A large international metropolis like Tokyo must be served in a capillary and careful way by every means of transport available. And Japanese efficiency in this sector is manifested here more than in any other city in the country. Tokyo has an endless amount of airports, train stations, bus stations and taxi companies. No one will ever have trouble getting around this city. Here we indicate the most important airports and some – only some! – of the hundreds of railway stations that make up the city’s transport network.
AIRPORTS
Tokyo Narita (NRT)
Tokyo Narita Airport was not the main airport of the city. It opened in 1978 with the aim of lightening the traffic of the older but still working Haneda airport. The increasing tourism and business trips to Japan had made Haneda suffer an excessive number of flights. So another airport was needed to help.
Narita used to be a very unsafe place, at first, due to the battles of the local people who did not want it in their district. However, the advantages that have come over time have calmed the population and made this airport one of the busiest (and SAFEST!) international airports in Japan.
It operates with 3 terminals, 2 long runways and handling around 16 million passengers per year. It includes hotels, museums and direct train lines connecting it to central Tokyo. There is no shortage of car-rentals, car and shuttle services and other private transport solutions.
Tokyo Haneda (HND)
Built in 1931, the Tokyo Haneda Airport has developed during World War 2 and the years immediately following it. It had to face a rapid increase in flight traffic and already in the 1970s it needed a “help” in order to lighten up (then Narita Airport was built). In the 2000s, Haneda expanded and returned to work as a great international airport, side by side with Narita. It serves 64 million people per year, has 4 runways, 3 terminals and many modern facilities for tourists.
Walking through Haneda terminals is like walking in a city: shops, restaurants, banks, police stations, art galleries, relax rooms and of course a lot of private and public car-and-shuttle rentals. Railways and highways connect the airport to the city making the transfers easy and comfortable.
STATIONS
Tokyo Station
The main station of Tokyo is a monument among monuments! Not far from the Imperial Palace, its vintage shape so typical of the “industrial style” (red bricks as main protagonists) is worth the visit. No matter if you must take a train or not, go visit and enjoy the place. Connected to this station there is a very elegant hotel, plus a restaurant. The station welcomes 22 railway platforms.
Shinjuku Station
The most famous stration in Tokyo serves the district of Shinjuku. It is very crowded, lively, and full of bright lights. It welcomes 12 railway lines, 36 platforms and has 200 entrance gates! This station is so big that they planned a specific app to guide tourists inside it. The station welcomes you to one of the most interesting and modern districts in Tokyo: Golden Gai, the Robot Restaurant, Shinjuku Gyoen park, and red-light sexy shops and hotels are on Shinjuku’s itinerary!
Shibuya Station
Bright and modern “gate” to the district of the same name, this station is famous for the statue of Hachiko Dog – the dog that moved to tears the world by waiting for years for his owner, who had died in the meantime. This is a station you must discover by walking through it, even though you won’t take any train.
Yokohama Station
Yokohama Station serves the independent city of Yokohama. But since it is very close to Tokyo, this is also considered one of Tokyo’s stations. It is a large commercial, business station introducing to the “city of shopping” but also the city of the most beautiful beaches, nearby. As you walk out of the station you will admire San-Keien Gardens, Chinatown and Minato Mirai Waterfront.