Comments on: How to Take the Train in Japan

By: Japan Rail Special Discount Tickets | Japan | Japan Travel | Nihon Sun

Thu, 23 Jul 2009 06:02:33 +0000

[...] tickets depending on your itinerary. Use Hyperdia or one of the other tools identified in How to Take the Train in Japan to estimate your train travel budget in [...]

By: Shane Sakata

Shane Sakata — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 21:58:34 +0000

@Marisa I too have earned some Kanji by utilizing the train maps I liken what you describe to the childhood game of memory – where you turn over a card and try to find the matching one. When I first arrived in Japan, English on signs was not as common as it is now and I would look at my bilingual train map, the station map, etc. until I found the Kanji for my destination….

You are also right that the Japaneses are very kind to lost looking foreigners in train stations – that has been my experience as well.

By: Marisa

Marisa — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 17:06:07 +0000

I found it can be tricky to read the station Kanji maps sometimes, but while standing there confused, more times than not a kind Japanese person asked to help me, and pointed out the correct one for me. After a couple of mishaps, i started recognising the Kanji for certain places, or at least well it begins with Oo and i know that can look like *This* or *this* and that one usually means ta or da so it can’t be that etc. Helped my Kanji reading tons!

So if you are not in a massive rush, and just off exploring, it is worth trying to figure it out and take educated guesses at which train to get, and how much to pay, if you get lost, try again, see some random places along the way, get some help from the locals, and watch your Japanese come on leaps and bounds ^_^

By: Shane Sakata

Shane Sakata — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 22:24:16 +0000

@Madagenais What you are describing is a fare adjustment and it is anther great option that will save some time – thanks for bringing it up.

@Nomadic Matt I’m not sure when you were last in Tokyo but the signage in the city’s train stations has improved greatly in the last few years. English translation is common on major lines and on newer trains and a lot of the signage is now bi- or even tri-lingual (Korean).

@tornadoes28 Most ticket machines have an “English Button” but for the most part the machines are pretty self explanatory once you get over your initial fear

By: Nomadic Matt

Nomadic Matt — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 19:22:52 +0000

figuring out the tokyo train system was one of the most confusing things in my life

By: Tornadoes28

Tornadoes28 — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 14:59:50 +0000

I like that the ticket machines have both Japanese and English.

By: Madagenais

Madagenais — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 13:01:56 +0000

Here’s an easier way to determine the fare of a route in the Tokyo subway system : buy the cheapest ticket available ! Once at destination, look for a fare adjustment terminal, indicated in yellow (there is one at nearly all the exits), insert your ticket and you’ll be prompted to insert the missing yens. We found this to be a lot faster then trying to understand the fare map above the ticket vending machine.