It can feel overwhelming thinking about how to navigate the Japanese local subway systems to get to your hotel/airbnb. Here, we’ve reviewed the different options for getting around in Japan, especially for travel days, when you have a lot of luggage to manage. Note: for most travel options, you do not have to pay for a seat for children 6 and under; the caveat is you will need to carry them on your lap. For more comfort, just pay for the discounted child rate.
Local Subway
This is the most economical (usually just a few dollars) but also the most stressful option. You will have to be prepared mentally and physically. You will need to drag around all your luggage, unless if you decided to use luggage delivery services. (For more about luggage delivery, please look forward to another upcoming post about Japan travel tips! ) Most stations do have elevators but not at every exit so you’ll need to find the right exit which may require a lot more walking. Next, is trying figure out the local subway system which can be confusing since big cities like Tokyo has so many lines. Then, you will need to buy a ticket. If you have an newish iPhone, you can load Suica/Pasmo etc. (their local transit pass) onto your phone and load it with money to pay for trips (I recommend this option). They sell physical transit cards but since August 2023, it’s been challenging to acquire this. You’ll have to get it at the airport or a large station (e.g. Tokyo station). If both these fail, you will need to buy a single trip ticket for each person in your party (except children 6 and under is free). Overall, we love the local subway system for day to day commuting but it’s a challenge for travel days. Be prepared for it to take some more time and effort. We chose this option when we stayed overnight at a hotel 1 station away from KIX airport and it was not too bad, especially because we left some of our large luggage at the coin lockers at the airport.
Airport Express Trains
The next step up in terms of ease of use would be airport express trains. We took the Limited Express Rapi:t line from Namba Station in Osaka to KIX on our return trip and we were very impressed. It had reserved seating, designated luggage space, tray tables, charging outlets and washrooms on board. I would definitely recommend this over a regular subway train, if available. You will have to pay a premium on top of your usual transit fee but it’s only $5 more! If you’re willing to pay another $2, you can even upgrade to “super seats” with extra space as it’s only 3 instead of 4 seats across. 10/10 would recommend!
Airport Limousine Bus
If your accommodation is close to an Airport Limousine Bus stop, this is a great option for door-to-door service. It’s nice because you can get on the bus with all your luggage right outside the airport and then get off the stop you require. The cost is usually not too much (~$10). We took an Airport Limousine Bus from the New Chitose Airport to our airbnb in Sapporo. It was easy to load up all our luggage under the bus, then off we went. Our airbnb was a few blocks away from the stop so it wasn’t the most convenient to drag all our luggages from the bus stop to the airbnb but it was still closer than from the subway stop and at least we were able to sit comfortably without worrying about our luggage during the ride.
Hotel Shuttle
We found not a lot of hotels offer hotel shuttles and even if they do, they have really limited schedule. When we stayed at Hoshino Resorts Risonaire Atami they did offer a free shuttle to and from Atami Station which was very helpful. It was a bit chaotic from the train station, as we were the last to board the shuttle and we had a few bags to maneuver into the front storage area (it was just a small bus without a luggage compartment under). On our return trip back to the train station, we were the only party on the shuttle (we had reserved the time at check-in) and it was a lot more relaxing.
Car Rental
We’ve rented cars multiple times during this and previous trips in Japan. It’s a good idea if you want to explore the more off-the-beaten-path regions of Japan. It’s especially nice way to travel with a little one as you know there is a carseat, you can easily load up your luggage, and you don’t have to worry about your rambunctious toddler causing a scene on public transit. The cons are remembering to get an international driver’s license before you leave your home country, being comfortable with driving on the other side of the road and if you require a shuttle from the car rental to airport, that could be a bit stressful as well. We were taken by surprise at New Chitose Airport. We didn’t know about need for a shuttle since we had picked up the car from Sapporo. It was kind of chaotic trying to load up all our many little bags and big luggages onto the already full shuttle which again didn’t have a designed area for luggage storage. In terms of cost, for a 3-day rental with car seat, it cost us ~$400.
Taxi
We do not use taxis too often in Japan since their local transit system is so efficient. We did decide to get a taxi from our airbnb in Asakasa to Tokyo Station to drop off some luggage for delivery. I had already downloaded the Go taxi app in Canada, which was helpful since it required a text confirmation which I wouldn’t have been able to do while abroad. I had booked a “premium” taxi to accommodate all the extra luggage. The car showed up in a few minutes and the driver was very nice and polite. The app is useful because payment and inputting of the address was all done on the app and minimal interaction was needed. We had used the taxi another time while in Sapporo and it was difficult to communicate with the driver as the English address is actually not helpful for them. You will need to find the Japanese address for your destination. With hailing local taxis, the driver was flustered when we tried to pay with credit card and preferred that the transaction be in cash. We did have to pay a premium to use this app and for the larger vehicle but it was worth it for the conveniences as mentioned above. In total we paid ~$30 for this 4km trip vs. ~$20 per the meter fare.
Private Transfer
The most convenient, stress-free way of travel between airport to accommodation would have to be private transfer. It is significantly more expensive (we paid $140 from Haneda airport to our Airbnb), but it is so much easier when you’re travelling with elderly, kids and lots of luggage. It was white glove, door-to-door service with very comfortable seating, an age appropriate car seat and a friendly, polite driver. Our driver spoke English very well and had a child of his own so he was more forgiving of my toddler’s antics (e.g. singing in the car about duckies). It was a quick 30-minute ride and I was even able to blog comfortably during the ride instead of making sure my luggage wasn’t rolling all over the place and my child wasn’t climbing out of her stroller on the subway. We had booked the larger vehicle to accommodate all our luggage and car seat and everything went very smoothly. I was a bit worried when booking since I had booked through a third party website (Klook) about reliability but there was constant communication through email and WhatsApp to reassure me. I appreciate that Klook is an English website and it was easy to select a company with a lot of reviews, which had age appropriate car seats (not all do when I tried contacting companies directly) and a meet and greet (so the driver would have your name displayed) at the airport. I cannot recommend this service enough if you can afford this option! The provider we ended up going with was Miu Tours / ミュー株式会社.
And that is how we got from the airports/train stations to our accommodations during our recent trip to Japan, visiting 5 cities/towns with multiple backpacks, luggages, a stroller, travel crib, and active toddler.
Happy travelling!
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