Traveling in Japan



Perhaps the one tangible thing I miss most about Japan aside from friends and food is the transportation. Although it is expensive to get around, it is incredibly convenient and (usually) safe.


Means of Transport

Trains
There is little doubt that the most efficient and often the least expensive mode of transportation in Japan is the train. Tracks connect all of the main islands except for Okinawa and extend to all major cities. Most of the track is owned and operated by Japan Railroad (JR) which has been further divided into regional companies. However, especially around the cities there are a number of private firms as well.

About the Trains

Japanese trains are renowned for their cleanliness and promptness. Except during the worst weather, they’re always on time. The conductors and other staff are usually very polite and helpful as well.

There are many different types of trains, which can be a bit confusing.

Local service trains are the type that usually run most frequently. They connect to every station along their route which makes travel very slow, but it’s the only way to get to smaller depots. On the plus side, they’re also the least expensive method of transportation with base tickets usually starting at just 150yen.
The cars on these trains are always non-smoking and provide seats on a first-come-first-serve basis. If there is no space left to sit passengers have to stand, sometimes extremely close together.
Note that although I’ve never seen an actual Japanese person accept, it is considered good manners to offer your seat to anyone older than yourself, especially if they’re pregnant, infirm, or injured.

Rapid trains are similar to local services except that they skip certain stops, usually the less important stations within a larger city. The tickets cost the same as the local lines.
Again, seats are generally first-come-first serve and non-smoking.

Express service skips many of the smaller stations on its route saving passengers quite a bit of time. Tickets however cost between 500-2000 yen more than rapid or local trains.
These trains are usually non-reserved seating and non-smoking though they sometimes have what’s called a “Green Car”. These compartments offer spacious single seats that must be reserved before boarding the train, costing nearly double the regular ticket price.

Limited Express trains cost somewhere between 500-4000 yen more than basic fare and stop only at the largest stations.
Because of the extra cost, there are generally a variety of seating options available, including smoking cars, green cars, and both reserved and non-reserved seating. Reserved seats cost a few hundred yen more than regular tickets and must be bought at a “midori guchi” (see below), or on the train itself from the conductor. If you prefer the latter, then simply take a seat in a reserved compartment and wait until he (or once in a while she) comes to take your ticket and ask to upgrade it.

Traveling to Tokyo, you can sometimes see Fuji-san out the window!Super Express or Shinkansen trains are incredibly fast but also 2x more expensive than even the Limited Express services. However, the ability to get from Hiroshima to Tokyo in just four hours instead of 12 is usually worth the extra fee.
There are a variety of shinkansen that range in speed and number of stopovers. Nozomi shinkansen for example is extremely fast, stopping at only a handful of stations between Tokyo and Hakata. Hikari express however makes many more stops and covers less distance. The prices differ accordingly.
The shinkansen usually offer reserved, non-reserved, smoking, non-smoking, and green cars. Again, I recommend paying the extra money for the reserved seats as standing in the little compartment between cars with forty other commuters and their screaming kids simply to save 700yen is not fun in the least. Also, in the reserved cars there’s a little space behind the last chairs in the compartment. Technically it’s illegal, but I have yet to see a conductor who complains if you stick your luggage in those little nooks instead of fighting to shove them on the racks above your head.

Night Trains also exist in Japan although I have never had any experience with them myself. The tickets cost as much or more than most shinkansen although they often go to towns that the super expresses don’t and obviously run during the night. The price is augmented by different levels of sleeping compartments, some of which constitute private rooms, others simply fold-out chairs.


Buying Tickets

Vending Machines are the quickest way to get tickets. Most machines simply sell local, rapid, and express fares but there are special machines for shinkansen and some limited express trains. Sometimes you can also find separate machines for people who wish to ride in the Green Car.
There are three simple steps to using the vending machines.
    1. Before stepping up to the machine itself, check the large color coded map above it and locate your starting and end points. There will be two fares listed, the first (black) being for adults and the second (usually maroon) being for children. Based on this, figure out how much it will cost to buy tickets for every member in your party, keeping in mind that ages 6-11 are considered children. Anyone younger is considered an infant and can ride for free.
      2. Go to one of the machines and insert coins or bills for the fare of each person in your party. Most machines only take cash though there are also “Orange Cards” that you can buy at the Midori Guchi (below) or from vending machines. They work like bus or debit cards and can be paid for with a credit card. You can also use credit cards on the shinkansen machines as well, I believe,as the green-car kiosks.
        3. When you start inserting the money, you will see that fare amounts will light up on the board. If you’re traveling alone, you need only locate the amount needed and press it. However, if in a group you first need to press the “extra passenger” button (denoted by the little blue stick figure) for as many people are in your party. There is a separate button (with a smaller blue stick figure) for kids. There is also a separate button for taking an express train over a local or rapid train, but if your travel plans are that complicated and expensive, I would simply go to the midori guchi since you can always pay with credit card there.
          4. The machine will print out your ticket and spit out your change and you can then enter the platform area.

          Midori Guchi or the green window is my recommended method to buy anything more complex than a basic ticket for a local train because you deal with people instead of machines. Moreover, you can buy the ticket a few days in advance and with a credit card.
          Usually the Midori Guchi is literally a ticket vending window although in larger stations they constitute entire rooms. Most of the time they are located near the vending machines, marked with green-and-white signs with “Midori Guchi” written on them, often with English beneath the Japanese. Clerks do not always speak English, but at least in the larger stations they are able to usually locate a staff member who does.

          Transferring and Tickets
          When you transfer between trains, you don’t have to leave the platform area to buy a new ticket. Instead, simply hop aboard the next train you need. Sometimes conductors will pass through the compartments and you can buy a ticket from them. Otherwise, when you alight at your final destination, you need to locate a “Fare Adjustment Machine”. Insert your ticket from your original station and wait for the machine to tell you how much more you need to spend. Once you insert that amount into the machine, it will spit out a new ticket you can take to the exit gates.
          Fare adjustment machines are also very useful if you miss your station or bought the wrong ticket. Also, if the whole deal of deciding fares prior to getting on the train is confusing, you can always buy the cheapest ticket available, hop the train, then use the fare adjustment machine to figure out how much you owe when you get to your destination.


          Special Tickets

          Especially for foreigners, there are a wide range of fantastic ticket deals to help save money, and help you see the country.
          One of the most popular I know of is the Japan Rail Pass. This bargain provides unlimited access on most JR owned transportation, including many shinkansen, ferries, and of course all regular trains. This privilege continues for a number of days determined at the time of purchase, usually going in week-long intervals.
          There are two big catches to the JR Pass though. The first is that you can only purchase the ticket if you have a visitor’s visa: student visas do not count. Secondly, you have to buy the pass BEFORE you leave your home country. This can be done by phone, travel agency, or the JR website I understand.
          JR Website

          Another deal available for tourists, nationals, and people on student visas is the Seishun 18 ticket. Popular with groups and families as it can be shared among a number of people, the pass allows unlimited access on local and rapid JR trains for a period of 5 days though only at certain times of the year.

          Different JR regional companies have their own passes as well, some of which are more useful than others. JR West for example offers unlimited access on its lines within two areas, but only to tourists with visitor visas. It’s useless for a foreign exchange student.


          Busses
          Beyond the inner-city busses, there are a variety of long-distance bus companies in Japan. I have never chartered a trip myself but looked into doing so a few times and the general impression was that except for places not near a depot, it was more efficient to use the trains. Roads are usually more scenic than train tracks
          The tickets can save you money compared to the shinkansen or limited express tickets, but take much longer to reach most destinations. Compared to express or rapid service trains on the other hand, busses are usually as expensive and take as long to arrive. Moreover, busses have less flexibility than the trains generally do when it comes to the number available daily as well as hours of operation. Nevertheless, for out of the way places that are hard to get to by train, busses may be the best bet.
          Most cities have a bus station where you can get tickets but it would be even easier to simply go to a travel agency and reserve your seat that way.


          Ferries
          Being that Japan is an island nation, there are quite a few different ferry services that serve the major cities. Some of the boats border on being luxury liners while others are simply car decks with some seats on top. Prices are about on par with most express trains, except the ferries are much slower.


          Planes
          Considering the quality of train service in Japan, airplanes are generally not worth the extra cost or hassle. However, with longer and more indirect trips such as Hiroshima to Sapporo in Hokkaido or Naha in Okinawa, airfare is probably the quickest and overall least expensive way to get around.


          Private Cars
          If you are at least over 18, have an international driver’s license and a LOT of money, one final option is to rent a car and drive. This is expensive however, not just to get the car, but to use the roads. Major freeways and thoroughfares all have ridiculously high tolls. City roads however are usually congested and confusing, and country roads are not always paved. Therefore, use of the freeways is often imperative.