#106 Golden tickets
What is the minimum and sufficient ticket required for sightseeing in Tokyo?
After guiding many foreign visitors to Japan for the past year and a half, I have recently concluded. If you want to walk around Tokyo by public transportation, two types of tickets are enough now. I have considered various free tickets and their combinations. Still, based on the principle that you can reach major sightseeing spots in Tokyo by subway unless you are in an exceptional place, the "Tokyo Subway Ticket," which is available for 24, 48, and as long as 72 hours, and the "Suica" ticket, which allows you to ride the subway as you go, are the most economical and straightforward way to get around Tokyo. The "Tokyo Subway Ticket" is available for 24 to 48 hours, and the longest is 72 hours. Today, I want to share how to make the best of these two tickets.
One fact led me to this content. In Japan, IC card-type tickets such as SUICA are widely used under different names in different regions. They can be used not only on public transportation but also at convenience stores and station kiosks, so there are many other places where you can use them in addition to riding trains and buses.
That SUICA, however, was only sold at T3 at Haneda Airport until recently due to the shortage of IC cards. Still, the conventional green SUICA is available only to foreign visitors to Japan at Tokyo Station's travel centers and the city's sub-center. Although some location restrictions exist, almost 100% of foreign visitors can buy them. This post is actually about the two powerful tickets. Let's take a look at their benefits.
SUICA
Validity: Unlike the Welcome Suica, you need to pay a 500 yen deposit, but it has a 10-year validity period, so those who are likely to make a return visit may choose to buy one on the assumption that they will take it home with them.
Sales locations: JRE Travel Service Center (only in Ikebukuro, Shinjuku, and Shibuya, Tokyo) sells regular SUICAs, while T3 at Haneda Airport sells Welcome Suica. Regular SUICAs are valid for ten years, but Welcome Suica is valid for 28 days. Both SUICAs are similar in terms of where you can use them.
Tokyo Subway Ticket
Sales locations: Major stations of Tokyo Metro and Toei Subway
Ticket types: 24 hours (800 yen), 48 hours (1,200 yen), and 72 hours (1,500 yen)
Applicable: All lines of Tokyo Metro and Toei Subway.
Validity: The validity period starts when you first pass through the ticket gate, not from each day on the calendar.
Advantages: Tokyo Metro needs to be stronger in the southwestern Yamanote Line area, and those who stay in the Shinagawa and Shinbashi areas must have this ticket. This ticket covers most of the major attractions on the Ginza Line, including Asakusa, Ueno, Nihonbashi, Ginza, Shinbashi, Shibuya, Shinjuku, and Ikebukuro.
How to combine and use them
The clever use of SUICA and Tokyo Subway Ticket is to use subways as much as possible, and SUICA is used in spots when using JR lines, such as the Yamanote Line, to shorten the time.
For example, if you take the Yamanote Line from Shinjuku to Harajuku to visit Meiji Jingu Shrine, or if you take the Yamanote Line from Harajuku to Shibuya after visiting Meiji Jingu Shrine, you may not be able to use the subway. SUICA is also convenient for sightseeing around Shibuya after staying at Haneda Airport or leaving luggage at the airport. However, the subway is by far the most convenient way to visit Shibuya, Ginza, Asakusa, and other areas along the Tokyo Metro Ginza Line and to use the Chiyoda Line's Nijubashimae and Otemachi stations, which are the closest to the Imperial Palace.
Again, the Tokyo Subway Ticket is valid for 24, 48, or 72 hours, counting from the time you first pass through the ticket gate. The longer the validity period, the more you save. Therefore, if you buy a ticket in advance, start using it at noon, and use it until noon the next day, you only need 24 hours instead of two days. It is a very reasonable ticket.
Upon arrival at the airport
If you are arriving at Haneda Airport, you should first purchase a SUICA ticket and then buy a Tokyo Subway Ticket at an office in a subway station in Tokyo. Tokyo Metro stations include Ginza, Ikebukuro, and Shinjuku. Remember to bring your passport.
Now that you are ready to walk around Tokyo freely, how can you make the most of this ticket? First, understand the location and convenience of major terminal stations on the Tokyo Metro and Toei Subway lines. To conquer Tokyo, you need to have certain stations in mind. I will share more about this point in my later post.
Finally
The Tokyo Subway Ticket has a unique benefit that you should remember. The ChikaToku system allows you to receive discounts at 230 facilities and stores by presenting this ticket, and it is highly recommended that you check it out around the places you will be visiting.
These two types of tickets will allow you to spend a fulfilling time walking around Tokyo freely without spending unnecessary money. Finally, if you have any questions or comments, please share them with us.
Them you for all your valuable advice. I will be arriving in Tokyo in a couple of days and I am a little confused about the situation regarding the Suica and Pasmo cards. While some sites suggest the standard Suica is available to foreign visitors at a limited number of stations the JR East website seems to suggest this is not so. The JREast website does say the Welcome Suica is available at Haneda where I will be arriving. I thought I might get the Welcome Suica when I arrive with a minimal amount of credit and try to get the standard Suica at one of the main stations. (I plan to return to Tokyo later this year with further trips possible so I would prefer the standard Suica if I can get it.)
Do you think my plan makes sense or would you advise anything else?
Thank you again.
Your newsletter is so helpful! I found that I could purchase a digital SUICA in my iPhone, would you happen to know if it is the same type of SUICA as the “regular” SUICA you mention? Or do you recommend that I get the physical card when I arrive in Japan? Thank you for your help!