After my rather circuitous late-night adventure reaching the Hyatt Regency Tokyo Bay, my bus ride back to Haneda Airport could not have been easier.
Tokyo Haneda Airport Bus: My Easy Journey From Tokyo Bay
Public transport seems to work well in Japan, but it does sometimes confuse me. There are many companies and many lines…it’s not like you simply look for the big M sign like in much of the developed world in which all public transport is state-run.
Here, the hotel very helpfully directed me around the corner (even offering to walk me there) to a bus stop where I could catch a bus bound for HND.
The schedule verified that it would be showing up 25 minutes after the hour nad sure enough, it pulled up right on time.
Boarding, I paid the fare (¥1,100) in cash and took my seat. Credit cards are not accepted, but Japanese IC bank cards are. We would make four stops before reaching the airport. The journey took roughly 45 minutes despite rush hour traffic because we made use of special bus lanes…I’m not sure a car would have been much quicker.
Onboad, the carriage was perfectly clean and (wow…) no one played music without using headphones or put their feet up on the seats. What a difference a little decorum makes…
Legroom was tight…my only compalint.
We presently reach HND, where were stopped at Terminal 2, followed by Terminal 1, followed by Terminal 3.
Bottom line: a very easy and pleasant experience. A car may be most comfortable, but for less than $8.00 this was a great deal.
I too was very confused by the subway in Japan. I think of myself as fairly knowledgeable about subways and public transit around the world, but man was it difficult, for many of the same reasons you mentioned. Thankfully Google Maps was a lifesaver but I never had any idea about how much anything was going to cost – I just used my PASMO card
@Dan … even the Japanese are confused .
If I remember correctly Google Maps has an ‘easy’ option. On one route, the optimum route had 4 or 5 changes. The easy route had me on the same subway with about a 6 minute longer time and the exact same price.
Interesting re legroom. I recall that limousine buses in Korea were very spacious, probably more comfortable than travelling by taxi.
Had to take a Limousine bus from ICN to Seoul a few months ago (because the AREX train had -just- left, and it’s a 30 min wait for the next train). Yes, the bus was plenty spacious, 2-1 seating in a row, was 18k KRW IIRC (~$12-13?) for about an hour ride, +10 minutes since I was from T2.
the japanese are dwarves acompred to koreans, not surprising
I’m a big fan of public transportation in Japan but most of the time lost on buses and subways is the waiting for them to arrive and if there are transfers it can be a real timesink. I recently took a cab from Toyko Disney (Tokyo Bay) and it was like $75 plus tip for two people but it was cold, pouring down rain and we had a ton of luggage, plus we had walked a ton the two days before so it was worth the splurge. The trains aren’t great from that area because of the transfers and with luggage is a bit of extra work.
A Japanese cab driver accepted a tip?
I will try the bus system next time. My subway from HND to Asakusa was direct, no problems. The return trip was confusing as I had to transfer subway lines to get back to Haneda. But overall, very pleasant experiences commuting in Japan. Carrying 500 yen coins came in handy.
Sadly, America has a significant segment that is corrupt or savage, which is why you see fights on Spirit, feet on seats, etc. Part of it could be that many kids are outsourced to daycare or have lousy parents.
@derek … yep , however , the neighborhood can make a difference .
Israelis live in a bad neighborhood . One can walk down a street in NYC and never leave one crime scene or another .
In America , likely the best neighborhoods are on outer islands of Hawaii , or in the woods of Alaska .
Yeah Americans as a whole are not always the most well behaved at times.
The typo in the title was unintentional.
Should have been “Rimousine” hehe
An IC card is not a bank card.
I have to say, you seem to have been to Japan many times, but the amount of factual errors (easily avoidable ones) you make in your articles about Japan is breathtaking.
It’s a complicated country. I love it, but I have much to learn…
It’s not that complicated, but it seems like you don’t pay much attention to detail. These are true rookie mistakes.
In Japan, SUICA card in your Apple Wallet is a lifesaver. Takes 1 minute to add and link to a payment card and then you can tap in/out on any transport including ferries.
Your observation about decorum being observed by the majority of public in Japan is the most repeated comment I hear from travelers. My school teacher used to say :” Children are animals until educated to act selflessly “.
I miss Asian Public transport. I was on the DC Metro yesterday and group of school kids got on, cursing loudly, listening to what they call music on their phones without headphones for everyone to hear, respecting absolutely no one else, one kid even wore a blue hoodie that literally said “Cheat, Lie, Steal” — they are proud of it. These same kids and those who will defend them will always deflect blame and responsibility for their abhorrent behavior. It’s always someone else’s fault. Rinse and repeat. America is in shambles.
Some people just shouldn’t have children?