I stepped out of the Airport Express and into an ant colony. Only they weren't ants, they were Japanese commuters. And it wasn't an ant colony, it was Shinjuku station.

But if you were to look at us from ten stories above, we'd probably look like a teeming mass of ants. What would seem like aimless rushing would really be targeted traveling at high speeds.

I'm convinced that somewhere in Shinjuku station is a queen. Why else would so many Japanese commuters be in a mad rush like this, if not to build out their colony and feed their queen?

A few times, I made the foolish mistake of stopping to read a sign or figure out where I was going. What a fool. Commuters swarmed around me and I drowned in Japanese.

Fortunately, the Japanese are too polite to knock me over. Whenever someone bumped into me, he or she would bow and apologize before melting back into the swarm.

Another thing that amazed me is how well Japanese commuters understand Tokyo's subway system. To an outsider, it's daunting at first. After a week, I started to get the hang of it. And I'm sure if I stayed there longer, I'd be target traveling at high speeds like them too. But still, for the uninitiated, it's pretty crazy.

Overview

There are three main train systems in Tokyo, all of which are generally color-coded:

  1. The JR (Japan Rail) lines
  2. The inner Tokyo subway lines
  3. The outer Tokyo subway lines

To get into a train line, you need to stick your ticket into a machine when entering and exiting a station. This is similar to London, Hong Kong, and other European cities, though New Yorkers may find this confusing at first.

The JR lines have their own ticketing system. The inner and outer Tokyo subway lines have their own ticketing system too. Unfortunately, these two ticketing systems aren't compatible and travelers will need to get two separate tickets.

However, if you're only staying a few days and will be using the trains often, you can purchase a Tokyo Combination Ticket Day Pass. This allows you to ride on any of these lines, as well as buses. Otherwise, it's cheaper to buy tickets separately.

The JR lines

The JR lines are above ground and are marked with a large "JR" in their signs.

If you purchase a JR Pass, which some travelers do if they want to go outside of Tokyo (like to Kyoto or Osaka), then you can ride anywhere along the JR lines without having to buy more tickets. Many travelers just get one of these, because the most popular JR line—the Yamanote line (also known as the Yamanote Loop in some guide books) —circles Tokyo and provides access to most of the city's attractions.

With a JR Pass, you don't have to stick your ticket through any machines. You can just show it to the station attendant that sits in a booth next to the entry and exit machines. He'll wave you right through, easy as pie.

A few key attractions, like those at the Harajuku, Roppongi, and Tsukiji stations, aren't on the Yamanote line, however. But those can be the few exceptions where you can purchase subway tickets.

The inner & outer Tokyo subway lines

The inner and outer Tokyo subway lines are underground. They are marked by the names of their lines. The direction the subway is going is marked by the station at the end of the line, or by the next few major stations.

Traveling within the subway lines can be done by purchasing individual tickets for each trip, or a ticket with a set amount. Each trip varies in price, depending on how far you go. There are somewhat complicated maps above ticketing machines that indicate how much each ticket will cost. Usually, there's a map in Japanese and a separate map in English.

The ticket with a set amount, unfortunately, isn't rechargeable. If you have some money on it, but not enough for your trip, you'll have to purchase a new ticket. Thankfully, you can use that left over money to apply to the new ticket. These are called adjustment fee tickets and can be purchased on adjustment fee ticketing machines.

Got that? Good.

Daunting, huh?

Subway maps are a complex network of lines too. Imagine trying to figure that out, while remembering which tickets you can use, all with swarms of commuters rushing around you. It can get pretty daunting for newcomers to Tokyo.

The ticketing systems get easier once you're used to them, of course. There are also rechargeable cards called Suica cards. I don't think they're easy to get though, unlike Hong Kong's Octopus cards. Suica cards are like credit cards. They can also be used in shops, but require an application process. Bummer.

Don't let this frighten you though. All the important directional signs and announcements have English counterparts. But as a Tokyo virgin, the crowds are going to be like jumping into ice cold water on a hot day—quite a shock at first, but you'll get used to it. Hopefully this helps a little.

Also, if you find the queen in Shinjuku station, let me know. I know she's hiding in there somewhere.

. . .

Have you ever used Tokyo's subway system?