Page 175 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Tokyo

TR A VEL INFORM A TION  173

showing the name of the next for free. Some stations have
station. On some trains, route route maps showing the fares
maps and the current position and place names in Roman
are displayed on screens above script. If you are unsure or
the exit doors. Announcements cannot work out the exact fare
may also be made in English to your destination, buy the
before arrival at the next station. cheapest ticket available and
Tickets are dispensed from pay the difference when you
automatic vending machines, arrive. There are fare adjustment
usually located close to the machines by the exit gates: you
entrance gates at each station. insert your ticket, the amount
Most accept both bank notes due is indicated, you pay the
and coins; they also dispense difference in fare, and a new Subway turnstile at entry and exit points
change. Electronic touch-screen ticket is dispensed. at a train station
vending machines have For those who intend to do
instructions in English. a lot of travel on the subway, Smart CARD System
To access the platform, feed the Toei One-Day Economy Suica and Pasmo are inter-
the ticket into the slot in the Pass (Toei marguto kippu) is operable smart cards that can
automatic ticket gate. Retrieve a good option. It costs ¥700 be used for virtually all forms of
your ticket and retain it until and offers unlimited use of public transportation in Tokyo
your final destination, as you subways, city buses, and the and surrounding areas. They
will need it when you exit. Arakawa tram. The Tokyo cost ¥2,000, including a ¥500
Fares are charged according Tour Ticket (¥1,590) allows refundable deposit. Suica cards
to distance traveled, starting at unlimited use for one day on can be bought at JR stations,
¥160 (¥170 on Toei lines), with JR trains within the 23 wards and Pasco cards at Tokyo Metro
children aged 6 to 11 charged of Tokyo, subway lines, city and Toei Subway stations, where
half-fares; children under 6 ride buses, and the Arakawa tram. they can subsequently be
charged in ¥1,000 increments.
The cards can also be used
for making purchases at many
stores around town, as well as
at vending machines and
station baggage lockers.
Hold your card over the sensor
at the ticket barrier; an acoustic
signal will tell you that the card
has been registered and the
minimum fare deducted; the
balance (if any) is deducted
on exit at your destination.
DIRECTORY
Subway Network
Toei Subway
Strips of yellow tiles on the floor marking the routes to the ticket barriers ∑ kotsu.metro.tokyo.jp
Tokyo Metro
Commuter Culture ∑ tokyometro.jp
Commuters packed into trains are a common sight morning and Routes and Fares
evening at Tokyo’s major train stations. High urban land prices
force families to look farther out of the city for affordable housing. Jorudan
A commute of at least an hour each way is practically the ∑ jorudan.co.jp/english
standard. The majority of commuters are men, since they still Tokyo Tour Ticket
tend to be the prime earners in most families. The commute ∑ jreast.co.jp
effectively removes them from family life – they leave before the
children get up, come back after they are in bed, and collapse on Smart CARD System
weekends with fatigue. The other major group on the trains is
unmarried younger women (after marriage, women are often Pasmo
expected to stay home and raise the children). An entire industry ∑ pasmo.co.jp/en
has grown up around these commuters: dozens of magazines
are produced for killing time, and stand-up restaurants offer Suica
cheap meals to those with a long ride ahead. ∑ jreast.co.jp/e/pass/suica.
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