How to Get Around Japan: Transportation Guide and Fares (2026)
An IC card for city trains, the Shinkansen between cities, a flight for Sapporo or Okinawa. Real 2026 fares and times, and when a rail pass pays.
Most visitors get around Japan with two things: an IC card (Suica, PASMO or ICOCA) for city trains, subways and buses, and the Shinkansen between cities. Tokyo to Kyoto takes 2 hours 15 minutes and costs ¥14,170 on a reserved Nozomi, and on an ordinary weekday you can buy that ticket at the station the same morning. Fly only where the train can't compete: Sapporo, Okinawa, and Fukuoka if time matters more than money.
Rail passes pay less often than people expect. The 7-day JR Pass costs ¥50,000, while Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka and back comes to ¥29,470 in single tickets, so the classic first trip is cheaper without it. Taxis, night buses and rental cars each fill a specific gap, and each gets a short section below.
Japan Transport at a Glance: What Each Option Costs
| Transport | Use it for | Real 2026 price |
|---|---|---|
| Shinkansen | Cities up to about 4 hours apart | Tokyo–Kyoto ¥14,170 (Nozomi, reserved) |
| Subway and city trains | Getting around inside a city | Tokyo Metro ¥180–330 a ride |
| Night bus | Long distances on a budget | Tokyo–Osaka ¥4,200–8,000 |
| City bus | Kyoto's temples, smaller towns | Kyoto ¥230 flat fare |
| Taxi | Late nights, luggage, groups | Tokyo: about ¥2,200 for 5 km |
| Domestic flight | Sapporo, Okinawa, sometimes Fukuoka | Narita–Sapporo from ¥4,790 (Jetstar, no checked bag) |
| Rental car | Rural Hokkaido, Kyushu, Shikoku | Compact car ¥10,340 for 24 hours |
Shinkansen: Bullet Train Times, Fares and Tickets
The Shinkansen is how most visitors cover distance in Japan, and riding one for the first time is an experience in itself: the smooth acceleration, the ekiben (station bento boxes), the countryside racing past your window. On the Tokyo–Osaka line trains reach 285 km/h, and JR Central puts the average delay at 1.4 minutes per train in 2024, delays from natural disasters included.
Shinkansen Journey Times and Fares (2026)
| Route | Train | Time | Fare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tokyo → Kyoto | Nozomi | 2h 15 | ¥14,170 |
| Tokyo → Shin-Osaka | Nozomi | 2h 30 | ¥14,720 |
| Tokyo → Hiroshima | Nozomi | 3h 50 | ¥19,760 |
| Tokyo → Hakata (Fukuoka) | Nozomi | 4h 57 | ¥23,810 |
| Kyoto → Hiroshima | Nozomi | 1h 36 | ¥11,940 |
| Tokyo → Kanazawa | Kagayaki | 2h 27 | ¥14,600 |
| Tokyo → Sendai | Hayabusa | 1h 36 | ¥11,630 |
Fares are for a reserved seat on a weekday in October 2026, checked on Jorudan. A non-reserved seat costs a little less (¥13,320 from Tokyo to Kyoto), and JR adds up to ¥400 on its busiest travel days.
On the Tokyo–Osaka–Fukuoka line there are three kinds of train. The Nozomi is fastest, the Hikari makes a few more stops (about 2 hours 35 minutes to Kyoto, ¥13,850 reserved), and the Kodama stops everywhere. That 20-minute gap matters most to JR Pass holders: the pass covers the Hikari and Kodama, but the Nozomi needs a separate ticket (¥4,960 from Tokyo to Kyoto). The lines heading north from Tokyo use other names: the Hayabusa to Sendai and Hokkaido, the Kagayaki to Kanazawa.
One bullet train you can skip: Kyoto to Osaka. The JR Special Rapid reaches Osaka Station in 28 minutes for ¥580. The Shinkansen saves about 15 minutes, costs ¥1,450 and drops you at Shin-Osaka, one stop north of Osaka Station.
Buying Tickets: When You Need a Reservation
Buy at the station ticket machines (they have English), at a staffed JR counter, or online: smartEX for the Tokyo–Osaka–Fukuoka line, and JR-EAST Train Reservation (Eki-Net) for the lines toward Sendai, Niigata and Kanazawa. Reserved seats go on sale one month ahead at 10:00 (smartEX opens some seats a year ahead). On an ordinary weekday, buying on the day works fine. Book ahead in two cases:
- Holiday weekends and New Year. Every Nozomi seat is reserved-only during JR's peak periods: October 10–12 and November 21–23, 2026; December 25, 2026 to January 5, 2027; January 9–11 and March 20–22, 2027, plus Golden Week and Obon each year. The Hikari and Kodama keep their non-reserved cars.
- Big suitcases. On the Tokaido, Sanyo and Kyushu Shinkansen, a bag of 161 to 250 cm (length + width + height) needs a reserved seat with an oversized baggage area. It costs nothing extra, but boarding without one means a ¥1,000 fee, and bags over 250 cm aren't allowed at all. Anything up to 160 cm goes on the overhead rack or at your feet.
JR Pass and Regional Passes: When a Pass Pays
The Japan Rail Pass gives unlimited JR travel nationwide. The 7-day Ordinary pass costs ¥50,000 on the official site; overseas agencies charge ¥53,000 from October 1, 2026. Since the 2023 price rise of about 70%, it no longer pays for Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka (¥29,470 in single tickets). It starts to pay when your week adds Hiroshima and Fukuoka.
If your trip centers on one region, a regional pass usually beats it. JR West stopped selling its Kansai Area Pass on September 30, 2026; these are the passes to look at now:
| Pass | Days | Price | What it covers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kansai Mini Pass | 3 | ¥3,000 | JR local and rapid trains around Kyoto, Osaka, Kobe and Nara (not the Haruka) |
| Kansai-Hiroshima Area Pass | 5 | ¥17,000 | Adds the Shinkansen from Shin-Osaka to Hiroshima, the Haruka airport train and the Miyajima ferry |
Inside a city, day tickets do the same job: the Tokyo Subway 24-hour Ticket costs ¥1,000, Kyoto's Subway & Bus 1-Day Pass ¥1,100, and the Hakone Freepass ¥7,100 for 2 days from Shinjuku.
IC Cards: Suica, PASMO and ICOCA
An IC card is a prepaid contactless card you tap at the ticket gate, and it's the one thing to sort out on your first day. It pays train, subway and bus fares, and also works at convenience stores, vending machines, coin lockers and many taxis. Which one to get depends on your phone and your airport:
- iPhone: add a Suica to Apple Wallet (Wallet, then +, then Transit Card) and top it up with Apple Pay. A phone Suica can only be refunded to a Japanese bank account, so spend it down before you fly home.
- Android bought outside Japan, or no phone: Android Suica only runs on Japanese-market phones. Buy a Welcome Suica (Narita, Haneda Terminal 3 and JR East's big Tokyo stations) or a TOURIST PASMO (Keikyu's Haneda stations, Keisei's Narita stations). Neither takes a deposit; both last 28 days and can't be refunded.
- Landing at Kansai Airport: buy an ICOCA for ¥2,000, which includes a ¥500 refundable deposit.
Suica, PASMO, ICOCA and seven other cards work in each other's areas, so a Suica pays your Osaka subway fare. The limits: one journey can't cross from one IC area into another (Tokyo to Sendai, for example), some rural lines and buses don't take them, and the Tokyo–Osaka Shinkansen still needs a ticket. On Tokyo's subways and most of its private railways, and on the Osaka Metro, you can also tap a contactless credit card at the wide gates, though not on JR East.
Trains and Subways in Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto
Tokyo has the densest network: 13 subway lines (9 Tokyo Metro, 4 Toei) on top of JR and the private railways, signed in English and surprisingly easy once you get the hang of it. A Tokyo Metro ride costs ¥180–330 (¥178–324 by IC card). Osaka is simpler: the Midosuji Line links Namba and Umeda in 9 minutes for ¥240. Kyoto runs mostly on buses, covered below.
- Plan routes with Google Maps, check fares on Jorudan. Google Maps handles train routes well; for an exact fare or Shinkansen time, Jorudan's Japan Transit Planner is what we use to check the fares on this site. Our travel apps guide covers the rest.
- Follow the station numbers. Every subway station has its line's letter and a number: Ginza station on the Ginza Line is G09, nine stops from Shibuya (G01). Follow the color and the number and you never need to read Japanese.
- Know your last train. City lines stop running around midnight. Miss the last one and it's a taxi, or a wait for the first train around 5 AM.
- Dodge Tokyo's weekday morning rush (roughly 7:30 to 9:30), especially with luggage. Start sightseeing after 10 and it's a different ride.
- Keep it quiet. Phones on silent, no calls, conversations kept low. It's one of the things that makes Japanese trains so pleasant to ride.
Buses in Japan: Night Buses, Local Buses and Kyoto
Night Buses Between Cities
The budget option for long distances. A JR night bus from Tokyo Station to Osaka costs ¥4,200–5,500 in a standard seat or ¥5,500–8,000 in the roomier Gran Dream, against ¥14,720 for the Nozomi. You give up a proper night's sleep, but you save a hotel night and wake up in the new city.
Buy your seat before you board. The JR bus companies sell online through Japan Expressway Bus Net, though its site says it can't take bookings from residents of the EU, EEA or UK. WILLER sells its own routes.
Local Buses
Outside the big cities, local buses are often the only public transport. The usual system, as JNTO describes it: board by the middle door, take a numbered ticket, and when you get off, pay the fare shown next to your number on the screen at the front. IC cards work on many buses but not every regional line, so carry coins.
Kyoto's Buses and the 1-Day Pass
In Kyoto, the bus is how you reach many temples. City buses charge a flat ¥230, and the Subway & Bus 1-Day Pass (¥1,100) pays for itself from the fifth bus ride; the old ¥700 bus-only pass is no longer sold. The Sightseeing Limited Express buses (EX100 and EX101) cost ¥500, or nothing extra with the pass, and reach Gion in 17 minutes from Kyoto Station. Our Kyoto where-to-stay guide shows how each base connects.
Taxis in Japan: Fares and Apps
Japanese taxis are immaculate, and they're priced like it. In Tokyo the meter starts at ¥500 for the first kilometer and adds ¥100 every 232 meters, with 20% extra from 10 PM to 5 AM. A 5 km ride comes to about ¥2,200: a fair deal for three or four people, a poor one for a solo traveler at midday. Use taxis for late nights, heavy bags and the last stretch to a hotel the trains don't reach.
From Haneda, taxis to central Tokyo run on fixed fares of ¥7,600–9,100 plus tolls; our airport guide compares them with the trains and buses from both airports.
Domestic Flights: When Flying Beats the Shinkansen
Fly when the train takes most of a day. Tokyo to Sapporo is 8 hours by rail (Shinkansen to Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto, then a limited express, ¥30,120) but about 3 hours 40 minutes from Tokyo Station to Sapporo Station by air, with 90 to 100 minutes in the air. Okinawa has no rail link at all. Tokyo to Fukuoka is the close call: 4 hours 57 minutes on the Nozomi (¥23,810) against about 3 hours 25 minutes city to city by plane.
Price usually settles it. Low-cost airlines are cheap if you book early: Jetstar lists Narita–Sapporo from ¥4,790 one way for November and December 2026, web only and without a checked bag. Full-service fares close to departure are not: Jorudan showed ¥38,200 for a JAL flight from Haneda to Fukuoka on a weekday in mid-October, far above the Nozomi. If you live outside Japan, JAL's Japan Explorer Pass sells flat fares to more than 30 cities, but only with an international ticket to and from Japan, and they can't be changed or refunded.
At Haneda, JAL's domestic flights use Terminal 1, ANA's use Terminal 2, and most international flights arrive at Terminal 3. A free shuttle bus links all three every 4 minutes from 5 AM to 8 PM, so leave time for the change if you connect on arrival day.
Renting a Car in Japan
In cities, a car is more hassle than help: parking is scarce and expensive, and the trains are faster. But for rural exploration, a car opens up places trains can't reach: Hokkaido's wide-open roads, Shikoku's mountain temples, Kyushu's volcanic landscapes, the Izu Peninsula's coastal drives.
What You Need to Drive in Japan
- An International Driving Permit under the 1949 Geneva Convention, in the paper booklet form. Card and smartphone permits aren't valid in Japan, and a permit is good for one year from its issue date and one year from your arrival.
- Your home license as well. Drivers from Switzerland, Germany, France, Belgium, Monaco and Taiwan carry an official Japanese translation of their license instead of a permit (JNTO's driving page has the details).
- Japan drives on the left. If you're used to the right, take the first hour gently.
What a Rental Car Costs
A compact from Toyota Rent a Car costs ¥10,340 for 24 hours (¥11,990 at its central Tokyo and Narita branches), with basic insurance included and a ¥50,000 excess; the collision damage waiver that covers the excess adds ¥1,100 a day. Rent an ETC card with the car so tolls are paid automatically at the gates. Expressway tolls add up fast, so for a road trip in Hokkaido, Tohoku, Central Japan, Kyushu or Shikoku, price the flat-rate expressway passes for foreign visitors before you drive.
Luggage Forwarding (Takkyubin)
One of Japan's best travel conveniences, and one most first-time visitors don't know about. Instead of dragging suitcases through crowded stations and up flights of stairs, you send them ahead to your next hotel.
Hand the bag in at your hotel's front desk and it arrives the next day. With Yamato Transport (the black cat logo, you'll see it everywhere), a large suitcase from Tokyo to Kyoto costs ¥2,310 in the 140 size or ¥2,630 in the 160 size. Forwarding the big bag also takes the Shinkansen's oversized-baggage rule off the table.
Costs by size, airport counters and a whole-trip strategy are in our luggage forwarding guide.
Which Transport Should You Use? A Quick Guide
- Within a city: subway and trains with an IC card, plus the bus in Kyoto. Walk more than you think: Japanese cities reward exploration on foot.
- Between cities up to about 4 hours apart: the Shinkansen. Check whether a JR Pass or regional pass beats single tickets for your route.
- Sapporo and Okinawa: fly. For Fukuoka, compare the Nozomi with an early-booked flight, airport transfers included.
- On a tight budget: night buses between cities, day passes inside them. Our budget guide shows what transport adds to a day.
- Rural areas: rent a car. Some places simply aren't practical by train or bus.
- Moving between cities with big bags: forward the luggage and travel light.
- Arriving at Narita or Haneda: the airport guide picks the right train or bus for your part of Tokyo.
For help deciding which cities to visit and how to link them, try our Trip Planner.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best way to get around Japan as a tourist?
Use an IC card such as Suica, PASMO or ICOCA for city trains, subways and buses, and the Shinkansen between cities: Tokyo to Kyoto takes about 2 hours 15 minutes and costs ¥14,170 on a reserved Nozomi. Fly only for Sapporo, Okinawa and sometimes Fukuoka, and rent a car only for rural areas such as Hokkaido or Kyushu.
Do I need a JR Pass to travel around Japan?
Usually not. The 7-day JR Pass costs ¥50,000 on the official site (¥53,000 through overseas agencies from October 1, 2026), while Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka and back costs ¥29,470 in single Shinkansen tickets. The pass starts to pay when a week includes Hiroshima and Fukuoka. For Kansai alone, JR West's 3-day Kansai Mini Pass costs ¥3,000.
Can I use Suica or PASMO everywhere in Japan?
In most cities, yes. Suica, PASMO, ICOCA and seven other IC cards work on trains, subways and many buses in each other's areas, and at convenience stores and vending machines. But one journey can't cross from one IC area into another, some rural lines and buses don't accept them, and the Tokyo to Osaka Shinkansen needs a separate ticket.
Do I need to reserve Shinkansen tickets in advance?
On an ordinary weekday, no: buying at the station on the day is fine. Book ahead for holiday weekends and New Year, when every Nozomi seat between Tokyo, Osaka and Fukuoka is reserved-only (for example December 25, 2026 to January 5, 2027), and whenever you carry a bag over 160 cm in total dimensions, which needs a reserved seat with an oversized baggage area.
Is it better to fly or take the Shinkansen in Japan?
Take the Shinkansen for trips up to about 4 hours, such as Tokyo to Kyoto, Osaka or Hiroshima: stations are central and there's no check-in. Fly to Sapporo (8 hours by rail, about 3 hours 40 minutes city to city by air) and to Okinawa. Tokyo to Fukuoka is close: 4 hours 57 minutes and ¥23,810 on the Nozomi, or about 3 hours 25 minutes by air if you find a low fare.
Can tourists drive in Japan?
Yes, with an International Driving Permit issued under the 1949 Geneva Convention, in the paper booklet form, carried with your home license. Drivers from Switzerland, Germany, France, Belgium, Monaco and Taiwan use an official Japanese translation of their license instead. Japan drives on the left, and a compact rental car costs about ¥10,340 for 24 hours at Toyota Rent a Car.
