This section of our blog is dedicated to the public transportation in Japan, available for free to all Japan Rail Pass holders.
If you want to learn more about how to locate and take your trains from Tokyo or Kyoto stations; how to arrive in central Tokyo from Narita Airport, by taking the Narita Express (N’EX); how to ride the JR buses in the major cities or take the Miyajima ferry from Hiroshima, this section is for you.
You will also enjoy a number of comprehensive routes on how to arrive from one city to another; where to look for accurate online timetables; where and how to transfer between stations and more.
Yokohama is the second-largest city in Japan, located on Tokyo Bay south of Tokyo. It is the capital city of the Kanagawa Prefecture. In the Nishi-ku ward of this commercial hub, you will find Yokohama Station.
This station originally opened in 1872, and the current location was founded in 1928. Today, it is the fifth-busiest train station in the world, serving over 760 million passengers each year.
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Fukuoka and Nagasaki are two of the biggest metropolitan areas in the north of the southern Japanese island of Kyushu and among the most popular destinations in the area. The distance between the two cities is roughly 150 kilometers.
There are various transportation options available to make the journey, including by Shinkansen, Limited Express Kamome train, and highway buses.
Nagoya Station is located in Nakamura-ku, Nagoya, in Japan’s Aichi Prefecture. By floor area, Nagoya Station is the world’s largest train station at around 410,000 square meters. It is the headquarters of the Central Japan Railway Company, also known as JR Central.
The JR Keiyo Line, or Keiyo-sen, is one of Japan’s many railway systems operated by the East Japan Railway Company, or JR East. The Keiyo Line first opened in 1975. Over 700,000 passengers utilize this railway line each day.
Did you know? The name “Keiyo” is derived from the names of the terminus stations that are linked by the line, Tokyo and Chiba.
Shimbashi means “New Bridge,” and Shimbashi Station serves just such a purpose in Tokyo’s Minato special ward. Previously known as Karasumori Station, Shimbashi Station’s current location first opened its doors in 1909. Its predecessor, the original Shimbashi Station which opened in 1872, is located a few kilometers away. It is one of the oldest train stations in Japan and serves as a museum. Today, Shimbashi Station serves more than 250,000 passengers each day.
Although the public transportation network is incredibly efficient and Japanese trains are a great way to get around the whole the country, foreign visitors to Japan may at first have some difficulty navigating timetables and deciding which trains they need to catch.
Furthermore, while many railway, bus and ferry schedules may be published online on the website of the operators, it may often be difficult to find English-language versions.
