Have you read Tokyo Free Travel Guide? You should know that Piao Piao advocates staying in the same area for one day when playing in Tokyo. It is most convenient to directly brush Suica Watermelon Card when taking the car, because Tokyo is super big! It is really a waste of time to spend time changing scenery and taking transportation, but many readers may live on the Tokyo Metro line, or in Tokyo Sakura Season, and they have to grab time to go to many attractions. Then they may really take Tokyo Metro many times, and the most commonly used ticket is “Tokyo Subway Ticket“, so in response to the needs of readers, this Tokyo Subway Ticket Guide was created.
Click here to view Tokyo Metro Ticket 24~72 Hours Overseas Ticket Discount
Translate: Table of Contents
Tokyo Metro subway tickets come in many varieties, and this article mainly introduces the “Tokyo Subway Ticket“. To avoid confusion, the first half of the article will focus on introducing this ticket, and then list other transportation tickets for reference. For those who are already familiar with Tokyo transportation, you can jump directly to the part you want to see:
What is Tokyo Metro Ticket?
Tokyo Metro can be mainly divided into “Tokyo Metro Subway” and “Toei Subway” operated by Tokyo Metropolitan Bureau of Transportation. Tokyo Subway Ticket is a preferential ticket for foreign tourists jointly launched by the two subway operators. Different from other transportation tickets that can be purchased at ticket outlets in Japan, this ticket is only available to foreign tourists with short-term sightseeing visas or domestic tourists living outside Tokyo, Kanagawa, Saitama, Chiba, Ibaraki, Tochigi, Gunma and Yamanashi.
Expiry Date and Interval
Holding this ticket, you can take all Tokyo Metro and Toei Subway lines in a continuous 24 hours, 48 hours or 72 hours unlimited times.
Hour System Calculation
Tokyo Metro tickets were on a day-based system before March 25th, 2016, which is why they were referred to as “1-day ticket/2-day ticket/3-day ticket” on the internet. However, Tokyo Metro tickets have been changed to a 24-hour system since March 26th, 2016, which is why it is written as “24 hours/48 hours/72 hours” above. It is not based on 24:00, but rather it will expire after 13:00 the next day if it is activated at 13:00.
Tokyo Subway Ticket Prices
Tokyo Metro tickets are divided into 24-hour, 48-hour and 72-hour versions according to the available validity period, and the prices are as follows:
- 【24 Hours Version】800 JPY, Children (6-12 years old) 400 JPY
- 【48 Hours Version】1,200 JPY, Children (6-12 years old) 600 JPY
- 【72 Hours Version】1,500 JPY, Children (6-12 years old) 750 JPY
Ticket Purchase Locations for Tokyo Subway
Tokyo Metro tickets can be purchased with a passport showing short-term tourist qualification for entry into Japan, or purchased in advance overseas (which is usually cheaper). The following are the detailed ticket sales locations:
- Advance Overseas Purchase：You can purchase tickets from overseas travel agencies such as Lion Travel, as well as online OTAs (KKday Discount｜Klook Discount), which are cheaper than purchasing in Japan
- Narita Airport：Ticket Office at Terminal 1 & 2 of Keisei Bus, Click here to view the ticket office location
- Haneda Airport：Tourist Information Center at Terminal 3 (International Terminal), Click here to view the ticket office location
- Ticket Office for Commuter Passes (7:40～20:00) at the following Tokyo Metro Stations：Ueno, Nihonbashi, Ikebukuro (Marunouchi Line), Ikebukuro (Yurakucho Line), Ginza, Shimbashi, Shinjuku, Hibiya, Iidabashi, Takadanobaba, Akasaka-mitsuke, Meiji-jingumae, Shin-ochanomizu, Daimon, Tokyo, Click here to view the ticket office location
- Tokyo Metro Passenger Service Centers (9:00～17:00) at the following Stations：Ginza Station, Shinjuku Station, Omotesando Station, Ueno Station, Tokyo Station, Click here to view the ticket office location
- Other Sales Points：Foreign Tourist Service Centers, Hotel Front Desk, BicCamera, Softmap, LAOX, YAMADA Electric Tokyo branches, etc. For details, please refer to the official website
Can I buy Tokyo Metro ticket for my trip?
If your hotel is located along the subway line and you will take more than three time-limited tickets in one day, it is suitable to buy, but if your itinerary is all outside the subway, such as JR and private railway, you can choose other transportation tickets, or directly use Suica IC Card to take the subway.
- 【24 Hours】800 Yen: Take 5 Subway Rides to Return
- 【48 Hours】1,200 Yen: Take 4 Subway Rides to Return in a Day
- 【72 Hours】1,500 Yen: Take 3 Subway Rides to Return in a Day
Routes Covered by Tokyo Metro Tickets
Previously mentioned, Tokyo Metro tickets can only be used on “Tokyo Metro” and “Toei Subway”, which is the subway route map in the above picture. The detailed route is listed below for your reference.
Tokyo Metro has 9 lines
Ginza Line, Marunouchi Line, Hibiya Line, Tozai Line, Chiyoda Line, Yurakucho Line, Hanzomon Line, Namboku Line, Fukutoshin Line.
There are 4 MTR lines in Tuen Mun
Asakusa Line, Mita Line, Shinjuku Line, Oedo Line, I pulled out the four lines exclusive to the Tokyo Metro from the map above for everyone to see:
Routes Not Available
Here we remind you again that this ticket cannot be used on JR lines or any private railway lines, and the Keisei Electric Railway to Narita Airport is also not available.
The most confusing one is the route of direct transfer from subway to JR or private railway. You can refer to Tokyo Metro Subway Map. Taking Tokyo Metro Tozai Line as an example, after Nakano Station, it is a direct transfer to “JR Chuo Line” all the way to Kichijoji Station and Mitaka Station. However, after Nakano Station, the route color is no longer solid, because after Nakano Station, the direct transfer to “JR Chuo Line” is no longer a subway, so this Tokyo Metro ticket cannot be used.
If you really encounter a problem that you cannot take a direct transfer, the most convenient way to handle it is to purchase a single ticket after the subway operation route separately. Taking the above example, it is to purchase “the ticket of the section not in the subway operation range” in advance at the ticket machine. Because swiping the IC card or paying the difference at the time of exiting the station requires communication with the station staff at the manual gate, it may be troublesome if you do not speak Japanese. Buying a single ticket is the most convenient.
Tokyo Subway Ticket Usage
After receiving the physical ticket, just insert the ticket into the subway gate card slot when taking the train. After the door opens, the ticket will be ejected again and can be retrieved. The hourly system will print the date and time of entry on the back of the ticket after the first insertion. The time will be invalidated (calculated in minutes), but the invalidation is based on when you enter the station, so the invalidation when you exit the station will not affect your exit this time, but remember, you can’t continue to take the train afterwards!
Tokyo Metro Various One-Day Tickets
Besides the Tokyo Metro ticket introduced in this article, there are actually many kinds of transportation tickets in Tokyo Metro. Here are some of the more frequently asked questions. For detailed tickets, please refer to the official website.
- Tokyo Metro 24-Hour Ticket (Tokyo Subway 24-Hour Ticket): 600 yen, within 24 consecutive hours after the start of use, you can freely take the “Tokyo Metro Subway All Lines”, you can purchase advance tickets at Tokyo Metro Subway Regular Ticket Sales Office (except Nakano Station, Nishi-Funabashi Station, Shibuya Station), and you can also purchase same-day tickets at ticket machines at each station of Tokyo Metro Subway Line
- Tokyo Toei Subway & Tokyo Metro Common One-Day Riding Ticket (Subway One-Day Ticket Common with Tokyo Toei Subway): 900 yen, you can freely take the “Tokyo Metro Subway” and “Tokyo Toei Subway All Lines”, you can purchase same-day tickets at ticket machines at each station of Tokyo Metro Subway Line (also advance tickets)
- Tokyo Free Ticket (Tokyo Tour Ticket): 1,600 yen, after purchase, within one month, choose one day and you can freely take all lines of Tokyo Metro Line, all lines of Tokyo Toei Subway, Tokyo Denki, Tokyo Bus (except late-night buses and seat-designated buses), Yurakucho-Shinyurigaoka Line, JR Line, etc., and you can purchase tickets at automatic ticket machines of each line
- Keisei Skyliner & Tokyo Subway Ticket (Tokyo Skyliner Keisei Electric Railway & Tokyo Subway Ticket Set): As its name implies, there are two tickets, “Keisei Skyliner” and “Tokyo Subway Ticket”. The scope of use of Tokyo Subway Ticket is introduced in this article, and Keisei Skyliner takes the “Tokyo Skyliner Keisei Electric Railway” Narita Airport to Tokyo City section | Purchase Discount Tickets Online
Conclusion
Above is an introduction to the usage of Tokyo Metro tickets, hope everyone knows how to use it!
Last reminder, don’t forget to purchase overseas discount tickets before departure!Tokyo Subway Ticket (24 hours, 48 hours, 72 hours)