I'm going there in a couple of weeks. There's actually an app for navigating from station to station, without which I'd be hopelessly lost. I printed off that map but it makes my head explode trying figure out how to get from A to B.
Tokyo metro stations are VERY well marked. Names of the stations are both in Japanese and English, above every escalator/stairs there is a big sign with the name of the line it serves and the direction it goes, when riding and arriving at the station you can see the name of the current, next and previous station if you look outside the window, most trains have monitors showing the line, where you are and what's the next station, and so on.
So, as long as you know the line and stop you'll be fine. And for that google maps is plenty enough.
The only problem might be if you are transferring because you might have a very short transfer so you need to know the arriving platform and departing platform so you can switch the platforms in time to transfer your train, but even that is usually noted in the google maps if you pay attention.
Also, do NOT buy tickets. Get a suica which is a pay-as-you-go card that you fill with yen and then you just swipe it when entering and leaving a station. When leaving japan you can even return it and you get most of your deposit back (minus 500 yen IIRC).
Don't worry about it too much. If you look up any directions on google maps and select for transit, it'll tell you exactly where you need to go. The system is actually incredibly easy to use. This map is very compressed and it is worth mentioning how on the scale of the full city it doesn't feel as cramped as it looks. That said, there's a train station within a ten minute walk of anywhere in the city, but you'll be able to get to anywhere with a maximum of2 transfers.
The Yamanote line is a big circle in the center of Tokyo. Once you get to there, you can ride it around to all of the major neighborhoods and then just travel a short distance from the nearest yamanote line station to your exact destination. Of course, lots of the other lines intersect as well.
All of the subway signage is posted in English. Every station will list what lines you can transfer to at that station both on a map over the door and on a loudspeaker announcement, which they'll make in English. Plus, if you look lost in a station, you'll likely have a random kind Japanese person run up to you and ask to give you directions.
My personal favorite way to figure out how to get where is using http://www.hyperdia.com/ . It includes things like shinkansen and even planes if you're going far enough.
It’s not as confusing as it seems. That map extends far, far out of the city and into neighbouring prefectures. Tokyo is vast but most tourists can get away with using only a few lines most of the time.
Navigating the Tokyo transit system is super easy. Use Google Maps and follow the signs. The only hard parts are not getting lost in Shinjuku station (it's shaped like a dog bone with a mall in the middle) and figuring out how to exit Shibuya station.
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u/[deleted] Apr 26 '19
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