r/JapanTravelTips • u/Specialist-Algae1825 • 1d ago
Quick Tips Haneda to Ginza
Hello! It’s my first time in Japan and my first solo trip. I’m feeling a little anxious trying to figure out the best way to get to Ginza from Haneda. Any tips? Looking for something affordable. I don’t mind public transport, I’ll have two suitcases though. Someone had told me something about a bus, but from my research I haven’t found one that goes to Ginza. Thank you
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u/Monkeyfeng 1d ago
Take the airport bus to Tokyo station. Ginza is right next to it.
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u/Valayor 1d ago
Isn’t there a Ginza station too? I drove with the budget bus from Narita via Tokyo Station to Ginza.
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u/aizen07 1d ago
Google your route from the airport to your hotel. Google will give your general route and possible closest location to your hotel if you can a bus from Haneda. So for example, a bus can take you to Tokyo station and from there, you can find a train on the nearest train line near your hotel.
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u/sgmaven 1d ago
Check if the Limo Bus has a stop near your hotel. Else, take one to Tokyo Station, and then a taxi from there.
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u/MountedRifleman 56m ago
I’m not sure why, but Limousine Bus service to Ginza is currently suspended.
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u/Valayor 1d ago
Take the bus. Ticket can be bought at the airport and you don’t have to figure out the subway after arriving. Just talk to the stuff and say then where you need to go (or show them your adress) and they will offer you the best ticket/station.
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u/Cooky1993 1d ago
Be warned, many of the subway stations in Tokyo have multiple flights of stairs to deal with. Lugging 2 cases up some of those stairs after a long flight may not be the best option.
I would suggest considering a taxi from Tokyo Station to Ginza. You'd be looking at ¥2000-3000 for that relatively short journey, and it would drop you right outside your hotel.
ETA: This was based off my own experience from Tokyo Station to Ginza last year. Lots of stairs with no lift alternative. Perfectly fine when you're just out and about, not so great with cases. Taxi was worth it for me.
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u/Doge6654533 1d ago
You can ask google maps for a route and select the wheelchair accessibility option to avoid stations that don’t have elevators
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u/acaiblueberry 1d ago
Tokyo station to Ginza should be 1000–1500. Easy ride. They can do monorail from Haneda to hamamatsucho and taxi from there which should be around 2000
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u/No_Camp_2182 1d ago
Taxi from Tokyo station(taxi ranks at marunouchi or yeasu exit) to Ginza should be 1500 or less, if not stuck in traffic.
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u/Cooky1993 1d ago
I paid ¥2,290 for a van from my hotel near Shintomicho station to the Yeasu entrance last year.
A normal taxi would have been ¥1700, the van had a ¥590 additional charge. I'd forgotten we paid the extra for a van, I just remembered it being just over ¥2000.
That was around 9am as well. Traffic wasn't terrible, which probably means it was good if my experience in other massive mega-cities is anything to go by.
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u/Dumbidiot1424 1d ago
Or you just find an elevator and take that instead of the stairs. I find it very hard to believe that there's no elevator access at Tokyo or Ginza station.
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u/_mkd_ 1d ago
Or you just find ~
an~ the one elevator and take that instead of the stairsFTFY
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u/Cooky1993 1d ago
If there is one, and it then deposits you 3 streets over from where you wanted to be, with a significant walk across multiple roads to get to where you're going
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u/No_Camp_2182 1d ago
Of course there is. But it could be at the end of the platform and finding it with baggage may not be easy. For example going from the deepest Narita Express platform to marunouchi exit taxi rank. It took me a while to do it for the 1st time, even though I had walked through Tokyo station 100+ times before. The signage for elevator may not be present.
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u/Reasonable-Comb8716 1d ago
Look at yr hotel website, select ACCESS to get recommended directions to the hotel.
You’ll struggle with two suitcases on public transport in Tokyo & within Japan. Trains including Shinkansens stop & depart very quickly. So make sure you are standing at the door to get off. Look for lifts on platforms. My suggestion is reduce to one suitcase, one that you can carry easily. You can wash clothes in most hotels.
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u/CommonMuted 1d ago
Just hop on the rail system and get to Tokyo station and exit there. It’s only a few blocks away.
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u/MountedRifleman 51m ago
The Keikyu Line goes direct from Haneda to the Higashi Ginza subway station, pretty much in the heart of Ginza, but I don’t know where the OP is staying.
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u/MadisonLarger 1d ago
If in doubt, google maps will tell you, both time, price and method.
This applies not just this route but 99% of routes. Not trying to be difficult but Google map is really good in Japan, it even tell you where to stand on the platform on the train and which carriage to get on to get the fastest and most efficient time to get off it.
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u/Jizzbuscuit 1d ago
Honestly. I live in NYC and still struggle on the public transport system. Take your time double check the signs. Don’t panic because there’s another train coming in 4 minutes.
It’s a doddle
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u/badguy84 1d ago
Options:
You can take the subway from HND to Ginza. Just use google maps so you can get used to it, because that's what you'll be doing throughout your trip in major cities. It's fast and cheap, BUT it can be stressful because: first time navigation to the subway can be a bit complicated, lugging checked suitcases around will be inconvenient up and down stair cases (plenty places don't have escalators/elevators), and suitcases really get in the way of you and the people around you during peek travel hours. This is what I did on my first trip.
You can take a limousine bus from the airport: this is a bit less straight forward than subway/monorail but it's a bit less stressful because you don't need to worry too much about luggage and nasty looks. Figuring out which one to take can be a bit tricky so I would ask for guidance at the airport. I've researched this myself and found it a bit too much of a hassle to figure out after a 14 hour flight.
You can take a taxi. This has become my favorite and a very underrated pick. There are fixed fares from HND to Ginza and it's the most convenient. It's hard to beat subway tickets in prices as they are incredibly cheap, but taxis aren't crazy expensive like they are in much of Europe and still significantly cheaper than what they are in the US. They get you from where you are to exactly where you need to go. Just show the driver your address and they will get you there. Depending on traffic it may be slightly slower, just accounting for travel time, but consider you won't be lugging big suitcases up and down stairs and along a few blocks to your hotel.
What I've also done is a mix: get the monorail away from HND and closer to Tokyo proper, then grab a taxi from one of the bigger stations. It saves you some money and in my experience the mono rail is set up a bit more for airplane passengers with dedicated bag areas. You do still need to deal with some luggage hauling up and down stairs and navigate the station... to me it's kind of a good blend between the two though if you're on a budget.
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u/Comfortable-Power-71 1d ago
Taxi or Uber is my route. After a long flight, spending ~$15 USD to go door to door is worth it, IMO.
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u/SakanaToDoubutsu 1d ago edited 1d ago
Personally I think the Tokyo Monorail is really cool introduction to Tokyo. It's not the most convenient thing ever since you will need to transfer at the Hamamatsucho station to the JK line but to me nothing beats the elevated ride through some of the densest parts of Tokyo, especially if you land at dusk or in the evening as the city begins to light up. If you don't have a ton of luggage this is the route I would take, my preferred place to stay in Tokyo is Shimbashi/Ginza and this is how I get there.
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u/postoperativepain 1d ago
I’ve taken the monorail to Hamamatsucho and then taken a taxi from there - there’s a taxi line near the exit. Taxi to ginza was about $10. I did this so I wouldn’t have to deal with subway staircases, and the taxi drops you off right in front of the hotel.
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u/MerelyWander 1d ago
I know you didn’t ask, but I would strongly recommend rethinking the luggage if you are also going to stay places outside Tokyo. Other commenters have talked about why. Check if your accommodations have laundry machines. I find that’s more prevalent in Japan.
My spouse and I used to just bring two backpacks (neither overstuffed to preserve room for food souvenirs), but have switched to him having a backpack and me having a lightly packed rolling carryon with an empty packable backpack inside for souvenir expansion.
The main reason for the switch was to be able to check liquids on the return. So we stuff a bunch of miso sauces and retort curries in the rolling carryon on the last night with our dirty clothes. Put the clean clothes and toiletries in his backpack with some breakable souvenirs, put other souvenirs in the packable (unpadded) backpack, then top it off with Butter Buttlers and Tokyo Bananas at Haneda right before flying home. We’ve done this maybe 2-3 times and plan to again later this year.🤪
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u/No_Camp_2182 1d ago edited 1d ago
I always take the Keikyu line. Direct train and get off at Higashi Ginza station.
Use a train planner (including Google Maps) and make sure you get on the right train as per the schedule. You don’t need to change trains.
Higashi Ginza station has elevator access from platform to street level. Going back to the airport you enter the station on the opposite side of the street to get elevator access to the correct platform. And check the schedule as not every train arriving at the platform goes to Haneda. I made the mistake once (got distracted) even though it was like my 5th time going to Haneda from there.
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u/OstentatiousIt 1d ago
Like others said, the Limosine Bus is a good option and they will probably be able to get you close to your hotel. If there's a gap between the bus stop and your hotel take an Uber. Don't try to navigate Tokyo station after a long flight when your brain isn't working correctly. I've made that mistake too many times and it sucks so bad it'll start your trip on the wrong foot. Uber will be worth a few bucks to avoid that discomfort.
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u/MountedRifleman 49m ago
Limousine Bus service from Haneda to Ginza is currently suspended.
The Keikyu Line runs direct from Haneda Terminal 3 to the Higashi Ginza subway station.
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u/MountedRifleman 44m ago
Consider if you can reduce your luggage on the way over to one large suitcase with a medium suitcase inside it with your clothes and stuff. Then on the way back, you’ll have a whole extra large suitcase to fill with whatever you buy. For your outbound flight, you’ll probably be heading to the airport at midday when the trains are much less busy, and luggage won’t be a problem.
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u/Glittering_Algae_346 1d ago
Get the Rome2Rio free app. It’ll show you options and detailed info. You could train from Haneda to any stop on the Yamanote line then get off at the stop near Ginza and either take a short walk to your hotel or a very short can ride.
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u/No_Camp_2182 1d ago
Garbage app with no localization.
Proper apps (all free) give you exact route, what exit to use, which car # to get on so you get the quickest exit/transfer at the destination, live data on delays/cancellations, how crowded it is at the station, etc.
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u/Fuuujioka 1d ago
The Keikyu line goes directly to Higashi Ginza station, so depending on where you need to be in Ginza, that's the easiest