That’s right, my flight is in less than 12 hours, specifically, 1:40pm PST. And I haven’t even packed yet!
Alright, so I’ve never been to Japan before, much less even left the US before. Thankfully, I’ll be meeting up with a friend at my hotel, but there’s still the little matter of getting there…
I know that I have to take the Keisei Line to Ueno, and that’s about the extent of my knowledge. So I have some questions…and by “some” I mean “many”:
- How do the trains work, exactly? Where do I get a ticket from and what’s the process for boarding?
- Can I catch it from the airport itself?
- Do the attendants speak English?
- How do I know when I reach my stop? And how long does it take to get to Ueno?
- Will the trains be busy on Sunday, around 4pm? (I’ve seen the ‘pusher’ videos and don’t really want to deal with that…)
- Is there some train etiquette I should be aware of? I know about the ‘no cellphone’ thing–I presume taking luggage on is fine? Do they have seats or are they standing only?
Yeah, I worry a lot–that’s me. Anything I missed, or anything else about Japan in general I should know before I depart? The more I know, the more comfortable I’ll be…which is to say is still extremely uncomfortable, but whatever little bit helps 
If your flying in through Narita airport you’ll need to take the Narita Express bullet train from the airport to Tokyo station. There are two options for seating on that train green car and reserved. I only use the green car on that train because after getting off a plane for 13 hours I consider the extra room and ease of finding a place for luggage a necessity. I think the tickets are about $60 us per person.
The Narita Express tickets can be purchased at a ticket counter or on an available kiosk. Tickets for the Tokyo subway system are purchased through kiosks. They can be used in English.
I can’t remember the specifics of going to Ueno. Trying to figure out the Tokyo subway system and how to get from point a to point be can be very overwhelming. If the answer on how to get somewhere isn’t obvious stand, look around, looking confused and American and 90% of the time someone English speaking person will volunteer to help you and give instruction.
They announce each stop. Much like any subway system in the US. Best to note how many stops to your destination and count them as you go.
I would not expect the trains to be busy at that time. The Cars have both seats and standing room. luggage is not an issue. If you are male and notice an all female boarding line to get into a car, that line is not for you. They have women only cars during peak hours.
If your staying in Tokyo for the whole trip its very much like being in the US. There are some obvious differences but overall nothing to worry about. All signs are in English and Japanese. It is very easy to find a English speaking person at most businesses. Restaurants will have English menu’s and/or picture menu’s. Do not tip for anything its considered an insult.
Thinking about it a little more I’d recommend Taking a cab from Tokyo station. It will be a lot easier then dragging around lugguage and trying to navagate. Ueno is in the Taito district very close the the station.
So take the Narita express from Narita to Tokyo station. Find your way out of Tokyo station(this can be an long confusing trip). Hop in a cab. Cabbies rarely speak English so have your hotel info and point to the name.(they can read English) 15 bucks later arrive at your hotel.
To get from Tokyo Station to Ueno you’ll need to change trains. Take the M line from Tokyo one stop to Ginza where you get on the Ginza line. From there it’s 7 stops to Ueno. The subway isn’t very difficult to figure out - you go to the ticket machines and you’ll see a big map and chart on the wall. Look for your stop and the chart will tell you how expensive a ticket you need to buy to get there. The machines are very easy to figure out but you’ll need to have Japanese money on hand.
Once on the trains the stops are well marked and the lines are all color coded. Each stop shows what the next stop is so you’ll quickly know if you’re going in the right direction. IIRC they were in Japanese and English, very easy to know where you were.
Having said all that, after a flight and the train ride from Narita, I took a cab from the end of the bus ride. There are also buses that run from Narita to a bunch of areas of the city that are cheaper than the train. At the airport there are travelers help desks that will point you at the right train or bus to get you where you need to go. It helps to have your hotel name and address written down in Japanese. Just get a printout from their web page.
Have fun, it’s a great city.
Thanks all for the replies–do the ticket machines take credit cards or just cash? If not, I heard they have ATMs at the airport–do all major bank card work there (mine’s Chase)?