Ever wondered how the incredible mesh, that is the Tokyo underground rail network, looks from space?  Well since it’s underground, it doesn’t really matter how far up you go, you wont be able to see it…

But… someone has gone to the trouble of super-imposing all the subway lines and their stations onto a Google Map, in a very neat way.  The map includes all the Tokyo Metro and Toei Subway lines, not counting the newly completed line (Fukutoshin line), at the time of writing.

Here it is.

Click each circle that represents each to view the route of the line. Clicking the “Satellite” button makes for a very interesting view of Tokyo.  Here’s a quick breakdown of what each letter represents (in bold), in case you don’t recognise them:

• Ginza (銀座)
• Marunouchi (丸の内)
• Hibiya (日比谷)
• Tōzai (東西)
• Chiyoda (千代田)
• Yurakuchō (有楽町)
• hanZōmon (半蔵門)
• Namboku (南北)
• Asakusa (浅草)
• mIta (三田)
• Shinjuku (新宿)
• ōEdo (大江戸)

Enjoy!

Tokyo… it’s a pretty big place.

Officially as of October 2007, the population of Tokyo is approximately 10% of country, which is roughly 12.790 million people.  The Tokyo prefecture is the 3rd smallest by land area (2.187km²) making it the most densely populated prefecture.  So how does everyone get around?  It’s like any major city really, the rail network serves the core central areas and connects the major hubs with the help of the bus network.  The further from the centre of the city you go, the heavier the reliance on buses and private transport.

Tokyo rail network

Starting with the trains, there are 2 types in Tokyo.  Basically there’s JR East (JR東日本/JR Higashi-Nihon), and then there’s everything else.  The everything else includes all the private rail and subway companies, with the main players being Keiō (京王), Toei (都営), and Tōkyu (東急).

Buying a ticket for a train on one network will not see you transition to a train on another – you’ll always have to buy a connecting ticket.  The there is a way around this headache.

IC charge cards

There now a one-size-fits-all to ticketing in Tokyo and other major cities.  As of March 2008, when using the IC charge systems in Tokyo you simply charge up your prepaid cards and swipe them as you enter and exit anywhere within the network.  The system does all the leg work for you.

But you wont be too surprised to find that there is more than one system – 2 in fact.  Typical!

1. Suica: operated by JR East, it is valid throughout Greater Tokyo and beyond.  It works for all trains, subways and buses in Tokyo, Sendai, Niigata and much further afield on JR trains in the likes of Osaka and Sapporo.
2. PASMO: (パスモ) is a combined effort by Tokyo railway and subway companies.  This is also valid for use on trains (including JR), subways and buses, but limited to the Greater Tokyo area.

Here are some important points to note:

• Where to get one: you can pick up these cards at either demarcated ticket machines, or counters at the respective operators i.e. JR provides Suica; other rail companies provide PASMO.
• How much: they are provided with a refundable 500-yen deposit and an accompanying initial charge value (Suica is 1500-yen; PASMO 500~9500-yen)
• How to recharge: this is done using Suica/PASMO demarcated ticket machines found at all JR and private rail stations.  I believe you can also charge on buses.
• Commuter pass inclusion: as well as a standard charge card, you can also have your commuter pass (teikiken) included on the card.
• Shopping: many convenience stores, restaurants and even taxis now allow you to make purchases using the cards instead of cash.  There will typically be a sign and card reader clearly visible.

IC card provision outside Tokyo

Suica has quite a bit more reach beyond PASMO. In other major cities throughout Japan, JR has implemented similar systems with different names.  Suica is by far the most versatile, while all IC card flavours work on Tokyo’s JR rail except one (at the time of writing).

Super convenience – Mobile Suica

These charge cards are incredibly convenient.  That said though, they’ve taken it a step further: Mobile Suica (モバイルSuica).  This service runs off the back of the NTT Docomo developed system, osaifu-keitai (おサイフケータイ) – literally translated as “wallet mobile”.

It’s exactly as it sounds.  You charge up the little IC chip (FeliCa) that has been placed in your mobile phone with a preconfigured credit card of your choice.  You then use it just as you would the Suica/PASMO cards described above – one less thing to carry in your wallet / lose / forget.

Pros:

1. There is an interface that you can use on your phone or the internet to view all transaction history on the card – this isn’t available on the standard Suica/PASMO cards
2. One less card to carry around and remember.
3. You nearly always have your mobile phone with you and if you lose/forget your wallet/cash, you will have a handy backup.

Cons:

1. The interfaces that I have seen for it are only provided in Japanese.
2. You must have a credit card that you register in order to provide top-ups as you need it.  You are also charged a 1000 yen fee (per year I believe) for this privilege.
3. It is not available on all mobiles.  Look out for the FeliCa logo on the phone handset:

Suica + N’EX deal

As I was researching some of the finer details for this post, I came across this interesting offer.  Basically, at Narita airport terminals 1&2 you can buy a combined Suica card (with 2000 yen top-up included) + Narita Express transit ticket to Tokyo for 3500-yen.  Bargain!  This saves you nearly 1500 yen.

There are so many services out there that it can all get a bit confusing, but I hope this article helps to clear some of the mystery or confusion for you if you’re just getting used to it in Japan.  Please feel free to comment on, add to, or correct anything you’ve read in this article.

Before ever venturing out anywhere in Japan, either for a day-trip, or a party/event, I will nearly always print a map for where I’m going. It’s part of my character and I don’t really know what other way to operate comfortably.

If for example I’m given an address for a venue, I will nearly always look it up and add it to my growing collection of venues in my personal Google map.  But to do that, I need to know how to interpret the address that’s been provided.  Nearly always if the venue has their own website, the excuse for a “map” is nowhere near enough for me to get there reliably.  So how to get from address, to map?

Address breakdown

Let’s take the following address as an example, which is the address to one of my favourite little Japanese restaurants in Tokyo, namely Teyan-tei [てやん亭]:

東京都港区西麻布2-20-1

The first part that you’ll need to learn to recognise for addresses in Tokyo, is the symbol for the Tokyo prefecture:

東京都 (Tokyo-to)

The next part, is the name of the municipality or ward.  Everything following the Tokyo part, up to the part with the 区 (ku) symbol is the name of the particular ward.  In this case,

港区 (Minato-ku)

is the ward.  Tokyo is split up into 23 “special” wards (特別区/Tokubetsuku) aside from the other 26 cities that make up the Tokyo prefecture.  I’m referring in this post to the 23 ward system as I’m not directly familiar with others and I’m likely to get it completely backwards if I try.

Each ward/ku is fairly expansive in itself and they consist of many t0wns and that’s the next part of the address puzzle.  Everything following the 区 symbol and up to the first number that appears, is the name of the town.

西麻布 (Nishi-Azabu)

It being Tokyo, each town is as you might guess fairly large also, and the real complication for addresses enters at this point.  The 3 numbers that follow narrow down the location right to the very building you’re looking for.  Sometimes you’ll only get 2 numbers, but the reason for that will become clear shortly.  So, we’re left with:

2-20-1

Each town within the ward is split-up into several districts called chōme (丁目) .  These are fairly arbitrarily demarcated, but I have found that main roads and thoroughfares are typical borders between these chōme and especially towns themselves.  So this restaurant is in the 2nd chōme of Nishi-Azabu town.

These districts aren’t usually too big and they consist basically of a collection of city blocks (a block being 1 continuous piece of land demarcated by pedestrian pathways or roads).  These city blocks are called banchi (番地) and within a chōme they are numbered.  And that’s what the 20 refers to in this address – block number 20.  The last number is simple – it’s just the building number on that particular block, refered to as gō (号).  And that’s that.  Except of course if the address points to an apartment block meaning you will also require the apartment number, or if it’s a multi-storey building, you’ll perhaps want the floor number.

The format of the address I gave you wasn’t as complicated as it can get however.  Very often in formal circumstances, though not limited to these, the address will be completely in Japanese, or at least more in Japanese than the one I gave.  Taking the address I provided for example, I will write it in slightly increasingly complex Japanese and also provide the equivalent as you would write it in English at the end, which tends to mix it around a bit.  Note that I have provided the Japanese names for the components of the address, so refereing to them should help.  Here it is:

東京都港区西麻布２－２０－１

東京都港区西麻布２丁目２０番地１号

東京都港区西麻布二丁目二十番地一号

2-20-1 Nishi-Azabu, Minato-ku, Tokyo

I hope that all makes sense and helps a little.  Check out the Links section for map tools which I may explain how to use in a future post.  And for the record, here is a link to the map for this particular place: map.  Take a look around the map, zoom in and out and see if you can see within it what I’ve been describing here.