edit Tokyo Travel Guide

• Temples of Asakusa
• Gardens of the Imperial Palace in Chiyoda
• Meiji Shrine in Harajuku

Over 400 years old, the city of Tokyo grew from the modest fishing village of Edo (江戸). The former seat of the Tokugawa Shogunate, the Imperial family moved to the city after the Meiji Restoration in 1868. The metropolitan center of the country, Tokyo is the destination for business, education, modern culture, and government. (That's not to say that rivals such as Osaka won't dispute those claims.)

Tokyo is vast: it's best thought of not as a single city, but a constellation of cities that have grown together. Tokyo's districts vary wildly by character, from the electronic blare of Akihabara to the Imperial gardens and shrines of Chiyoda, from the hyperactive youth culture mecca of Shibuya to the pottery shops and temple markets of Asakusa. If you don't like what you see, hop on the train and head to the next one, and you will find something entirely different.

The sheer size and frenetic pace of Tokyo can intimidate the first-time visitor. Much of the city is a terribly ugly jungle of concrete and wires, with a sensory overload of neon and blaring loudspeakers. At rush hour, crowds jostle in packed trains and masses of humanity sweep through enormous and bewilderingly complex stations. Don't get too hung up on ticking tourist sights off your list: for most visitors, the biggest part of the Tokyo experience is just wandering around at random and absorbing the vibe, poking your head into shops selling weird and wonderful things, sampling restaurants where you can't recognize a single thing on the menu (or on your plate), and finding unexpected oases of calm in the tranquil grounds of a neighbourhood Shinto shrine. It's all perfectly safe, and the locals will go to sometimes extraordinary lengths to help you if you just ask.

By plane

Tokyo has two large airports: Narita for international flights, and Haneda for (mostly) domestic flights.

Narita Airport

Tokyo's main international gateway is Narita Airport (成田空港) (IATA: NRT), located in the town of Narita nearly 70 kilometers northeast of Tokyo. A brief summary of options for getting there and away:

• Easiest: Limousine bus direct to major hotels, ~90 minutes (subject to traffic), ¥3000
• Fastest: Narita Express to Tokyo Station, Shibuya, Shinjuku, Yokohama, 55 minutes, ¥2940 (Japan Rail Pass valid)
• Cheapest: Local Keisei train to Nippori/Ueno, ~80 minutes, ¥1000
• Most expensive: Taxi to the city, north of ¥30,000

Haneda Airport

Most domestic services, as well as the shuttle service to Seoul, fly into Haneda Airport (羽田空港 IATA: HND), officially known as Tokyo International Airport, in Ota. Terminal 1 houses the JAL group including Skymark and Skynet, while Terminal 2 is home to ANA and affiliate Air Do. Services to Seoul-Gimpo use the small separate International Terminal, which is connected to the main domestic terminals by a free shuttle bus that runs every 5 minutes.

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. The other, slightly cheaper alternative is the private Keikyu (京急) line, which has a single station between the terminals and runs to Shinagawa (19 min, ¥400) and Yokohama (27 min, ¥470). Keikyu also runs trains to Haneda from the Toei Asakusa subway line, and even a few direct services to Narita. Note that there is no JR service to the airport, and the "Airport Terminal 2" station that pops up in some route search engines is located in Narita, not Haneda!

By train

There is a frequent intercity Shinkansen service to and from Tokyo Station (東京駅 Tōkyō-eki) in Chiyoda, from where you can easily connect pretty much anywhere in the city on the JR Yamanote or Metro Marunouchi lines. For all northbound trains, you can also hop on at Ueno, while most (but not all) westbound trains stop at Shinagawa.

For non-Shinkansen services, Shibuya and Shinjuku stations offer local connections to the west. Ueno and Ikebukuro stations connect you to the northern suburbs and neighboring prefectures.

By car

While you can drive into the city, it's really not recommended as the city can be congested, signs may be confusing and parking fees are astronomical.

By bus

Highway bus services link Tokyo to other cities, resort areas and the surrounding prefectures. There are JR and private bus companies. Bus service may be cheaper, but the train is probably more convenient. If you have a JR pass, then you should generally stick with the trains.

Long-distance buses use a number of terminals scattered throughout the city, but the main JR depot is at Tokyo Station's Yaesu-minamiguchi (八重洲南口) exit, while Keio and some other private companies use the Shinjuku Highway Bus Terminal (新宿高速バスターミナル), opposite Yodobashi Camera near the West Exit.

The JR Bus Group is a major operator of bus services to and from Tokyo. Seat reservations for JR Buses can be made in train stations at the same "Midori-no-Madoguchi" ticket windows used to reserve seats on trains. Moreover, the Japan Rail Pass is valid on all bus runs between Tokyo and Nagoya, Kyoto and Osaka.

By boat

One of the great ports of the world, Tokyo also has domestic ferry services to other points in Japan. However, none of the regular international ferries to Japan call at Tokyo.

The main long-distance ferry terminal is Ariake Ferry Terminal, located on an artificial island adjacent to Odaiba in Tokyo Bay. The nearest station is Kokusai-Tenjijo-Seimon on the Yurikamome line, but it's still a bit of a hike. You can also take a direct bus from Shin-Kiba station on the Metro Yurakucho line. The main services from this terminal are:

• Tokyo-Tomakomai (Hokkaido): Kawasaki Kinkai Kisen, 03-3528-0718. This ferry has no passenger facilities, so it can only be used if you have a car; fares for a car and driver start at ¥25,820.
• Tokyo-Tokushima-Kitakyushu: Ocean Tokyu Ferry, 03-5148-0109. Tokyo-Kitakyushu passenger fares are ¥14,000 for second class, ¥26,600 for first class.

Ferries to the Izu and Ogasawara Islands leave from Takeshiba Terminal (竹芝客船ターミナル), adjacent to Takeshiba station on the Yurikamome line. Cruise liners tend to use the Harumi Terminal (晴海客船ターミナル), best accessible on bus 都05(To-05) from Tokyo station Marunouchi South Exit or 東12(Tou-12) from Tokyo station Yaesu exit. International ferries and cargo ferries that also take passengers can leave from other terminals too, enquire with your shipping company.

By Train and Subway

Tokyo has the most extensive mass transit system in the world. It is clean, safe and efficient - and confusing. The confusion arises from the fact that several distinct railway systems operate within Tokyo - the JR East network, the two subway networks, and various private lines - and different route maps show different systems. Avoid rush hours if possible; trains get overcrowded very easily.

The defining rail line in Tokyo is the JR Yamanote Line (山手線), 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 (中央線, orange) and Sobu (総武線, 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, Yurakucho New Line, Hanzomon and Namboku lines. Toei operates the Asakusa, Mita, Shinjuku, and Oedo lines. In June of 2008, Tokyo Metro will open a new line, the Fukutoshin Line, running from Ikebukuro to Shibuya.

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.

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 types of prepaid fare cards: Suica, which is offered by JR East, and PASMO, offered by Tokyo Metro and other companies. Suica and PASMO fare cards are interchangeable; they can be used on just about every subway, train and bus line in Tokyo (with the noted exception of shinkansen and JR-operated limited express trains).

Note that PASMO card purchases are restricted to commuter pass purchases only until August of 2007, due to extremely high demand for the new PASMO cards.

The fare cards are "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.

There are also some special tickets that allow unlimited travel, but most are unlikely to be useful to tourists unless you're planning to spend half your day on the train.

• The Tokunai Pass (都区内パス) is a one-day pass good for travel on JR lines anywhere in the 23 wards of Tokyo (including the entire Yamanote Line and many stations surrounding it). It costs ¥730, making it economical if you plan to make five or more train hops in one day. A variant is the Tokunai Free Kippu (都区内フリーきっぷ), which also includes a round-trip into Tokyo from stations in the surrounding prefectures. The Monorail And Tokunai Free Kippu, which is good for two days and includes a round-trip from Haneda Airport to central Tokyo, is also sold for ¥2,000.
• The Tokyo Free Kippu (東京フリーきっぷ) covers all JR, subway and city bus lines within the 23 wards. It costs ¥1,580 for one day, and covers a number of areas that are not served by JR, such as Roppongi and Odaiba.
• The Holiday Pass (ホリデーパス) covers the entire JR network in the Tokyo metropolitan area, including Chiba, Kanagawa, Saitama and west Tokyo. It costs ¥2,300 for one day, and is only available on weekends, national holidays and during summer vacation (July 20 through August 31).

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.

It pays to check your route beforehand. The Tokyo Transfer Guide by the Tokyo Metro and Toei subway companies, is an online service that allows you to plan subway and train travel from point A to point B, based on time, cost, and transfers.

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 (norikoshi) 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.

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.

By Car

Tokyo is essentially a gigantic warren of narrow streets with no names, with slow-moving traffic and extremely limited and expensive parking. In this city with such an excellent mass transit system, you would need a good reason to want to drive around instead.

By Bus

The few areas within Tokyo that aren't easily accessible by train are served by various bus companies. Buses have a fixed fare regardless of distance (typically ¥200 or ¥210), and 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.

By Foot

Police

Fire Department

Hospitals

Crime

Tokyo is probably one of the safest cities you will ever visit, and Japan in general is one of the safest places to visit in the world. Street crime is extremely rare, even late at night, and continues to decrease. However, "little crime" does not mean "no crime", and common sense should still be applied as anywhere in the world.

Smoking

If it is for sale anywhere in the world, you can probably buy it in Tokyo. Items to look for include electronics, funky fashions, antique furniture and kimono, and specialty items like Hello Kitty goods, anime and comics, and their associated paraphernalia.

From Tokyo, the entire surrounding Kanto region is your oyster. Particularly popular destinations nearby include:

• Hakone — for hot springs and views of Mount Fuji
• Kamakura — home to dozens of small temples and one Big Buddha
• Nikko — grandiose shrine and burial site of Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu
• Tokyo Disney Resort — with Tokyo Disneyland (just like the ones everywhere else) and Tokyo DisneySea (an only-Japan theme park which includes some unique rides and some imported rides from Disney parks outside of Japan)
• Yokohama — Japan's second-largest city

The Tokyo area also has some less-famous destinations that are easy day trips from central Tokyo:

• Ashikaga — historical hometown of a famous shogun clan
• Hachioji — a refreshing climb up Mt. Takao through a forest to a shrine and beer garden
• Kawasaki — home to the Nihon Minka-En park with 24 ancient farmhouses (more interesting than it sounds), not to mention the shrine of the Lord Big Iron Penis