Maps of Japan for Tourists

[sweetokyo]

Originally Posted by JohnBraden

You can always send either one of them an e-mail to make sure! It does mention Android phone, so you may be in luck!

Ill e-mail them and let you know what they say.

[Columbine]

You could always get a suica card or pasmo card too. You can buy one at the machines where they sell regular tickets- it's something like 200 yen for the card and then you can charge it and use it to hop on hop off without buying a ticket every time you want to travel so it's pretty convenient.

Trains are usually well signed, and theres plenty of English around. If you're studying Japanese I'd brush up your numbers (for finding platforms and exits!) and how to ask 'is this train going to XYZ', 'where's the station?' and 'I want to go to ABC, which exit should I use'. Plus relevant vocab to understand the answers. BIG big stations like Tokyo, Ueno (I think) Akihabara etc have little tourist info booths in them with english maps with points of local interest marked on them.

But don't forget, sometimes getting a little bit lost and just wandering can be fun as well! Close your map and get off the beaten path a little from time to time, you can find some great stuff most tourists miss, and there are stations everywhere so you can easily find your way back again after.

[sweetokyo]

Originally Posted by Columbine

You could always get a suica card or pasmo card too. You can buy one at the machines where they sell regular tickets- it's something like 200 yen for the card and then you can charge it and use it to hop on hop off without buying a ticket every time you want to travel so it's pretty convenient.

Trains are usually well signed, and theres plenty of English around. If you're studying Japanese I'd brush up your numbers (for finding platforms and exits!) and how to ask 'is this train going to XYZ', 'where's the station?' and 'I want to go to ABC, which exit should I use'. Plus relevant vocab to understand the answers. BIG big stations like Tokyo, Ueno (I think) Akihabara etc have little tourist info booths in them with english maps with points of local interest marked on them.

But don't forget, sometimes getting a little bit lost and just wandering can be fun as well! Close your map and get off the beaten path a little from time to time, you can find some great stuff most tourists miss, and there are stations everywhere so you can easily find your way back again after.

I think I will get a suica, cus all you literally do is swipe it. Is it possible to refill a suica with more yen?
& yeah i know the basics like numbers and putting simple sentences together. I bought more then enough books from barnes&nobles, so ill be sure to study more before i go.
& ill definitely get a little crazy and wonder off without my map . I cant imagine having that thing in my face the whole time LOL. thank you for the advice, i totally forgot about suica.

[crime60]

Originally Posted by sweetokyo

How did you get it for free?

"installous" & "cydia"... my iPhone is JailBroken so I have such programmes that help me bypass AppStore & get free apps...

[JohnBraden]

Originally Posted by sweetokyo

I think I will get a suica, cus all you literally do is swipe it. Is it possible to refill a suica with more yen?

SUICA cards are JPY2000 and have JPY1500 in it. The other JPY500 is a deposit which you will get back once you return the card. You can refill it as many times as you wish, but there's a limit of JPY20,000. People use it to buy stuff too, from vending machines to conbini stores, etc.

[Columbine]

Originally Posted by sweetokyo

I think I will get a suica, cus all you literally do is swipe it. Is it possible to refill a suica with more yen?
& yeah i know the basics like numbers and putting simple sentences together. I bought more then enough books from barnes&nobles, so ill be sure to study more before i go.
& ill definitely get a little crazy and wonder off without my map . I cant imagine having that thing in my face the whole time LOL. thank you for the advice, i totally forgot about suica.

yup, just stick it back in the machine and it'll give you a charge option right away.

hahah, have fun!

[sweetokyo]

Originally Posted by crime60

"installous" & "cydia"... my iPhone is JailBroken so I have such programmes that help me bypass AppStore & get free apps...

Wow, maybe i should get one..

[sweetokyo]

Originally Posted by JohnBraden

SUICA cards are JPY2000 and have JPY1500 in it. The other JPY500 is a deposit which you will get back once you return the card. You can refill it as many times as you wish, but there's a limit of JPY20,000. People use it to buy stuff too, from vending machines to conbini stores, etc.

Pasmo is probably better if traveling far distances or a lot, right? Just because one can put up to JPY 20000. I think thats what I remember reading. So, you can go to Kyoto, Mt. Fuji, ect. Or atleast the railways that accept pasmo.

[JohnBraden]

Originally Posted by sweetokyo

Pasmo is probably better if traveling far distances or a lot, right? Just because one can put up to JPY 20000. I think thats what I remember reading. So, you can go to Kyoto, Mt. Fuji, ect. Or atleast the train stations that accept pasmo.

I'm not sure if you can pay for a Shinkansen ticket with a PASMO card. The PASMO and SUICA are mostly interchangeable in Tokyo, so having one of each is sort of redundant. Both seem to have a JPY20,000 limit, so there's no real difference there.

As far as usage goes, I think the SUICA can be used in more places outside Tokyo than the PASMO, but don't quote me on that.

Both cards are used for convenience. Once doesn't have to buy tickets all the time. One can just hold it against the reader instead of feeding it through and picking it up again at the beginning station and then repeating it at the final station. You can buy things at 7-eleven, Lawson, etc.

[sweetokyo]

Originally Posted by JohnBraden

I'm not sure if you can pay for a Shinkansen ticket with a PASMO card. The PASMO and SUICA are mostly interchangeable in Tokyo, so having one of each is sort of redundant. Both seem to have a JPY20,000 limit, so there's no real difference there.

As far as usage goes, I think the SUICA can be used in more places outside Tokyo than the PASMO, but don't quote me on that.

Both cards are used for convenience. Once doesn't have to buy tickets all the time. One can just hold it against the reader instead of feeding it through and picking it up again at the beginning station and then repeating it at the final station. You can buy things at 7-eleven, Lawson, etc.

I was kind of hesitant on what I said so I researched the subject,
One can use a Pasmo card for JR East Lines, Tokyo Monorail, Tokyo Waterfront Area Rapid Transit (Rinkai Line), Saitama Shintosi Kotsu, Izukyu, Sendai Airport Transit, and JR Bus Kanto.
http://www.pasmo.co.jp/en/pdf/pasmo_traveler_E.pdf

For Suica: Suica & Monorail | Fares & Passes | JR-EAST

Both Suica and Pasmo are the same concept when it comes to a tourist's convenience.