Tokyo Metro
Trains that are never more than a minute late, running across the most complex metro network ever built.
Tokyo has two metro operators running 13 lines side by side: Tokyo Metro (9 lines, privately operated) and Toei Subway (4 lines, municipal). Together they cover 285 stations and carry around 8 million passengers a day. The network opened in 1927 with the Ginza Line - the first metro in Asia - and is known for a punctuality record that most railways in the world can only dream about.
Metro Lines
13 linesGinza Line
19 stations · 14.3 km
Marunouchi Line
25 stations · 24.2 km
Hibiya Line
22 stations · 20.3 km
Tozai Line
23 stations · 30.8 km
Chiyoda Line
20 stations · 24 km
Yurakucho Line
24 stations · 28.3 km
Hanzomon Line
14 stations · 16.8 km
Namboku Line
19 stations · 21.3 km
Fukutoshin Line
16 stations · 11.9 km
Asakusa Line
20 stations · 18.3 km
Mita Line
27 stations · 26.5 km
Shinjuku Line
21 stations · 23.5 km
Oedo Line
38 stations · 40.7 km
Stations
View allShinjuku
Shibuya
Tokyo
Ueno
Ginza
Ikebukuro
Asakusa
Roppongi
Akihabara
Omotesando
Otemachi
Kasumigaseki
Nihombashi
Ebisu
Tsukiji
Kichijoji
Meguro
Tochomae
Odaiba-kaihinkōen
Nakano
Harajuku
Yoyogi-koen
Shimokitazawa
Nishi-Shinjuku
Hongō-sanchōme
Kōenji
Shinagawa
Monzen-nakachō
Kiba
Hibarigaoka
Minami-Senju
Naka-Meguro
Suidōbashi
Sangūbashi
Shin-Kiba
Gaienmae
Suehirocho
Ueno-hirokoji
Inaricho
Tawaramachi
Kyobashi
Toranomon
Kanda
Mitsukoshimae
Ogikubo
Minami-Asagaya
Shin-Koenji
Higashi-Koenji
Shin-Nakano
Nakano-Sakaue
Nishi-Shinjuku
Shinjuku-Gyoenmae
Yotsuya-Sanchome
Akasaka-mitsuke
Kokkai-Gijidomen
Awajicho
Ochanomizu
Myogadani
Shin-Otsuka
Nakano-Fujimich
Nakano-Shimbashi
Honancho
Kamiyacho
Toranomon-Hills
Hatchobori
Kodemmacho
Naka-Okachimachi
Iriya
Minowa
Kita-Senju
Ochiai
Takadanobaba
Waseda
Kagurazaka
Kudanshita
Takebashi
Kayabacho
Toyocho
Minami-Sunamachi
Nishi-Kasai
Kasai
Urayasu
Minami-Gyotoku
Gyotoku
Myoden
Baraki-Nakayama
Nishi-Funabashi
Yoyogi-Uehara
Yoyogi-Koen
Meiji-Jingumae
Nogizaka
Akasaka
Hibiya
Nijubashimae
Shin-Ochanomizu
Yushima
Nezu
Sendagi
Nishi-Nippori
Machiya
Ayase
Kita-Ayase
Wakoshi
Chikatetsu-Narimasu
Chikatetsu-Akatsuka
Heiwadai
Hikawadai
Kotake-Mukaihara
Senkawa
Kanamicho
Higashi-Ikebukuro
Gokokuji
Edogawabashi
Ichigaya
Kojimachi
Nagatacho
Sakuradamon
Yurakucho
Ginza-Itchome
Shintomicho
Tsukishima
Toyosu
Tatsumi
Hanzomon
Jimbocho
Suitengumae
Kiyosumi-Shirakawa
Sumiyoshi
Kinshicho
Oshiage
Shirokanedai
Shirokane-Takanawa
Azabu-Juban
Roppongi-Itchome
Tameike-sanno
Yotsuya
Iidabashi
Todaimae
Hon-Komagome
Komagome
Nishigahara
Oji
Oji-Kamiya
Shimo
Akabane-Iwabuchi
Zoshigaya
Nishi-Waseda
Higashi-Shinjuku
Shinjuku-Sanchome
Kita-Sando
Nishi-Magome
Magome
Nakanobu
Togoshi
Gotanda
Takanawadai
Sengakuji
Mita
Daimon
Shimbashi
Higashi-Ginza
Takaracho
Ningyocho
Higashi-Nihombashi
Asakusabashi
Kuramae
Honjo-Azumabashi
Shibakoen
Onarimon
Uchisaiwaicho
Kasuga
Hakusan
Sengoku
Sugamo
Nishi-Sugamo
Shin-Itabashi
Itabashikuyakushomae
Itabashihoncho
Motohasunuma
Shimura-Sakaue
Shimura-Sanchome
Hasune
Nishidai
Takashimadaira
Shin-Takashimadaira
Nishi-Takashimadaira
Akebonobashi
Ogawamachi
Iwamotocho
Bakuro-Yokoyama
Hamacho
Morishita
Kikukawa
Nishi-Ojima
Ojima
Higashi-Ojima
Funabori
Ichinoe
Mizue
Shinozaki
Motoyawata
Shinjuku-Nishiguchi
Wakamatsu-Kawada
Ushigome-Yanagicho
Ushigome-Kagurazaka
Ueno-Okachimachi
Shin-Okachimachi
Ryogoku
Kachidoki
Tsukijishijo
Shiodome
Akabanebashi
Kokuritsu-Kyogijo
Yoyogi
Nishi-Shinjuku-Gochome
Higashi-Nakano
Nakai
Ochiai-Minami-Nagasaki
Shin-Egota
Nerima
Toshimaen
Nerima-Kasugacho
Hikarigaoka
Fare Guide
How to Use the Tokyo Metro
- 1
Get a Suica or Pasmo IC card at any JR East ticket machine or Tokyo Metro machine. You load money onto it and tap in and out at every gate. Both cards work across Tokyo Metro, Toei Subway, JR lines, most buses, and even at convenience stores and vending machines.
- 2
Fares are calculated by distance. The minimum fare on Tokyo Metro is around 180 yen (roughly USD 1.20) and rises with each additional zone crossed. Paper tickets are available but IC cards are cheaper and much faster.
- 3
Tokyo Metro and Toei are separate companies with separate fares. If you transfer from a Tokyo Metro line to a Toei line, you pay a new base fare unless you buy a combined day pass. The Common One-Day Ticket (900 yen) covers both operators and is worth it if you plan more than five or six journeys.
- 4
Every platform has screen doors that open only when the train arrives. Stand behind the yellow tactile strip, let passengers off first, then board calmly. The queuing process is orderly and taken seriously.
- 5
Rush hour (07:30 to 09:30 on weekday mornings) is extremely crowded on lines like the Tozai, which has been measured as the most congested in the world at around 199 percent capacity. If you can adjust your timing by 30 minutes either way, do.
- 6
Station names are shown in Japanese, hiragana and romaji (English letters) everywhere - on platforms, inside trains and on the maps. The network is genuinely easy to navigate even if you cannot read Japanese.
Travel Tips for Tokyo
- Pick up your Suica card at Narita or Haneda Airport the moment you land. It saves time at every gate, works on buses to your hotel and can be used to pay at combinis (convenience stores). You can top it up at any station.
- The 24-hour (800 yen), 48-hour (1,200 yen) and 72-hour (1,500 yen) Tokyo Metro tourist passes cover unlimited travel on all nine Tokyo Metro lines. They are sold at airport stations and are good value on sightseeing-heavy days in central Tokyo.
- Large suitcases should go in a coin locker at your arrival station before you start exploring. Taking big bags onto a crowded rush-hour train is considered very inconsiderate, and the lockers at major stations are easy to use.
- Eating and drinking on the metro is not done. Talking on the phone is frowned upon. Phones should be on silent (manner mode). These norms are universally observed and visitors who follow them are appreciated.
- The last trains on most lines run between midnight and 00:30. After that, taxis are available everywhere but expensive - a cross-city journey can easily cost 3,000-5,000 yen. Plan your evening with the last train time in mind.
- The JR Yamanote Line, which loops around central Tokyo, is not part of Tokyo Metro but accepts the same Suica card. It connects Shinjuku, Shibuya, Harajuku, Ebisu, Meguro, Shinagawa, Tokyo, Akihabara, Ueno and Ikebukuro - all the major hubs.
History of the Tokyo Metro
Tokyo's first metro line opened on 30 December 1927 between Asakusa and Ueno - a stretch of just 2.2 km that became the first underground railway in Asia. The Ginza Line, as it is now known, was extended rapidly through the 1930s. After the Second World War, a second operator, the Toei Subway, was established by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government to run additional lines. Today the two companies operate side by side: Tokyo Metro runs nine lines (Ginza, Marunouchi, Hibiya, Tozai, Chiyoda, Yurakucho, Hanzomon, Namboku and Fukutoshin), while Toei runs four (Asakusa, Mita, Shinjuku and Oedo). Together they serve 285 stations across 13 lines and more than 304 km of track. The Shinjuku hub, shared with JR and private railways, holds the Guinness World Record as the world's busiest station, handling around 3.5 million passengers on a typical day. The metro's average train delay is less than one minute per year - a figure that regularly draws disbelief from passengers used to other networks.
Accessibility
248/ 285 stations
Step-free access (87% coverage)
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does the Tokyo Metro cost?
With an IC card (Suica or Pasmo), the minimum fare is around 180 yen. Most journeys across central Tokyo cost between 180 and 320 yen. A tourist 24-hour pass for the nine Tokyo Metro lines costs 800 yen. The Combined One-Day Ticket for both Tokyo Metro and Toei Subway lines costs 900 yen.
What is the difference between Tokyo Metro and Toei Subway?
They are two separate metro companies that share stations and look almost identical to passengers. Tokyo Metro is privately owned and runs nine lines; Toei is run by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government and runs four lines. Your Suica card works on both, but a transfer between the two operators is charged as a separate fare unless you have a combined day pass.
Do I need a Suica card or can I buy paper tickets?
You can buy single paper tickets at machines in every station, but an IC card is strongly recommended. It is cheaper (small discount on every journey), far faster at the gate and works on every rail line in Japan, most buses, and for small payments at shops. Buy one at any JR East machine for a 500 yen deposit, or at Tokyo Metro machines.
How do I get from Narita Airport to Tokyo by metro?
The metro does not reach Narita. Your best options are the Narita Express (N'EX) train from Narita to Shinjuku, Shibuya or Tokyo station (55-90 minutes), or the Keisei Skyliner to Nippori and Ueno (41 minutes). Both accept IC cards or separate tickets. From Ueno or Shinjuku you can connect to the metro.
What time does the Tokyo Metro close?
Most lines run from around 05:00 to between midnight and 00:30. The last trains on every line are clearly posted at each station and shown in the apps. There is no night service. After the last train, taxis are the main option.
Is the Tokyo Metro accessible for wheelchair users?
Most stations now have elevators - around 248 of 285 stations are step-free. Every train car has priority seating and designated wheelchair spaces. Platform screen doors align precisely with the carriage doors, making boarding straightforward. Accessibility has improved dramatically since the 2000s.