Getting around Japan

The state-owned Japanese National Railways (JNR) was privatised in 1987 and split into six regional passenger companies — JR Hokkaido, JR East, JR Central, JR West, JR Shikoku and JR Kyushu — plus a nationwide freight company. Together they run the Shinkansen and a large network of limited express, rapid and local trains, and they form the basis of the Japan Rail Pass.

Alongside JR, private railways (shitetsu) are major operators, especially around Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya. Many were founded to link city centres with suburbs, resorts and pilgrimage sites, and they often offer the best connection to places such as Nikko, Hakone, Nara, Koyasan and Ise.

Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya, Yokohama, Kyoto, Kobe, Sapporo, Sendai and Fukuoka have subway systems; Tokyo alone has two subway operators, Tokyo Metro and Toei. Lines are colour-coded and stations numbered (for example G-09), with signs and announcements in English.

Several cities, among them Hiroshima, Nagasaki, Kumamoto, Kagoshima, Hakodate and Okayama, still run trams. In Kyoto buses are often more useful than the subway for reaching temples. On most city buses passengers pay a flat fare or tap an IC card; in many other areas they take a numbered ticket when boarding and pay by distance when leaving.

Single tickets are bought from machines by fare to the destination; fare charts above the machines give the amount, and fare adjustment machines at the exit settle any difference. Limited express and Shinkansen journeys need an additional express ticket and, for reserved seats, a seat reservation, available at ticket offices, machines and online booking services.

Rechargeable IC cards such as Suica, PASMO and ICOCA avoid buying tickets for each journey and are accepted on most urban railways, subways and buses and in convenience stores.

Domestic flights are the fastest way to reach Hokkaido, Okinawa and remote islands and compete with the Shinkansen on long routes such as Tokyo–Fukuoka. Japan Airlines and All Nippon Airways operate the main network, alongside low-cost carriers; Tokyo's Haneda Airport handles most domestic flights.

Highway buses (kōsoku basu) connect nearly every city, including overnight services, and are the cheapest way to travel long distances. Ferries cross the Seto Inland Sea and link Honshu with Hokkaido, Shikoku, Kyushu and the southern islands, some with cabins for overnight journeys.

Traffic drives on the left, road signs on main routes are bilingual, and expressways are tolled; the ETC electronic toll system can be added to rental cars. Driving makes sense in Hokkaido, rural Kyushu and Shikoku, Okinawa and mountain regions, less so in the big cities, where parking is scarce.

Japan accepts International Driving Permits issued under the 1949 Geneva Convention, which includes those issued in Austria, the United Kingdom and the United States. Germany, Switzerland, France, Belgium, Monaco and Taiwan do not issue this form; holders of their licences need an official Japanese translation, obtainable from the Japan Automobile Federation (JAF) or the relevant embassy. Either document is valid for up to one year from arrival, and the national licence must be carried as well. There is zero tolerance for alcohol at the wheel.

Trains in cities are extremely crowded in the morning and evening rush hours, and some lines have women-only carriages at peak times. Large suitcases are awkward on busy trains; forwarding luggage between hotels is a common solution.

On trains, quiet is the norm: phone calls are avoided, and eating is usual on long-distance trains but not on commuter lines. Queues on platforms form at marked positions for each door.