How to take a train in JapanHow to transfer trains in Japan

This is an introduction to transportation in Japan. When you go to Japan, you can learn more about transportation, because in Japan, you can basically take the subway or bus to travel where you want to go. The following is an introduction to this part.

Kansai’s transportation must be centered on Osaka and radiate to Nara, Kyoto, Uji, Kobe and other regions. After all, Osaka Kansai International Airport is full of domestic airline flights and even has Chinese broadcasts. However, what worries everyone the most is nothing more than two things. First, Japan’s rail transit is so complicated, how to get there. 2. How to buy package tickets cheaper? If you want to study the second thing clearly, you must have a very detailed and strict itinerary. I also recommend reading Stingy Boy’s post about transportation in Kansai. You'll probably collapse immediately, it's too complicated. Personally I don't think it's necessary. If the budget is not particularly tight, you won’t actually save much money. So, let’s talk about the first question first, how to use Japanese traffic.

Types of transportation

In our country, rail transportation is built by the state and is nothing more than railways and urban rail transportation (subway and light rail). In Japan, it can be simply divided into three categories: JR (Japanese National Railways, including high-speed rail, the so-called Shinkansen), private railways (commonly known as private railways), and urban rail transit (subway).

Basic line information

The reason why the Japanese service industry is so perfect is that all its public information has official websites and Chinese interfaces. Japan is also divided into various regions. The Kansai region corresponds to Japan's national railway, JR West (which can be understood as the Chengdu Railway Bureau of China National Railway Company).

The name of rail transit

Japan’s rail transit is named directly, not numbered. For example, the names of private railways are often the names of companies or regions such as Nankai Electric Railway and Hanshin Electric Railway (Hanshin has a shopping mall), and they are all built by different companies. JR is also segmented, such as the JR Osaka Loop Line, which is easy to understand. The trains from Beijing to Chengdu are also divided into Zhengzhou-Xi'an section and Baocheng section. The most amazing thing is the subway. Instead of calling them Line 1 and Line 2, they are called "Central Line" and "Qianqian Line". It's good to get familiar with them.

How to transfer

Remember, if you trust Japan’s perfect transfer signs, there’s no need to look at Google Maps. It is particularly emphasized here that the stingy boy’s statement that he could not find the road on the ground at the large transfer station is unscientific and is a personal opinion. Because the ground structures of Osaka Umeda, Osaka Nanba, and even the smaller Kyoto Station are very complex. Because Japan’s land area is limited, it must make full use of the underground. These very large stations have a huge commercial area underground. However, you can follow the signs and there will be no problem at all. For example, when you leave Shanghai Hongqiao and transfer to the subway, you also need to leave the high-speed rail station to buy a subway ticket, which is exactly the same. Just you need to walk around Umeda and Minamihakata. At the same time, each entrance can go down to the gate of any line, and the self-service ticket vending machine is right next to the gate. It's that simple.

There are two simple categories here. The first type is the same type of transfer, such as JR line transfer. I take JR from Osaka to Kyoto, and then transfer to another JR line to Arashiyama. They all belong to JR, the same company. Of course, there is no need to go out of the gate, just change the platform. The second is different types of transfers, such as JR from Kyoto to Osaka, but I have to take the private railway Hanshin Line to go to Koshien. Then exit the JR gate, follow the instructions at the Hanshin Line gate to buy a ticket, and then go in and get on the bus. It's that simple.

Especially if you are looking for a paved building near a station, there is absolutely no need to find an exit underground. You may not find North at 10 exits. Just take one and navigate to the past properly. We can't signal or locate underground.

The first step: buy a ticket

To buy a ticket for Japanese rail transit, just select the amount at the self-service ticket vending machine. Yes, you are right. It's a matter of amount. So how many should I choose? Please look up. The cost of getting from this station to the station you want to go to is marked on the guide. The self-service ticket vending machines also speak Chinese and can understand English and Japanese. And don’t worry, different companies are separate because the gates are separate, so you can’t go wrong at all. Select the amount, put in the banknotes, and you’re done.

Step 2: Go through the gate.

The gates in Japan are two-way, that is, you can enter and exit, but some gates can only swipe bus cards. Insert the ticket, open the door, and take it.

Step 3: Choose the right platform.

The subway is very simple. It’s nothing more than a problem between the left and right sides of the platform, just like China. For JR and private railways, the situation is a little more complicated, but it is also very simple because the signs are clear. There are clear instructions for which platform to go in which direction. For example, starting from Osaka Station, platform 1 is the loop line in Osaka city, platform 2 is to the airport, platform 3 is to Kyoto, etc.

Step 4: Choose the right train.

When you get on the platform, look at the electronic screen first. When does your train leave? The final destination is marked on the carriage and locomotive of each train. Of course, Japanese trains are divided into express trains and local trains. Many people write very complicated things. You just need to understand that Kyoto and Nara are the big stations. Even if you have, just sit in the opposite direction. As for the particularly small stations you want to go to, choose a train with a local code and stop at every station. There are detailed instructions on the train schedule, at what speed and at which stations. There will be signs in Chinese at all stations where tourists must get off.

In the Kansai area, you can't actually use the Shinkansen. You need to buy a ticket for that one separately.

Step 5: Choose the right car.

In fact, there are three types of carriages. The subway is for women only, men should not go there. Free and reserved seats on trains. Free seats are for those who want to sit anywhere, and reserved seats are for purchase. Even the slowest trains in several cities in Kansai take less than an hour. If you take the subway in Shanghai, are you still afraid of standing for an hour? Moreover, having a seat is a high probability event.

Step 6: Going out

Exiting the station is very simple. Put a single ticket into the gate for recycling, insert multiple tickets into the gate, open the gate, and collect the tickets.

Extra attention categories:

Category 1: Ticket exchange

Every station has something called a clearing machine. For example, if you buy a ticket for two stations on the subway, but after riding for three stations, you will definitely not be able to get out of the station. Except for fare evasion. So insert the ticket into the sorting machine. If the amount is not enough, open a new ticket and it will pass.

Category 2: Refund.

If you bought the wrong product or bought too much, just go to the staff at the gate and get a refund immediately. This service is really great.

The third category is from the airport to Osaka or Kyoto.

This is the choice of more than 95% of my friends. There are two railways from the airport, JR and Nankai Electric Railway. If you live near Nankai Osaka and Shinsaibashi, we recommend the Nankai Electric Railway. Get off directly at Nanbo Station, transfer to the subway or walk. If you live in Osaka Miten, take JR directly and get off at Osaka Station. Pay attention to Osaka Station, not Shin-Osaka! Further north, Shin-Osaka can be understood as a high-tech zone, separated by three subway stations. So, here’s a reminder. To go to Osaka Station, take the JR Kansai Express from the airport. The Kansai Express (English label HARUKA) stops at Osaka Station, stops at Shin-Osaka, and then goes to Kyoto. So everyone knows which bus to take from the airport to Kyoto. There is a sign on the front of the car. No, I don't think so.

How to ride

It’s easy. Osaka opens rail transit. Nara, let's go. If you are tired from walking, you don't know how to take the bus. Please use Google. In Kyoto, there are tickets for one-day bus tours, but I basically choose rail transit and walk. I also got on the bus and bought a ticket. I don't know how to accept it. Please refer to Google Maps. stand at attention! Some buses and buses get off and buy tickets. So, you must prepare some change for the ride! I have only taken rail transit in Kobe.

Bus *** Car

The most popular card in Kansai is probably the ICOCA card, which is a prepaid card with a deposit. In addition to taking the car, you can also use it for shopping. Personally, I don't think it's useful, so I didn't deal with it.

Recharge card

The travel packages in developed places will dazzle you. I have only used two packages, one-day Osaka subway ticket (weekend version and weekday version). The weekend version is 600 yen per day, and the non-weekend version is 800 yen per day. As for the Osaka One-Day Pass, JR Kansai Pass, etc., I have never used them. Because I think this will force you to strictly follow the schedule instead of being flexible. For example, if you buy the JR Kansai Pass, you will definitely not take a private car in principle, but sometimes the private car time is suitable. I think it's easier to take the bus when it's convenient to go to the station. So if you are interested in this, you can study it slowly.