Trip Report - Tokyo Metro & Tokyo Monorail

[Tony Galiani]

Another note that may be old hat for experienced travelers!

 

Before we left for Japan we purchased Suica cards (and SIM cards) so we were good to go with the Metro as soon as we arrived.  I have ridden quite a few systems in the USA and Europe but have to say that the Tokyo Metro was one of the most impressive systems I have been on.  Easy to navigate and the Suica cards made entry very easy.  We avoided rush hours but the trains were still pretty heavily used during mid-day - can't imagine what they are like during the midst of rush hours.  Again, something that is not likely to come as a surprise is how clean the trains and stations were.

 

We ran through our Suica cards pretty quickly (as we also used them at some of the convenience stores) but they were (usually) easy to reload.  My wife opted to transfer hers to her iPhone while I stuck with the card.  One impressive thing I noted is how well organized the system is.  At Nippori, while my wife was shopping at the fabric stores, I decided to reload my card.  I put the card in the machine then, to pay, put my Amex card in the machine.  This didn't work with the machine shutting down and flashing an alert that I would receive assistance shortly.  The next thing I know, the wall next to the machine opens up, an employee looks out, explains the machines at Nippori don't take Amex, and gives me back my Suica card and my Amex card.  I was really impressed.  You get the feeling that everything is well thought out and planned for.  I was able to reload the card using cash (and the Amex card did work at stations in central Tokyo).

 

As an aside, while at Nippori, I spent some time at the Shimogoinden Bridge which is easily accessed from the station.  One web site I read indicated that 2500 trains (!) a day pass by.  I thought that was hyperbole but there was a constant stream of trains on the 14 or so tracks I could see.  When I mentioned to someone that where I live, we get four trains a day (2 in each direction) they could not comprehend it.  At the Shimogoinden Bridge you can see 4 trains at one time.

 

When we were leaving to return home, we took the Tokyo Monorail to Haneda Airport.  Another impressive service that is easy to use and provides quick access. It also seemed relatively inexpensive at about 400 yen or so via our Suica cards.  We were pleasantly impressed by Haneda - clean, great shopping options and a wonderful observation deck - that we forgot to refund the balance on our cards.  So I guess we have to go back to Tokyo ....

 

One thing that did surprise me about the monorail was that it was pretty rough riding.  Much more shaking and rocking than any other train (Metro or Limited Express) we had ridden.  Though the views are great - it is a fine way to leave Tokyo.

 

Tony

 

 

[RogerMc]

Very helpful information, Tony. I would love to make a trip to Japan, but it would be solo and I have many concerns. Your experiences give me encouragement. Thanks for posting, more please ... 😀

[Yavianice]

@Tony Galiani Was the Suica card worth it? Because I always stick to Tokyo Metro day tickets with foreigner discount.

Edited October 11, 2019 by Yavianice

[Tony Galiani]

RogerMc - I was surprised at how easy it was to get around Tokyo and even out to Nikko.  We have traveled quite a bit - Europe (extensively) as well as North American and South America but we were still a bit apprehensive.  But from landing at Narita to leaving from Haneda I was consistently impressed with how easy it was to get around.  It helps that a great deal of the travel information is available in English and everyone seems pretty helpful.  For example, we were trying to navigate out way through Tokyo Station to find the store selling Studio Ghibli items and we were approached by a young man who's job is to look out for people needing assistance and to help them.  He took us right to the store and when I thanked him, he simply said he was happy to be doing his job.

Food was a bit challenging as my wife and I can be picky eaters but plenty of places have picture menus and some English info.  (Though not all - still there were plenty of options for us.)

We did a lot of preparation in advance.  The Nikko Pass purchase and Narita Express ticket purchases were very easy as we had checked out the options before we got there.

We also watched quite a few videos - I particularly liked Paolo from Tokyo but there are lots to view.

 

Yavianice - The Suica card seemed worth to us but I will say I did not do an extensive cost analysis.  Based on what I was seeing in the videos and comments on some blogs, it seems a good value.  And the fact that you can turn it in and get a refund (except for the 500 yen deposit), seems like a nice benefit.  What we really liked was the ease of use.  Just tap and go.  When you enter the Metro and tap it, you get you balance.  When you exit and tap it, we got the cost of our trip and the new balance.  And adding money was easy as well.

It was also helpful at the convenience stores.  We really did need to worry about our lack of Japanese - the total would show up on the screen, we would tap the card and our purchase was complete.

I would definitely use the Suica card again.  And since we forgot to turn ours in for the deposit and refund, I think I will have the opportunity the next time we go to Japan!

 

Tony

 

[cteno4]

Roger,

 

japan is one of the easiest countries I’ve ever traveled in, also probably the safest. Easy to figure things out and folks are super helpful everywhere I’ve been. The worst reaction I ever got was just someone finding be someone else who spoke some English to answer a question! Cost is also very reasonable and easy ways to do budget travel with ryokans and cheaper eats. My first trip there in grad school 35 years ago the trip just happened 2 days before I went so absolutely no planning and I just grabbed a lonely planet guide to read on the plane. I had a blast for 3.5 weeks after the scientific meeting just roaming around with a jr pass and my guide book. Later trips were much more planned but the fun of just roaming around even on a grad student budget worked brilliantly! 
 

go for it!
 

jeff

[railsquid]

5 hours ago, Tony Galiani said:

And the fact that you can turn it in and get a refund (except for the 500 yen deposit),

 

 

You should get the deposit back too, IIRC minus a small handling fee deducted from any balance remaining on the card (which also IIRC won't be deducted if there's no balance remaining).

[ben_issacs]

Folks, 

My travels to Japan have been spread over a number of years, sometimes in a group, sometimes with a mate, more recently solo, but now medical problems mean that overseas travel is now no longer possible.My usual trip was for a fortnight, often a week based in Tokyo and another week in Osaka, using Rail Pass to get to various places around the country.

I had the advantage of having an English friend working there who could do my hotel bookings, these were generally in Business Hotels.

Travelled light, back pack only, , clothes washed in the hotel laundries, eating, generally a good brekky in the hotel, then wherever one could find an eatery, station restaurants, cafes along the way, evening meals often in department store restaurants on the top floor, a trap there is that these stores usually close at 9 p.m.and may not open on holidays.

Many of the bigger stations have basement restaurants.

Department stores are a good place to find toilets, these are often behind or near the lifts, many stations have Western style toilets.

Department store basement food courts can provide a fair meal from all the samples that are offered there 

One might even be able to live out of vending machines.

Remember, no tipping, except maybe in a very swish joint.

Used Ordinary JR Pass, hardly ever needed to reserve a seat, if leaving from Tokyo on a shinkansen get to the unreserved end of the platform about ten  minutes before train departure time, and one will usually get a seat easily.

Intermediate stations, not quiet so easy.

Learn a few Japanese courtesy phrases, but not too many, or you'll get answered in Japanese , and that way lies dis comfort.

No, solo travel in Japan for a single or two blokes in Japan should be no problem, but cannot comment on that for ladies.

Regards, 

Bill, 

Melbourne.

 

 

 

[Yavianice]

Traveling for solo women is totally safe and fine in Japan as long as normal precautions are used.

[chadbag]

22 hours ago, Yavianice said:

@Tony Galiani Was the Suica card worth it? Because I always stick to Tokyo Metro day tickets with foreigner discount.

 

I am not Tony and I don't know how much the Tokyo Metro day tickets with foreigner discount are, but we used Suica / ICOCA while in Japan on our phones (for the wife and me) and the ICOCA cards for the kids and it is really convenient to have the virtual Suica on the iPhone.  (Only supported on iPhone 8 and later for any version of phone, iPhone 7 for Japanese version of phones.  They don't have an Android equivalent except for some specific domestic Android phones).  Whenever I needed more money I could just use Apple pay (read Credit Card) from the phone or Apple watch to add more.  And it was good anywhere in Japan that uses IC cards so I did not have to worry about putting money on that would not be used.   And it allowed me to buy things via Credit Card from station stores and others like Mr Donut that don't always take cards, because I could add the money to my virtual Suica while standing in line and then just use the virtual Suica with the phone or watch.

 

The kids was a little more difficult to manage since they had physical cards.  I just put small amounts on their cards as needed, using cash, so that they did not leave more than a bucks money on the cards when we left, which we'll use next time we are there.

 

While in Tokyo (about 3-4 days, not including Maihama area where we did not travel much except for JR)  area we rode mostly JR trains (with the Pass) and a few metro trains across a few days so that worked best for us.  I would guess the day passes are great if you ride a lot in one day.

 

Edited October 12, 2019 by chadbag

[Yavianice]

The Tokyo Metro + Toei pass gives foreigners unlimited travel for 24, 48, 72 hours for 800, 1200, 1500 yen respectively (400, 600, 750 yen for kids) and does not require any sort of deposit since it's a throwaway ticket. So far I've always used the subway enough times to break even easily. And I usually take the Keisei Skyliner from Narita which makes these tickets even cheaper so they barely cost anything.

[chadbag]

19 hours ago, Tony Galiani said:

 

Yavianice - The Suica card seemed worth to us but I will say I did not do an extensive cost analysis.  Based on what I was seeing in the videos and comments on some blogs, it seems a good value.  And the fact that you can turn it in and get a refund (except for the 500 yen deposit), seems like a nice benefit.  What we really liked was the ease of use.  Just tap and go.  When you enter the Metro and tap it, you get you balance.  When you exit and tap it, we got the cost of our trip and the new balance.  And adding money was easy as well.

It was also helpful at the convenience stores.  We really did need to worry about our lack of Japanese - the total would show up on the screen, we would tap the card and our purchase was complete.

I would definitely use the Suica card again.  And since we forgot to turn ours in for the deposit and refund, I think I will have the opportunity the next time we go to Japan!

 

 

 

Tony -- if you use an iPhone 8 or later the virtual Suica is even easier to use and can be set up without having a real card to transfer to the phone.  You can use Apple Pay to just add funds, in any amount, immediately.  So if you need to use it at a convenience store that does not take credit cards, you can load what you need while standing in line  (note that most all name brand convenience stores take credit cars in Japan, in my experience, including regional ones like Seico in Hokkaido).  

 

No need to have cash to reload or find the rare machine that allows you to use a CC to reload, and no need to refund and turn it back in since there is no 500 yen deposit on the virtual card.   And the Suica app on the phone is in English (if you download the right one).

 

And you can use it without having a prior balance when you find you need cash for something (or an IC card) like a museum entrance that does not take CC but does take IC cards or cash.  We ended up at the Kyoto railway museum and I did not have enough cash to get tickets but I did have the virtual Suica and I could add money to it through Apple Pay just standing there in front of the ticket machine.

 

Also, note that Suica (or ICOCA if you land in Osaka, or other similar ***CA cards from other railroad companies) is good almost everywhere in Japan that an IC card is used.

 

Edited October 12, 2019 by chadbag

[Tony Galiani]

I will grant you using the iPhone 8 for the Suica app is very convenient.  My wife and I are an odd couple - she embraces just about any app you can think of while I (being somewhat uptight about privacy and security) have only a few apps on my phone.  So she used the Apple feature while I stuck with the Suica card.  To each his own I guess.

 

Another benefit of the Suica app is that it alerts the user when the balance is low.  So, instead of me nagging my wife to increase her balance, the app did it for me! 

 

Tony

[railsquid]

23 hours ago, Yavianice said:

The Tokyo Metro + Toei pass gives foreigners unlimited travel for 24, 48, 72 hours for 800, 1200, 1500 yen respectively (400, 600, 750 yen for kids) and does not require any sort of deposit since it's a throwaway ticket.

 

To be precise, this available for foreigners not resident in Japan, or anyone not resident in Tokyo and the surrounding 7 prefectures (though in that case the ticket is only available as part of some package tour).