Tokyo Subway Ticket is most useful deal for sightseeing in downtown Tokyo.

Rail pass for visitors
Toei Subway Oedo line connects Shinjuku with Tsukiji Market.
Toei Subway Oedo line

There are some deals available in downtown Tokyo. But if you are not sure where you visit in downtown Tokyo, choose Tokyo Subway Ticket. Tokyo subway system covers most part of Tokyo 23 wards.

In this post, I will explain about Tokyo Subway Ticket and combo deal which include airport access and Tokyo Subway Ticket. And also I will compare Tokyo Subway Ticket and other deals.

What is Tokyo Subway Ticket?

There are two subway companies in Tokyo. These are Tokyo Metro and Tokyo Toei Subway. Tokyo Subway Ticket covers both subway.

Please click the map above to get PDF map. (C) Tokyo Metro

This deal offers unlimited ride in 24 hours, 48 hours and 72 hours.

DurationPrice(Adult)Price(Child)
24 hours800 yen400 yen
48 hours1,200 yen600 yen
72 hours1,500 yen750 yen

This is not a “Day Pass”. This deal is valid 24 hours, 48 hour and 72 hours after first usage.

e.g. First use of 24 hours ticket at 9:00 am on July 15. Valid until 9:00 am on July 16.

This is subway deal. This deal does not cover other than Tokyo Metro and Tokyo Toei Subway. You cannot use this to take JR trains, Tobu Railway, Seibu Railway, Odakyu Railway, Keio Railway, Keisei Railway, Keikyu Railway and other non JR railways.

Where to purchase

You can purchase at many locations.

  • Narita Airport
  • Haneda Airport
  • Tokyo Metro major station’s pass office
  • Tokyo Metro tourist information
  • Other tourist information
  • BIC Camera (retail store)
  • LAOX (retail store)
  • Major hotels
  • Major local travel agents

Please see the official site to get the details:

Tokyo Metro – Tokyo Subway Ticket

The place in Tokyo where you cannot go by Tokyo Subway Ticket

You can go almost anywhere by subway in downtown Tokyo. In major tourist spots, only Odaiba is connected by any subway lines. You have to take other railway which is called “Yurikamome” from the nearest subway station, such as Toyosu, Shiodome or Shimbashi.

Tokyo Disneyland and DisneySea are very close to downtown Tokyo but these are not located in Tokyo actually. This is not accessed by subway either. Shin-Kiba is the nearest subway station. You have to take JR trains from there.

You may find more information in other post below:

Access to/from Narita or Haneda airport

Subway does not take you to these airports. But there are a few combo deals available which includes airport access ticket and Tokyo Subway Ticket, such as Keisei Railway Skyliner + Tokyo Subway Ticket, Limousine Bus + Tokyo Subway Ticket. Please find more information at the link below:

Tokyo Metro official site, Airport – Downtown Tokyo Routes and Tickets

How many ride require to get the worth

Please see the faretable for major stations:

StationsTokyoShinjukuUenoAsakusa
Tokyo190160190
Shinjuku190190230
Ueno160190160
Asakusa190230160

The fare is varied by distance but the average fare is around 200 yen. If you use 24 days ticket, roughly 5 rides is an indication to get the worth of it. If you use 48 hours or 72 hours, it is getting easier to get the worth.

Compare Tokyo Subway Ticket and Tokyo Tokunai Pass

As I mentioned above, Tokyo Subway Ticket covers subway only. But JR train is better choice for some travelers. If you want to visit only places on JR lines, such as Shinjuku, Shibuya, Harajuku, Shinagawa, Ueno, Akihabara, Ikebukuro, you should ride on JR train. Tokyo Subway is very convenient and has a bigger coverage. However there are so many lines and it is hard to find the best route for a traveler. In downtown Tokyo, there are a few JR lines, like Yamanote line, Chuo line. It is much easier to travel. For this type of traveler, JR deal, “Tokyo Tokunai Pass” is better choice.

Please make sure where you visit before you choose the deal.

Compare Tokyo Subway Ticket and IC card (Suica or Pasmo)

Suica or Pasmo gives you convenience but it does not give you unlimited ride. However if you visit a few places a day, you cannot get the worth of Tokyo Subway Ticket. And if you want to take both JR train and subway, you may not be able to get the worth of either Tokyo Subway Ticket or Tokyo Tokunai Pass. In these cases, IC card is better choice. If you purchase it in downtown Tokyo, Suica or Pasmo is your choice. But if you visit other place(s) before you come to Tokyo, you have other IC card, such as ICOCA. You can use it in Tokyo too. Please see the link below to find more information about IC card:

Comments

  1. Black Joker says:

    Hi:D

    I will be going to Tokyo to work for more than a year so I would like to know what is the cheapest price to travel from Yazaike to Osaki(I need to make a transfer at Nippori)? Is there any discounted ticket? Thank you very much.

  2. NOEL says:

    Hi,

    I will be travelling to Tokyo from 18th – 23rd April. Could you please advise what is the most convenience way to travel from Narita to Tokyo Stay Shinjuku , I knew there is a subway station called Shijuku San-Chome , of which my hotel is just above the station.
    If I plan to take NEX; i will need to alight at Shinjuku station then difficult for me to find direction to Hotel.
    I see from website NEX has promotion 2 ways ticket from Narita to Tokyo at 4,000.00 , what about 2 ways ticket from Narita to Shinjuku? is there any other promotion ticket that cover airport services plus subway !
    Meanwhile; could you please advise to which ticket i should buy as i will travel in few places, such as Shibuya, Tokyo city, Ikebukkuro, Ginza, Roppongi and Akasaka
    Thanks and look forward to your response

  3. Joan Lainez says:

    Hi Takeshi,

    We are 7 adults and 4 children traveling on March 22, arriving at midnight. Could you help us figure which pass is best?

    March 23 – City tour within Tokyo
    March 24 – Disney Sea (whole day)
    March 25 – Mt Fuji and Hakone
    March 26 – Free day (any recommendation?)
    March 27 – Departure

    Do we really need a Tokyo Wide Pass? We are traveling with a senior citizen and 1 PWD child.

    Any recommendations will be greatly appreciated.

  4. Triet says:

    Hi Takeshi,

    Is there a one day Tokyo pass that covers Maihama (Tokyo disney) and Odaiba?
    I’ll be staying near Ekoda station. On the date of arrival, I will transfer from Tokyo Station to Ekoda to check in at my hotel, than make all my way from Ekoda to Maihama to enjoy full day at Disney Sea. At night, we will go to Odaiba to see some illuminations there.
    Hence, my itineraries are: Tokyo – Ekoda, Ekoda – Maihama, Maihama – Ekoda, Ekoda – Odaiba, Odaiba – Ekoda.
    Is there any deal that works? If no pass covers all my little trip, is there a pass that covers most of it?
    Also, there are lots of cases when JR station and Tokyo metro station are the same, is it right? I searched some routes and both JR and metro seem to get to the same Ikebukuro station before reaching Ekoda.

  5. Ida says:

    Hi Takeshi,

    My Itinerary would somewhat look like this.
    Let me know your thoughts ok

    D1 Narita to Roppongi/shibuya(Suica)
    D2 harajuku/shinjuku (Suica)
    D3 disneyland (Suica)
    D4 tokyo bay etc (Suica)
    D5 Mt Fuji area (tokyo wide pass 1)
    D6 Gala ski-gala yuzawa (TWP2)
    D7Naspa Ski-echigo yuzawa (TWP3)
    D8 roppongi- narita (Suica)

    Should i get other passes?

    So i intend to get Suica for adults n Nex open for my child

    Thanks!

  6. LGS says:

    Dear Takeshi,

    We are couple and will be travelling to Japan on Feb 5-12. We would like to go on a day trip to Nagano from Tokyo on Feb 8 to see the snow monkeys. Then on Feb 10, head off to Hakone and Gotemba from Tokyo on a daytrip as well. As those areas are not covered by the Tokyo wide pass, what are the cheapest and easiest options to get to those places?

    Thank you in advance.

    LGS

  7. Jeff B. says:

    Takeshi / JPRail.com

    Hi Mr. Takeshi,

    I intend to visit Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto with my whole family (my wife and 3 kids) this coming December 20, 2015-Jan. 3, 2016.
    We will be coming from Manila, Philippines on the 20th via Haneda Airport and stay in Tokyo until December 23. We planned to visit Disneyland on the 21st and Disneysea on the 22nd. From Tokyo we intend to go straight to Osaka to visit Universal on 24th and most visit Kyoto on the 25th.
    On the 26th we will go to Toyohashi to visit relatives until after New Year (Jan.2). We will be flying back to Manila on the 3rd via Nagoya.
    Please help us or gave us your most economical advice on our transportation needs. Do we need to get a 7 day JR Pass? Can we use this from the time we arrived in Haneda until we reach our relatives in Toyohashi? Is it cheaper compare to getting a single pass considering our itinerary?
    Thank you in advance in anticipation of your prompt reply on my request.

    Jeff B.

  8. Dinhae says:

    Thank you Takeshi for the valuable information.

    I will be going to Japan on 2nd April until 10th April 2016. My itinerary as follows:

    2nd April: Arrive at Haneda airport (10.30 pm)
    3rd – 6th April: Tokyo (staying at Ueno park)
    7th April: Fuji (Hakone)
    8th April: Kyoto (staying near Kyoto station)
    9th April: Kyoto/Osaka (Namba)
    10th April: Osaka (Depart from Kansai airport (4.55 pm))

    Currently I am considering two options:

    Option A – JR Pass 7 days + Hakone Free Pass + single ticket (other location inaccessible by JR pass)

    Option B – Tokyo Metro Pass at Tokyo (3 days + 1 day) + Hakone Free Pass + Kansai Thru Pass + Osaka Amazing Pass (travelling from Tokyo to Kyoto to Osaka using single ticket JR)

    Which one do you think will be worth in terms of the cost and time?

    If I would choose to stay at Osaka and day trip to Kyoto or vice versa, does having JR Pass is suitable for this plan?

    Thank you for taking your time to review this.

    Cheers,
    Dinhae

  9. TS says:

    Hi Takeshi,
    Our one day itinerary is as follows:
    Depart from Shinjuku station to Asakusa, then proceed to Odaiba. From Odaiba return to Shinjuku station.
    Is there a one day pass which we can use for the day?
    Does the Tokyo Wide Pass cover the Yurikomome Line ?
    Thank you for your help.
    From TS

    • Hi TS,

      There is no one day deal to cover all of your trip. Subway pass + single ticket for Yurikamome.
      Tokyo Wide Pass can take you to Odaiba but it covers only Rinkai line not Yurikomome. And if you travel outside Tokyo on other day, this pass may suit your trip. But it’s way too expensive for this one day trip. And this pass does not take you Asakusa. JR train does not go to Asakusa.

      Cheers,

      Takeshi / JPRail.com

  10. Gisela says:

    Dear Takeshi,

    Hi, I need your help of getting the right ticket/pass. You’ve helped me before with the itinerary and I have decided to use JR Pass for my trip to Hakone, Kyoto, Osaka until I get back to Tokyo. But since I will be using JR Pass on the second day (when I am heading to Hakone), I am not sure which ticket/pass I should buy to get to Tokyo from Haneda Airport.
    So, I will be arriving at Haneda Airport on the 11th of Dec at 08.50, going to Hakone, Kyoto and Osaka from 12th to 17th (getting the afternoon train to Tokyo on the 17th), then spending the rest of the days in Tokyo (18th for Disney Sea, 19th for Tokyo central), heading back to Haneda Airport on the 20th in the morning (taking off at 11.45am).
    If I am getting the 7 days JR Pass, it means that I can only use it from 12th to 18th, therefore I still need tickets for the 11th (Haneda Airport to Tokyo + around Tokyo), 19th (around Tokyo) and 20th (Tokyo to Haneda Airport).
    I saw this deal on the website, “Haneda! Keikyu and Pasmo”, but the round trip ticket should be done 9 days from first use. If I am using it on the 11th, does it mean that I should be going back to the airport on the 19th or 20th?

    Thanks a lot!!

    Best,
    Gisela

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