Getting Around

A Japan resident compares the Shinkansen, overnight bus and flights from Tokyo to Osaka — 2026 prices, real door-to-door times, and which one is actually worth booking.

A Japan-based guide to getting from Haneda Airport to Yokohama in 2026 — Keikyu train, YCAT limousine bus, flat-fare taxi and the late-night options, with real prices, times and onward routes to Minato Mirai and Shin-Yokohama.

How to reserve shinkansen seats in 2026: which booking site to use for each line, when reservations open, how to pick a good seat, the oversized-luggage seat rule, and how JR Pass holders reserve for free.

How to actually use a Suica card in Japan in 2026: tapping in and out, topping up, buses, the shinkansen, the area-boundary trap and what to do with leftover balance.

A resident’s plain guide to Japan’s regional JR passes in 2026 — what the JR East, Kansai, Sanyo-San’in, Kyushu, Hokkaido, Hokuriku and Shikoku passes cost, which one fits which trip, and the break-even maths before the nationwide pass goes up on 1 October.

A resident’s guide to getting around Tokyo in 2026 — what JR, Tokyo Metro and Toei cost after the March fare revision, which IC card or contactless option to use, whether the day passes pay off, and how to survive the exits.

A resident’s guide to getting from Narita Airport to Shibuya in 2026 — the Narita Express, Skyliner plus one train, the limousine bus to Mark City, and the budget route under ¥1,800, with fares after the March 2026 JR revision.

A Japan-based guide to every route from Kansai Airport (KIX) to Nara — JR Haruka, the cheap Nankai and Kintetsu combination, the direct limousine bus — with 2026 fares, times and last departures.

Kyoto to Osaka in 2026 — the JR Special Rapid at ¥580 in 29 minutes, Hankyu at ¥410, Keihan at ¥490, and why the Shinkansen is usually a waste of ¥1,450. Which one is right depends on where you are staying.

How to get from Haneda Airport to Shinjuku in 2026 — Keikyu plus the Yamanote Line for about ¥590, the direct limousine bus to Busta Shinjuku for ¥1,400, the weekend monorail ticket, taxi flat fares and the last train.