into the country, the highest shakedown of any country in the world!), but it is still twice what the Tube to/from LHR costs after 9:30a with a Travelcard. With the reliance on NRT as a gateway, there is no reason a Y500 couldn't exist other than it would severely undercut the LimoBus service.

Third, the N'EX/Suica deal is very much a recognition that for many tourists to Japan/Tokyo, the fare is too high. So of course, the cost-benefit of this brings the fare into a relatively acceptable range, but the normal Y3500 fare is similar to the high charge on the LHR Express.

The key issue is that there are plenty of premium priced options to get to/from NRT, but few if none at the lower end. Adding yet another premium option strikes me as a waste of Yen for the sake of speed and ego.

This generally reflects the industrial bias built into Japanese society. A low interest policy provides cheap yen for capital intensive projects, often to the detriment of social needs (and the pending crisis of an aging population). Given the inability after WWII to direct these into military ends (as i the USA), the focus has been on infrastructure and Boys & Toys of high speed trains. While I support and accept the benefits that this rail infrastructure has brought on ecological and other grounds, the quest for speed for speed's sake is questionable, but there is nowhere else to go in this sector, so it shall be so!

(And of course, the Japanese are in no hurry to embrace "budget" tourism so keeping prices high tends to ensure that they get the right sort of visitor. My quest last month was to see how cheaply one could have a first class week under these circumstances and if there was a way to "play the system" for foreign visitor.)

Second, Y1,000 may be cheap to you having to experience the outrageously expensive cost of living in London and the UK (where the government soaks visitors more than £40 just to fly into the country, the highest shakedown of any country in the world!), but it is still twice what the Tube to/from LHR costs after 9:30a with a Travelcard. With the reliance on NRT as a gateway, there is no reason a Y500 couldn't exist other than it would severely undercut the LimoBus service.

My post was meant tongue in cheek, but I do sincerely believe that ¥500 for this route would be undervalued.

£4 (¥906) to LHR is very cheap. The distance from central London is 20 miles,

I consider ¥1000 (£4.41) to Narita to be a very good deal, the distance is 40 miles.
London is only half the price in the late evenings and on weekends* (£2) and even then, when you look at the mileage you get for the price, the NRT route is actually still cheaper.


* before 0700 and after 1900 - all day weekends and public holidays

Yea, because 36 minutes to Nippori, of all places, will change the world. Not. Personally I can't get that excited about the thing, since it'd really only be 10-20 minutes faster than the N'Ex to Shinjuku/Shibuya plus you'd have to haul your luggage halfway around the Yamanote-sen.

Narita-Shinjuku takes 85 minutes on the afternoon trips that match North American arrivals, and there is only one direct train an hour,so as has been pointed out, your time savings estimate is too low.

Every time the N'Ex into town stops and waits until the outbound train passes (right outside of NRT), I am reminded that JR could knock time off this run just by adding a few miles of track that they already have space for on the viaduct.

I also wonder if time to Shinjuku could be improved considerably by dedicating a N'Ex run to the western side of Tokyo, running it along the much less busy JR Keiyo line tracks and then down and around via ODaiba like the TVR trains -- those tracks are hardly used.

However, I don't find the connection at Nippori that wonderful, mainly because unless you get lucky and go up the right escalator from the Keisei line -- and I never get lucky -- you have to lug your bags down a long stairway to the Yamanote line. One more lift would solve this problem.