How to use JR Pass in downtown Tokyo. Try to maximize using JR Pass

yamanote line e235Tips for Japan Rail Pass
2012.01.02
Yamanote line is the busiest train service in Japan.
Yamanote line is the busiest train service in Japan.

JR Pass and other JR deals, such as JR East Pass Nagano Niigata, JR East Pass Tohoku, Tokyo Wide Pass, Hokuriku Arch Pass and JR East-South Hokkaido Rail Pass covers JR local trains in downtown Tokyo. But you may not be able to find which train JR lines is. You may not be able to find where you can get in downtown Tokyo by JR lines.

In this post, I focus on JR trains in downtown Tokyo and will tell you where you can get without any extra charge. You will find how much you can use JR Pass in Tokyo in this post.

Explaination in the movie

I uploaded same content as this post in YouTube. You can watch it below if you like:

Overview Japan Railways local lines in downtown Tokyo

First of all, make sure how many lines JR has in downtown Tokyo. Please see the map below. I show you only JR lines that you need to take in Tokyo. This map does not show you all stations and lines. Only major lines and stations are shown in this map.

JR train network in downtown Tokyo (Click to view large)

They have five lines in Tokyo. All five lines are very busy commute line. Weekdays’ timetable is different from the weekend. But it is not much different. The traveller cannot notice that. The trains are operated every 3-5 minutes in peak hours and 5 to 10 minutes in non peak hours. Usually the train is started to operate around 6:00am and the last one is around 0:30am. So you don’t need to check the timetable. You can take the train anytime.

And each lines have different line color. This color is shown on the platform and train. This coloring let the passenger find the right train easier. The summary of these lines are the following:

Yamanote line (line color Yellow Green)

It is a loop line and connecting most of major downtown cores, like Tokyo, Yurakucho (Ginza), Shinagawa, Shibuya, Harajuku, Shinjuku, Ikebukuro, Ueno and Akihabara. This is the busiest line in Japan. The train comes every 2 to 3 minutes in peak hours and every 4 minutes even in daytime. Most of sightseeing spots are located inside or along Yamanote line. You may take this train many times.

Chuo-Sobu line (line color Yellow)

Sobu line has Yellow color.

This line connects Chiba with Mitaka via Akihabara and Shinjuku. The trains go through downtown Tokyo east and west. There are Ryogoku (the nearest station to “Kokugikan” Sumo tournament arena), Akaihabara, and Tokyo dome along this line. But if you go to Chiba, take Yokosuka-Sobu Rapid train. This is way faster than Sobu line train.

Chuo line Rapid (line color Orange)

Chuo line has orange color (left) and Keihin Tohoku line has sky blue color (right).

This line connects Tokyo with Takao via Shinjuku and Hachoiji. The train comes every 2.5 minutes in peak hours and every 4 minutes in non peak hours. It is as busy as Yamanote line. This train goes on same route between Tokyo and Kanda as Yamanote line and between Ochanomizu and Mitaka as Sobu line. But Chuo line train is operated as rapid service. It stop at only Kanda, Ochanomizu, Yotsuyabetween Tokyo and Shinjuku except early morning and late night.

Keihin Tohoku line (line color Sky Blue)

This line goes from Omiya (Saitama) to Ofuna (near Kamakura) via Yokohama. The train runs every 5-10 minutes. This line runs with Yamanote line between Tabata station and Shinagawa. But this lines’ train skip several station in daytime on this section. The trains stop at Ueno, Aihabara, Tokyo, Hamamatsucho and Tamachi. If you travel on this section, Keihin Tohoku line is faster than Yamanote line. Be careful that the trains do not stop at Yurakucho and Shinbashi.

This train take you to Yokohama. But this is not good idea to take this train to outside of downtown Tokyo. This train is not fast train service. You should better take Yokosuka-Sobu Rapid train or Tokaido Rapid train. These rapid trains a sort of commute trans. You don’t need to pay any express surcharge. You can take with a basic fare only. Please see the details at Rapid train service network in Greater Tokyo.

Most of trains goes on Negishi line from Yokohama to Ofuna. There are several popular spots in Yokohama waterfront area, such as Minato Mirai, China town, Yamashita park. You may take this train from Yokohama to the west.

Keiyo line (line color Wine Red)

This line goes along Tokyo bay area.

This line connects Tokyo with Soga (Chiba). Tokyo Disney Land and Tokyo Disney Sea are located at Maihama station on Keiyo line. Tokyo station of this line is located at basement 4th floor. It is very deep underground. You need to spend at least 20 minutes to change the train to Keiyo line train from other trains, like Shinkansen, Yamanote line, Narita Express, Chuo line.

Which spots you cannot go by Japan Railway trains?

Please see the map above again. I put most of popular spots in Tokyo in the map. As I mentioned to you, most of spots are located along Yamanote line, like Akihabara, Shibuya, Harajuku, Shinjuku and Ueno park. Imperial Palace is a bit away from Tokyo station. But it is still within walking distance (appx 10-15 mintes from Tokyo station). Tokyo Tower can be accessed from Hamamatsucho station on Yamanote line and Keihin Tohoku line. It is 15 minutes walk away. But these following spots are not accessible from Japan Railways’ stations:

Asakusa

The station that has very similar name, “Asakusabashi” is on Chuo-Sobu line. But this station is not located in Asakusa. You have to take Subway. Please see the post below to find the detailed information:

How to get to Asakusa. Does the JR Pass cover Asakusa?
Asakusa is one of the big tourist places in Tokyo. Asakusa is also the terminal station of Tobu Railway for Nikko and Kinugawa Onsen. This post shows you how to get Asakusa. You also find how to use JR Pass and other JR deals to get Asakusa.
jprail.com
2020.07.25

Roppongi

Roppongi is located in south part of downtown Tokyo. It is not accessible by JR. Take Tokyo Metro Hibiya line from Yurakucho station to Roppongi. You also can take Hibiya line to Roppongi from Ebisu. The fare is around 200 yen and take 10-15 minutes.

National Diet

It is near Roppongi and not accessible by JR either.

Tsukiji Outer Market

You can walk from Shimbashi statin. But it is 20 minutes away. I recommend you to take Toei subway Oedo line. The market is located just above Oedo line Tuskiji Market station. You can take Oedo line from Shinjuku. The fare is around 250 yen and take 20 minutes. If you access from Tokyo station, take Yamanote line or Keihin Tohoku line to Hamamatsucho and transfer to Daimon station on Toei subway Oedo line. Daimon and Hamamatsucho are same location. The fare is around 200 yen for subway and take 20 mintues altogether.

Odaiba

Some of JR Saikyo line train go through Rinkai line.

This waterfront is located in the manmade island. You cannot get there by JR. You have to take Yurikamome (automated train service) or Rinkai line. Please find the detailed information in the post below:

Odaiba access guide. How much can we use JR Pass or other JR deals to get to Odaiba?
Odaiba is one of most popular tourist places in Tokyo. There are lots of entertainment and shopping complex in Tokyo Bay harbour area. You may find how to get Odaiba in this post.
jprail.com
2019.12.18

Should I purchase Tokyo subway pass?

As you have seen, you may have to take subway even if you use JR Pass. The single fare is not expensive. But you can buy 24 hours pass at 800 yen for Tokyo Metro and Toei subway lines.

Please find the information about Tokyo Subway Ticket in the link below:

Tokyo Subway Ticket is most useful deal for sightseeing in downtown Tokyo.
Tokyo Subway Ticket gives you unlimited ride of all subway lines in downtown Tokyo. This post gives you the detailed information of this pass.
jprail.com
2012.01.16

You may find the information abou the trian network in Tokyo in the link below:

Guide to take trains in Tokyo. How to choose the best deal and the best route by the train.
There are so many train lines and subway lines in downtown Tokyo. It is hard to find the route and the coverage of many deals. This guide shows you the train system, how to find the route and how to choose the deals.
jprail.com
2016.01.24

Hope you have a good trip in downtown Tokyo

Comments

  1. Sabrina says:
    September 26, 2015 at 11:32 am

    Hi Takeshi,

    We are a family of 4 – 2 adults and 2 kids aged 4 and 6. Below is our itinerary for 13 days, please advise whether we should get the 14 or 7 days pass?

    Day 1 – Narita airport to Tokyo station to kuraizawa station
    Day 2 – kuraizawa
    Day 3 – kuraizawa
    Day 4 – kuraizawa to osaka
    Day 5 – osaka
    Day 6 – osaka
    Day 7 – osaka to Tokyo
    Day 8- 13 tokyo
    Day 13 tokyo to Narita.

    Please advise if we need to buy any pass for our 4 years old daughter.

    Also, will be great if you can advise us how and where to transfer trains between Narita to kuraizawa and from kuraizawa to osaka and from osaka to Tokyo?

    Thanks

  2. tub says:
    September 24, 2015 at 3:43 pm

    Hello,we are travelling japan on november

    11-12-13-14 nov tokyo
    15 nov fukui
    16-17-18 nov kyoto
    19 nov nara,kobe
    20-21 nov osaka
    22-23-24-25 nov tokyo

    what do you suggest us? 14 days Japan Raill Pass or 7 days Japan Raill Pass+subway tickets for Tokyo days.We want to select the cheaper way.

    • Takeshi / JPRail.com says:
      September 24, 2015 at 10:11 pm

      Hi Tub,

      14 days pass is too expensive. If you can complete from Tokyo to Tokyo (Tokyo-Fukui-Kyoto-Nara-Kobe-Osaka-Tokyo) in 7 days, 7 days pass give you a good deal. As you think, subway pass can cover for Tokyo.

      Cheers,

      Takeshi / JPRail.com

  3. Phoebe says:
    September 21, 2015 at 5:42 am

    Hi,

    We are planning to buy the JR Pass to visit Kyoto and Osaka from Tokyo (round trip).
    Day 1 – arrive in Tokyo
    Day 2 – Tokyo
    Day 3 – Tokyo
    Day 4 – Head to Kyoto
    Day 5 – To Osaka
    Day 6 – Osaka
    Day 7 – Return to Tokyo
    Day 8, 9 & 10 – Tokyo (and possibly other close by cities)

    We were thinking of activating the pass on day 3, and buy a N’EX round trip ticket to get to and from the airport. Do you think this would be efficient/cheap?
    Should we also consider buying a SUICA card or use those unlimited one day Tokyo metro tickets?
    We are a bit clueless in which cards to get!

    Thank you!

  4. Chris Miranda says:
    September 20, 2015 at 12:23 pm

    Hi Takeshi,

    Thanks for the informative post– it defintely helps out a lot! 🙂

    My wife, 1 year old son, and I will be spending 11.5 days in Japan and are currently trying to figure out the best means of transportation throughout the various points of our stay. In other words, we’re currently trying to figure out whether or not to get the 7 day or 14 day JR Pass and we are also trying to figure out if it’s better to use the JR Pass for intracity travel vs using the subway (or alternative) transportation. I’ve heard that although you can do intracity travel with the JR Pass, it’s often times quicker to use the subway (or alternative) transportation as they are often more direct and less busy. What were your thoughts on that?

    Our high level schedule is as follows:

    Day 1 – Kansai Airport (KIX) -> Osaka (Arrive at KIX in the late afternoon)
    Day 2 – Osaka
    Day 3 – Osaka
    Day 4 – Osaka -> Kyoto (Leave from Osaka in the morning)
    Day 5 – Kyoto
    Day 6 – Kyoto -> Nara -> Kyoto (Day trip to Nara from Kyoto)
    Day 7 – Kyoto -> Tokyo (Leave from Kyoto in the late afternoon)
    Day 8 – Tokyo
    Day 9 – Tokyo
    Day 10 – Tokyo
    Day 11 – Tokyo
    Day 12 – Tokyo -> Narita Airport (NRT) (Depart from NRT in the late afternoon)

    Any assistance you could provide us for the best means of transportation during the different points of our stay would be greatly appreciated.

    Thanks for your time and have a great day!

    Cheers,
    Chris

  5. Blaise B says:
    September 17, 2015 at 3:10 am

    Hi Takeshi san,

    I am going to be travelling solo during my first trip to Japan. Should I purchase a 7 day JR Pass and if so which day should I activate it?

    Day 1 – Arrive KIX 5:30PM(Head to Kyoto)

    Day 2 – Kyoto

    Day 3 – Kyoto

    Day 4 – Check out and head to Tokyo

    Day 5 – Tokyo

    Day 6 – Tokyo

    Day 7 – Check out and head to Osaka

    Day 8 – Osaka (Day trip to Nara?)

    Day 9 – Osaka (Depart KIX 2:00PM)

    Thank you for taking the time to help!

  6. Betty says:
    September 13, 2015 at 3:52 pm

    Hello there,

    Thank you for this informative blog post! My family is traveling to Japan and feel a little lost about which passes to purchase.

    I am going to be in Japan for 8 days total:
    Arrive at Narita Intl Airport — >
    Tokyo for 3 days –>
    Kyoto for 2 days –>
    Tokyo for 3 days –>
    Depart Narita Intl Airpot.

    We plan to see a lot of Tokyo sites like Asakusa and Tsukiji Fish Market, as well as wandering in Shinjuku, Harajuku, etc.

    What kind of pass do you think we need?

    Thank you so much!
    Betty

  7. ms kuan says:
    September 13, 2015 at 12:29 pm

    Hi there,

    We will stay 10 days in Japan, and planing to travel to Shirakawa-go, Osaka, Kyoto, USJ or Disneyland, Mt Fuji Tsukiji Market, Senso-ji Temple. Could you please advise how to maximize the 7 days consecutive JR pass?

    Please do advise the sequence for my trip and which day stay to use the JR pass.

    Thank you so much for your attention.

    Ms Kuan

  8. ms kuan says:
    September 13, 2015 at 12:09 pm

    Hi, could you please advise on the maximizing use of 7 days JR pass since we stay for 10 days in Japan. Our plan to Shirakawa-go, Osaka, Kyoto, Mt Fuji, Disneyland/USJ, sight seeing in Tokyo as well.

    Thank you very much for your attention and cooperation.

  9. Linda says:
    September 6, 2015 at 7:01 am

    Hi..

    I need advise on what jr pass I will need for my travelling plan as follows:

    Narita => any skiing place (such as yuzawa or karuizawa) 2 nights => Tokyo 4 nights=> hakone => tokyo Disney sea=> tokyo=> Narita.

    Thank you in advance.

    Linda

    Thank you in advance

  10. Wendy says:
    September 4, 2015 at 2:34 am

    Hi

    I am travelling to Japan on the 17th September 2015 staying for 2 weeks in Tokyo. We are visiting Disney for 3 days and the Japanese Grand Prix. We want to by a rail pass for traveling to various places I between travelling back to Tokyo each night. Would we need a 7 or 24 day rail pass? Thanks

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