How to take a train in Japan

One of the most important things while traveling in Japan is knowing how to ride the endless train lines that surround Japan. Although many stations have instructions in English, you may need to ask a Japanese native for information. Thinking about this need, we wrote this article that will help you catch trains in Japan and communicate with people and ask for information at the station.

If you are a tourist, to avoid problems with buying trem tickets we recommend purchasing the JRPass, a cardboard that allows you to ride on most train lines throughout Japan.

Catching the tremor in Japan

In Japan you pay per station, tickets are sold at vending machines, do not leave your ticket   it is also used to leave the station. You should pay close attention to the wagons, some trains have wagons exclusively for women and smokers. Remember that trem   stations do not operate 24 hours a day.

To better understand how trains in Japan work, let's leave some videos below:

Phrases about trains in Japan

There are thousands of articles and videos on the internet explaining how to take trains in Japan. We don't want to cover the same things as these sites, let's go deeper and study ways to communicate at a train station.

Below are some phrases that you will probably need to speak or hear during your tremor trip in Japan. Study them well and be prepared because you will not hear exactly the same sentences below.

「山の手線」はどこですか？
[yamanote sen] wa doko desu ka?
Where's the [yamanote line]?

「秋葉原駅」に行きたいですが。
[Akihabara eki] ni ikitai desu ga.
I want to go to [Akihabara Station].

「山の手線」のホームはどこですか？
[yamanote sen] no hoomu wa doko desu ka?
Where is the platform for [yamanote line]

この電車は「東京駅」行きですか？
kono densha wa [toukyou eki] yuki desuka?
Is this the train going to Tokyo station?

十一時の電車に乗ります。
juuichiji   no densha ni norimasu.
I'm taking the 11 o'clock train

渋谷で電車をのりかえなければならない。
Shibuya de densha o norikaenakereba naranai.
You have to change trains in Shibuya.

あなたはその列車に間に合わないでしょう。
Anata wa sono ressi ni maniawanaideshou.
You will not be able to take the train.

電車を乗り違えていますよ。
Densha nori chigaete imasu yo
You are on the wrong train.

電車が遅れている。
Densha ga okurete iru.
The train is late.

電車を乗り間違えた。
Densha the noriga machigaeta.
I took the wrong train.

その列車はすでに出発してしまった。
Sleep resha wa sudeni shuppatsu shite shimatta.
The train has already left.

列車は午後２時半に出る。
Ressha wa gogo 2-jihan ni deru.
The train leaves at 2:30 pm.

汽車はまだ着きません。
Kisha wa mada tsukimasen.
The train has not yet arrived.

Vocabulary related to trains in Japanese

What is the difference between the words densha (電車), kisha (汽車) and ressha (列車)? The word densha is used for electric trains, while kisha for steam trains, while the word resha can be used for both and refers to the trains that form the train. There is also a bullet train called a shinkansen (新幹線).

If you are traveling for the first time by train in Japan, keep an eye out for these words from the list below.

Responsive Table: Roll the table sideways with your finger >>

English	Japanese	Romaji
Agenda / Calendar	時刻表	jikoku hyou
2nd class	二等車	nitou sha
Window seat	窓側の席	mado gawa no seki
Aisle seat	通路側の席	tsuro gawa no seki
Book seat	自由席	jiyuu seki
Priority seat	優先席	yuusen seki
Reserved seat	指定席	shitei seki
Subscription ticket	定期券	teiki ken
Passenger ticket	乗車券	jousha ken
Ticket	切符	kippu
Box office	窓口	mado guchi
Cancel	取り消し	tori keshi
Non-smoking car	禁煙車	kinen sha
Green / First Class Car	グリーン車	guri-n sha
Station Manager / Manager	駅長	ekichou
Train conductor	車掌	shashou
Destiny	行き先	iki saki
Direction	方面	houmen
Employee / gas station attendant	駅員	ekiin
Station entrance	改札口	kaisatsu guchi
Station	駅	eki
Express that stops at the main stations	急行	kyuukou
Track 3	3 番線	san ban sen
Time to go	発車時刻	hassha jikoku
Line	線路	senro
Main line	本線	honsen
Faster than espresso	特急	tokkyuu
Ticket vending machine	自動券売機	jidou kenbai ki
Seat number	座席番号	zaseki bangou
First train	始発	shi hatsu
Necessary time	所要時間	shoyou jikan
Ticket	回数券	kaisuu ken
Train with more than 2 wagons	列車	reshape
Train Transfer / Exchange	乗り換え	norikae
Bullet train	新幹線	shin kan sen
Express train	準急	junkyuu
Train stopping at all stations	普通	futsuu
Train stopping at all stations	各駅停車	kakueki teisha
Train	電車	densha
Change / Change money	お釣り	otsuri
Last stop / Terminal	終点	shuu ten
Smoking car	喫煙車	kitsuen sha
Vehicle / Locomotives	車両	sharyou
Round trip	往復	or fuku
One-way trip	片道	kata michi
Last train	最終電車	saishuu densha
Last train	終発	shuu hatsu
Last train	終電	shuu den

We already wrote another article talking about trains in Japan, you can read this article clicking here.