Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
47
Suica to get your deposit back, be sure that
the card is depleted, or you'll be charged a
¥210 handling fee for any remaining
stored balance on the card. A similar card
to the Suica is the
Pasmo,
which can also
be used on various modes of transporta-
tion throughout Tokyo. Although there
are other options available, including
1-day cards and Metro-only cards, the
Suica is by far my favorite. If you're going
to be in Tokyo at least 3 days, it will save
you a lot of time that you'll otherwise
spend trying to figure out your fare.
That being said, if you think you're
going to be traveling a lot by public trans-
portation on any given day, consider pur-
chasing a
Tokyo Free Kippu
(Tokyo
Round Tour Ticket), which, despite its
name, costs ¥1,580, but does allow unlim-
ited travel for 1 day on all Metro subways,
JR trains, and Toei buses within Tokyo's
23 wards. It's available at all JR stations
with a Midori-no-madoguchi (Reservation
Ticket Office) or View Plaza (Travel Ser-
vice Center), and most Metro subway
stations.
addresses. If you're confused about which
exit to take, ask someone at the window
near the ticket gate. Taking the right exit
can make a world of difference, especially
in Shinjuku, where there are more than 60
station exits.
Please note that all cellphones should be
switched to silent mode (called
manner
mode
in Japanese) on public conveyances.
There's a four-color
Tokyo Metro map,
with subway and train lines, on the inside
back cover of this topic.
BY SUBWAY
To get around Tokyo on your own, it's
imperative that you learn how to ride its
subways. Fortunately, the Tokyo
Metro
system (which uses a symbol “M” vaguely
reminiscent of McDonald's famous arches)
is efficient, modern, clean, and easy to use;
in fact, I think it's one of the most user-
friendly systems on the planet. All station
names are written in English. Many cars
also display the next station in English on
digital signs above their doors and
announce stops in English. Altogether,
there are 13 underground subway lines
crisscrossing the city, operated by two
companies: Tokyo Metro (the bigger of the
two) and Toei (which operates four lines,
including the Oedo Line). Each line is
color-coded. The Ginza Line, for example,
is orange, which means that all its trains
and signs are orange. If you're transferring
to the Ginza Line from another line, fol-
low the orange signs and circles to the
Ginza Line platform. Each line is also
assigned a letter (usually its initial), so that
the Ginza has the letter “G” and Hibiya
the letter “H.” Additionally, each station
along each line is assigned a number in
chronological order beginning with the
first station (Asakusa Station, for example,
is G19, the 19th stop from Shibuya on the
Ginza Line), so you always know how
many stops to your destination. Before
boarding, however, make sure the train is
going in the right direction—signs on the
3
Tips on Traveling by
Train or Subway
Avoid taking the subway or JR train dur-
ing the weekday morning
rush hour,
from
8 to 9am—the stories you've heard about
commuters packed into trains like sardines
are all true. There are even “platform push-
ers,” men who push people into compart-
ments so that the doors can close. If you
want to witness Tokyo at its craziest, go to
Shinjuku Station at 8:30am—but go by
taxi unless you want to experience the
crowding firsthand. Most lines provide
women-only compartments weekdays
until 9:30am.
Another thing you'll want to keep in
mind are
station
exits,
which are always
numbered. Upon alighting from the sub-
way onto the platform, look for the yellow
signboards designating which exit to take
for major buildings, museums, and
