Hailing cabs in Tokyo and Kyoto...
 

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Can one hail cabs in Tokyo and Kyoto ? And what is the current drop of the flag, the meter ? Would they allow 4 people/1 in front, 3 in the back ?
Thanks in advance.
Keller281

Yes to questions 1 and 3. There's also a "Japan Taxi" smartphone app you can use to call a cab to your location. Taxis are usually easy to find at hotels, stations and tourist sites, and may or may not be easy to find on the street depending on location and time.

Tokyo flag drop is 410 yen for the first 1.052 km. In Kyoto the flag drop is 590-610 yen depending on size but that covers you for 1.7 km.

Cabs are everywhere in Tokyo and Kyoto. At stations and major attractions there will be a queue of them waiting at or near the location, as well as near large hotels. They can be flagged down but it is just as easy to go to the closest stand and get one there. If at your hotel, look to see if there are cabs in front. If not, just have the front desk call for one. It will only take a minute.

An exception to the above might be at peak times or very late at night.

Some hotels have their own taxi lines and in Asia it's common to see a sign stating that hotel guests have priority.

Some free tourist maps of Tokyo have taxi stands marked.

Cabs are usually easy, but I would second the recommendation on the Japan Taxi Cab app in case you're a little off the main drag, and/or it's raining, etc.

Wise words.

Meguro in the rain at 8:30am is a perfect example.

Can you all give any tips for getting signed up/registered with the Japan Taxi app? I can probably puzzle out the Kanji for information entry but it seems to not like a US phone #

On my last trip, I noticed that there seemed to be an awful lot of cabs cruising the streets in the area (Shimbashi) where I was staying, so I took a one-minute video of the intersection outside my hotel.

During that one-minute video. TWELVE cabs passed through the intersection.

There is always a line at major stations and hotels in Tokyo, and you should have no trouble finding a cab on any arterial street. They tend to cruise in flocks. I have never had to wait very long.

Granted, I've never tried to get a cab in Meguro in the rain at 8:30AM, but depending on an app when several empty cabs are likely to pass by your hotel in the time you're waiting seems like a waste.

Is there a surcharge for hailing a cab with this app?
In your experience, what's been the range of time frame from the time of request on the app till the cab arrives? (obviously depends on whether you're in middle of Tokyo, versus out in the boonies, but... )

Some of the stations I get off at on the outskirts of Kanto do not even have a taxi waiting. Wonder if I can use this app for those places and how long the wait time would be? Does this app tell you the approximate wait time?

And don't forget that the door closes on its own :D. It usually takes me a ride to remember :o

Taxi App requires Japanese mobile phone number as contact. The app is fairly bilingual.

Surcharge may or may not apply, depending on taxi company and city. The charge is displayed before you submit the call/booking.

e.g. Tokyo NIHON KOTSU: "extra 410 yen will be charged as pick up fee for each taxi / Booking Fee 0"

There used to be a complete list of all providers national wide on their website, and some were totally surcharge free.

Once you have selected a pick up location, the app prompts you with "arrives in about 5 minutes" in Shinjuku, Tokyo , but not in Suginami (Tokyo suburb), for example.

I see. It'd be helpful if this app gave you the wait time info for anywhere. I usually only take taxis out in the boondocks.

The app only works with a limited number of taxi operators -- varies by municipality, but usually Nihon Kotsu plus one or two others. I believe that some municipalities are not covered by the app at all, so it may not work if you are out in the boondocks.

List of Taxi companies for the app:

https://japantaxi.jp/partners/

Unless they refuse to do so, and tell you "maybe you can just stand by the street." This happened to me at an APA Hotel recently. I realize they're a 2.5 star property, but still.