Tokyo Metro guide with every line, fare, and pass explained, plus an interactive map. What the Tokyo Subway Ticket saves and when to skip it, from Tokyo Trip Guide.
Tokyo Metro/Subway: One Network Run by Two Operators
Tokyo Metro and Toei Subway are separate companies that share stations, maps, fare gates, and one visitor ticket, so this Tokyo Metro guide, like the rest of Tokyo Trip Guide, treats them as a single system with a seam down the middle.
Tokyo Metro runs nine lines and about 180 stations.
Toei runs four lines and about 100 more, including the Oedo Line, the deep loop that most first-timers end up on by accident.
The seam matters in exactly two places.
A journey that starts on a Metro line and ends on a Toei line is charged as two fares minus a ¥70 transfer discount, so Shinjuku to Tsukiji (Marunouchi Line, then Hibiya Line) costs one fare of ¥210, while Shinjuku to Kiyosumi-shirakawa (Toei Shinjuku Line, then Hanzomon Line) costs about ¥330.
And the cheapest day passes are single-operator: the ¥600 Tokyo Metro 24-hour Ticket will not open a Toei gate, and the ¥700 Toei pass will not open a Metro gate.
Above ground, the JR Yamanote Line loops around the whole subway map through Tokyo, Ueno, Akihabara, Shibuya, Shinjuku, and Ikebukuro.
It belongs to a third company, JR East, which is why it appears on subway maps in a different style and why no subway pass covers it.
Your IC card does not care which company runs the train, and that is the main reason to get one.
Which Lines Visitors Actually Use
Of the 13 lines, four do most of the work for a typical five-day trip, three more cover specific journeys, and the rest you can happily ignore until you need them.
Learn the colour and the letter of each; the names come later.
The Four Lines to Learn First
The Ginza Line (orange, G) is the oldest subway in Asia, opened in 1927, and still the most useful: Shibuya, Omotesando, Akasaka-mitsuke, Ginza, Nihombashi, Ueno, and Asakusa on one 14 km run.
Shibuya to Asakusa takes about 35 minutes and costs ¥260, and it is the direct route between the two attractions most people book first, Shibuya Scramble Crossing and Senso-ji.
The Marunouchi Line (red, M) makes a horseshoe through Shinjuku, Tokyo Station, Ginza, and Ikebukuro.
Shinjuku to Ginza is 16 minutes and ¥210, and Tokyo Station to Shinjuku is 18 minutes on the same train, which is faster than the JR Chuo rapid once you count the walk to the JR platforms.
The Hibiya Line (silver, H) is the Roppongi line.
It links Naka-Meguro, Ebisu, Roppongi, Ginza, Tsukiji, Akihabara, and Ueno, and its trains continue north as the Tobu Skytree Line, so Tokyo Skytree is reachable without a change.
Roppongi to Ginza is nine minutes.
The Oedo Line (magenta, E, Toei) is the deepest line in the city, with platforms up to 42 metres below Roppongi, and it is the only line that touches Shinjuku, Roppongi, Tsukiji Market, Ryogoku, and Ueno-okachimachi on one loop.
Escalator time from platform to street is three to four minutes at the deep stations, so budget for it when a transfer app quotes a tight connection.
Three Lines for Specific Trips
The Chiyoda Line (green, C) is how you reach Meiji Jingu from the east: Meiji-jingumae station sits at the shrine’s Harajuku entrance, one stop from Omotesando.
Its trains run through onto the Odakyu Line toward Shimokitazawa, so check the destination board if you want to stay in the city.
The Fukutoshin Line (brown, F) runs Ikebukuro to Shibuya in 16 minutes for ¥210 without touching the Yamanote crowds, and continues as the Tokyu Toyoko Line to Yokohama’s Minato Mirai.
Shinjuku-sanchome, not Shinjuku, is its Shinjuku stop; the two are a ten-minute underground walk apart.
The Toei Asakusa Line (rose, A) is the airport line nobody tells you about.
Its trains run through onto the Keikyu Line to Haneda and the Keisei Line to Narita, so a single train from Haneda Airport reaches Sengakuji, Shimbashi, Nihombashi, and Asakusa in about 40 minutes for around ¥650 on an IC card.
The section on the airports below explains when that beats the express trains.
Lines You Can Skip on a First Visit
The Tozai Line (sky blue, T) is the commuter workhorse into Otemachi and the single most crowded train in Japan on weekday mornings; the Namboku, Yurakucho, Hanzomon, Mita, and Toei Shinjuku lines are fine trains that mostly serve residential districts.
You will ride them when a route app sends you there, and none of them needs studying in advance.
The interactive map above the fold shows every station on all 13 lines, and the Tokyo Metro shortcuts most first-timers miss cover the transfers where the map is misleading.
Paying by IC Card or Paper Ticket
An IC card is the right answer for almost everyone, and the choice between the two brands makes no practical difference: Suica is issued by JR East and PASMO by the private railways, but both work on every train, bus, tram, and monorail in the city and in every other IC region of Japan.
The differences that do exist, refund rules and the mobile apps, are covered in the Suica versus PASMO comparison.
Visitors have two dedicated cards.
Welcome Suica costs nothing beyond the credit you load (¥1,000 to ¥10,000), needs no deposit, and expires 28 days after purchase with no refund of leftover credit; it is sold at Narita, Haneda, and the JR East Travel Service Centers at major stations, and since 2025 the Welcome Suica Mobile app puts the same card on an iPhone before you land.
PASMO PASSPORT works the same way with a ¥500 issuance fee built into the price.
Standard Suica and PASMO cards, the ones with a refundable ¥500 deposit and no expiry, are back on sale after the 2023 to 2025 chip shortage, and they are the better buy if you expect to return to Japan.
Paper tickets still exist and still work.
The fare map above the machines lists every destination with its price; buy that amount, or buy the cheapest ¥180 ticket and pay the difference at the yellow fare adjustment machine before you exit.
Tapping an IC card avoids the whole exercise and is ¥1 to ¥6 cheaper on every ride, because IC fares are charged to the yen (¥178 instead of ¥180, ¥209 instead of ¥210).
Topping up takes cash at station machines, and any konbini till or the Suica app will do it too if you would rather not carry notes.
Contactless credit cards are not accepted at Tokyo Metro or Toei gates as of 2026.
A few private railways run tap-to-ride pilots, but none of the 13 subway lines does, so a Visa or Mastercard alone will not get you through.
When the Tokyo Subway Ticket Pays Off
The Tokyo Subway Ticket is sold only to visitors (a foreign passport is checked at purchase) and covers every Metro and Toei line for 24, 48, or 72 hours from the first tap: ¥800, ¥1,200, or ¥1,500 for adults, half for children.
The 72-hour version works out at ¥500 a day, and the average visitor ride costs about ¥210, so the break-even point is three rides a day with the 72-hour ticket and four a day with the 24-hour one.
A day built around Asakusa, Ueno, Ginza, Roppongi, and Shibuya is five or six rides; a day at Tokyo DisneySea is zero, because the resort sits on a JR line.
Buy it before you need it.
Narita’s Keisei counters, Haneda’s tourist information centres, Tokyo Metro pass offices at Ueno, Ginza, Shinjuku, and Tokyo stations, BIC CAMERA and Yodobashi stores, and many hotels sell it, but ordinary ticket machines do not.
Booking through Klook lets you collect it at the airport on arrival or exchange a QR voucher at the Metro pass office, which is the route that avoids the counter queue at Narita on a weekend evening.
Essential Tokyo Travel Passes
Powered by KlookThe passes worth buying before you land — curated for first-timers.
Tokyo Amazing Pass
Unlimited subway + free entry to 40+ attractions. The only pass most visitors actually need.
Tokyo e-Pass
Attractions-only digital pass. Pair with a Metro Pass if skipping the Amazing Pass.
Tokyo Metro Pass
1 or 2-day unlimited Metro rides. Best standalone transit value if you already have an attractions pass.
JR West Kanto Area Pass
Unlimited JR trains for 1–4 days. Covers Nikko, Kamakura, Yokohama, and Himeji from Tokyo.
JR Haruka Express
NRT to Marunouchi/Shin-Tokyo in ~50 min. Best if staying in Marunouchi or heading straight to Nikko.
Nankai Rapi:t Express
NRT to Shinjuku in 34 min, reserved seat. Better if staying in Shinjuku or Ginza.
Three cheaper passes exist for narrower needs, and the day pass comparison works through all of them.
The Tokyo Metro 24-hour Ticket (¥600) is the right buy for a day that stays on Metro lines, which is most Ginza Line and Marunouchi Line sightseeing.
The Common One-Day Ticket (¥900) covers both networks for one calendar day and is sold to anyone, resident or not, so it is the fallback if you cannot show a passport.
The Tokyo Combination Ticket (¥1,600, also called the Tokyo Free Kippu) adds JR lines inside the 23 wards, Toei buses, and the Arakawa tram; it pays off only on a day that mixes the Yamanote loop with several subway rides.
The Japan Rail Pass covers none of this.
It opens JR gates, including the Yamanote and Chuo lines and the Narita Express, and nothing else in the city, which is the whole argument in the JR Pass versus Tokyo Metro pass comparison.
If your trip is Tokyo plus day trips rather than Tokyo plus Kyoto, the Greater Tokyo Pass (¥7,200 for five days on every private railway and bus in the region, subway included) or the three-day JR Tokyo Wide Pass (¥15,000, JR only) usually beats it.
Get Greater Tokyo Pass
Enjoy unlimited travel on trains, trams, and Toei buses at no extra cost, making sightseeing in the Kanto area both affordable and convenient with considerable savings.
Buy on Traveloka
Getting From Narita and Haneda by Subway
Haneda is the easy one.
Keikyu trains from both Haneda terminals run through onto the Toei Asakusa Line, so a single train reaches Shimbashi in about 30 minutes, Nihombashi in 35, and Asakusa in 40, for roughly ¥650 with an IC card.
The Tokyo Monorail is the alternative (Hamamatsucho in 13 minutes, ¥520, then the Yamanote) and is the better choice for Shinjuku, Shibuya, and Ikebukuro, where the Asakusa Line does not go.
Both accept IC cards; neither accepts the Tokyo Subway Ticket for the airport leg.
Narita is a longer argument.
The Keisei Access Express runs through onto the same Asakusa Line and reaches Asakusa in about 70 minutes for around ¥1,300, no reservation, no express fee, and it is the cheapest rail option that ends at a subway station.
The Skyliner (Ueno in 41 minutes, ¥2,580) and the Narita Express (Tokyo Station in 55 minutes, ¥3,070) are faster and more comfortable, and both drop you on the Yamanote loop rather than the subway.
Which one wins depends on where your hotel is, and the Narita and Haneda transfer guide runs the numbers hotel district by district.
Two practical notes for the airport ride.
Through-running trains change their line name mid-journey, so the board at Haneda says “Toei Asakusa Line” and the same train later says “Keisei”; you do not need to get off.
And large suitcases are welcome on all of these trains outside the 07:30 to 09:00 crush, but there is no luggage space on the Asakusa Line cars beyond the area by the doors, which matters on a Friday evening.
Station Codes and Exit Numbers
Every subway station carries a two-part code, a letter for the line and a number for the position along it, and the number rises in the direction of travel.
Ginza is G09, Ueno is G16, so a Ginza Line train showing G16 as its last stop is going toward Ueno.
The codes are on every platform sign, every route map, and every announcement, and they are the fastest way to confirm you are on the right platform without reading a single kanji.
Exit numbers are the second thing to read.
Shinjuku has more than 200 numbered exits across its JR, Metro, Toei, Odakyu, and Keio stations, and Tokyo Station’s Marunouchi and Yaesu sides are a 15-minute walk apart underground.
Google Maps names the correct exit for any destination, and the Tokyo Subway Navigation app shows the exit on the station diagram.
Getting the exit right at Shinjuku or Tokyo is worth more than any other single habit; the Tokyo Station survival guide is the long version for the hardest one.
Transfers come in three kinds.
In-gate transfers between two Metro lines, or between Metro and Toei at shared stations, are signed with the line colour and take two to seven minutes.
Out-of-gate transfers within 60 minutes, marked by orange gates, are still charged as one journey on an IC card; Toei Kuramae is the famous example, where the Asakusa and Oedo lines are linked by a walk along the street.
And a few pairs of stations share a name without being connected at all: Shinjuku and Shinjuku-sanchome, or Marunouchi Line Tokyo and JR Tokyo, are separate stations with a walk between them, not a transfer.
Rush Hour and Last Trains
Trains run every two to three minutes from 07:30 to 09:00 and 17:30 to 19:30, and every four to eight minutes the rest of the day.
The morning peak is the one to avoid with luggage, a stroller, or a child under six; the Tozai Line into Otemachi and the Chiyoda Line through Kita-senju run near 200 percent of seated capacity, and staff on the platform will push the doors closed.
Sightseeing lines are gentler: the Ginza Line toward Asakusa is standing room but not a crush by 09:15.
Service stops around midnight.
First trains leave the termini a few minutes before 05:00, and the last trains that reach the end of each line leave the city centre between about 23:45 and 00:20, which means a last connection at 00:30 is often the last train on that platform, not the last one that gets you home.
The late-night transport guide covers what happens after that: taxis from ¥500 at flag-fall with a 20 percent late surcharge after 22:00, a handful of night buses, and the manga cafe option.
Women-only cars operate on weekday mornings until about 09:30 on the Hibiya, Tozai, Chiyoda, Yurakucho, Hanzomon, and Fukutoshin lines, and on the Toei Shinjuku and Oedo lines.
They are usually the first or last car, marked with pink signs on the platform and on the car doors, and boys under roughly 12 and passengers with disabilities may board with a companion.
Outside those hours the same cars are open to everyone.
Nobody checks tickets or gender at the door; the system runs on the same quiet consensus as the rest of the carriage.
Riding With Luggage or a Stroller
Every Tokyo Metro station has at least one step-free route from street to platform, mostly by elevator, and Toei stations are close to the same standard; the Oedo Line, being newest, is the most reliable for wheelchairs and strollers.
Station staff will place a portable ramp across the train gap if you ask at the gate, and the tactile paving on every platform is continuous from the gate to the boarding position.
Priority seats sit at the car ends, and people do give them up, though not always without a prompt.
Suitcases are fine on the subway outside the morning peak, and locals commute with them to the airport every day.
What is not fine is a 28-inch case on the Ginza Line at 08:30, so time the hotel transfer for after 10:00 or send the case ahead.
Coin lockers at every major station take IC cards and cost ¥400 for a small locker, ¥600 for medium, and ¥800 to ¥900 for a suitcase-sized one; the large ones at Shinjuku, Tokyo, and Shibuya are gone by mid-morning on weekends.
The luggage storage guide lists the staffed counters and the app-based shops that take bags when the lockers are full.
Store your bags and actually enjoy Tokyo
100+ storage spots across Tokyo -- train stations, cafés, shops, and delivery lockers. Book online, drop off in minutes, and spend the day walking Shibuya without a 10kg backpack slowing you down.
Children under six ride free, up to two per paying adult, and children aged six to eleven pay half fare, including on the Tokyo Subway Ticket (¥750 for the 72-hour version).
Strollers can stay open on the train, and the space by the doors in each car is marked for them, but folding is expected on a full train.
Station toilets are inside the gates at almost every station, free, and usually have a changing table in the accessible cubicle.
The Etiquette People Actually Notice
Stand on the left of the escalator and walk on the right, queue behind the door markings, and let everyone off before you step on.
Those three cover 90 percent of it.
Phone calls are the one real offence; texting is fine, talking is not, and a carriage of people looking at the floor while someone speaks English into a phone is the most reliable way to feel like a tourist in Tokyo.
Eating is frowned on, drinking from a bottle is not.
Backpacks go on your front or in the overhead rack, and the overhead rack exists on every car.
Nobody will tell you when you get any of this wrong, which is exactly why it is worth knowing, and the train etiquette guide covers the finer points, from priority-seat rules to what the melody at each station means.
Apps and Maps That Work Underground
Google Maps handles the subway well, including line colours, station codes, the platform, and the exit number, and it is the only app most people need.
Its weakness is fare display for pass holders, since it always quotes the IC fare.
Japan Travel by NAVITIME adds pass-aware routing and shows which trains the Tokyo Subway Ticket covers; Tokyo Subway Navigation for Tourists is Tokyo Metro’s own app and works fully offline, which matters between stations where the signal drops.
Signal is the practical issue.
Every Tokyo Metro and Toei station has mobile coverage, and most tunnel sections do too, but a phone with no Japanese data plan will still show a blank map.
An eSIM installed before you fly, or a pocket WiFi collected at the airport, solves it for the whole trip; the eSIM versus pocket WiFi comparison explains which suits a solo traveller and which suits a family sharing one connection.
Stay Connected
Japan eSIM & Pocket WiFi Rentals
Skip the SIM card queue at the airport. Buy a Japan eSIM before you fly and connect the moment you land.
Klook
5G / 4G LTE coverage on Softbank and DOCOMO networks.
Airalo
Multiple data plans available. Good choice if continuing to other Asian countries.
Saily
Built-in ad blocker and hotspot tethering. Better value at higher data tiers.
NINJA WiFi (eSIM)
Japan eSIM with 4G LTE coverage. Instant activation, no physical SIM required.
NINJA WiFi (SIM Card)
Physical SIM card for Japan. Delivered to your hotel or collected at the airport.
NINJA WiFi (Pocket WiFi)
Pocket WiFi rental with unlimited 4G data. Share with your group, no SIM swap needed.
Pelago
5G unlimited data on KDDI. Worth checking for KrisFlyer-linked perks.
Klook
Pocket WiFi rental with unlimited 4G LTE. Airport pickup, free power bank included.
KKday
Pocket WiFi rental with unlimited 4G data. Collect at Japan airports on arrival.
Holiday.com
Global eSIM from the ExpressVPN team. One eSIM covers Japan plus your next destinations.
For a paper backup, the official Tokyo subway map in English is a free PDF on the Tokyo Metro site and is available printed at every pass office, and the downloads block on this page has the current version.
It is worth having on a phone for the two or three times a trip when the app is loading and the train is leaving.
Ten Rides That Show How It Works
The fastest way to understand the system is to see what real trips cost and how long they take.
These are IC-card fares on the direct route, with transfers counted.
Shinjuku to Ginza on the Marunouchi Line: 16 minutes, ¥210, no change.
Shibuya to Asakusa on the Ginza Line: 35 minutes, ¥260, no change, and the best single ride in the city for watching the map go by.
Tokyo Station to Roppongi: Marunouchi Line to Kasumigaseki, then the Hibiya Line, 14 minutes, ¥180, because the distance is under 6 km even with the change.
Ueno to Shibuya on the Ginza Line: 29 minutes, ¥260, and faster than the Yamanote in the same direction.
Ikebukuro to Shibuya on the Fukutoshin Line: 16 minutes, ¥210, with a seat most of the day.
Asakusa to Tokyo Skytree: two stops on the Toei Asakusa Line to Oshiage, three minutes, ¥180, and a 20-minute walk across the Sumida River is the free alternative with the better view.
Shinjuku to Tsukiji: Marunouchi Line to Ginza, then the Hibiya Line, 22 minutes, ¥210, and the outer market is closed on Wednesdays and Sundays so check before you set out for Tsukiji Outer Market.
Roppongi to Meiji Jingu: Hibiya Line to Hibiya, then Chiyoda Line to Meiji-jingumae, 20 minutes, ¥210; the Oedo Line to Yoyogi is the alternative and lands you at the back gate.
Haneda Airport to Asakusa on the Keikyu and Asakusa lines: 40 minutes, about ¥650, one train.
Tokyo Station to Akihabara: Marunouchi Line to Otemachi, then the Tozai Line one stop, or, more simply, the JR Yamanote for two stops at ¥150, which is the one trip in this list where JR wins on price.
None of those journeys costs more than ¥260, and the whole list adds up to about ¥2,600, which is the arithmetic behind the pass decision: over three days, the ¥1,500 ticket covers all of it with change to spare.
Plan the days around the lines rather than the other way round and the subway stops being something to figure out; the itineraries on this site are already built that way, with the line and the exit named for every stop.
