Tokyo Metropolitan District Pass (Tokunai Pass) Guide

Rail pass for residents
Yamanote line is the busiest train service in Japan.
2014.06.02
JR's Yamanote line (left) and Tokyo Metro (right)
JR’s Yamanote line (left) and Tokyo Metro (right)

There are many transportation deals available in Tokyo, and the Tokyo Metropolitan District Pass is one of the most popular options.
In this post, I will explain how to use this pass, compare it with subway passes, and help you decide which one is best for your trip.

Price and Validity

  • Adult fare: 760 yen (one day)
  • Child fare: 380 yen (ages 6–11)
  • Children aged 5 and under: Free of charge

A “one day” pass is valid from the first train of the day until the last train around midnight.
Most JR trains in Tokyo start running around 5:00 a.m. and stop around 12:30 a.m. the following day.

Example:

  • If you purchase the pass on April 27, you can still use it on trains that depart after midnight, up until the last train early on April 28.
  • However, if you buy the pass at 0:01 a.m. on April 28, you cannot use it for trains that departed earlier that same morning.

Important note:

  • This pass is only valid on local and rapid JR trains.
  • If you ride a Shinkansen, only the base fare is covered—you must pay the limited express surcharge separately.
  • Since the distances within central Tokyo are short (e.g., Tokyo–Ueno or Tokyo–Shinagawa are about 10 minutes by local train), there is no practical reason to take a Shinkansen in this area.

How to Purchase and Use

The pass can be purchased at JR EAST reserved seat ticket vending machines in the usage area.

To use it, simply insert the ticket into the automatic ticket gate, then retrieve it after passing through.

Coverage Area

The map below shows the coverage area.
The green solid lines represent routes where the pass is valid.

Coverage area map (Click to enlarge)
Coverage area map (Click to enlarge)

Major stations covered include:

  • Tokyo
  • Akihabara
  • Ueno
  • Ikebukuro
  • Shinjuku
  • Shibuya
  • Shinagawa

Notes:

  • Harajuku is included, even though it may not be labeled on some maps.
  • Yurakucho is also included and is just one stop from Tokyo Station, making Ginza easily accessible on foot.

Popular spots NOT covered by this pass:

Tip:

  • Odaiba, Tokyo Disney Resort, and the Ghibli Museum are not accessible by subway passes either.
  • If you plan to visit Asakusa, Skytree, and Tsukiji all on the same day, a subway pass is your best (and only) option.
  • However, if you don’t plan to visit these spots, or only plan to visit one of them, the Tokyo Metropolitan District Pass (Tokyo Tokunai Pass) may be a better deal.

Important:
If you already have a Japan Rail Pass, JR East Pass, or Tokyo Wide Pass, this pass is unnecessary—those passes already cover this area.

Comparison with Subway Passes

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The Tokyo Subway Ticket is another popular option:

  • 24-hour pass: 800 yen
  • 48-hour(1,200 yen) and 72-hour (1,500 yen) passes are also available, with lower per-day costs.

The subway network covers more areas than JR trains, especially for tourist attractions.

Key difference in validity:

  • Tokyo Subway Ticket: Valid for 24 hours from first use.
    • Example: Start at 17:00 on March 24 → valid until 16:59 on March 25.
  • Tokyo Tokunai Pass: Valid only from midnight to midnight on the same calendar day.

Pros and Cons

  • Tokyo Subway Ticket
    • ✅ Great coverage, can reach almost anywhere
    • ❌ Complicated network with many lines—may be confusing for first-time visitors
  • Tokyo Tokunai Pass
    • ✅ Simple, fast, and direct routes, especially along the Yamanote Line
    • ❌ Limited coverage (JR lines only)

If your itinerary mostly includes Yamanote Line stations like Shinjuku, Shibuya, Ueno, Akihabara, or Ginza, the Tokyo Tokunai Pass is easier and more convenient.
If you need to visit places only accessible by subway, choose the Tokyo Subway Ticket instead.

How Much Travel You Need to Make It Worthwhile

Below are sample one-way fares between major stations (in yen):

stationTokyoShinjukuShinagawaAkihabaraUenoIkebukuro
Tokyo–200170140160200
Shinjuku200–200170200160
Shinagawa170200–170200260
Akihabara140170170–140200
Ueno160200200140–170
Ikebukuro200160260200170–

As you can see, JR fares in Tokyo are quite reasonable.
To make the pass worthwhile, you generally need to take 4–5 one-way trips in a single day.
If you only plan a couple of rides, buying single tickets will be cheaper.

Trips Outside the Coverage Area

You can travel beyond the coverage area by paying additional fares.

Example: Tokyo Disney Resort

  • Maihama Station (gateway to Tokyo Disneyland & DisneySea) is one stop beyond the coverage area boundary (Kasairinkaikoen Station).
  • Additional fare: 140 yen one-way.
  • Regular fare Shinjuku → Maihama: 390 yen one-way.
    • Total round trip: 780 yen
    • This may be cheaper than combining the pass (760 yen) with additional fares unless you plan extra JR trips before or after visiting Disney.

Example: Ghibli Museum (Mitaka)

  • Mitaka Station is two stops beyond the boundary (Nishi-Ogikubo Station).
  • Additional fare: 160 yen one-way.
  • From Ueno or Shinagawa to Mitaka: 390 yen one-way.
    • Same logic as above: If you will make many other JR trips that day, the pass may still be worthwhile.

My Itinerary Example

When I used this pass, I traveled the following segments:

RouteFare (yen)
Akihabara → Kinshicho160
Kinshicho → Akihabara160
Akihabara → Shinjuku170
Shinjuku → Shinagawa200
Shinagawa → Tokyo170
Tokyo → Akihabara140
Total900

Why I chose this pass:

  1. My hotel was near JR Akihabara Station.
  2. I needed direct transfers between Tokyo and Akihabara.
  3. Shinagawa does not have a subway station, so JR was the best option.
  4. The Tokyo Skytree was my only destination outside the coverage area.
    • Even though I paid 170 yen one-way on the Tokyo Metro Hanzomon Line, the total savings still made the pass the best choice.

Summary

  • The Tokyo Metropolitan District Pass is best for travelers whose itineraries focus on central Tokyo and Yamanote Line stations.
  • If you plan to visit places like Asakusa, Tsukiji, or Tokyo Skytree, consider a Tokyo Subway Ticket instead.
  • To make the pass worthwhile, aim for 4–5 rides per day or more.
  • For day trips slightly outside central Tokyo (like Disneyland or Mitaka), the pass can still be useful if you plan extra JR travel before or after.

Comments

  1. Fifi Dolina Mohd Dahari says:
    August 23, 2018 at 1:33 am

    hi, ill be staying at flestay inn Iidabashi. Plan to buy Tokkunai Pass. From Iidabashi station to Shinjuku, can Tokkunai Pass be used?

  2. Fandi says:
    August 3, 2018 at 9:23 pm

    Hi Takeshi San,
    I will staying at Vista Kamata Hotel and would like your advice on which pass is the best for us a family of 5. We paln to go to Akihabara, Ginza and etc.

  3. Van Le says:
    July 17, 2018 at 12:46 am

    Hi. My hotel is next to JR mejiro sation ( between Shinjuku and Ikebukuro station). The station belongs to this green line, but since it doesnt display on the map that you’ve shown, so I wonder whether I can use this tokunai pass to travel around Tokyo. I hope you can help me to make it clear. Thanks so much.

  4. Budiman says:
    May 25, 2018 at 7:28 pm

    Hi. I need to know what kind of pass can I choose if I stay around JR kawasaki station? From there I’m planning to go to Yokohama and Odaiba. Thank you

  5. Aileen says:
    May 7, 2018 at 9:28 pm

    Hi Takeshi san,

    Looking for an advice. We are staying near Uguisudani Station, arriving from Narita by Keisei Skyliner. We want to visit Tsukiji/Shinjuku, Odaiba, Shibuya, Asakusa/Akhibara and Ueno. Are we better off to use Suica or is there any pass that can we use?

    Thanks,

    Aileen

  6. Amita says:
    February 12, 2018 at 1:52 am

    Hello Takashi,

    I have a one day trip around Tokyo and my plan is to go around using Yamannote Line. My homestay is near Okubo Station which is on Chuo Line. Can I use the Tokunai Pass from Okubo to Shinjuku, Harajuku or wherever on the Yamanote Line?

    Thank you very much.

  7. Eri says:
    December 9, 2017 at 3:30 pm

    Hi Takeshi,
    I have a question regarding the Tokunai Pass.

    I will be going straight from Haneda Airport to Saitama-Shintoshin station. I intend to buy the Tokunai Pass in Shinagawa and use it to go to Saitama-Shintoshin.

    Can I use Suica to pay off the remaining fare when exiting the gate or do I need to buy the separate ticket fare beforehand?

    Thank you very much.

    Best Regards,
    Eri

    • Takeshi / JPRail.com says:
      December 9, 2017 at 8:00 pm

      Hi Eri,

      Don’t purchase Tokunai pass. Even if you pay a regular fare for Shinagawa to Saiatama-Shintoshin, the fare is 640 yen. It’s still cheaper than Tokunai pass. Use Suica for Shinagawa to Saitama-Shintoshin.

      If you have the other reason to use Tokunai pass, you need to get off at Akabane and reenter by Suica. Otherwise you need to pay the extra fare for Akabane to Saitama-Fukutoshin when you exit there.

      Cheers,

      Takeshi / JPRail.com

  8. Misel says:
    December 9, 2017 at 7:26 am

    Hi! Takeshi-san,
    We will be in tokyo for 7 days.
    I am planning for the ff itinerary, can u help me which pass should we use:
    Day1: arrive narita at 8:10pm
    Narita – shibuya
    (Can we purchase the nex roundtrip ticket if we arrive at 8pm onwards in narita? Is the jr office still open?)
    Day2: shibuya to odaiba
    Day3: gotemba outlet & mt fuji 5th stn
    Day4: shibuya- tsukiji- ginza- yurakucho- shibuya
    Day5: akihabara/ ryogoku/ kappabashi
    Day6: shibuya/shinjuku/ harajuku
    Day7: asakusa/ ameyoko/nakamise st
    Day8: narita
    Is my itinerary ok? Or should i interchange any of the places i wnt to visit?

    Thank you.

  9. Khay says:
    September 7, 2017 at 8:38 am

    Hi!
    I am aware that this article was posted in 2014.
    I tried getting Tokunai Pass at Midori Madoguchi in Ebina. The staff told me that is better to get at Shinjuku or Shibuya station.

  10. Ng Kai Xin says:
    July 19, 2017 at 8:36 am

    Dear Takeshi,

    I am confused about what kind of pass is suitable for me. Hope can get your help.

    On 22nd Jul 2017, I planned to do one day trip in tokyo.

    My itinerary:
    Tokai-daigakumae(odawara line) – tsukiji – Shibakoen – Harajuku – Asakusa – Ueno – Kitasenju – Roppongi – tokai-daigakumae

    Is it possible to attach the route for the pass for me as well?

    Hope can get more insights from you.

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