Tokyo's subway looks impossible on a map and works fine in practice — once you know the trick. Locals use Yahoo Norikae Annai, a Japanese-only timetable app that beats Google Maps by maybe four seconds. You don't need it. Google handles 95% of foreign-visitor journeys correctly, takes English place names, and works with the Suica in your pocket. This is the workflow I now use without thinking.
How-to
From destination to platform in four taps
~ 30 secondsGoogle MapsSuica activated
1
Search the destination — write it in English
Google Maps in Japan accepts English place names without trouble. Type "Tsukiji Outer Market" or "Senso-ji Temple" and the right pin appears. Avoid pasting Japanese addresses copied from Google search results — those often resolve to the wrong building.
9:41
‹●
RECENT
⌚Shinjuku Station
⌚Shibuya Sky
⌚Senso-ji Temple
SAVED
⌂
HomePark Hyatt Tokyo
Google Maps search bar with destination typed
Tip: For temples, restaurants and museums: English name + city works. For private addresses, ask your host for GPS coordinates. Japanese addresses don't follow streets — they follow city blocks numbered in the order they were registered, sometimes in the 1960s. Two houses on the same lane can have addresses 200m apart.
2
Tap "Directions" → choose train
Pick the train icon. Google compares JR, Tokyo Metro, Toei, and major private lines and ranks them by total time, including platform walks. The blue-highlighted route is the best one — usually fastest with fewest transfers.
9:41
●
Your locationPark Hyatt Tokyo
▼
DestinationTsukiji Outer Market
9:14→9:3824 min
🚶 4M Marunouchi🚶 3
¥210 · 1 transfer
9:18→9:4628 min
🚶 6H Hibiya
¥180 · 0 transfers
Google Maps directions screen with transit modes and 2 route options
3
Read the step list before you walk to the gate
Open the route. You'll see exact platform numbers, transfer instructions, and which exit to take at the destination. Screenshot it before you go underground — Tokyo Metro signal is patchy on the deeper lines (Hibiya, Oedo).
9:41
‹Transit · 24 min
🚶
Walk · 4 min
to Shinjuku Stn (M-08)
M
Marunouchi Line · 11 stops
→ Ginza · Platform 2 · 9:18
Shinjuku → Yotsuya → Akasaka-Mitsuke → Ginza
↔
Transfer · Ginza Stn
Hibiya Line · Platform 4
🚶
Walk · 3 min
to Tsukiji Outer Market
Google Maps step-by-step transit detail with platform numbers
Tip: The "Exit X" instruction at the end is gold. Tokyo stations have 10+ exits across multiple blocks. Following the right exit number saves you 10 minutes of surfacing into the wrong neighbourhood.
4
Tap your Suica at the gate, follow the signs
Google Maps tells you which line to take, but the station signs do the rest. Look for the colored line indicator (Marunouchi is red, Hibiya silver) and the destination terminus name. Trains are signed by the last station on the line, not by the next stop.
Last train is earlier than you think. Most subway lines stop running between 00:30 and 01:00. Check the "depart" time of your last leg before going to a late dinner — taxis from Shibuya to Asakusa cost ¥4,000+.
Walking transfers are real. Some "transfers" inside the same station mean a 10-minute walk through tunnels (looking at you, Otemachi). Google Maps includes this in the total time, but it's worth knowing before you sprint.
Two metro systems share the city. Tokyo Metro (9 lines) and Toei Subway (4 lines) charge separate fares and use different gates. Suica handles this transparently — but if you transfer between them, you'll see a small extra fee.
Women-only cars exist on some morning lines. Look for the pink signage and matching pink stickers on the platform floor, usually the first or last car on Marunouchi, Yamanote and Saikyo lines during weekday rush hour.
Trust the blue route
The blue route is right almost every time. The 5% it isn't: typhoon delays, last-train math, or needing the wheelchair-accessible exit. For everything else — type the destination, take the blue route, screenshot before you go underground. After two days, you stop noticing the subway exists. Which is exactly when Tokyo opens up.
