Originally Posted by ksandness

I've never understood why anyone drives in Tokyo.

The transit system there is second to none, it's an essential part of the Tokyo experience, and if you can afford to stay at first-class hotels, you can certainly afford to take six people on the train.

Try the famous (on this forum) Suica-N'EX combo ticket, which gives you a ride into Tokyo on the JR express train (value ¥3000) plus a Suica debit card (value ¥1500 worth of rides plus a ¥500 non-refundable deposit) for rides on the trains and subways within Tokyo for a total of ¥3500.

If one or more of your six people is under 12, you can get the child a discounted N'Ex for ¥1200, but you have to get them a separate special Suica that will automatically deduct children's fares.

The Suica cards are very similar to London's Oyster cards, so if you run low, you can add value to them on machines at any train or subway station.

In 35 years of living in and visiting Tokyo, I have ridden in a private car maybe five or six times, although I have used taxis. I have never driven in Tokyo, nor do I intend to start at any time in the future.