41.09 Transportation & Travel Logistics#

The transport stack in Japan is reliable once you know where to look for official schedules and IC card support. Keep this note handy while coordinating errands from 41.02 Arrival and First Months or weekend trips.

Rail & IC cards#

• JR East multilingual site explains Suica purchases, commuter passes, and mobile Suica device support.
• JR West ICOCA guide (Japanese) lists recharge options, auto-charge eligibility, and visitor cards for Kansai.
• Tokyo Metro commuter pass page (Japanese) covers pass purchases, refunds, and student discounts.
• Link your IC card to budgeting apps or spreadsheets in budgeting-credit-and-household-apps so top-ups stay visible.

Regional rail passes#

• The Japan Rail Pass site details eligibility, reservation rules, and digital ticket activation for the nationwide JR pass.
• JR East publishes regional free-pass listings (Japanese) such as the JR EAST Pass Tohoku/Nagano/Niigata.
• JR West’s Kansai area tickets bundle JR, private rail, and subway usage; read the English footnotes to confirm coverage.

Domestic flights & airports#

• The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism posts passenger rights and baggage rules on its aviation information page (Japanese).
• Airline booking portals: ANA, JAL, Peach Aviation.
• Airport access guides include Haneda and Narita with night-bus listings and train maps.

Highway buses & airport transfers#

• Highway Bus Network (Japanese) aggregates long-distance routes and online reservations—use browser translation if needed.
• Airport Limousine Bus provides real-time delay alerts and e-ticketing for Haneda/Narita routes.
• Read luggage policies before booking overnight buses; some services limit large suitcases or require storage fees.

Urban navigation tools#

• NAVITIME route search and Yahoo! Transit (Japanese) provide real-time fares, platform info, and disruption notices.
• Tokyo Toei bus guide lists bus stop numbers and arrival predictions; other prefectures host similar bilingual pages.
• Save frequent routes in these apps so disruption alerts surface alongside the emergency notifications in emergency-alerts—disaster-apps.
• Keep 54.06 Public Wi-Fi Networks in mind when travelling underground or through rural areas where mobile data dips.

Bicycles, taxis & car-sharing#

• The National Police Agency’s Five Rules for Safe Bicycle Use (Japanese) explains insurance expectations, lighting requirements, and penalties.
• GO Taxi app (Japanese) and JapanTaxi support cashless fares and English interfaces in major cities.
• Car-sharing operators such as Times Car require a Japanese driving licence and smartphone verification. Start the translation or licence conversion process with your prefectural police office if you hold an international permit.

Related notes#

• arrival-day for airport-day errands and SIM swaps.
• activating-utilities for parking, bike storage, and move-in coordination.
• emergency—safety for national hotlines and disaster contacts when travel disruptions escalate.