Tokyo Subway Map 2026 – Timetable, Tickets & Prices

If there is one city associated with your subway, it is most likely Tokyo. This connection is no coincidence either, because Tokyo Metro carried around 2.5 billion passengers in fiscal year 2024. However, the sheer mass of passengers is not the only special feature of the 304.0-kilometer-long subway system, but also the fact that the system is actually made up of two networks.

Tokyo Metro, which emerged from the state-run Teito Rapid Transit Authority in 2004 and whose oldest line opened in 1927, takes up the lion’s share of the subway network in Japan’s capital with 9 lines and a route length of 195.0 kilometers.

With a total length of 109 kilometers and 4 lines, the network of the Toei subway, whose first line opened in 1960, is much smaller. Anyone looking at the Metro Map in Tokyo for the first time will not only be surprised by the numerous lines, but also by their names.

Unlike in Europe, the lines are not uniformly marked with a capital “U” or “M”. The Tokyo Metro Map, on the other hand, uses names that identify each line individually and make it easier to find your way around. Each subway line is assigned a color in addition to a capital letter. For example, the letter “G” and the color orange stand for the Ginza Line, which commutes between the Shibuya and Asakusa stops.

Overview of the “Tokyo Metro” subway lines

• (G) Ginza Line (Shibuya ↔ Asakusa)
• (M) Marunouchi Line (Ikebukuro ↔ Ogikubo; branch to Hōnanchō)
• (H) Hibiya line (Naka-meguro ↔ Kita-senju)
• (T) Tozai line (Nakano ↔ Nishi-funabashi)
• (C) Chiyoda line (Yoyogi-uehara ↔ Kita-ayase)
• (Y) Yurakucho line (Wakōshi ↔ Shin-Kiba)
• (Z) Hanzomon Line (Shibuya ↔ Oshiage)
• (N) Namboku Line (Akabane-iwabuchi ↔ Meguro)
• (F) Fukutoshin Line (Wakōshi ↔ Shibuya)

Overview of the subway lines of the “Toei subway”

• (A) Asakusa Line (Nishi-Magome ↔ Oshiage)
• (I) Mita line (Nishi-Takashimadaira ↔ Meguro)
• (S) Shinjuku Line (Shinjuku ↔ Motoyawata)
• (E) Oedo line (Tochomae ↔ Hikarigaoka; with an inner-city loop)

Even though the Japanese metropolis’ subway network is gigantic in size, the Tokyo Metro Map is relatively easy to decipher, even for travelers from abroad. Even without understanding a word of Japanese, it is easy to find your way around thanks to the precise marking of the lines based on their block letter designation and color. In addition, most subway platforms in Tokyo are served exclusively by one line and the routes to other platforms are marked by signs and markings on the floor, walls and ceilings.

Travelers also don’t have to remember the names of the numerous stations. These are also marked with a number indicating the direction of travel. The system of capital letters, colors and station numbers makes the Tokyo Metro Map surprisingly easy to use.

In Tokyo, not only is the subway map structured differently, but also the entire ticketing system. While we in Europe and the USA have classic tariff zones, in Japan we charge more or less by the kilometer. These are typically graduated prices that decrease with increasing distance per kilometer. On Tokyo Metro, a regular paper ticket costs 180 yen for 1-6 km and 210 yen for 7-11 km. Between Ayase and Kita-senju the fare is 160 yen.

A regular Tokyo Metro paper ticket costs 330 yen for 28-40 km. In Tokyo, the subway ticket system provides day passes in addition to one-way tickets, which are valid for one journey and become invalid once you exit through the ticket gates. As there are two subway systems in Tokyo, you need to be particularly careful when choosing a day pass. These do not always apply to both networks. The Common One-Day Ticket is valid on both networks.

Germans actually have a reputation for clearly structuring every aspect of public life. When it comes to the subway, however, the Japanese are way ahead of us. While in Germany there are massive problems with fare dodgers and various regulations for validating subway tickets, the Japanese are very pragmatic. Travelers need a valid ticket or an IC card at the ticket gates.

The same game, only in reverse, is repeated when getting off at the destination station. There, the subway ticket is pushed into the locking device and withdrawn. Only then can you leave the station. For example, anyone who has driven too far is prevented from leaving the station by barriers. Travelers can pay any fare difference at a fare adjustment machine near the gates.

If you want to travel more comfortably and avoid any problems with your subway ticket in Tokyo, you can buy a PASMO card from a ticket machine of any participating operator as soon as you arrive. The PASMO card is a kind of universal subway ticket for Tokyo.

Once the card has been topped up with credit at one of the ticket machines, it can be used as a ticket on both networks. The fare is automatically determined by checking in and out at the respective subway stations. You can load certain day tickets onto a PASMO card. Depending on the journey, the IC fare may be slightly lower than the paper ticket fare.

It is obvious that the average intervals between two subways are particularly short in the Tokyo subway network. There is no other way to get the masses of people from A to B smoothly. Train intervals vary by line, station, direction and time of day. For example, on the Oedo Line from Tochomae towards Hikarigaoka, trains run every 3-5 minutes in the morning peak, every 4-6 minutes in the afternoon peak and every 6 minutes during the day (timetable dated March 17, 2025). Check the line timetables for exact departures.

To the timetables of the Tokyo Metro lines:

G, M, H, T, C, Y, Z, N, F, A, I, S, E

Like most other subway systems, the Tokyo timetable does not provide for continuous service. The first and last departures vary by line, station and day of the week. For example, on the Oedo Line from Tochomae towards Hikarigaoka, the first train departs at 5:04 AM and the last at 12:38 AM (timetable dated March 17, 2025). A taxi can be an option at night. In Tokyo’s 23 wards, a 20 percent night surcharge applies from 10:00 PM to 5:00 AM.

Other countries, other customs. There is hardly any other place where this principle applies as much as in the Tokyo subway. On certain lines, some cars are reserved for women on weekday mornings. Exceptions apply to children of elementary school age and younger, and to people with disabilities and their companions.

Set your smartphone to silent mode and avoid calls on the train. When the train is crowded, switch it off near priority seats. These seats are intended for older people, people with disabilities, pregnant passengers and travelers with young children.

You might also be interested in these metro maps – for comparison or for your next trip:

• Seoul Subway Map
• Shanghai Metro Map
• Busan Metro Map
• Taipei MRT Map
• Kyoto Subway Map
• Bangkok Metro Map
• all metro maps