Tartegnin

I think I do want them to validate the rail pass - I purposely purchased a 14 day pass which is exactly the number of days in Japan. Possibly a bit wasteful, as I don't know that we'll use it the first three days (Other than NEX) but I did it for convenience more than anything. The one week pass just missed covering the middle part of our trip which is where most of the train travel happens, so had I purchased just a 7 day, I would have had at least one one-way ticket in addition, plus the return NRT NEX tickets. I think I come out even if not just slightly ahead this way!

abmj-jr

There will be opportunities to use your Rail Passes in Tokyo even though they may not save you a lot of money. Just walking through the manned counter to access the Yamanote Line or other JR trains without having to buy tickets is a help. The Yamanote is not expensive at all but standing in line at the ticket machine can be a pain at times.

Just be sure when you use it that the train or station you are entering is JR. The Rail Pass is not valid on private lines or the subways.

Tartegnin

Sounds confusing! Do I look for JR signs to distinguish the trains?

abmj-jr

Most companies have separate stations or sections of stations. If you plan trips on HyperDia, it will tell you if the recommendation is JR or some other line. The JR stations will have signage indicating such. For example, the JR Hakodate station below. Note the big green JR on the building. If more than one company use a station, the platforms will be clearly marked.

NewbieRunner

This is a very interesting question. From where you will be staying in Tokyo the nearest stations such as Azabujuban and Kamiyacho are subway stations and you cannot use your rail pass when travelling from these stations. Tokyo subway stations have one or both of these logos on the map and at the entrance depending on the company which operates the line.





http://data.whicdn.com/images/204170631/large.jpg


JR lines in Tokyo are on this map. With a few exceptions (e.g. Narita Express at Tokyo Station) JR lines run overground in and around Tokyo. Unless you are going on a day trip to somewhere like Kamakura, it is unlikely they are the most convenient means of travel during your stay in Tokyo.



As abmj-jr points out most companies have separate stations or sections of stations. Don't worry too much about which line is JR and which isn't. If you try to go through a (staffed) gate at the station which is not for a JR line, they will politely direct you to a ticket machine. If you want to avoid having to buy tickets each time you might like to consider getting a Suica card each. It can be used in other cities such as Kyoto and Hiroshima on trains, subways and buses which are not covered by the JR rail pass.


Here is an entrance to the JR Shinagawa Station.



And a separate entrance to the Keikyu Shinagawa Station.

abmj-jr

Absolutely agree. If it hasn't already been pointed out, the prepaid Suica card can be used for virtually any transportation option in and around Tokyo - and other large cities - but also for many other small purchases such as at convenience and other stores and some vending machines. You put some money on the card at the beginning and can reload it if needed later. When you are ready to leave Japan, you can cash it in for a refund of un-expended money less a small deposit. Or, as I did with Kyoto bus/subway passes before the IC cards came out, you could just keep the card as an inexpensive souvenir. The Suica is a very good "go-with" to supplement your Rail Pass.

http://www.jreast.co.jp/e/pass/suica.html

If you haven't already done so, you might want to pick up a good guide book that has a subway map, as well as a train line map, for Tokyo. The subway lines look like a pile of spaghetti but color coding helps. It can be beneficial to research possible routes the night before to at least know which lines go to your destination. For example, I usually use the subway to get to Ryogoku for the sumo stadium, which is right next to the Edo-Tokyo Museum and also right next to the subway station. On the other hand, if I am going from Akihabara (Electric Town) to Ryogoku, I would use the JR train line and use my Rail Pass. It is complicated but if you have a map to look at it makes a lot more sense.

fimo

If you don't want to keep the SUICA just spend it down at a 7-11 or such and then return the card at a JR station for the full refund of the 500y deposit, no handling fee (210y) is deducted for zero balance cards.

NewbieRunner

Tokyo subway lines are color-coded, stations are numbered and it's not too difficult to navigate your way around, though changing at some stations could involve a long walk.

Here is a Tokyo subway map (with JR lines shown in grey or grey and white) in PDF. A printed version may be picked up free of charge once you are in Tokyo.
http://www.tokyometro.jp/en/subwayma...outemap_en.pdf

Tartegnin

superb! will get Suica card and navigate between metro and JR and otherwise rely on good will of ticket takers to redirect me!

angra

Also, as alluded in another thread, the Suica card (or Passmo - they are interchangeable), can also be used to pay for and control lockers in many stations. It's a ton better than keeping track of a receipt and PIN!

NewbieRunner

Here is a short video explaining how to use a Suica (or Pasmo) card. A Pasmo card is a private railway/subway version of a Suica card and for all practical purposes they are interchangeable.

mingw

since we are talking about the IC cards... got couple of questions here:
1) each passenger is required to have a separate card? or I can pass the gate, hand the card to my child and she use the same card to go through?

2) Osaka has a "Kansai onepass" card (http://kansaionepass.com/kf_pr/kf_pr_en.html), which is a version of IOCCA with some local attraction discounts. I know IOCCA can work in Tokyo, but this onepass only mentions kansai so I wonder whether someone used this before in other areas... I probably will spend all the Y3000 initial load in kansai, but if it works in Tokyo I don't need to buy another IC card.

angra

1) you definitely need a separate card per person. The system will enforce a balanced in/out pairing.

NewbieRunner

Each passenger must have his/her own card. Child's fare applies to 6-11 year olds. A Suica for children cannot be bought from a ticket machine.

This Japanese language page is not very clear but it sounds as if you can use a "Kansai One Pass" in other areas just like an ordinary Icoca card. These IC cards cannot be used for inter-regional travel.

slawecki

back on topic, most tokyo cabs are toyota crowns. they are bigger than usa toyota avalons. they readily hold 3 people and 3-4 bags. every driver that we have used has been excellent.
most are in livery, and have a gps in their vehicle.

for general information, tokyo is pretty large, and per mile rates are pretty high, however, one can go a lot of places for $15-20.