All about Metro

[purpleberry]

Do we need to buy tickets for 2-3 year old kids? When is the mad rush hour that we should avoid?

 

[dimitri_can]

Rush hour:
7am-9.30am
4.30pm-8.00pm

 

[cpuer]

Do we need to buy tickets for 2-3 year old kids? When is the mad rush hour that we should avoid?

No need fare up till 2 6yo if accompanied by an adult:
Tokyo Metro | Fares According to Age

 

[purpleberry]

Thanks folks. Are the major stations accessible for large luggages, stroller, and an active kid? Particularly Tokyo, Shinjuku, and Ginza.

 

[dimitri_can]

Thanks folks. Are the major stations accessible for large luggages, stroller, and an active kid? Particularly Tokyo, Shinjuku, and Ginza.

Large luggage like 27" ?
A bit too big...

Take note for Tokyo station, it is very big and crowded... so try to avoid the rush hours...
below is for non-rush hours.

 

[purpleberry]

Large luggage like 27" ?
A bit too big...

Take note for Tokyo station, it is very big and crowded... so try to avoid the rush hours...
below is for non-rush hours.

Thanks and noted. Most probably my son will be napping around the late afternoon rush hour. Planning to stay at Shinjuku again this time.

 

[marcho21]

Rush hour:
7am-9.30am
4.30pm-8.00pm

wah their knockoff rush hour so long.

 

[dimitri_can]

Platform at 8pm

 

[jelom00]

Platform at 8pm

at 8pm still like that...anybody here have some more pics to share? dont want to be shocked on what we will experience.

 

[cpuer]

at 8pm still like that...anybody here have some more pics to share? dont want to be shocked on what we will experience.

station to station, platform to platform are different one. They Q for the train entrances, so wont be too messy.

 

[samtcy]

Strongly avoid commuter lines (eg, long JR train lines that runs all the way from Tokyo to other neighbouring prefectures) during rush hours.
If you really HAVE to catch a train during peak hours, try to catch subways and non-commuter lines.

I once took JR Joban line (commuter line) from Minami Senju station to Ueno station and it was really no joke. I nearly got trampled on when alighting. You won't be able to decide which direction you want to move towards...the crowd decide for you. At least I didnt. I was just being pushed by the crowd towards 1 direction when I alighted and didn't even had the chance to look at any signboard.

On the train, don't need to worry about falling because you are being kept upright by the contact with all those standing around you. No space to even shuffle my feet a little for balancing.

Never again. From then on, if I have to take a local train or a subway during weekdays, I avoid the crazy period of 7am-9am. I'd rather wake up earlier and find some nice park to eat my breakfast while waiting for the city to wake up, or snooze in my room watching cute Japanese anime on TV.

I also plan my itinerary such a way that if I HAD to catch a local train/subway between 7am-9am, I'd schedule it to be on a weekend and not a weekday. Shinkansen and Ltd Exp trains doesn't count since I usually have seat reservations for those trains, so taking those trains during weekdays rush hours are a non-issue for me.

 

[dimitri_can]

Agree with sam..

 

[lsharon70]

Strongly avoid commuter lines (eg, long JR train lines that runs all the way from Tokyo to other neighbouring prefectures) during rush hours.
If you really HAVE to catch a train during peak hours, try to catch subways and non-commuter lines.

I once took JR Joban line (commuter line) from Minami Senju station to Ueno station and it was really no joke. I nearly got trampled on when alighting. You won't be able to decide which direction you want to move towards...the crowd decide for you. At least I didnt. I was just being pushed by the crowd towards 1 direction when I alighted and didn't even had the chance to look at any signboard.

On the train, don't need to worry about falling because you are being kept upright by the contact with all those standing around you. No space to even shuffle my feet a little for balancing.

Never again. From then on, if I have to take a local train or a subway during weekdays, I avoid the crazy period of 7am-9am. I'd rather wake up earlier and find some nice park to eat my breakfast while waiting for the city to wake up, or snooze in my room watching cute Japanese anime on TV.

I also plan my itinerary such a way that if I HAD to catch a local train/subway between 7am-9am, I'd schedule it to be on a weekend and not a weekday. Shinkansen and Ltd Exp trains doesn't count since I usually have seat reservations for those trains, so taking those trains during weekdays rush hours are a non-issue for me.

Hi,

If we checked thru Hyperdia, from the fare, how do we know which is "commuter lines" ?

 

[cpuer]

Hi,

If we checked thru Hyperdia, from the fare, how do we know which is "commuter lines" ?

I think Sam meant packed trains, local or not. But Local will have the biggest chance to be packed as it cover every stations along the route. fare wont be able to tell u if they stop at each stations or not. You have to click on the "Interval Timetable" to see the details of each trains and their respective stops.

If you can avoid like Sam, you should, but many times you are travelling from one point to another and sui sui you land yourself into a very packed platform for a very packed train. Those time u just have to be patience and wait out for the crowd to clear. And if you can leave the station, u can take your meal or have a walk nearby etc. Part and parcel of travelling.

 

[PsychoPath]

wah their knockoff rush hour so long.

pruss huan

 

[purpleberry]

Forgot to ask, are there clean toilets at the major subways for kids? Changing diapers, cranky control, etc.

 

[dimitri_can]

Most big stations have...

 

[dimitri_can]

Hi,

If we checked thru Hyperdia, from the fare, how do we know which is "commuter lines" ?

Have to see the subway map to see if they go past the prefecture.

E.g some of the commuter lines in Tokyo are
Yamanote line
Keihin Tohoku Line
Joban line
Keiyo Line

Osaka:
Kansai airport express (関空快速)
Osaka loop line
Kobe line
Kyoto line

Generally the rush hours are v packed... one of my students almost twisted his back due to a lot of ppl. Imagine a normal standing person become kena bended like a semi circle On Tozai Line

 

[dimitri_can]

More pictures

Yamanote line at 730am i think

 

[samtcy]

More pictures

Yamanote line at 730am i think

This is still not as bad as my experience on JR Joban line when alighting at Ueno station. I can still see some space in the pic.

Mine was literally being pushed about. When alighting, I literally "popped" out from the train because too many people was trying to alight from the door at the same time. Nobody give way, nobody cares that you are a female because the females jostle as well.

Even on the train platform, I was in body contact with the person in front of me, behind me, and beside me...and I had to walk in little steps because if I walked in my normal strides, I'd have stepped onto the person in front of me.
But if I walked small steps in my regular pace, I'd be too slow and get pushed by the person behind me...so I had to walk fast paced small steps.