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BULLET
TRAIN - SHINKANSEN
For
travel between cities, one usually uses the Shinkansen
that is world renowned for its speed and punctuality. The
Japanese prefer to travel by train over plane. The one
disadvantage for tourists however, is the lack of
consideration for lots of heavy baggage -from the flights
of stairs to the lack of porters or storage space on the
trains. Once on the Shinkansen, you will find it an
enjoyable and efficient way to travel in Japan. There are
trains leaving Tokyo Station every fifteen minutes.
There
are two classes of service on most trains. The Green Car
generally offers more comfort with larger seats and leg
room. It is symbolized with a green clover leaf. The
majority of the cars on a train are regular class. There
are some non-smoking cars.
Reservations
can be made in advance although there is a service charge
for reserved seats and express trains (the Shinkansen is
considered an express). If you are travelling to Japan on
Japan Airlines, they will make advance reservations for
you.
Tickets
can be purchased at the departing station or almost any
large station. Also, many large stations have "Travel
Service Centres" (Ryoko Senta) that have English
speaking staff and are open from 9:00am to 6:00pm, Monday
through Friday. Japan Rail Passes are also very popular
with tourists, but must be purchased outside of Japan.
Rail passes offer unlimited travel for 7, 14, or 21 days
and are available for purchase at Times Square Travel's
offices.
On
each Shinkansen, there is usually a dining car or a
stand-up buffet car. What is most popular though, is to
purchase items from the vendors that come calling through
the train. These sellers offer every thing from Japanese
lunch boxes to beer and coffee. It is best to know the
stops on your particular train ride. The trains only stop
for one or two minutes and you could easily miss a stop.
Announcements are made three to five minutes before the
stop. Make sure you are ready to disembark from the train,
by standing by the exit door with all your belongings. You
can be met on the platform if you tell your greeter your
car and train number.
SUBWAYS
AND LOCAL TRAINS
Within
the large cities, subway travel is by far the most
efficient and quickest way to travel. Subways operate from
about 5:00am to midnight daily. First, locate a fare map
that is written in English or refer to a regular English
subway map and count how many stops you want to go and
locate the corresponding location on the Japanese fare
map. Purchase your ticket from the correct subway machine
(sometimes there are many different machines for different
train lines) by pushing the button that corresponds to
your fare or is greater than your fare. Your change and
ticket will fall into the dispenser. Board the train
(making sure you are going the correct direction). After
disembarking from the train, return your ticket through
the machine that checks if you have paid the correct fare.
You may want to avoid travelling the subways during rush
hours.
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General Section
