It’s time for another edition of How to NOT Be Another Foreigner in a Taxi! This time we cover my home base, Tokyo. Being as I only deviate from the trains in specific business rush-with-no-nearby-station situations, writing a How to NOT Be Another Foreigner in a Taxi for Tokyo required me to stop thinking automatically for a moment on my way back from the airport and stop and take a few photos.

Once you exit CIQ (customs, immigration, quarantine) you have a few options on how to get to Tokyo proper (note that Narita is actually in an entirely different prefecture than Tokyo!). Your primary options to not break the bank are two trains and one bus: Narita Express (JR East), Keisei Skyliner (Keisei Electric Railway), and Airport Limousine Bus. If you are tight on cash, you also have the option of taking the non-”special” versions of both JR East and Keisei, the JR Sobu Line and Keisei Line, respectively. Each of these will save money, but can take quite a long time to get to the city, so we’ll not go into them for now.

Exit CIQ and proceed to the sign pointing down the underground. (Note that the photo is of Terminal 1, but Terminal 2 is almost the same.)

If you want a “green car” (green car is a term the Japanese use in English for a kind of luxury car on  train), then Narita Express will be your option. Otherwise, look at the digital signage to see departures.

Keisei (left) and Narita Express (right) departures

If you are headed to any destination close to Ueno, Nippori, or Funabashi, go to Keisei Skyliner unless there isn’t one for quite some time. Otherwise, Narita Express is probably your better best as it stops at Tokyo Station, Shinagawa, Shinjuku, and even further out. Check out the JR East Timetable and Keisei Electric Railway Timetable.

Get your tickets at the respective offices:

(JR: Narita Express and other lines)

Keisei Ticket Office

NOTE: The JR Ticket office accepts VISA, Mastercard, and JCB, but Keisei is cash only! If you don’t have any Japanese Yen with you, you’ll have to go back upstairs to an ATM machine or a money-changing facility. (Recommendation: use an ATM machine so you get a better rate).

That’s it! These lines head straight into Tokyo and you’re all set! When you’re in the City, try and take the train, too. It’s cheap, good for the environment, and FAST.

With the impending World Expo 2010 coming to Shanghai, China, what better way to start a new series, How to NOT Be Another Foreigner in a Taxi, than with China’s city above the sea, Shanghai.

Travel can be exciting and fun, but it doesn’t mean it has to be expensive or cliché. You do not have to be another foreigner in a far off land who doesn’t know up from down. You can take public transit, which in many big cities saves on the big three: money, time, and emissions. In Shanghai it means one more thing:  maglev. The journey from the Pudong International Airport Station to Longyang Road Station (end of the line) is a mere eight minutes to travel 30 km. Here is what to do in a few easy steps to experience a World Expo flair any time of the year:

1. After clearing health inspection, immigration, and customs, proceed to the Maglev ticket counter, following the clearly marked signs.

   

2. Purchase ticket at the Maglev ticket counter. It’s only RMB50 for a one-way or RMB80 for a round-trip. This is about US$12.00, €8.40, or ¥1,000, so it’s quite the deal.
3. Try and grab the seats near the door as they are the most spacious. (They are also the most popular).
4. Feel free to take a picture of the Maglev after arriving at Longyang Road Station. There will be a little bit of a wait, but don’t pass up your chance to take a photograph.
5. Proceed down the escalator and locate the Shanghai Metro Station. Look for the red “M.”
   
6. Proceed to automated ticket machine and press the “English” button in the upper right-hand corner.
7. Based on where you are headed, select your final line to your destination (e.g. if your destination is on Line Four, select “Line Four” on the bottom of the screen, then hit the touch screen with your station name). Note that Longyang Road is only Line Two.
8. Proceed onto the train bound for Songhong Road (unless for some reason you are going to Zhangjiang Hi-Tech Park, which 99.9% of travelers are not).
9. If your destination is on Line Two, then get off on the appropriate stop. Otherwise, transfer at the appropriate station(s) and proceed to your final destination. Note: many of the hotels are accessible from Line Two and it is recommended for ease of transport to stay on one of these).

That’s it! Once you’re in Shanghai proper, if you need to take a taxi intra-city and there is no subway station close to either end, then go for it. But if you find yourself right by a station and your destination by one as well, consider the faster, cheaper, greener option of the subway.