I just came back from Tokyo and while I was there I stayed at a hotel in Shinjuku. I used the train station so frequently that I can now navigate easily within the station, but if you are not used to Japanese train system, it is not so friendly to foreigners. For example, in Korea, Seoul metro subway system is so well organized that you do not have multiple platforms in each subway station. In Tokyo, there are multiple platforms in each station and each of the platforms can have different subway lines. Sometimes, a particular subway line can change to a totally different line at some station, and sometimes if you are not paying attention you are now all of a sudden going in a totally different direction. Also, there are multiple railway companies operating in Tokyo, which means if you buy a paper ticket, you need to exit the subway and buy another (or rather different ticket) to transfer if you need to transfer to a different line managed by different railway company (fortunately I have an iPhone, so I added Suica card to my apple wallet and used it to pay for subway as well as transfers). I started to wonder the reason why Japan has such complicated subway system. Then again, I am not an expert in this area so there might be reasons for it which I am not aware of
The key to understanding the Tokyo rail network is that it's operated by lots of different companies, Shinjuku alone has five (JR, Keio, Odakyu, Toei, Tokyo Metro). So if you're looking for the JR Yamanote line, first make your way to the JR station, and then find the Yamanote platforms.
You don't need to get separate paper tickets to transfer across companies, but you do need to get a special transfer ticket, which can be complicated. The good news is there's really no reason to deal with them these days, just get a Suica/Pasmo card and tap on/off.
The one complication is that there are extensive through services, meaning companies running on each other's tracks. This is super convenient, because it avoids having to transfer, but can be confusing. You can board a train in the Yokohama Minatomirai line and travel smoothly through the Tokyu Toyoko, Metro Fukutoshin and Tōbu Tōjō Lines to emerge right on the other side of the metropolis.
> Sales of JR East's Suica card (image of a penguin on the front) will be discontinued for the time being as of June 8 due to a worldwide semiconductor shortage. [1]
Welcome Suica (for short-term visits):
> Welcome Suica sales will be limited to the following for the time being from December 18th:
> * JR EAST Travel Service Center, Haneda Airport Terminal 3 Station
> * Welcome Suica exclusive vending machine, Tokyo Monorail Haneda Airport Line Haneda Airport Terminal 3 Station
> Please note that only one Welcome Suica will be sold per person.
> Please note that IC cards will not be sold at Narita Airport after the 18th. [2]
PASMO:
> The sale of blank PASMO has been temporarily suspended.
> The sale of Personalized PASMO has been temporarily suspended. [3]
PASMO PASSPORT (for short-term visits):
> The card is available for purchase at 21 locations. [4]
This is partly misleading and partly out of date: Welcome Suicas have been available at the airport throughput, and regular Suicas are available again at major JR East stations.
Thanks for the additional info. I didn’t intend to mislead; the quoted passages are straight off the Suica and PASMO websites, so they are only outdated insofar as those websites are outdated.
If you have an iPhone, just change your phone region to Japan, and use wallet app to add Suica card to your apple wallet. You can charge whatever amount to your Suica card using Apple pay and it's good to go.
There’s no need to change any region; just open Wallet, press the + sign in upper right corner, scroll down to transit cards, and scroll down to Japan section to find Suica as well as PASMO and ICOCA.
It’s very easy these days. Apple Maps can tell you exactly where to go including platform and boarding time.
Paper tickets are confusing but basically nobody uses them. I don’t think it’s true that you need to get separate tickets for separate train lines. You do need to adjust your ticket if you prepaid the wrong distance.
Unless you mean two entirely separate lines separated by different gates.
There was a station (which I don't remember) I had to leave the subway and buy a different ticket to transfer. Some stations have multiple platforms stacked next to each other that it is easy to transfer even if the lines are managed by different railway companies, but that is not the case all the time. That's how I learned that there are multiple railway companies in Tokyo that are not cooperating with each other enough to make the transfer seamless. Once you make a few mistakes, it gets easier, but it is not so friendly to foreigners. Also stations like Shinjuku is so huge that it is very complicated figure out where your exit is. Then again, once you get used to it, it becomes easy.
You might have to switch to, say, a JR train line. But that’s not a function of the paper tickets. Just different lines. Honestly the much crazier thing is that some trains go over tracks of different companies because they simply cooperate for the benefit of the consumer. You mostly don’t need to know whose line it is ever. The niche exception is for tourists with a JR Pass.
If you’re trying to remember a station in Shinjuku that was confusing with paper tickets, maybe you somehow used the Seibu Line? It’s “Shinjuku” but effectively separate from JR and Metro and a bit different as a result - or at least was the last time I needed it.
I don’t know many who ride that line unless living out on it or wanting to take the less crowded way to ‘Baba tho.
Something I just realized is that the reason why huge stations have multiple platforms is because there are so many people using the station they had to add multiple platforms to accommodate more subway trains to manage the crowd. But again, as a foreigner, I had much easier time using subways in Korea.
