Is there a JR station near my hotel

Hi There!

I looked up your Hotel in Google maps and the Metro station called Kiba is really close. There's also a JR Station called Etchujima within walkable distance (1.4km away).

Here's the route from Narita Airport - Etchujima. It's pretty forward, take the Narita Express to Tokyo and from there a local train to Etchijima (only 4min away).

I hope this helps!
Daniel

Wow, thank you so much for your help! I also asked this question on another JR site, and they said that I can take this train plus some other private trains. I was thinking about getting a suica or pasmo pass, for the subway. Is the subway the same as the JR lines? Would you think that getting both a JR pass and a suica would be good for me? Also, can the suica/pasmo pass be used on all lines, or just some?

Thank you so much, you have been extrememly helpful daniel-san!

Heather

Hi Heather,

I know there's an other route as well involving at least 2 transfers to Kiba. Depending on the amount of luggage it may be better to take take route, at least for the first time so you can get settled in. After that you could consider the walk to Etchujima, save some money and see some of down town Tokyo at the same time (or just walk the first time if you are lightly packed).

A Suica card (or Passmo) is an prepaid travel card (IC card), which you can use to travel around Tokyo and is valid on most kinds of transport, additionally you can use it to pay in many stores. An IC card is very handy so I would recommend getting one for sure.

As for transport in general in Tokyo, there's a lot of different companies which you can use to travel around the metropolis. There's the JR than there's the Tokyo Metro, the Toei Ōedo lines, the Yurikamome a driver less, elevated train and the Tokyo Monorail (this last one is covered by the JR Pass), just to name a few. These are all different companies, altough the JR will be able to get you to most important places, some may require you to use a different company too.

Hope this helps too!
Daniel

Hi Daniel, thank you again for another helpful answer :) I have one more for you please...

I am now thinking just to purchase an IC pass instead of the JR pass. I know I won't get to see much more of Japan (more faraway cities), but I mostly want to see as much of Tokyo as possible.

So my question is will an IC pass allow me to travel around Tokyo as much as I want (on all lines) and will it take me from the airport to hotel/hotel back to airport? Also, is there a big price difference between an IC pass and a JR? Any idea how much an IC pass will cost for two weeks? I think I saw online they can be purchased at the airport.

Thank you again Daniel,

Heather

Hi Heather!

An IC card is nothing more that a digital wallet that you use to pay for transportation (and sometimes are things too). In itself an IC card does not provide a discount, it is simply a very convenient way of traveling around the city without having to buy a ticket every time. You put the card on the ticket gate when you enter the station and again when you leave, the corresponding amount is than automatically debited.

The JR Pass is different in that it is a ticket that allows for unlimited travel for a certain amount of time (7,14 or 21 days) so basically what you should ask is would I make savings with the JR Pass versus normal tickets. In general I would recommend a JR Pass if you travel around Japan and visit multiple cities, for instance a return Tokyo - Kyoto already pays for the Pass. However when you stay local, for instance only in Tokyo, than I would go for normal tickets (and thus and IC card) because travel in one city is relatively low priced.

If you do go for an IC card, than there are some nice discount package available, such as the [Suica + N'EX] which offers a nicely discounted ride on the Narita Express and also comes with a limited edition Suica card.

I hope this also helps! :)
Daniel