Hotels Tokyo, Japan - Hotel Booking

Information

Local time

Distance

Osaka: 246 miles
Yokohama: 17.2 miles
Kobe: 263 miles
Kyoto: 226 miles
China: 1979 miles
Australia: 4230 miles
USA: 6282 miles

Weather of Tokyo

Tokyo lies in the humid subtropical climate zone (Koppen climate classification Cfa), with hot humid summers and generally mild winters with cool spells. Annual rainfall averages 1,380 mm (55 inches), with a wetter summer and a drier winter. Snowfall is sporadic, but does occur almost annually. Tokyo is an example of an urban heat island; the city's population is a significant contributor to its climate. Tokyo has been cited as a "convincing example of the relationship between urban growth and climate". Tokyo also often sees typhoons each year, though few are strong. The last one to hit was Fitow in 2007.

Tokyo was hit by powerful earthquakes in 1703, 1782, 1812, 1855 and 1923. The 1923 earthquake, with an estimated magnitude of 8.3, killed 142,000 people.

Tourism Office of Tokyo
10 Fl., Tokyo Kotsu Kaikan Bldg.,
2-10-1, Yurakucho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100-0006

Get in Tokyo

In Japan, all roads, rails, shipping lanes and planes lead to Tokyo.

By plane: Tokyo has two large airports: Narita for international flights, and Haneda for (mostly) domestic flights.
Narita Airport
Tokyo's main international gateway is Narita Airport (IATA: NRT), located in the town of Narita nearly 70 kilometers northeast of Tokyo and covered in a separate article. A brief summary of options for getting there and away:
Haneda Airport: Haneda Airport (IATA: HND), officially known as Tokyo International Airport, in Ota is the busiest airport in all Asia despite being (almost) entirely limited to domestic traffic. Terminal 1 houses the JAL group including Skymark and Skynet, while Terminal 2 is home to ANA and affiliate Air Do. Shuttle services to Hong Kong, Seoul-Gimpo and Shanghai-Hongqiao use the small separate International Terminal, which is connected to the main domestic terminals by a free shuttle bus that runs every 5 minutes.
The easiest and most scenic way from Haneda to the city is the Tokyo Monorail with a station in each terminal running to Hamamatsucho (16 min), from where you can connect to almost anywhere in Tokyo on the JR Yamanote line. The other, slightly cheaper alternative is the private Keikyu line, which has a single station between the terminals and runs to Shinagawa (19 min) and Yokohama (27 min). Keikyu also runs trains to Haneda from the Toei Asakusa subway line, and even a few direct services to Narita. Note that there is no JR service to the airport, and the "Airport Terminal 2" station that pops up in some route search engines is in Narita, not Haneda!
Chōfu Airfield: Chōfu Airfield serves only some turboprop flights to the Izu Islands south of Tokyo. The nearest railway station is Nishi-Chōfu on the Keiō Line, a 15-minute walk away. Alternatively, you can take a bus from Chofu or Mitaka stations.

By train: Tokyo StationThere is a frequent intercity Shinkansen service to and from Tokyo Station in Chiyoda, from where you can easily connect pretty much anywhere in the city on the JR Yamanote or Metro Marunouchi lines. For all northbound trains, you can also hop on at Ueno, while all westbound trains stop at Shinagawa.
For non-Shinkansen services, Shibuya and Shinjuku stations offer local connections to the west. Ueno and Ikebukuro stations connect you to the northern suburbs and neighboring prefectures.
The Shinkansen Tour. Deeply discounted bullet train and accommodation packages exclusively for foreigners. Bullet train services into Tokyo run from Nagoya, Kyoto and Osaka.

By car or thumb: While you can drive into the city, it's really not recommended as the city can be congested, signs may be confusing and parking fees are astronomical.
Hitchhiking into Tokyo is pretty easy, but hitchhiking out is considerably more difficult. It's definitely possible for determined cheapskates though, see Hitchhiking in Japan for a detailed list of tested escape routes from the city.

By bus: Highway bus services link Tokyo to other cities, resort areas and the surrounding prefectures. There are JR and private bus companies. Bus service may be cheaper, but the train is probably more convenient. If you have a JR pass, then you should generally stick with the trains.
Long-distance buses use a number of terminals scattered throughout the city, but the main JR depot is at Tokyo Station's Yaesu-minamiguchi exit, while Keio and some other private companies use the Shinjuku Highway Bus Terminal, opposite Yodobashi Camera near the West Exit.
The JR Bus Group. A major operator of bus services to and from Tokyo. Seat reservations for JR Buses can be made in train stations at the same "Midori-no-Madoguchi" ticket windows used to reserve seats on trains. Moreover, the Japan Rail Pass is valid on all bus runs between Tokyo and Nagoya, Kyoto and Osaka.
123bus. A company that has nightly bus services to and from Tokyo. Its bus services link many cities in Japan. Online booking available in English.

By boat: One of the great ports of the world, Tokyo also has domestic ferry services to other points in Japan. However, none of the regular international ferries to Japan call at Tokyo. The main long-distance ferry terminal is Ariake Ferry Terminal, located on an artificial island adjacent to Odaiba in Tokyo Bay. The nearest station is Kokusai-Tenjijo-Seimon on the Yurikamome line, but it's still a bit of a hike. You can also take a direct bus from Shin-Kiba station on the Metro Yurakucho line. The main services from this terminal are:
Tokyo-Tomakomai (Hokkaido): Kawasaki Kinkai Kisen. This ferry has no passenger facilities, so it can only be used if you have a car;
Tokyo-Tokushima-Kitakyushu: Ocean Tokyu Ferry.

Get around Tokyo

By train and subway: Tokyo has the most extensive mass transit system in the world. It is clean, safe and efficient - and confusing. The confusion arises from the fact that several distinct railway systems operate within Tokyo - the JR East network, the two subway networks, and various private lines - and different route maps show different systems. Avoid rush hours if possible; trains get overcrowded very easily.
The defining rail line in Tokyo is the JR Yamanote Line, which runs in a loop around central Tokyo; being inside the Yamanote loop is synonymous with being in the core of Tokyo. Almost all inter-regional JR lines and private lines start at a station on the Yamanote. JR's lines are color-coded, and the Yamanote is green (but it is black on the subway map inset right). The JR Chuo and Sobu lines run side-by-side, bisecting the Yamanote loop from Shinjuku on the west to Tokyo on the east. JR's other commuter lines, the Saikyo and Keihin-Tohoku, run off the rim of the Yamanote loop to the north and south.
Tokyo has an extensive subway network with frequent trains, and these are primarily useful for getting around within the Yamanote loop. The Tokyo Metro runs nine lines: Ginza, Marunouchi, Hibiya, Tozai, Chiyoda, Yurakucho, Hanzomon, Namboku and Fukutoshin lines. Toei operates the Asakusa, Mita, Shinjuku, and Oedo lines. In addition, there is a largely underground Rinkai Line, a private line which is operated by Tokyo Waterfront Area Rapid Transit or TWR, that passes through the island of Odaiba.

By taxi: Taxis are very pricey, but may be a value for groups of three or more. Also, if you miss your last train, you may not have another choice.
Do not count on your taxi driver speaking English - or knowing more than the best-known locations, though most taxis have GPS "car navi" systems installed. The best and easiest thing to do is to prepare a map marked with where you want to go, and point it out on the map to the taxi driver. If you are staying at a hotel, they will provide a map. If possible, get a business card, or print out the address in Japanese of any specific places you wish to go. However, because in Japan streets are often unmarked, if the taxi driver does not have GPS he may not be able to do more than take you to the general vicinity of where you want to go. Also, note that taxis can get caught in traffic jams. No tips are expected or given.
Taxi rear left passenger doors are operated by the driver and open and close automatically. Don't open or close them yourself.

By car: Tokyo is a gigantic warren of narrow streets with no names, with slow-moving traffic and extremely limited and expensive parking. In this city with such an excellent mass transit system, you would need a good reason to want to drive around instead. While renting a car can make sense in Japan in some contexts (e.g., visiting a rural onsen resort), in general it is neither convenient nor economical to rent a car to get around metro Tokyo. Taxis are much more convenient if your budget allows it; walking or public transportation is much less expensive and given the difficulties of navigation and finding parking in popular areas, probably easier too.
If you do decide to plunge in and drive around by car, the main expressway serving Tokyo is the Shuto Expressway, abbreviated to Shutoko. The C1 Loop Line forms a circle around central Tokyo, similar in fashion to how the Yamanote Line does it by rail.
Street racing over the Tokyo Expressway at night became popular in the 80's and 90's. Although less popular now, it still occurs on an infrequent basis. If you decide to plunge into the Shutoko system at night, obey speed limits and exercise caution, especially on the C1 Loop Line and the Bayshore Line (aka Wangan Line) where the street racers often concentrate their driving. In nearby Yokohama, you should avoid the Daikoku Parking Area in the evening, at the intersection of the Bayshore Line and the K5 Daikoku Line; this is where street racers often gather in large numbers.

By bus: The few areas within Tokyo that aren't easily accessible by train are served by various bus companies. Buses operating within 23 wards of Tokyo have a fixed fare regardless of distance, which is paid upon boarding from the front door. The fares are not transferable; however most buses do accept Suica or PASMO fare cards. Compared to the trains, the buses run much less frequently, carry fewer passengers, and are much slower. This makes them amenable to the elderly residents of Tokyo, but rather inconvenient for travelers, who will also have to deal with lack of information in English and sometimes very well hidden bus stops. Bus routes can be fairly complicated and are often not listed in detail at the bus stops; signs on the buses themselves often list only two or three main stops in addition to the origin and destination. Inside the bus stops are usually announced clearly several times, but rarely displayed in English. North-south routes are useful in the Western side of the city since train lines (Odakyu, Keio, Chuo, and Seibu) tend to run east-west.

By ferry: The Tokyo Cruise Ship Company operates a series of Water Bus ferries along the Sumida River and in Tokyo Bay, connecting Asakusa, Hinode, Harumi and Odaiba. The ferries feature a recorded tour announced in English as well as Japanese and a trip on one makes for a relaxing, leisurely way to see the waterfront areas of Tokyo. Of particular note is the super-futuristic Himiko ferry designed by anime and manga creator Leiji Matsumoto , which runs on the Asakusa-Odaiba Direct Line. You might want to arrive well before the departure time just in case tickets on the Himiko sell out!

By bicycle: Bicycles are very commonly used for local transport, but amenities like bicycle lanes are rare, drivers pay little heed to bikes and traffic can be very heavy on weekdays, so if you use a bicycle, do not be afraid to cycle on the sidewalk (everyone does). Keep in mind, however, that parts of Tokyo are surprisingly hilly, and it's a sweaty job pedaling around in the summer heat. Central Tokyo can still be covered fairly comfortably by bike on the weekends. Tokyo Great Cycling Tour offers a one day guided tour for biking around major tourist spots in Tokyo, like Marunouchi, Nihonbashi, Tsukiji, Odaiba, Tokyo tower, Imperial palace and so on.

On foot: In this large city with such an efficient public transportation system, walking to get from point A to point B would seem a bit stupid at first glance. However, as the city is extremely safe even at night, walking in Tokyo can be a very pleasant experience. In some areas, walking can be much shorter than taking the subway and walking the transit (the whole Akasaka/Nagatacho/Roppongi area in the center is for instance very easily covered on foot). If you have the time, Shinjuku to Shibuya via Omotesando takes roughly one hour, Tokyo Station to Shinjuku would be a half a day walk, and the whole Yamanote line Grand Tour takes a long day.