Tokyo Subway Ticket

Child fares: Ages 6–11 are the usual range, but school-age exceptions apply: a 12-year-old still in elementary school is a child, while a six-year-old not yet in elementary school is a toddler. Check the official age rules for your family.

When does the clock start? A paper ticket starts at first use, within the expiry printed on the ticket. A direct-use QR ticket starts at the first gate entry after you press “Start Using”; it must be started within 90 days of purchase. Both then run continuously for 24, 48 or 72 hours. For example, a 24-hour ticket first used at 2 PM runs until 2 PM the next day.

A Tokyo Subway Ticket loaded onto a PASMO at an eligible Toei tourist information center starts at purchase. Check which format you are buying before choosing when to activate it.

✅ Covered — All 13 subway lines

Tokyo Metro (9 lines):

Ginza, Marunouchi, Hibiya, Tozai, Chiyoda, Yurakucho, Hanzomon, Namboku, Fukutoshin

Toei Subway (4 lines):

Asakusa, Mita, Shinjuku, Oedo

❌ NOT Covered

• JR lines (Yamanote, Chuo, etc.) — use Suica or JR Pass
• Private railways (Keio, Odakyu, Tokyu, etc.)
• Toei Bus, Toei Streetcar (Toden Arakawa)
• Yurikamome, Rinkai Line

For the ticket boundary on a continuing train, see through trains and subway-pass boundaries.

Eligibility: This is a visitor ticket. Foreign-visitor counter sales require a passport check. Domestic visitors must live outside Tokyo, Kanagawa, Saitama, Chiba, Ibaraki, Tochigi, Gunma and Yamanashi; available sales channels differ. Check the official eligibility and sales rules.

Voucher or direct-use QR? A QR exchange voucher must be exchanged for a paper ticket at a participating travelers’ ticket machine or eligible station office. Those exchange machines are not at Haneda or Narita airports, and airport-to-city travel costs extra. Use the official exchange map. A Tokyo Subway Ticket (QR) is a different product: use its live ticket screen at a compatible gate, without exchanging it for paper.

Verdict: Keep an IC card for JR, buses, private railways and shopping. Add a Subway Ticket only when your planned covered journeys justify its price. Count separately paid journeys, not every train change or attraction. For a Metro/Toei transfer, compare the planner’s whole-journey fare rather than multiplying a base fare by the number of lines.

Three route-based cost checks

These are adult IC fares for the stated Tokyo Metro routes, with a fresh entry after each sightseeing stop. Airport travel, attraction tickets and any JR, private-rail or bus journeys are extra. The third example starts at 9 AM on Day 1 and ends on Day 3, inside a single 72-hour window.

Tokyo Subway Ticket versus pay-as-you-go IC for the same covered journeys

For Day 2, use the Ginza Line between Ueno and Ginza, and the Marunouchi Line between Ginza and Shinjuku: ¥178 + ¥209 + ¥209 + ¥178 = ¥774. Day 3 uses the Ginza Line: ¥209 + ¥209 + ¥178 = ¥596.

Metro-only alternative: All three examples use Metro, so also check the ¥700 Tokyo Metro 24-hour Ticket, which excludes Toei. Its paper and QR forms start with first gate use; its PASMO-loaded IC form starts at purchase, so match the format’s valid window to these journeys. It is ¥300 cheaper than the tourist 24-hour ticket on the busy route. Two ¥700 Metro tickets for Days 1–2 plus ¥596 in IC fares on Day 3 total ¥1,996. Beating IC alone does not make a pass the cheapest option.

Mixed with JR? If you take the light Asakusa round trip and also use JR later, add the same JR fare to both options. The Subway Ticket still costs ¥644 more for those two subway rides; JR rides do not help it break even. Do not add detours or extra train rides just to make a pass pay off.

Fare inputs: Tokyo Metro’s main-route adult IC fare chart (April 1, 2026), checked October 7, 2026. Totals and differences are our calculations for these routes, not quoted package prices. For another route, use the official fare planner.

Pro Tips

• A 72-hour ticket averages about ¥667 per 24 hours, but compare the covered fare total before buying

• Start it when your covered sightseeing journeys justify the price; airport transfers cost extra

• For a paper ticket, insert it into the ticket slot and collect it after passing through. For a direct-use QR ticket, use the live ticket screen at a compatible QR gate; screenshots and printed copies do not work

• For a direct-use QR ticket, ask station staff if a gate has no compatible reader. Keep your phone working and charged; you may need to buy a separate ticket if you cannot display the ticket screen

• For a transfer to JR, use the procedure for your Subway Ticket format. With a direct-use QR ticket, follow the official instruction to exit the covered section and enter the other operator with an appropriate ticket. With paper or PASMO products, follow the designated transfer-gate instructions or ask staff before presenting two tickets or cards. For a train that continues beyond the subway network, check the through-service and pass-boundary guide before boarding.

• Some Oedo Line platforms are deep underground; allow extra time for lifts, escalators and transfers

See the official QR ticket instructions for activation, gates without readers and phone requirements.

Day 1: Shibuya (Ginza/Hanzomon) → Harajuku walk → Omotesando (Ginza/Chiyoda) → Roppongi (Hibiya/Oedo) → Shinjuku (Marunouchi/Oedo)

Day 2: Asakusa (Ginza/Asakusa) → Ueno (Ginza/Hibiya) → Akihabara (Hibiya) → Ginza (Ginza/Marunouchi/Hibiya) → Tsukiji-shijo (Oedo)

Day 3: Ikebukuro (Marunouchi/Yurakucho) → Shinjuku-gyoemmae (Marunouchi, for Shinjuku Gyoen) → Meiji Shrine walk → Omotesando → Tokyo Tower (Oedo: Akabanebashi)

Build a route from these neighborhood ideas using exact stations, walking segments and the return to your hotel. Then calculate its covered fares using the method in the route-based examples above. These stop lists alone do not establish that a 72-hour pass is worthwhile.

For neighborhood-specific tips on where to stay and what else to explore nearby:

Shibuya

Explore the Shibuya area guide for more tips.

Shibuya guide

Shinjuku

Explore the Shinjuku area guide for more tips.

Shinjuku guide

Asakusa

Explore the Asakusa area guide for more tips.

Asakusa guide