How to Ride Subway in Japan

en13

Many of you who want to visit Japan may have worries about how you can ride a public transportation in Japan.

In this article, AL will explain to you steps by steps on how to ride subway in Japan.

Check it out!

Different with regular train, subway is located underground, so first and foremost you have to the station entrance. This is the photo of station entrance mark.

In finding the entrance, you can use map app in your smartphone, look at maps that you can find in the street of Japan, or simply ask people.

You also have to know which line you have to take to go to destination you wish.

In order to know what line you need to take, you can download train app. Or you can browse the subway official website and download the route map.

Here is download link of Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya subway map

Tokyo
Osaka
Nagoya

3) Follow the direction to reach the line ticket gate
In the direction, you can also see how many meters left so that you can estimate how much time it will take to reach the gate. If you find it troublesome to remember the name of the line you want to take, you also can remember the color as each line uses different color.

To purchase the ticket or charge your prepaid train card, you have to go to ticket machine/office. It’s usually nearby the ticket gate. But if you can’t find it, just follow this sign.

Before purchasing your ticket or charging your prepaid train card, see the fare table to check out how much it will cost to go to station of your destination.

You can either purchase paper ticket

Or your charge prepaid train card.

The ticket machine usually has English menu. Just press English in the top right corner of its screen.

If you use prepaid train card just touch it to the gate.

This is the photo of one of most used prepaid train cards in Japan, Suica.

If you use paper ticket, insert it to the ticket gate and don’t forget to retain it again. The ticket gate machine will punch a hole to your ticket.

Be sure to check out the platform number so that you don’t go to the wrong direction. Here AL wants to go to Ginza, so AL chose platform number 1.

You should to this periodically so that you don’t miss the station where you want to get off. Beside visual announcement via on board screen, the subway also provides audio announcement.

Once you get off the train, check out the exit that you should take in the exit information board so that you can have shortest distance and time possible to reach your destination

If you use ticket, you must insert your ticket one more time to the gate. This time the gate will not give out back your ticket unless you use special ticket (commuter pass etc.)

If you use prepaid train card, you only have to re-touch it to the gate

FYI, in many subway stations in Japan, you also can use free WiFi!

What do you think about this guide, guys?

Now you can have nice experience riding subway in Japan.