Japan Railways Group - At The Station


	Part of the fun of rail travel in Japan is enjoying the wide range of services available at stations. In addition to ticketing facilities stations offer coin lockers for storing luggage, cafés and restaurants for a quick snack or a leisurely meal, kiosks and shops where you can buy anything from a lunch box to an English-language newspaper. Many stations have information booths to assist travelers. Diagrams in English will help you navigate your way. Japanese commuters may take these stations for granted, but for the foreign tourist they are an exciting new world to explore.

Many JR stations have Travel Service Centers, which are similar to travel agencies but are operated by Japan Railways. Travel Service Centers offer a more personal approach to travel than the ticket windows. The staff is happy to assist you, not just with tickets, but also with many other travel needs. The Japan Rail Pass exchange points are often located at Travel Service Centers so you can combine the Rail Pass process with other travel planning. Please note that Travel Service Centers use different names around the country; for example in the Tokyo area they are called View Plaza.

Information booths or counters, clearly marked by the symbol (?), are located in many large stations and smaller stations popular with tourists. These information centers are primarily aimed for Japanese tourists, but they often have English-speaking personnel, while some speak Chinese or Korean. Foreign-language brochures are available here as well.

Coin lockers are still commonly found all over Japan and have largely replaced staffed luggage rooms. In big stations, such as the Shinkansen stops, and in many popular tourist spots, there are often very large lockers capable of holding big suitcases. English-language instructions are common, prices are reasonable, and the check period is usually 24 hours. The crime rate is very low in Japan so it is quite safe to use lockers. This allows you to leave your luggage at a station, spend several hours or all day sightseeing, and then return to pick up your bags and continue your trip.

> See details (Coin Lockers and Luggage Storage Page)

Since Japanese stations are located at the heart cities and towns, it is usually easy to catch a taxi at a station. Taxis in Japan are clean and the drivers are honest. Although public telephones are under siege from mobile phones, they are still easy enough to find in every station. Prepaid phone cards make calling much easier. All stations provide public restrooms of varying size and quality, but they are always clean and safe to use. The traditional 'squat' toilet is still preferred by many Japanese, but Western-style toilets are found everywhere now and are clearly marked on most station maps. In some remote areas you might still find a 'unisex' toilet, but they are about as rare as mixed-sex bathing at hot springs!

You will never go hungry riding the rail system. Larger stations offer a wide range of eating options including restaurants, coffee shops and food kiosks. Stations are often attached to department stores that have large food concourses, or to hotels and office buildings with many restaurants. Smaller stations tend to be located in central shopping areas so restaurants cluster around. Vending machines are also ubiquitous and offer a variety of drink items as well as snacks.

Amount of English-language information on signs is increasing constantly. In addition, the large number of visitors from Europe and East Asian means that there is also more information in Chinese, Korean and other languages. All stations, no matter how small, have basic signs in English. Larger and medium stations offer detailed station diagrams in English and many signs directing you to exits, platform areas, ticket windows, coin lockers, toilets etc.

Stations in metropolitan areas are extremely busy, especially during rush hour. We would recommend that passengers with a lot of luggage avoid travel during peak times unless necessary. If you do use stations at these times, do not be intimidated by the crowds. Just take your time and do not hesitate to ask uniformed JR station personnel for assistance if you are confused. Try to keep your rail pass or rail tickets in an easy to access place since you will have to show them to enter or exit platforms. And a little hint for moving smoothly in stations: Japanese drive and walk on the left side as in England.

Although times are changing, Japan is still a remarkably honest country and if you lose something on a train or in a station, there is a very good chance that someone will turn it in to the lost and found. All larger stations have a Lost Luggage office. You will have to fill out a form if the item is not already there. After a few days, recovered items may be sent to a more central location. Please note that there is no system for sending items overseas, so be sure to pursue your inquiry while in Japan.