Thirteen subway lines (at last count), a river bus network, streetcars, private and national railway lines are just some of the ways Tokyo’s millions of residents reach their destinations. As anyone with enough money to dig deep enough can open their own subway line, the subway system can seem an intimidating option, but you can pretty much count on a friendly, polite Tokyoite helping you find your way if you’re lost. Subway maps are prominently displayed at all stations and stations have their name in English as well as Kanji (Japanese script). It’s a good plan to time your days to miss the morning rush experience – and it is quite an experience. College students earn extra cash as  white gloved-subway ‘shovers’ who pack commuters onto morning trains until they are, as Tokyoites say, “packed as sushi”. The trains are so dependable that workers are issued with late notes if the train runs 1 minute late. Pink edged sections of the platform mark women-only subway cars. Various one-day passes and prepaid cards are available. Trains and subways are safe and punctual.

For a great way to experience the city and a fast-paced tour, make your way around the loop of the above ground Yamanote Line. It’s a miniature scale Great Train Journey that runs in a circle around central Tokyo, taking around three hours, from shiny futuristic city within a city, Shinjuku (where ‘Lost in Translation’ was filmed), through Harajuku, Odaiba and a slew of areas reclaimed from the Pacific, through the old ‘low city’, Shitamachi, to Asakusa.

Useful links 

Tokyo Metro website: http://www.tokyometro.jp/e/index.html 

Journey planner: http://www.tokyo-subway.net/english/i...

 Airport transfer directly to your hotel: http://www.limousinebus.co.jp/en/