Tokyo has two airports: The New Tokyo International Airport (commonly known as Narita Airport), located 60 km outside of central Tokyo, while the domestic Haneda Airport is more centrally located.

Most visitors arrive at Narita Airport. After clearing customs, you will enter the main lobby where you can exchange money, make arrangements for bus service into the city, pick up your rail pass, or get tourist information. Do not attempt to take photos in the baggage area. Airport security will become quite annoyed and may actually threaten to eject you from the terminal (without your luggage).

The speedy JR Narita Express trains leave from Narita Airport for Tokyo Station, Shinjuku, Ikebukuro, and Yokohama. The ride costs approximately US$30 (there is no additional cost if you hold a validated JR Rail Pass) and seats must be reserved in advance. There are also slower trains into the city. After arriving at the station of your choice, taxis will be available to carry you to your hotel.

Most train arrivals from other cities in Japan end up in Tokyo Station. From there, you can connect to other trains, or catch a taxi to your final destination. Tokyo Station is also the place to exchange your voucher for a JR Rail Pass if you haven't already done so.

Airport buses leave hourly, and tend to make stops at all the major hotels. Check at the Airport Limousine Bus counter for information regarding bus service into the city. The price is approximately US$45. The downside to the bus is that you will not be delivered directly to your hotel, but will have several stops along the way. Other bus services include Airport Shuttle which also has a counter in the main lobby. Hotels can generally assist in making arrangements when you are ready to return to Narita after your trip.

Taxis are the most expensive method of travelling from the airport to your hotel (around US$250) and due to heavy traffic, not necessarily the quickest either. The advantage of a taxi is that you will be taken directly to your hotel.

Tokyo is covered by a dense network of train, subway and bus lines, which are operated by about a dozen different companies. The train lines operated by JR East and the subway lines are most convenient for moving around in central Tokyo.

Thanks to the determination of the Japanese government to attract foreign visitors, Tokyo is becoming ever easier to navigate. A new design of the subway map makes travelling on the city’s excellent public transport extremely easy. English signage is good and getting better, while learning a few basics in Japanese will go a long way to help navigate the sprawling city’s streets.

Today there are 13 subway lines in full operation that weave the two areas together. The Yamanote line encircles the very nucleus of the city, connecting the many city centres. Most of the countless suburban train lines commence at one of the six major stations of the Yamanote Line (Tokyo, Ueno, Ikebukuro, Shinjuku, Shibuya and Shinagawa). The majority of Tokyo’s activity is centralized around subway and train stations.

A wide variety of one day train passes provide discounts for travel within Tokyo. Passes are sold at train stations and vending machines and are valid for one calendar day.

Prepaid cards are another option. They don't give you any discounts, but they make the process of taking trains easier, as you do not always need to buy a ticket before hopping aboard. Prepaid cards can be purchased at vending machines.

The famous Bullet Train (Shinkansen) lines quickly connect Tokyo to a number of other cities like Osaka and Kyoto in about three hours and scenic Hakone in just 40 minutes. There are also direct bullet trains to/from Kyushu, Nagano, Niigata and various destinations in the Tohoku Region.