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Get around Japan


Get around Japan

Tama Monorail in Tokyo, one of the country's many futuristic transport systems
Tama Monorail in Tokyo, one of the country's many futuristic transport systems
Japan has one of the world's best transport systems, and getting around is usually a breeze, with the train being overwhelmingly the popular option. Although traveling around Japan is expensive when compared to other Asian countries, there are a variety of passes that can be used to limit the damage. For sorting through transport schedules and fares, Hitachi's Hyperdia is an invaluable companion; Jorudan is a similar service, but with fewer options for exploring alternate routes. (Hyperdia has more options for restricting travel, which is helpful if you're using a Japan Rail Pass (below) and cannot use Nozomi trains.) The paper version of this is the Daijikokuhyō (大時刻表), a phonebook-sized tome available for browsing in every train station and most hotels, but it's a little challenging to use as the content is entirely in microscopic Japanese. A lighter version that just includes limited express, sleeper and bullet trains (shinkansen) is available from the Japan National Tourist Organization's overseas offices. English timetables are available on the websites of JR Hokkaido , JR East , JR Central and JR Kyushu . Timetables for the Tokaido, San'yo and Kyushu shinkansen can also be viewed in English at Macoto's Tabi-o-ji timetable site . Both Hyperdia and Tabi-o-ji offer schedule searches that exclude Nozomi and Mizuho services, which will benefit holders of the Japan Rail Pass (see below). In Japanese cities, a place's address is useful for mail, but it's nearly useless for actually getting there. Most places are described in terms of the walking distance from the nearest train station, and relative to local landmarks. Business cards very often have little maps printed on the back to make navigation easier (at least if you can read Japanese). In addition, many train stations have maps of the local area that can help you find a destination if it is reasonably close to the station.

The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about Japan


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Japan Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.

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