Tokyo: Getting there and around

A whole variety of day passes is available for the Tokyo area, however, most of them are overpriced and/or not very practical because they do not cover all of Tokyo's train and subway lines. Consequently, single tickets or prepaid cards usually come cheaper, especially if you plan your city sightseeing in a geographically wise way.

Prepaid IC cards are generally the recommended way to get around Tokyo. Prepaid cards don't give you any discounts over single tickets, but they provide convenience as you can ride virtually any train or bus in Greater Tokyo (and most other major cities in Japan) with just a simple swipe over a card reader. They can also be used to make quick purchases at a large number of shops, restaurants and tourist spots across Japan.

Two types of IC cards are available for purchase in Tokyo: Suica cards at JR stations and Pasmo cards at non-JR stations. Furthermore, eight IC cards from other major cities of Japan can also be used on the trains and buses of Tokyo, including Icoca, Kitaca, Toica, Manaca, Pitapa, Sugoca, Nimoca and Hayakaken.

Only on days when you use trains or subways a lot, can it make sense to consider one of Tokyo's day passes:

• Tokyo Free Kippu (aka Tokyo Tour Ticket) (1720 yen)
  Unlimited use of all subway lines (Toei and Tokyo Metro) and JR trains in the central Tokyo area on one calendar day (i.e. from the first to the last train of the day). It is also valid on buses and streetcars operated by Toei. While its coverage is good, this ticket is overpriced and will unlikely provide any savings over regular tickets or prepaid cards.
• Tokyo Subway Ticket (24 hours: 1000 yen, 48 hours: 1500 yen, 72 hours: 2000 yen)
  Unlimited use of all subway lines (Toei and Tokyo Metro), but not valid on JR trains. This is generally the most cost-effective of all day passes available for Tokyo, but as a rule of thumb even this one requires at least about four subway rides per day to pay off. It can be purchased by foreign tourists as a QR code ticket (no physical ticket needed), at a discounted price through Klook (physical ticket needs to be picked up) or at Narita Airport, Haneda Airport, some major subway stations, and selected electronic stores in central Tokyo. Furthermore, it is sold to both foreign tourists and residents of Japan through selected travel agencies and convenience stores outside of the Kanto Region.
• Toei and Tokyo Metro One-Day Economy Pass (1100 yen)
  Unlimited use of all subway lines (Toei and Tokyo Metro) on one calendar day. The pass pays off only if you use the subways a lot. The pass is not valid on JR trains. Unlike the lower priced Tokyo Subway Ticket (see above), this pass can be purchased by anybody and at subway stations in central Tokyo. It is also available as a QR code ticket.
• Tokyo Metro 24-Hour Ticket (700 yen)
  Unlimited use of the nine Tokyo Metro subway lines, but not the four Toei subway lines and JR trains. The ticket is available through ticket machines at Tokyo Metro stations.
• Toei One-Day Pass (Toei Marugoto Kippu) (700 yen)
  Unlimited use of the four Toei subway lines, buses and streetcars on one calendar day. It is not valid on the nine Tokyo Metro subway lines and JR trains. The pass is available at ticket machines and ticket counters at Toei stations.
• Tokunai Pass (870 yen)
  Unlimited use of JR trains in the central Tokyo area on one calendar day. The pass is available at the purple vending machines and ticket counters at JR stations.

The Japan Rail Pass and JR Tokyo Wide Pass are valid only on JR trains and the Tokyo Monorail. They cannot be used on subways or any other non-JR trains.