(How to) Buy Tokyo subway / metro Train Tickets & Passes 

We’ll explore Tokyo’s TOEI and METRO subway ticket system and day passes. Leave a comment below and we’ll find answers for you :) thanks for watching and supporting the channel -John

I feel like I’m an expert at buying train and subway tickets, and recharging my IC card I don’t even have.

This is the most detailed explanation of Japan's public transit I have seen thus far on RU-vid. Thank you so much! This makes me feel a lot less nervous about getting around when I visit Japan for first time in April. I'm now actually excited to take the train, it looks so much better than the transit here in Chicago.

Found it really useful to see what the ticket machines look like, the value cards, the cool number of people button, and how you explained the subway map fares and where to look for which car is most convenient. Thank you so much!

you did such a great job explaining this all. thank you, i found this more helpful than any other video i watched about this.

Thanks for your live streams, John. They are helpful and informative and the time flies by.

Very friendly tone, nice presentation, Man.... I loved it till the last second...Every second was useful.....When you said "It took nearly a YEAR to understand everything about this Subway System" I can imagine how extensive is Tokyo with so many Lines etc.... Job well done, Man..... Love you!

Thanks John, that was very useful as I've always been lost and confused as a tourist there, especially with switching between the various lines & stops (much to the amusement of my Japanese wife who thinks the Tokyo train/subway systems are easy to navigate). Although admittedly I think it will still take me a few months if not longer to get comfortable with it all once I move there as a resident.

Awesome video john. Always great videos. I'm in akihabara right now enjoying vacation. Love the country.

Very useful, especially the part from 19:30. I will use this part of your video to explain to my students how metro works in Japan ! Thanks a lot.

love ur demonstrations......complete all trains and metro then buses .......its really helpful...thnx

The last machine you showed is very useful..thank you:)

Thanks! The last tip for bathroom is so so valuable!

easy to understand explanation, thank you so much it was very helpful

Please keep these guide coming super helpful. If it wasn't for my wife I'd be lost.

I love this channel. Thank you John!

Thank you for this John! I'll sure save a lot of cash in my return to Tokyo.

Thank you so much. Very helpful for our trip coming up this month.

I was wondering about that thank you for showing us I really do appreciate your good person for doing this.

John; this video was found on a search tangent looking for subway fare machines, it caused me many hours in many months viewing Japan's culture and scenery, many of which were videos you had produced, I thank you for great entertainment, I wish I could find travel affordable, but budget and CV-19 have restricted that.

ok at the first map I was confused !! good thing those vending machines has multiple languages...the States are s l o w l y catching up...I do enjoy your videos keep them coming !!

Another great video John! Informative and cut-n-dry tutorial on Tokyo subway system. Yes I have also kept my Suica card even though I don’t live there. I do go to Japan twice a year. Will there be a group meet-up for Halloween in Tokyo?

Pretty informative video, thanks for making it.

Quite impresive and informative. I am gona get a metro 24 hiur pass, it would be a great deal because I love to get down at each station 😝 Zurich had the same 24 hours pass and I did use it very extensively. I will be visiting for the first time to Tokyo Japan, I hope, I wont get lost.

This is so useful! Thank you!

This has been like the Contra code for the subway. Thanks!

Just watching this make me feel homesick for Japan. I really need to book my vacation again.

Thank you sir for ur lovely information im a new here in japan 🇯🇵😍

Lovely clear explanation John, I understand that better than the London Underground 😂

Thank you so much, it is sooooo helpful!!!!!

Great detail John!!!!

I saw your video at the Kansai airport now!!すごい！

Hi John...excellent information - these sorts of videos made my recent trip to Japan go over so smoothly, so thanks again for the info and confidence - I plan to return again next year. One question...is there maybe a good transport app for Tokyo - I can look this up myself but maybe you know of one that people like? I use the transportation office metro/bus apps for London and Paris when there because if I have the time I prefer taking buses over subway as you get to see more, it's not always the fastest way to get around though.

Hi John. You should do a live stream about the fare adjustments machines for all the trains

I have been to Tokyo last year for 8 days. Most of the time I took the JR Yamanote line. I was able to figure it out on day 3 of my trip.

this was great thanks. I'm coming over this summer. Yaaaaszz. I do have a question tho. is there a card that's more than a day, let's say a week or so, and can use both lines ?

Having lived in London for several years this is so familiar, with the oyster cards they have there.

Choosing between PASMO (non-JR East) and Suica (JR East) really just depends on which lines are you using. For most short time visitors, it doesn't matter either way. For longer visitors like over a Month of stay, getting a Monthly Commuter Pass is an option; but you can't get a JR Monthly Commuter Pass with PASMO and you can't get a Tokyo Metro Monthly Commuter Pass with a Suica.

Hello from Stockholm. Very useful info. BIG IN JAPAN

I just came back from Tokyo and I bought a suica card. It was so convenient.

John, Please do an episode on travelling to/fro Narita from the city centre (including earliest&latest train times) as I believe it can be pretty challenging to plan for most people.

A PASMO bought in Tokyo can be used in Osaka without any change. But you might need to recharge it at Sapporo if if you want to use it there. Also some places shun the use of IC Cards even if they're officially supposed to support it. In places like Echigo Yuzawa, you can see separate chargers for IC Cards, and the Ticket Gate Machines for IC Cards are available only for the Shinkansen lines.

Thanks awesome tutorial

On 12.10 I am in Tokyo for the first time. Then I see live the mega city. A dream👍🏼✌🏼🇯🇵

Heyyyyy good information. There is still the possibility for tourists a Metro Pass for 24,48 or 72h (Day Ticket) to buy. But that is only for the subway network (Toei and Metro)

This video is knowledgeable, thanks! Would you be able to show how to use one of those ramen ticket machine? They are all in Japanese characters and I think you have to use it fast every time...

Very helpful!

Great information!

I need more videos like this

thanks for the video. just wondering if you have any video showing how to buy Limited Express ticket from a vending machine? (in case that you have a train pass that does' t cover limited express but you have to ride the ltd. exp

Travelling around the Tokyo Metropolitan Area using an IC Card gives you a few Yen discount for each trip. I don't know if they also gave discounts toward non PASMO and Suica users though. One thing for sure, JR West at Osaka don't give discount to PASMO users. While you have to actually 'reboot' your PASMO if you want to use it at Hokkaido, aka you need to charge it there first before you can use it.

I got the suica card and used it in Tokyo and Osaka. Catching the subway lines is pretty easy. I also used my suica card in Matsuya to buy gyumeshi for breakfast a couple of times. Very tasty. It's only been a few days since I left Japan I miss it already. T_T I still have money on my suica card. I guess I will have to go back soon.

Sorry i might of missed it but the pasmo card works for both subway lines in tokyo

What a ticket number, just 1 more to No.4444! Just got the Kitaca card because of the flying squirrel too!

Terimakasih... sangat membantu.

I prefer the JR Lines because they are above ground so I can see things as I travel on the train vs being underground and not seeing much

Thank you for a great video. So when I will be in Tokyo for 3 days and buy/load SUICA card, I can use it for any transportation (JR line, Metro, Subway, busses) no matter the company? Also, are 1, 2, or 3 day passes company specific? Thank you kindly!

Great guide

Is there a way to buy week / month passes for the Tokyo metro? Or can you only buy a new ticket each day for the pass? Looking for the cheapest option for traveling around the Tokyo Metro area

In Osaka i have buy a Icoca ic card and it was very awesome for using it. I would like suggest for using google maps for trains and metro because google maps show you the start station name, on which train, time when it depart, how many stops will be, the final station name and how much it will cost you. I had also buy a sim card for mobile data. It cost me about 3000 yen for 3GB and can be used for 30 days. You can show in a live stream how to use google maps in Tokyo.

Excellent info

Hi John we are taking a cruise from the Yokohama port. Will we be able to return our Suica card there before boarding the ship?

If traveling in a group with kids, which is more cheaper, using suica/pasmo cards or buying the ticket passes?

it is hard to find the right line for transition? like from jr to metro

Hello John, next week i will going to Japan, and already bought JR pass, can JR Pass be used with other Line? or i must buy the ticket according to the line provide? or there have a All in One Card that can be used in all line and bus? Thanks alot John..

Also can you guide me if Tokyo has any beaches where I can swim?

good job bro thanks

Please also feature japan airport... I want to travel in japan as soon as the pandemic gone...

Possible to one day show how to buy Wrestle Kingdom tickets using those loppi ticketing machines or something like that?

Hey John, I think you should show how to get limited express tickets next. I encountered a problem with getting tickets to Narita Express because its not clear you have to buy an additional limited express fare as well

Nice video Is there a card for 24 h for all the metro lines???

Im heading to tokyo in a few weeks, just to be safe and travel around fun ill get the tokyo combination ticket😀

there are info booths where someone explains or you can buy the tickets? you could show in another video

Ah great.i kind of always wondered how you will buy tix if you switch between companies. Weather you get out, buy another or weather you can do it all at the start. Cool..

Have you ever been to Toho Studios? We would love to see an episode for the main channel and learn the history of Godzilla.

Get the 3 day pass Metro in Tokyo. You can use it for Toei and Metro lines. If you are arriving to Narita, get it in Keisei booth with the Ticket for Skyliner and you will get a discount. You can get to Ueno Station in 25 minutes and then take the Metro to whatever town in Tokyo with your pass. Enjoy Tokyo, so much to see, so little time.

Oh my, spotted a Singapore MRT ticket at 12:20 mark!

I hope you will see my question... In 22:52 you showed the 'metro' symbol and the symbol appeared throughout the whole Yurakucho line... How do I know the ticket price for all these stations?

It took you 1 year to figure out Tokyo's metro line? O_o It took me 1 day. It is pretty straightforward. The color coded lines make it really simple. 15:37 - OMG that function is so useful!!! Why our machines here don't have it? Japanese train ticket machines are so much more useful. FYI, IC cards have a lifespan of 10 years. That means you can use that card for 10 years. So if you bought one you can keep it and use it again when you come back (if it is within 10 years)

Is it possible to charge the ICOCA card in Tokyo?

i have heard of different ways of getting from ICU to tokyo city center and it confuses me. maybe you could do a how to for all the students that study abroad at ICU cause im curious

if i buy the Y900 toei and metro 24 hour pass, can i use it on the yamanote line?

Can you return an Osaka IC card in Tokyo and get your deposit & extra credit refunded? Or do you need to return the card in the same region that it was purchased?

1 of the many reasons why I love Japan is the fact that it is still a cash based society. I prefer paying in cash over credit card unless the amount is huge.

A Pass is good. But remember, any travel BEYOND the designated area even if it's just ONE station, will cost you extra. In short, either it's a Daily Pass or a Monthly Pass or other Limited Time Pass, if you have plans to travel at a wide area, even if your regular travel area is much smaller; buy a Pass according to that wide area.

I remember when I was there 3 years ago, on some of the ticket machines to charge my card, if I hit the English button, the machine would blast "MENU NOW DISPLAYED IN ENGLISH" really loud almost to like shame you haha.

I have a plan to Japan especially to Osaka and Fuji, which card i need to buy? And i want to ask which route/train the cheapest if i just landed from Kansai to their city. This is so confusing bcoz i only travel to Korea (sometimes i lost train in there LOL) and im from Indonesia.

John when you say 24 hour usage, does that mean the subway is 24 hour running, I'm planning to arrive in Tokyo for New Year's celebration as we will be near Tokyo Tower then back to Ikebukuro station.

How much is a month pass im traveling through shinjuku and shibuya the most, also maybe 3 times to akihabara for 4 weeks total thankyou anyone who sees this

How do you find which station to change lines? Use Google Maps?

Hi john, great video. Can you top up the Pasmo with whatever value you want (like 500 yen)? Or has to be in increments of 1000? Thx

A regular JR East Tokyo One Day Pass will not get you to Maihama Station (aka Disneyland / Tokyo Disney Resort). Please remember that. However a wider area pass such as the Tokyo Wide Pass will get you to places such as Maihama, Odaiba, Fuji, and even Gala Yuzawa. It cost 10000 Yen for an Adult though.

John-san do you have the option to also make metro train or subway cards with a picture on it or only your name and phone number. Thank you and love your channel

How to purchase the discounted tickets for disabled person, thanks

Im planning to buy the 72 hours unlimited tokyo metro and toei pass. What will happen if I enter a tokyo metro station using this pass and would like to exit at a JR station? Should I pay additional money? And do you have any recommended routes or places to visit if I have this 72hr pass?

helloo, i want to ask about TOKYO COMBINATION TICKET, can you tell me about route JR Line Central Tokyo ?

Hello John , may I know is it possible to recharge my Pasmo card or purchase a Pasmo card at Haneda Airport upon arrival ？

do they have senior cards???

So I am living in Sagamihara does this 600¥ or 900¥ pass applies on this route too?

i bought a Suica Card last year on my trip, can I print my name on it now? Or do I need to buy a new Suica Card? And can i have a commuter Pass with my name on it?