Travel around Tokyo for less

Tokyo’s public transport system is the perfect partner to walking around Tokyo. Whether it’s your main mode of getting from A to B, or if you just want a break from the street, then consider taking another look at public transport. The city’s busses and trains can afford a refreshing change of scenery or a place to rest or to get out of the rain.

The recent mainstreaming of IC-chipped cards like Suica and Pasmo have caused many people to forget that across a lot of the transport system all-day, unlimited-use passes (norihodai-kippu) are also available. For those staying in Tokyo for a short period of time, looking to do sightseeing in different locations, a lot of travel in one day or planning a day trip to the suburbs (or even further afield), using a special travel ticket is an easy way get around and see more of the city and its surrounds while potentially saving yourself some yen.

Keep in mind, though, that some of these discount tickets are not available at the ticket machines. If you find that the ticket you’re looking for isn’t available at the push of a button, all you need to do is ask at the ticketing window or ask the station staff at the ticket gates and you’ll soon be on your way.

Convenient travel around the city centre

Tokyo Metropolitan District Pass (Tokunai Pass, JR-East)

This pass allows unlimited travel on all JR-East lines within Tokyo’s 23 metropolitan wards. The lowest fare for a single trip on a JR line is ¥130, so depending on where you’re going this ticket might come out to be a better deal than the regular single fare.

Adults ¥730; Children ¥360 (valid for the day of purchase)

Tokyo Metro One-Day Open Ticket (Tokyo Metro Ichi-nichi Joshaken, Tokyo Metro)

True to its name, this pass allows you unlimited use of the Tokyo Metro subway lines. Though the most ubiquitous, note that not all Tokyo subways are run by Tokyo Metro; the Asakusa, Mita, Shinjuku and Oedo Lines are Toei Subway lines, maintained by Tokyo city, and aren’t covered by this pass. With a bit of planning, however, this can be used to get you maxiumum value from your travel.

Adults ¥710; Children ¥360 (valid for the day of purchase)

Toei One-day Economy Pass (Toei Marugoto Kippu, Tokyo Metropolitan Government Bureau of Transportation)

With this pass you get unlimited travel on all of the city-run Toei transportation systems. This includes the Toei Subway lines (the lines that are not Tokyo Metro), Toei buses, the Toei Toden Streetcar Arakawa Line and the Nippori-Toneri Liner.

Adults ¥700; Children ¥350 (valid for the day of purchase)

Special discounts are also offered to Tokyo Metro One-day Open Ticket and Toei One-day Economy Pass holders at many of the galleries, gardens and shops along the train and bus lines. Just show your pass for discounts on things like entry fees and drinks. You can check which spots offer special services in the guide books produced by the transport companies (‘Chika-tabi’ from Tokyo Metro, and ‘Ittoku’ from the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Bureau of Transportation), so don’t forget to pick one up when you buy your ticket.

The all-inclusive pass: Tokyo One-Day Free Ticket (Tokyo Free Kippu)

In addition to including the same JR lines as the Tokyo Metropolitan District Pass, this ticket also allows users to travel on the Tokyo Metro, Toei Subway, Toei buses, Toei Toden Streetcar Arakawa Line and Nippori-Toneri Liner. If you take into account the complicated tangle of lines that make up the Tokyo public transport system, the Tokyo One-Day Free Ticket is definitely the most practical choice – but this increased convenience is also reflected in the price.

Adults ¥1,580; Children ¥790 (valid for the day of purchase)

Travel and save around the Tokyo Bay area

Yurikamome One-day Pass (Yurikamome Ichi-nichi Joshaken)

This pass allows unlimited travel on the New Transit Yurikamome, the high-tech (and in some opinions, high-priced) transport service which connects Shimbashi with Toyosu, and passes through sites like Odaiba and Tokyo Big Sight on the way.

Adults ¥800; Children ¥400 (valid for day of purchase)

Odaiba and Ariake area Pass (Odaiba Ariake Gururi Kippu)

This is a pass that offers more choices than the Yurikamome One-day Pass. In addition to the Yurikamome system, this ticket also gets you unlimited access to the Rinkai Line, which connects Osaki and Shin-Kiba, and the Water Bus. Water Bus use is limited to the three lines which link Hinode Pier to the three other piers in the Tokyo Bay area. The advantage of this is ticket is that it offers an opportunity to see Tokyo from an amazing variety of viewpoints: on the way there you can travel with a bird’s-eye view on the Yurikamome, and on the way back you can cruise at sea level on the Water Bus.

Adults ¥900, Children ¥450 (valid for the day of purchase)

Tickets for a trip into the suburbs

Holiday Pass (JR-East)

The Holiday Pass can be had during the summer and New Year holiday periods, in addition to Saturdays and Sundays and from April 29 to May 5. Starting with the greater Tokyo area, the unlimited travel available with this pass on the JR lines encompasses Kanagawa, Yamanashi, Saitama, Tochigi, Ibaraki and lines located in central Tokyo. For more detailed information about the lines included, check out the website below. The ticket covers a wide area, but it’s a little expensive; if you aren’t going to be getting on and off the train a lot, it could end up costing you more than buying regular tickets, so you might want to do a bit of math before buying.

Adults ¥2,300; Children ¥1,150 (valid for the day of purchase)
Website: www.jreast.co.jp/e/

Kamakura Enoshima Pass (Kamakura Enoshima Furii Kippu, JR-East, Enoshima Electric Railway and Shonan Monorail)

This pass includes a round trip ticket on the JR lines from anywhere in the Kanto area, as well as unlimited travel on the Enoshima Electric Railway (or Enoden, as it’s commonly called) which connects Kamakura and Enoshima, and on the Shonan Monorail which runs between Ofuna and Enoshima. The unlimited travel area begins at Kamakura, Ofuna or Fujisawa stations. The price will vary depending on the station from which you leave, but from a station within the Yamanote Line area it would cost ¥1,970 for an adult and ¥1,000 for a child (valid for a two day period).

Enoshima-Kamakura Free pass (Enoshima-Kamakura Freepass, Odakyu Electric Railway Co.)

This is just like the Kamakura Enoshima Pass, but the return trip is on the Odakyu Line. The pass includes the cost of travel from any Odakyu Line station to Fujisawa Station and back, as well as unlimited travel on the Odakyu Line between Fujisawa and Katase-Enoshima Stations and on the Enoden train. Unlike the JR pass, however, this pass doesn’t include unlimited travel on the Shonan Monorail. Again, prices vary depending on where you initially board the train. From Shinjuku it would cost ¥1,430 for an adult and ¥720 for a child (valid for the day of purchase).