Tokyo is a big city with a population of approximately 9 million people just in the 23 wards. That population swells during the day as people from outside the 23 wards come in for work. Simply put, you are dealing with a lot of people. Luckily, Tokyo has one of the most developed and efficiently run public transportation systems in the world.

Let’s start with the trains.

Trains will likely be your primary form of transportation while in Tokyo. There are approximately 30 train and subway operators in the greater Tokyo area running approximately 120 train lines. Fear and complexity is probably one of the first things you’ll feel when look at a train map of Tokyo.

Fortunately for you, you live in the era of Google Maps and almost all train information is connected to the internet. So if you know which train station you are at and which train station you want to go to, you can usually get directions on which lines to take and where to transfer at. If you are traveling around central Tokyo within normal hours (6AM to 9PM) trains usually run often enough that even if you don’t get on the train that Google Maps tells you to get on, trains run often enough that you probably won’t be delayed more than 10 to 15 minutes.

In an effort to be more tourist friendly, most train stations are now labeled was a letter-number combination which identifies the line and station. No more needing to remember how a station is spelled or how it’s written in Japanese. For example, Toyosu station on the Yurakucho subway line is now station Y-22.

There are 30 some operators of trains and subways in Tokyo. This used to be really confusing because you would have to buy a ticket from each operator if you were using lines from multiple operators. However, this has been greatly simplified in the last 10 years with the introduction and integration of the SUICA and PASMO IC card systems. More on these later, but I want to introduce a few major train lines as some of the pass options discussed below are restricted to specific operators.

There are two major classifications for train companies: Japan Railway (JR) and other operators, like Keisei, Tobu, Seibu, and the subways. I only bring this up because you may be considering purchasing a JR Rail pass. A JR Rail pass, obviously, can only be used on JR lines, which are sometimes not the most convenient stations for where you want to go. A JR Rail pass is great if you want to see more of Japan, if you are focused on Tokyo, I have some other recommendations or options.

If you are flying into Narita, one option is the Keisei Skyliner & Metro Pass which is a Skyliner ticket with a 1-day or 2-day (consecutive) pass for the Tokyo Metro subway system. This is a good option if you want to pile in a lot of travel in a couple of days. If not, I would plan out your travels and consider whether it makes sense financially for you. Tickets for adults average around 200 yen per trip, so you need to make around 8 trips to make the 710 yen 1-day Metro pass worth while. With the combo option, you save 510 yen, so essentially you’re getting the day-pass for free. So it might be worth it for the 1-day Metro pass.

My recommendation, while may not be the cheapest on a per-trip basis, but allows for the most flexibility (which is important when traveling with kids) is to buy a SUICA or PASMO IC Card and charge the card with how ever much you think you will use. There is a 500 yen deposit for the card which you can get refunded (less a refund processing fee) at the end of your trip if you don’t want to keep your card. I would probably put at least 3,000 yen for an adult card if you are staying 5 days in Tokyo and moving around. You can always charge more later

Both SUICA and PASMO can be used on almost all train lines now. You can also use it on most of the public buses that run in Tokyo. Just tap and go! Beyond that, you can use them to pay at many convenience stores, vending machines and coin lockers. So if you have some funds left over at the end of your trip and don't want to bother with a refund, just buy some snacks at a convenience store!

The one disadvantage is that you will need to get a registered child card for children between the ages of 6 and 11 (i.e. elementary school - grades 1 to 6) to get the child fare. Only adult fare cards are sold at the machines so ask at the ticketing counter to get a child card. They may ask to see the child's passport as proof of age. Children under 6 are free on the trains.