Taxis in Japan

posted by  banzaitokyo | 8 years, 5 months ago

Many times I have wondered why Tokyo -the capital city of Japan- with more than 33 Million inhabitants, stops public transport around midnight. I come from the city of Potsdam, Germany and even with a population of “only” 159.400 people, the public transport of my home town doesn’t stop after midnight. Trams and buses are available until the next morning.

After midnight there is no train transportation until 5 am (photo by japanvisitor.com)

I talked with my Japanese friends and most of them gave me the same simple explanation: the last train around midnight is necessary, because it enforces something like a “National Curfew”.

Japan is known for having really long working-hours and the word Karoshi can be already found in the English language, literally translated as “death from overwork”. In Japan, working yourself to death is a medically recognized manner of death. Common symptoms of karoshi are heart attacks or a stroke. However, the last train enforces a mandatory curfew and it helps to prevent endless overwork for Japanese employees. Companies can force their employees to do a lot of things, but missing the last train isn’t one of them.

In case you are just a tourist and you had too much beer or you forgot about Japan’s inconvenient public transport at night you might need a taxi to get to your hotel.

Besides that you can also stay in a Manga Cafe or get another beer in an Izakaya, together with other business men, who did the same mistake like you.

But if you decide for a taxi – there are some things you should keep in mind.

Taxi drivers in Japan are generally highly trustworthy and they will not try to take advantage of their clients. I once did the baka na gaijin mistake and missed my last train. Although I confused the taxi driver with a wrong home address (which was due to a long night of drinking) and we ended up in the wrong street, he didn’t charge me extra for going back to the supposed destination. Taking a taxi in Japan is safe and mostly all of the drivers are licensed.

Some of the regular Taxi manners are:

• Taxi fares have basic charges.
• Taxis can be taken at the taxi stand.
• For taxis running on the road, there is a small sign board on top that indicates if it is vacant or not.
• Smoking is prohibited inside taxis.
• There are taxis that accept credit cards.
• Taxi’s door on the left side will open and close automatically.

To hail a taxi, go to a taxi stand or flag one down at a location where it is safe for it to stop. Keep in mind, that in some places in Tokyo, for example Ginza, you need to wait at a Taxi stand to get a ride. Taxis at Ginza won’t stop when you try to flag them down on the street. Taxi stands can be usually found in front of stations. A red plate indicates that the taxi is vacant, while a green plate indicates the opposite. When you call a taxi via phone usually you don’t have to pay an additional charge.

VACANT

OCCUPIED

When you board a taxi the left rear door will be opened and closed remotely by the driver. You are not supposed to open or close the door by yourself.

Tips in Japan are not necessary, that’s the same, when you drive taxi.

If you do not speak Japanese or if your destination is not a well known place, show the address on a piece of paper or point it on a map.

A Japanese taxi driver

Close to some popular tourists spots, sightseeing taxi tours can be chartered. Although you might have problems with a language barrier, recently you can also find taxi drivers who can speak a little English.

For two hours the usual fee is around 10.000 Yen.

Since cash is the preferred means of payment, credit cards are often not accepted by taxi drivers in Japan. Let the driver know in advance if you intend paying with a credit card or if you have nothing smaller than a 10,000 yen note in your wallets. The taxi might not have credit card facilities or sufficient change for large notes.

When using a standard four-passenger taxi, fares typically start around 600-700 yen for the first two kilometres and increase by around 80-90 yen for every additional 300-400 meters travelled. Taxis are not the most cheap solution in Japan to get from A to B. The cost also increases when the taxi is not moving for a prolonged time. Late in the evening (typically 10pm to 5am), rates are raised by typically 20 percent. Don’t forget, that express ways have a toll fee in Japan and this will be added to your fare.

“Taxi Noriba” – taxi stand

The cheapest way for you to get back to your hotel is just to not miss your last train. Take care and have a safe journey!

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