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. James says:
    July 15, 2015 at 9:31 pm

    Hi Takeshi. great website.

    I am doing 8 days in Japan (Days 1-2 Tokyo, Days 3-4 Kyoto & Hiroshima, Days 5-8 Tokyo) and I am wondering whether to get a JR pass or if it is better value to get local rail passes.

    What would you recommend?

    Thanks,
    James.

  2. Lee Yun says:
    July 15, 2015 at 8:16 am

    Hi Takeshi,

    I’m planning to go Japan on January 2016, wonder to know which pass is suitable for my itinerary.

    1/1 – arrived Kansai airport – Osaka – Kyoto
    1/2 – Kyoto – Kanazawa – Shirakawa
    1/3 – Shirakawa – Takayama – Nagoya
    1/4 – Nagoya – Kawajuchiko
    1/5 – Kawajuchiko – Yokohama
    1/6 – Yokohama – Tokyo
    1/7 – Tokyo – Narita Airport

    JR pass can use in overnight train ?
    JR pass can use in bullet train?

    Thanks in advance for your help.

    Lee Yun

  3. Tra says:
    July 10, 2015 at 8:13 am

    Hi Takeshi,

    Could you please advise me on how to travel when my schedule as below:

    July 28: arrive in Kansai Osaka airport
    Go to Tokyo from Kansai Osaka airport (use JR pass first day)

    July 28-July 31: in Tokyo

    July 31-3 Aug: Kyoto

    3 Aug – 5Aug (morning): Osaka
    5Aug morning fly back from Kansai Osaka aiport

    I already bought JRpass for 7 days as I plan to travel from Osaka- Tokyo, Tokyo- Kyoto and Kyoto-Osaka by bullet train (shinkansen)
    My questions are:

    Do I need to buy subway pass in Tokyo too?
    How can I travel around Kyoto? is JR pass useful there?
    And on 4Aug when my JR pass expires, what should I buy to travel around Osaka for 1 day?
    And how can I go from Osaka to Kansai aiport?

    Thank you in advance for your help!
    Best wishes,
    Tra

  4. Sandra says:
    June 3, 2015 at 12:18 pm

    Hello,

    Could you please advise which you think will be cheaper to buy a JR Rail Pass or individual tickets? We are in Japan 12 nights, from June 29 to July 11. We will need a 14 day JR Rail pass because of our schedule.

    We are traveling from Tokyo, to Kyoto- Osaka- Kyoto (3 nights hotel in Kyoto) to Tokyo to Nozawa (2 nights) then back to Tokyo.

    I think these are the trains we need to take to Nozawa from Tokyo:

    TOKYO
    SHINKANSEN YAMABIKO 51
    Train timetable | Interval timetable

    transfer KORIYAMA(FUKUSHIMA)
    JR Ban-etsu-West Line

    transfer AIZU-WAKAMATSU
    Station timetable | Add to favorite

    JR Ban-etsu-West Line
    end NOZAWA

    Thank you!
    Sandra

  5. Lam says:
    June 2, 2015 at 5:32 pm

    Hello,

    I plan to stay in Tokyo and Nagano for a week, arriving at Haneda. Does the jr pass cover the Hokuriku Shinkansen? And would I have to pay extra fees?
    Thank you!

  6. Ronny says:
    May 7, 2015 at 2:05 pm

    Thanks for your advice Takeshi!
    Some people suggest buying Yokoso Osaka Ticket that inlcudes Nankai Rapid and i-day Osaka Metro pass. What do you think?
    Thanks
    Ronny

  7. Ronny says:
    May 7, 2015 at 11:17 am

    My family of 5 will be travelling in Japan for 5-6 days in December. Arrive at Kansai around noon, stay 1 night in Osaka and 1 night in Kyoto, take JR (individual ticket) to Tokyo and spend 4 days/3 nights there begore flying out from Narita.

    Question 1:
    Should I buy JR pass for my Tokyo stay? If not, which type of pass should I buy? Zuica?
    Question 2
    From Kansai to Kyoto, is Kansai Thru Pass the most convenient and economical way?

    Below is our brief itin:
    Day 1
    Kansai Int’l Airport (noon arrival) > Umeda Hotel in Osaka (stay 1 night)
    Day 2
    Osaka > Kyoto station hotel (stay 1 night)
    Day 3
    Kyoto > Tokyo (stay 3 nights)
    Day 4-5
    Tokyo
    Day 6
    Tokyo (evening) > Narita Airport

    Thanks!

  8. Molly says:
    April 19, 2015 at 5:29 pm

    I will be arriving at Kansai International Airport and will be spending 2 days in Osaka, 2 days in Kyoto and 2 days in Tokyo before depart from Narita Airport. What would you recommend would be the easiest and least expensive way to travel from each point to another?

  9. Bob says:
    April 14, 2015 at 5:45 am

    Hello,

    I will be arriving in Japan via Haneda airport. I will be staying in Tokyo for 2 day, going to Kyoto and Nara for a total of 4 days, and then heading back to Tokyo for the remaining 5 days. During our time in Tokyo we may decide to go to Yokohama’s Kohoku ward to visit the pottery center. Other than these travels, we will primarily be staying within the Tokyo prefectures. Would a 7 day JR Pass be of value to me?

    Also, I see that the pass can be used in Tokyo as well, but that the subway is the preferred method, how much of an inconvenience would using the rails be? Specifically, if I were to buy the 7 day pass and use it for my trips outside of Tokyo, use the pass for the remaining days within Tokyo, and for the back end of the trip use the subway, would transport in Tokyo take me a lot longer or be more confusing for a first time visitor of Japan?

    Thanks,
    Bob

    • Takeshi / JPRail says:
      April 14, 2015 at 12:56 pm

      Hi Bob,

      First of all, you can use 7 days JR pass for the first 7 days. It gives you some saving. You can use the pass to get Yokohama too.

      In regards to using JR pass in Tokyo, you can get most of places by JR train. The following post shows you JR Tokunai Pass. It’s shows you which place you can get by JR train. So when you use JR pass, visit the places where you can get by JR train.
      https://jprail.com/destinations/kanto-area/tokyo-metropolitan-district-pass-tokyo-tokunai-pass-good-choice-for-sightseeing-in-tokyo.html

      You have to take subway only when you access to like Asakusa, Tokyo Skytree, Tsukiji. There is no choice if you visit these places other than subway.

      It’s not easy to understand subway network. But there are lots of signage. You will not lose your way. Actually I’m still not very familiar to subway in Tokyo. I can get the place where I want to go. But sometimes I still cannot find the fastest route. I think Tokyo has too many subway lines. LOL

      As long as you visit the place by JR train, get JR train. It has scenery and much easier to find the location.

      Cheers,

      Takeshi / JP Rail

  10. James says:
    March 27, 2015 at 1:55 am

    Hi Takeshi,

    Need your advice.

    Day 1 : Arrive Narita > Kyoto Station
    Day 2: Kyoto
    Day 3 : Hakone
    Day 4-9 : Tokyo

    What’s the best combination for such itinerary?

    Nozomi pass for inter-city travel?

    Thanks in advance for your suggestion.

    James

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