Train riding tutorial

So you'll be ready when you come to visit!

While I'm still not at the point that I can just go to the station and figure out where I need to go, if I plan my route before I leave home, I do fine and I can get to the places I go regularly w/ out needing to plan ahead. I haven't gotten lost or on the wrong train yet, but sometimes my timing is a bit off and I have to wait longer than I had planned for the next train.

This is Higashi Fussa (East Fussa) station. It's the one we usually leave from, it's a few blocks closer to the base than the bigger Fussa station and it's cheaper too. You go up the stairs in the foreground, then down the next set of stairs to the platform.

This is the map at Tachikawa station of the JR lines and stations in the Tokyo area (in Japanese) and their fare amounts from Tachikawa. Most of the bigger stations have maps in English as well.

This is an alphabetical listing of all the train stations with their fare amounts, in English. The cheapest fare is 130Y ($1.30) to go one stop. The most expensive is about 1900Y ($19.00) which will get you all the way to Narita airport, about 2 hours away.

Ticket machine.

Insert your money (coins or bills) on the right, select the fare you need from the touch screen; your ticket and change are dispensed at the bottom.

Heading towards the ticket takers at Tachikawa

Ticket taker machine.

Insert your ticket above the arrow. If you're entering the station, your ticket will pop up on the other end, grab it as you walk through. If you're exiting the station, your ticket will not be returned.

This is the train time board for the Ome - Itsukaichi Line, heading towards Haijima, Ome & Oku-tama, this is the train we take home from Tachikawa to Higashi-Fussa. To get home via Fussa station, take the Ome/Chuo line.

Hop on your train.

The red "Priority" seats are for the elderly, handicapped, pregnant and people w/ small children. You have to turn your cell phone off if you are in or near these seats. You are encouraged via frequent public announcements to put your phones on vibrate while on the train, and discouraged from talking on it as well. Its also rude to eat or drink on the train.