Things to know about Tokyo Station
The Tokyo Station, another labyrinth you face in Tokyo
Tokyo Station or Tokyo Eki is the hub station that connects Tokyo and major cities in Japan by train and bus services. As well as being a terminal of numerous train lines, this 335m-long station building is a complex of facilities where new people easily get lost.
Tokyo Station Building is a complex, includes various shops, restaurants and even a hotel
Tokyo Station Building has shopping/food malls located in the basement and the ground floor that includes facilities from Bento shops, Izakaya square, a Ramen Street, beauty salons, a dental clinic, a post office, a shoe repair shop, massage salons, drug stores, to mobile phone shops.
Though these malls are both in the same building, the zone is separated by ticket gates, as inside and outside of them. The mall outside of the ticket gate is available to all people, and the mall inside of the ticket gate is for passengers who pay a fare to take trains. If you want to visit a shop in the mall, it is better to check the location, inside or outside, as a fee (fare) is charged when you pass the ticket gate. To find the exact location, you can ask at the information counter in the station.
Tokyo Station Marunouchi Exit
There are 6 exits divided into two groups by west and east; Marunouchi side and Yaesu side
The 3 exits on the west side of Tokyo Station are called Marunouchi-side Exit (Marunouchi Guchi) as they face Marunouchi district. Marunouchi used to be a part of the Edo Castle where the imperial palace lies now.
Tokyo Station Yaesu Exit
The 3 of the east side exits are called Yaesu-side Exit (Yaesu Guchi), the gateway to Nipponbashi district. The name Yaesu is derived from Jan Joosten van Loodensteyn (1556–1623), a Dutch navigator/businessman who had a residence where the Yaesui Exit is now situated at.
Going through the station from west to east is not easy
People cannot get through the station without passing through the ticket gates. Remember you are charged a fee when going inside/outside of the ticket gate. If you use an IC card (pasmo, suica etc.) to pass the ticket gate at the same station for two times or more, it alarms and you will be asked to go to a ticket counter to pay a fee.
There is only one free passage leading west to east
Thanks that there is a passage (Kita Jiyu-Tsuuro) at the north side of Tokyo Station which is only a way letting you go through the station west to east. One problem is that the passage is at the edge of Tokyo station, rather far from the main exits.
In the area near Tokyo Station, there are many tourist spots such as Imperial Palace, Hibiya Park, and shopping districts in Ginza and Nihonbashi. Be sure and check the nearest exit to your destination before getting out of the ticket gate. Otherwise, it will be a long way round getting there.
Tokyo Station has bus terminals on the west and east side
Bus stops are scattered on both the west (Marunouchi side) and the east side (Yaesu side), and they are not quickly reachable from each. If you take a bus from Tokyo Station, it is recommended checking where the bus stop is.
Tips
* Airport buses depart from /arrive at the Yaesu side Exit.
* The JR Expressway Bus departs from / arrive at the Yaesu side Exit.
* Toei Bus Stops are on the both side of Tokyo Station
- Bus Stops A: Bound for Kinshicho, Arakawadote
- Bus Stops B: Bound for Harumi, Tokyo Big Sight(Odaiba), Toyomi Suisan Futo Wharf
- Bus Stops C: Bound for Tokyo Big Sight(Odaiba), Fukagawa Shako x 2, Minami Senju
There 3 tourist information offices
TIC TOKYO (Tourist Information Center Tokyo) operated by Mori Trust Hotels & Resorts Co., Ltd.
The nearby exit: Nihonbashi Exit (in Marunouchi Trust Tower)
https://www.tictokyo.jp/en/
JR EAST Travel Service Center
The nearby exit: Marunouchi North Exit
https://www.jreast.co.jp/e/customer_support/service_center_tokyo.html
Tourist Information Center (TIC) by Japan National Tourism Organization
The nearby exit: Marunouchi South Exit (In Kitte Building)
https://tokyotouristinfo.com/en/detail/M0036
Updated on September 2021
