The Tokyo Metro is a very efficient and cheap way of getting around in the city. Try to avoid rush hours though!
The network can be confusing because it is operated by several different companies; in some places there are special ways of transferring from the line of one company to another’s, and maps made available by a particular company may not show all the others.
But a particularly good feature of the system if you can’t read Japanese is that every line on the network not only has a colour – as you would expect – but also has a letter (A for Asakusa Line, M for Marunouchi Line, etc.) and every station on each line has a number. For example, Toranomon station on the Ginza line is G07.
So after referring to a map of the whole Metro Network in English, you would be able to use a map of the Metro in Japanese too, by referring to the letters and numbers for each station.
FARES:
ticket prices depend on distance to be travelled (see table). Children travel half price.
| 1 – 6 km | ¥ 160 |
| 7 – 11 km | ¥ 190 |
| 12 – 19 km | ¥ 230 |
| 20 – 27 km | ¥ 270 |
| 28 – 40 km | ¥ 300 |
In case of emergency or difficulty, you can buy a minimum-price ticket before starting your journey, and pay the difference at a “fare adjustment” window or machine at your destination.
A Tokyo Metro One-Day Open Ticket (Ichinichi Josha-ken) is available, valid for the day on the whole Tokyo Metro at a price of ¥710 (Child: ¥360).
It can be bought at ticket vending machines at Tokyo Metro stations for use on that day, or bought in advance from ticket counters at major Metro stations.
MAP OF THE TOKYO METRO
is available from the Tokyo Metro website (pdf, station names in English. Also available in other languages)
INFORMATION DESKS
Information facilities where English is spoken are located at the following major stations of the Tokyo Metro: Ginza, Nihonbashi, Shinjuku and Otemachi.