XXIII International Symposium on Paediatric Surgical Research, Tokyo, Japan. 12-14 September 2010 at Tokyo Garden Palace.

Tokyo Transportation

Tokyo has the most extensive mass transit system in the world. It is clean, safe and efficient. As Japan's international and domestic travel hub, Tokyo provides excellent access for local and overseas delegates alike. Internationally, there are 1,600 flights between Tokyo and more than 90 cities around the world each week, and domestically Tokyo is connected by 2,800 flights and 4,000 trains linking with dozens of cities in Japan.

Plane:

New Tokyo International Airport (Narita) and Tokyo International Airport (Haneda) act as Tokyo's international ports of call. Most international flights arrive at Narita. In addition, with the completion of its fourth runway in 2010, Haneda will be connected to more cities worldwide, mainly Asian cities. Moreover, about 450 flights a day leave from Haneda for some 50 locations around Japan. Tokyo is a convenient transportation hub for destinations throughout the country.

Image courtesy of Tokyo Conventions & Visitors Bureau

To and from Narita Airport

• Easiest: Limousine bus direct to major hotels, ~120 minutes (subject to traffic), ¥3000
• Fastest: Narita Express to Tokyo Station, Shibuya, Shinjuku, Yokohama, 55 minutes, ¥2940
(Japan Rail Pass valid)
• Cheapest: Keisei Limited Express train to Nippori/Ueno, ~80 minutes, ¥1000
• Most expensive: Taxi to the city, more than ¥30,000

By Airport Buses

Limousine Bus* (http://www.limousinebus.co.jp/global.html)

Tokyo City Air Terminal (T-CAT):	55 min., JPY2,900. Two to seven departures per hour
Tokyo Station (via T-CAT):	80 min., JPY3,000. Two to six departures per hour
Shinjuku Area:	85 min., JPY3,000. One to six departures per hour
Shinagawa Area:	85 min., JPY3,000. One to six departures per hour
Haneda Airport:	75 min., JPY3,000. One to five departures per hour

Above fares are one-way adult fares, including tax.
* Limousine buses operate direct services to more than fifty hotels in Tokyo.

By Trains

Japan Railways (JR) (http://www.jreast.co.jp/e/index.html)

Narita Express:	53 min., JPY2,940 to/from Tokyo Station
Sobu Line Rapid Train:	90 min., JPY1,280 to/from Tokyo Station

Keisei Railways (http://www.keisei.co.jp/keisei/tetudou/keisei_us/top.html)

Skyliner:	56 min., JPY1,920 to/from Keisei Ueno Station
Limited Express Train:	75 min., JPY1,000 to/from Keisei Ueno Station

To and from Haneda Airport

The easiest and most scenic way from Haneda to the city is the Tokyo Monorail with a station in each terminal running to Hamamatsucho (16 min, ¥470), from where you can connect to almost anywhere in Tokyo on the JR Yamanote line. Expect to pay anywhere from ¥4,000 to ¥10,000 for a taxi to central Tokyo from Haneda.

By Airport Buses

Limousine Bus** (http://www.limousinebus.co.jp/global.html)

Tokyo Station:	40min., JPY900. One to two departures per hour
Shinjuku Station:	50min., JPY1,200. Two to Five departures per hour
Tokyo City Air Terminal (T-CAT):	35min., JPY900. One to two departures per hour

Above fares are one-way adult fares, including tax.
** Limousine buses operate direct services to more than 55 destinations in Tokyo including 25 hotels.

By Trains

Tokyo Monorail (http://www.tokyo-monorail.co.jp/english/)

Haneda Express:	16min., JPY470 to/from Hamamatsucho Station
Local:	21min., JPY470 to/from Hamamatsucho Station

Keihin Electric Express Railway (http://www.keikyu.co.jp/worldwide/index.shtml)

20min., JPY400 to/from Shinagawa Station

Train

The defining rail line in Tokyo is the JR Yamanote Line, which runs in a loop around central Tokyo; being inside the Yamanote loop is synonymous with being in the core of Tokyo. Almost all inter-regional JR lines and private lines start at a station on the Yamanote. JR's lines are color-coded, and the Yamanote is green. The JR Chuo (orange) and Sobu (yellow) lines run side-by-side, bisecting the Yamanote loop from Shinjuku on the west to Tokyo on the east. JR's other commuter lines, the Saikyo and Keihin-Tohoku, run off the rim of the Yamanote loop to the north and south. JR East has a good English information line, 050-2016-1603 or 03-3423-0111.

Tokyo has an extensive subway network with frequent trains, and these are primarily useful for getting around within the Yamanote loop. The Tokyo Metro runs nine lines: Ginza, Marunouchi, Hibiya, Tozai, Chiyoda, Yurakucho, Hanzomon, Namboku and Fukutoshin lines. Toei operates the Asakusa, Mita, Shinjuku, and Oedo lines. In addition, there is a largely underground Rinkai Line, a private line which is operated by Tokyo Waterfront Area Rapid Transit that passes through the island of Odaiba.

A number of private commuter lines radiate from the Yamanote loop out into the outlying wards and suburbs, and almost all connect through directly to subway lines within the loop. The private lines are useful for day trips outside the city, and are slightly cheaper than JR. Among these, the most important to visitors is arguably the Yurikamome which offers great views on the way to the island of Odaiba.

Fares and hours

Most tickets and passes are sold from automated vending machines. Keep in mind that JR trains are free with a Japan Rail Pass. Prepaid fare cards are convenient and highly recommended because they allow you to ride trains without having to read the sometimes Japanese-only fare maps to determine your fare. There are two brands of prepaid fare cards, JR East's Suica, and PASMO, offered by private (non-JR) lines. Functionally they are completely interchangeable and can be used on just about every subway, train and bus line in Tokyo (with the noted exception of JR's Shinkansen and limited express trains).

The fare cards are rechargeable “smart cards”: you simply tap your card on the touch pad next to the turnstile as you go in, and do the same when going through to exit. There is an initial ¥500 deposit that you must pay when purchasing a fare card, but up to ¥20,000 in value can be stored on each card.

If you're paying a la carte, subway and train fares are based on distance, ranging from ¥110 to ¥310 for hops within central Tokyo. As a general rule of thumb, Tokyo Metro lines are cheapest, Toei lines are most expensive, and JR lines fall somewhere in the middle (but are usually cheaper than Metro for short trips, i.e. no more than 4 stations).

Many of the private lines interoperate with the subways, which can occasionally make a single ride seem unreasonably expensive as you are in essence transferring to another line and fare system, even though you're still on the same train. E.g. changing between Metro and Toei subway lines amounts to paying the sum of each fare: minimum fare Metro ¥160 + minimum fare Toei ¥170 = ¥330.

If you can't figure out how much it is to the destination, you can buy the cheapest ticket and pay the difference at the Fare Adjustment Machine at the end. Most vending machines will let you buy a single ticket that covers a transfer between JR, subway and private lines, all the way to your destination, but working out how to do this may be a challenge if you are not familiar with the system. When transferring between systems, whether paying with tickets or smart cards, use the orange transfer gates to exit. Otherwise, you'll be charged full fare for both separate parts of your trip, instead of the cheaper transfer fare.

Most train lines in Tokyo run from around 5:00 a.m. to 1:00 a.m. During peak hours they run about once every three minutes; even during off-peak hours it's less than ten minutes between trains. The only night when regular passenger services run overnight is for the New Year's Holiday on select lines.

Taxi

Taxis are very pricey, but may be a value for groups of three or more. Also, if you miss your last train, you may not have another choice.

Fares generally start at ¥710 for the first two kilometers and can add up rapidly. A 20% night surcharge is tacked on from 22:00-5:00 (10 PM to 5 AM). As a rule of thumb, a daytime trip across the city from Tokyo station to Shinjuku station will cost approximately ¥3000, while a daytime trip from Tokyo station to Haneda Airport costs around ¥6200. These examples are based on standard routing and traffic conditions, so your actual fare may vary in relation to the estimated fare.

Do not count on your taxi driver speaking English--or knowing more than the best-known locations, though most taxis have GPS systems installed. The best and easiest thing to do is to prepare a map marked with where you want to go, and point it out on the map to the taxi driver. If you are staying at a hotel, they will provide a map. If possible, get a business card, or print out the address in Japanese of any specific places you wish to go. However, because in Japan streets are often unmarked, if the taxi driver does not have GPS he may not be able to do more than take you to the general vicinity of where you want to go. Also, note that taxis can get caught in traffic jams. No tips are expected or given.

Taxi rear left passenger doors are operated by the driver and open and close automatically. Don't open or close them yourself.

Bus

The few areas within Tokyo that aren't easily accessible by train are served by various bus companies. Buses operating within 23 wards of Tokyo have a fixed fare regardless of distance (¥200 on Toei buses and ¥210 on other private bus companies), which is paid upon boarding from the front door. The fares are not transferable; however most buses do accept Suica or PASMO fare cards (see above). Compared to the trains, the buses run much less frequently, carry fewer passengers, and are much slower. This makes them amenable to the elderly residents of Tokyo, but rather inconvenient for travelers, who will also have to deal with lack of information in English and sometimes very well hidden bus stops. Bus routes can be fairly complicated and are often not listed in detail at the bus stops; signs on the buses themselves often list only two or three main stops in addition to the origin and destination. Inside the bus stops are usually announced clearly several times, but rarely displayed in English. North-south routes are useful in the Western side of the city since train lines (Odakyu, Keio, Chuo, and Seibu) tend to run east-west.

Foot

In this large city with such an efficient public transportation system, walking to get from point A to point B would seem a bit stupid at first glance. However, as the city is extremely safe even at night, walking in Tokyo can be a very pleasant experience. In some areas, walking can be much shorter than taking the subway and walking the transit (the whole Akasaka/Nagatacho/Roppongi area in the center is for instance very easily covered on foot). If you have the time, Shinjuku to Shibuya via Omotesando takes roughly one hour, Tokyo Station to Shinjuku would be a half a day walk, and the whole Yamanote line Grand Tour takes a long day.