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Getting around
From landing at Narita I had a little trouble getting to my hotel in Ikebukuro. Getting my JR Pass was pretty easy, the directions aren’t too bad on the map which comes from the JR PASS, but if you follow the signs for “JR” in green then this will direct you to the office. I highly recommend the JR PASS if you are wanting to travel in Japan 
. The pass is only available to people visiting Japan.
From Narita you can catch the JR Express to Tokyo, I’m not too sure where else you can go to from Narita Airport by train. if you get the JR Express to Tokyo you can the Shinkansen from Tokyo or Ueno station . You can also catch the airport limousine bus/coach or a taxi, but I wouldn’t recommend a taxi as this will cost you by the time you get to your destination.
The train takes about 1 hour 45 minutes to Ikebukuro, it stops at Tokyo and Shinjuku station before getting to Ikebukuro.
The most confusing train station in Tokyo is Shinjuku (the largest train station in the world), but make sure you know which exit or the meanings for north (kita), south (minami), east (higashi) or west (nishi).
I made the mistake of exiting the East exit in Ikebukuro and carrying my suitcase up the stairs on a hot sunny day.
Most places I noticed from the train station had signs going to main exits such as “the Tobu exit” and you can get pretty much anywhere from the train stations by walking underground in Tokyo.
Some signs are in English, but most signs are in Japanese so sometimes depending where you are it can be difficult to get around.
I got this booklet below ( Infomap ) from Narita airport, it is a must have for any tourist who knows English.
The book explains about which tourist places to go and also has a map for the train lines and underground map for Osaka and Tokyo which came in very useful.
The trains in Tokyo for JR have tv’s and also show how long you have to your next stop and explain which station is next in Japanese and English.
They also explain which station is coming up and which side the trains doors will open in Japanese and English over the intercom.
You will be able to tell when a train is at the station as they sound like an ice cream van when they come into the station.
From Tokyo to get around via Shinkansen to other places in Japan you have two places to catch the trains from. To go east I think you have to go to Ueno station and to go west you have to travel from Tokyo station.
The Shinkansen is pretty easy to find, when getting a ticket you will see the ticket marked as “JR Shinkansen” and if you show your JR PASS the ticket person will try show you your seat number, carriage number and the platform for the train you want at a certain time. There are other Shinkansen’s and I guess they will work the same.
The Shinkansen’s are so fast and reliable, I wanted to get their before the trains had arrived to take a picture but even if I was 30 minutes early, the train was there before me. There is plenty of room on the trains and toilets, vending machines etc are clearly marked.
From Tokyo – Osaka it takes around 2 hours 30 minutes and just about 2 hours to Kyoto from Tokyo.
Suica Card Example
If you loose a JR PASS like I did, or don’t have one then you can still get around easily. Shinkansen trains are pretty expensive, I got quoted about 26,800 (about £216) for a return from Tokyo – Osaka.
To get around Tokyo I recommend getting a “Suica” card, you can use it for all sorts. If you go to one of the manta kiosks in the train station you can get a pass for 1500 yen, 500 of which is used as a deposit and then get credit put on it.
If you use the JR Yamanote line for example from Ikebukuro – Shinjuku the price was around 190 yen each way.
The prices are marked up on a routes map above the paying stations, one side is all in Japanese and the other usually says the stations in English. At some places though I noticed their was no English option, so I managed to ask at one of the ticket offices.
I sadly only tried JR and the underground system in Tokyo. When I went to Kyoto I found this harder, but if you ask nicely at one of the platform gates and speak slowly then you should be alright.
Trying to get to the Ghibli museum in Mitaka was a little difficult, you have to get a ticket from a Lawsons office where all of the options are in japanese. I asked someone in the store for help, but her English wasn’t good but luckily a nice business woman helped me by calling one of her friends who knew English. A ticket to the glibli museum was 1500 yen i think?
(More coming soon)
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