Trains in Japan

Tokyo Train Network System - by AlexTeddy888 on Reddit.com

The first time you step into a train station in Tokyo, there's only one word to describe the feeling:  DAUNTING!  I remember the first time I stepped off the train from the airport to Tokyo Station.  It was big and crowded.  There were people walking in all directions.  How do these people know where they are going?  Looking at the Tokyo Train Network System map itself gives you a headache. Ask a Tokyo resident, they just shrug and say, "we just know where to go."  I guess after living there for awhile, one learns how to get around Tokyo.

In spite of all these spaghetti lines all over the map, there is some method to the madness.  This is my third visit to Tokyo but the first time that I am going around Tokyo or Japan on my own.  On my first day I wanted to go to the Tsukijii Fish Market.  Takeshi told me that it's near the Ginza area and told me to take the Yamanote Line from Shinagawa train station near his apartment.  It's the 4th stop, called Yurakucho Station.

Yamanote Line Map from MetroEasy.com

Once you figured out where you want to go, which train line you have to take, which station you have to get off, you are all set.  You just have to ignore all the extraneous information.  The Yamanote Line serves all the Tokyo neighborhoods.  It runs a circuitous route.  It's pretty much a commuter train.

A JR (Japan Railway) train on the Yamamote Line.  Photo from metro easy.com

Shinagawa Station, during the morning commute

Inside a Yamanote Train.

First thing you noticed when you enter the train is how clean it is.  The seats are padded.  It may be crowded but the passengers are orderly and polite.  As part of the Japanese culture, they are extremely polite and courteous.  If they happen to bump you, they bow.  This is a big contrast to riding the subway in New York City.

On some occasions we took the subway from one area to another area of Tokyo.  Again, they are just as efficient and clean as the Yamanote Line.  Sometimes there are several competing railway lines going to certain area so you have more than one option.  These are all local trains and subways.  In other cities, you may find light rail trains or street cars.  Whatever they are called, they are used heavily by the Japanese as a way to get from one place to another.  It's ironical that Japan, being one of the biggest car manufacturers in the world, depends so heavily on train for its own transportation.

As I travel outside Tokyo, I started to take the bullet trains or Shinkansens, as they are called in Japan.  These are high-speed trains that go as fast as 200 mph.  They have tested a maglev (magnetic levitation) train that can go as fast as 375 mph.  Shinkansens are the way to travel when you go long distance.  During my two weeks around Japan, almost all my long-distance travel (1 hour or more) were on Shinkansens.  The first thing you notice is that they are efficient and punctual.  If the schedule say it will arrive at 11:09 and leave 11:15, it will arrive EXACTLY at those times.  Not a minute too fast or a minute too slow.  Moreover, when they stop, they stop exactly at where the platform indicates where the car number should be.  You can go to the platform, look up at the board to see what time the train is arriving, go to the platform marking the Car Number that you are on and just wait there.  When the train stops, the door of your car will be right in front of you.  No running up or down the platform.  You have to make sure that you are getting on the right train because they come at close intervals, sometimes 10 minutes apart.  The trains are quiet and clean.  If you have a reserved seat, you go to cars with reserved seat.  If you don't, there are cars that are designated "non-reserved."  Some of these may be crowded because making a seat reservation costs extra.  Since its introduction in 1964, there have not been any passenger fatalities due to derailments or collisions.  This is an amazing 50-year record, carrying over 10 billion passengers.  I wish the US have a similar railway system.  It will relieve a lot of highway congestions and the country will not be so dependent on cars and airplanes.

Cars are lined up perfect with the markings on the platform

A Shinkansen approaching the train station.

On the flip side are the local trains that go much slower because they stop at almost every town or village along the way.  While going through the Kiso Valley I had to take the local trains.  Sometimes it'd go only 15 minutes before stopping at the next town.  It serves the local population of students, housewives, workers, and tourists well.  It is slow but inexpensive.  The service is excellent - always on time and the trains are very clean.

A Local Train in the Kiso Valley

Narai Train Station

I enjoyed traveling in Japan partly because of the trains.  They are a wonderful way for getting around.  Yes, I like to fly sometimes but for medium distances, I'd rather take the train anytime.  I don't have to put up with Airport Security and long lines.  I can get to the airport as short as 5 minutes before the train arrives.  Once I am on the train, I have so much more room.  It's also nice to see the countryside going by you from the window.  With my pocket wifi, I can surf the internet or read my email on my laptop and phone.

I use a website called Hyperdia to schedule my trips.  It is a very nice website that also has an app available on smart phones.  It is intuitively easy to use and gives you many optional schedules.  If you have the JR Pass and want to travel only on JR trains, you can uncheck the for box for Private Train.  That way you won't get on a non-JR train and have to pay extra.  However, when I went to Koyasan, I had no choice but to take non-JR trains for part of the journey.  The website will help you schedule the right train combinations.

For non-Japanese residents traveling in Japan, I recommend buying the JR Pass.  If you plan your travel wisely, you will maximize its use.  You will save the hassle of having to figure out the fares.  It's only sold outside Japan (just like the Eurail Pass).  There are many agencies selling it but I find the prices are all very similar.