How the Tokyo Subway Works
Tokyo’s underground is run by two operators: Tokyo Metro (nine color-coded lines) and Toei (four lines), stitched together by the JR Yamanote Line looping the city above ground. Every station has a letter-and-number code (Ginza is G09 on the Ginza Line), signs are bilingual, and trains run to the minute.
For most first-timers the Yamanote loop is the spine of the trip — Tokyo, Ueno, Akihabara, Shibuya, Shinjuku and Ikebukuro all sit on it — with subway lines cutting across the middle when the loop is the long way round.
Buying Tickets
Single tickets are sold from machines above every gate, priced by distance zone. If you’d rather not do fare math, tap in with a Suica or PASMO card or grab the visitor-only Tokyo Subway Ticket — both are covered in the fare table and passes below.
