Getting around

Taxi doors open and close automatically, so wait for the driver. Payment varies by taxi and area; rural taxis may be cash-only. Check the stickers before riding, show the destination in Japanese, and no tip is expected.

Buy or top one up at a station machine or convenience store. Tap it on the reader to ride most trains and buses and to pay at shops. Visitors can also use a Welcome Suica or mobile Suica. Most cities and major lines accept IC, but some rural trains and buses don’t — keep some cash and coins as a backup.

Tap your IC card on the reader, or insert your paper ticket and take it back on the other side. A green light means go; if it turns red, ask the staff at the gate.

Follow the colour-coded line signs to your next platform, and check the line name and direction. Some transfers pass through gates — keep your IC card or ticket with you.

On rural one-man lines, take a numbered ticket (seiriken) when you board, watch the fare display, and pay the driver — usually at the front — when you get off. Many small stations are unstaffed and IC cards often aren’t accepted, so keep cash and coins.

City buses are usually a flat fare — often you board at the front and pay as you get on (in some cities, e.g. Kyoto, you board at the rear and pay at the front when you get off). In the countryside, board at the rear, take a numbered ticket (seiriken), watch the fare board, and pay the driver at the front when you get off — keep coins, as IC may not work. Press the button to request your stop.