Tokyo public transport: tickets, passes and apps

For a normal Tokyo stay, one IC card covers almost everything: JR commuter trains, the two subway networks, the Toei buses and most private lines. You tap in, tap out, and the fare is deducted. There is no cheaper single-ride ticket and no need to work out zones.

The exception is a heavy metro day. If you plan four or more subway rides in a day — say Asakusa, Ueno, Ginza and Shinjuku — a 24-hour subway pass can beat paying per ride. It covers the Tokyo Metro and Toei subway lines, not JR trains such as the Yamanote loop, so a day that leans on JR is better on the IC card.

A JR Pass is a nationwide rail product and rarely pays off inside Tokyo alone; decide it on your whole Japan itinerary, not this city.

The default is an IC card. Buy a physical Suica or PASMO at a station machine or counter, load it with cash, and tap. Mobile versions live in Apple Wallet on iPhone and on some Android phones; they top up with a bank card and save you the deposit queue.

Contactless bank cards are increasingly accepted at gates, but support is not universal and can fail on some operators, so treat a bank card as a backup rather than your only plan. Paper tickets still work on JR and subway machines if you prefer cash, and fares are calculated at the exit gate.

Buses in central Tokyo mostly take IC cards; some rural and community buses still want exact cash, so keep coins. Station machines take notes and coins for top-ups.

Tokyo fares are distance-based, not zoned like London. A short hop of one or two stations sits near the bottom of the band; a cross-city ride on the Yamanote loop or a long subway run sits near the top. The parent Japan facts put city rides at ¥180–350, and that band covers almost all normal tourist journeys.

The practical consequence: there is no zone map to learn and no penalty for crossing an invisible boundary. What does matter is operator. A journey that starts on JR and continues on the subway is charged as two fares unless you stay inside one network, which is another reason the IC card is simpler than a pass.

Haneda (HND) and Narita (NRT) are not on the subway, so a subway pass will not get you into town. From Haneda, the monorail and the Keikyu line both reach central stations in roughly 20–30 minutes; from Narita, the Skyliner and the Narita Express take around 40–60 minutes to the main terminals (check exact times and fares).

The parent Japan facts note the last Skyliner leaves Narita around 22:30, so a very late arrival may need a bus or taxi instead. Buy the airport train ticket separately from any city pass, and load your IC card at the airport station before the first ride.

If you land late and want to sleep near the terminal rather than cross the city, look at the airport-area hotels first.

Trains run from about 05:00 to about 00:30. The last train, not the bar closing time, decides your night — check it before the second drink, because taxis after midnight are expensive.

Rush hour is roughly 07:30–09:00 and 17:30–19:00 on weekdays. If you are moving with luggage, aim between those windows or use a taxi for the last leg.

Keep your card and your phone separate at the gate; two IC devices in one wallet can read twice. If a gate rejects you, staff at the side window will sort it out in seconds.

For anything beyond the city — Hakone, Kamakura, Nikko — a rail pass or a separate ticket is usually the better buy, and a car only makes sense outside the cities.