To the central parts of Tokyo from Haneda Airport

Basically, there are three transportation means to the central parts of Tokyo from Haneda Airport International Passenger Terminal. They are

• Taxi
• Bus
• Monorail and train

If you can afford expensive taxi fare, taxi is the most convenient and comfort way to central parts of Tokyo. Time taken for a ride is different depending on which part of Tokyo you want go and on traffic jam. For example, for Shinjuku it takes about 35 to 50 minutes, for Tokyo Marunouchi about 30 to 40 minutes.

Generally, bus takes more time than taxi, since usually bus goes around hotels on the way to final destination. To the first bus stop in central Tokyo it may take almost the same time as taxi.

As monorail and train are not affected by traffic jam, they will be operated on schedule except special occasions like some kind of accident. When you take a train, you need to get up and down the stairs with your baggage at the station or need to change trains, and you might also need to take taxi if your hotel is not near the station you get off.

Taxi to the central parts of Tokyo

From Haneda International Airport to central parts of Tokyo, taxies adopt the fixed fare system. Fixed fare is different depending on which zone (ku) of Tokyo you want to go. It ranges from 5,900 yen to 11,200 yen. In the early morning and late night (10:00 pm to 5 am), extra fare will be applied.

Taxi fare board

Here are some examples. If you want to go to Chiyoda-ku (including Tokyo station), fixed fare is 5,900 yen. 7,100 yen for Shinjuku-ku, 6,600 yen for Shibuya-ku, 8,900 yen for Toshima-ku. In addition to these fares you also have to pay the expressway toll (using express way is the condition for applying fixed fare). It differs depending on which expressway taxi takes. The maximum expressway toll is 990 yen.

Note: The fixed fare system is not applied for Ōta-ku, Shinagawa-ku, Meguro-ku, Minato-ku, Chūō-ku, Kōtō-ku. You have to pay metered fare for these areas.

You need not to pay tip for driver.

If you tell the destination, probably a driver understands where to go. But it may be safe to show the written destination, or to point the destination on Google maps.

Don’t open or close taxi’s door by yourself. In Japan, all the taxi doors are opened and closed automatically by taxi driver.

Bus to the central parts of Tokyo

Two companies operate bus lines

Two companies operate bus lines from Haneda Airport to other areas. One is Tokyo Airport Transport Service Co., and the other is Keikyu Corporation. Tokyo Airport Transport Service Co. also operates Airport Limousine bus between Narita International Airport and Tokyo. Unlike buses from Narita International Airport. the two companies’ bus fares are not different if the destination is same. All bus users can sit in the seat, because bus companies sell tickets within the maximum number of seats.

Airport Limousine bus has many bus routes to go to various parts of Tokyo (including some hotels). Some examples are to Shinjuku, T-CAT (Hakozaki), Ikebukuro, Mejiro, Kudan, Kourakuen, Akihabara, Tokyo Station / Yaesu North etc. Click for complete list for routes of Airport Limousine. You can also refer to the timetable.

You can reserve bus ticket from your location in Tokyo to Narita Airport by telephone or online. Refer to bus reservation web pages by telephone or online. If you want to make online reservation, you need to register Limousine Bus membership before making online reservation.

Free baggage allowance is up to two suitcases (of no more than (h)120cm x (w)60cm x (d)50cm in size and 30kg in weight).

Bus provides free Wi-Fi service. Most buses have a toilet.

If your hotel is near the bus stop or it has bus stop, Airport Limousine bus is comfort way next to taxi.

For Keikyu Airport Limousine bus, here is Complete list for routes of the Airport Limousine bus. For timetable, click each route on the list.

Fares and ticket

Examples of fares of Tokyo Airport Transport Service’s and Keikyu’s Airport Limousine buses are 930 yen (child 470 yen) for Tokyo station, 1,030 yen (child 520 yen) for Shibuya station (Haneda – Shibuya line is only operated by Keikyu) etc. In the early morning and late night, augmented fare will be applied. There is discount for a round-trip. The round-trip ticket is valid for 10 days.

You have to buy bus ticket at the bus ticket counter or on each company’s ticket vending machine before you get on the bus.

The bus ticket counter is on the 2nd floor (= arrival floor), bus ticket vending machines are on 2nd floor and on 1st floor. The bus ticket counter is located on the left side of the passage to Keikyu train, Tokyo Monorail and bus stops.

Bus ticket vending machines are on the right side of the same passage and near bus stop on 1st floor.

Your bus stop number, departure time and your destination are printed on your boarding ticket.

Tokyo Monorail and Keikyu line to the central parts of Tokyo

There are two railroad companies that run trains from Haneda Airport to the central parts of Tokyo. One is Tokyo Monorail Co., and the other is Keikyu Corporation. Trains of Tokyo Monorail Co. are literally using monorail. Each line connects with one of the stations on Yamanote line. As I wrote in “The basic structure of railroads network in Tokyo”, Yamanote line is the core of railroads network.

Tokyo Monorail

Basic information

Tokyo Monorail connects with Hamamatsuchō station on Yamanote line. If you take Tokyo Monorail from Haneda Airport International Terminal station, you have to transfer to Yamanote line at Hamamatsuchō unless your destination is Hamamatsuchō.

Tokyo Monorail boasts that the monorail train runs on an average of every 4 minutes and it takes only 13 minutes to get to Hamamatsuchō. You can see approximate minutes to get to major stations on Yamanote line on Tokyo Monorail’s site. But 13 minutes to get to Hamamatsuchō is the shortest time that can be realized when you get on “Haneda express”. There are also “Rapid train” and “Local train” on Tokyo Monorail. “Rapid train” ride is shorter than “Local train”. The difference mainly comes from numbers of stations the monorail stops.

The fares are same for these three kinds of trains. The fare from Haneda Airport International Terminal to Hamamatsuchō is 490 yen (250 yen for child). You can buy the monorail ticket on ticket vending machine of Tokyo Monorail. Ticket vending machines are located on the left side of the passage to Keikyu line, Tokyo Monorail and bus stops.

How to purchase a ticket

On ticket vending machine, you can purchase ticket for a station of JR East. As most tourist from abroad go to a JR station, it is convenient to purchase a ticket for a JR station.

In order to buy ticket for a JR station, first look up the railroad routes map above the vending machine, find out your destination and remember the fare to the destination.

Monorail ticket vending machines

Monorail ticket vending machine

After touching English panel on the screen of vending machine, touch “Via HAMAMATSUCHO JR LINE” panel in Transfer Ticket (green background) row on the screen. Choose the fare amount to the destination on the next screen and insert money in the machine.

Only during some specific period, Tokyo Monorail sells special discount ticket that can go to any station on the Yamanote Line at 500 yen (child 250 yen). Since the ordinal fare to Hamamatsucho is 490 yen, by adding only 10 yen you can go to any Yamanote Line station. This ticket is bargain. If Tokyo Monorail sells this ticket, there is 500 yen special ticket panel on vending machine’s screen. You can see special 500 yen panel in instructions on how to purchase Monorail ticket on ticket vending machine of Tokyo Monorail.

When you transfer to Yamanote line at Hamamatsuchō, you have to retrieve the ticket at the ticket gate of Tokyo Monorail if your ticket is for a station of JR EAST.

Monorail Suica and JR Rail Pass

You can also get Monorail Suica on ticket vending machine of Tokyo Monorail. In this case touch “Monorail Suica Purchase” panel in Suica (blue background) row on the vending machine’s screen (look at above picture of the ticket vending machine).

The functions of Monorail Suica is the same as those of Suica of JR East. But beware Monorail Suica can be refunded only at stations of Tokyo Monorail.

By the way, you can ride Tokyo Monorail by “JR Rail Pass”. If you want to begin to use it on the arrival day to Japan, you can use it to go to the central Tokyo. But be careful when starting to use the pass because it has the fixed effective days.

You can see timetables of Tokyo Monorail for weekdays and for weekends and holidays.

Tokyo Monorail doesn’t have reserved seats. As Haneda Airport International Terminal station is two stations away from the starting station, you may not sit in the seat.

Keikyu line

Basic Information

Keikyu line connects with Shinagawa station on Yamanote line. Most of you may transfer to Yamanote line at Shinagawa. By the way, on counterclockwise, after next station of Shinagawa is Hamamatsuchō station.

Trains are mutually operated among Keikyu line, Toei Asakusa line (subway) and Keisei line, passengers can go to a station of Toei Asakusa line or Keisei line without changing trains.

It takes 12 minutes from Haneda Airport International Terminal to Shinagawa station if you ride Airport limited Express. There are four kinds of trains on Keikyu line. They are Airport limited Express, Limited Express (Kaitoku), Limited Express (Tokkyu), Airport Express and Local train. I list trains in descending order in speed. Difference mainly comes from numbers of stations a train stops. You can confirm these relationships on Keikyu’s train lines map.

Fares and ticket

The fares are same for these five kinds of trains. The fare from Haneda Airport International Terminal to Shinagawa is 410 yen (250 yen for child). You can buy the Keikyu train ticket on ticket vending machine of Keiku line. Ticket vending machines are located on the right side of the passage to Keikyu line, Tokyo Monorail and bus stops.

On ticket vending machine, you can purchase ticket for a station of JR EAST. As most tourist from abroad go to a JR station, it is convenient to purchase ticket for a JR station.

In order to buy ticket for a JR station, first look up the railroad routes map above the vending machine, find out your destination and remember the fares to the destination.

Keikyu ticket vending machines

Keikyu ticket vending machine

After touching English panel on the screen, touch “Ticket” panel on the screen. On the next screen, touch “Transfer Ticket” panel in left side column. On the next screen, select JR line among various lines. Choose the fare amount to the destination on the next screen and insert money in the machine.

See also instructions on how to purchase ticket on Keikyu’s ticket vending machine.

When you transfer to Yamanote line at Shinagawa, you have to retrieve the ticket at the ticket gate if your ticket is for a station of JR EAST.

PASMO

You can also get PASMO on ticket vending machine of Keikyu line. In this case After touching English panel, touch “PASMO” panel on the vending machine’s screen (look at above picture of the ticket vending machine). The functions of PASMO is the same as Suica. Beware you can refund PASMO only at ticket office that sells PASMO.

Keisei line doesn’t have reserved seats. As Haneda Airport International Terminal station is next to the starting station, you may not sit in the seat.

Which transportation means to take

The most comfortable and convenient way to get to the final destination (hotel etc.) is taxi. But it is most expensive. Next to taxi is limousine bus but more expensive than trains.

Here I show you bus and train fares to some representative stations of Yamanoto line.

• To Tokyo Station:
  Limousine bus     930 yen
  Train via Monorail (transfer once)     650 yen
  Train via Keikyu line (transfer once)   580 yen
• To Shinjuku Station:
  Limousine bus    1,230 yen
  Train via Monorail (transfer once)    690 yen
  Train via Keikyu line (transfer once)  610 yen
• To Shibuya Station:
  Limousine bus    1,030 yen
  Train via Monorail (transfer once)     690 yen
  Train via Keikyu line (transfer once)  580 yen
• To Shinagawa Station:
  Limousine bus 720 yen
  Train via Monorail (transfer once) 650 yen
  Train via Keikyu line (no transfer) 410 yen

Difference in time to get to the destination station is not so big among these transports.

JR EAST Travel Service Center

There is small JR EAST Travel Service Center on the left side of the passage to Keikyu line, etc. It is located most remotely.

JR EAST Travel Service Center

You can exchange your “Exchange Order” with “JR Rail Pass” there. And you can get Suica there. Using Suica you can ride Tokyo Monorail, Keikyu line, JR lines, etc.