Yokohama is a fantastic city break (from the city), with stunning night views, Asia’s largest Chinatown, and a great art scene. Luckily, all these great things are easy to get to from Tokyo, and we’ve broken down your options below.
The best ways of getting to Yokohama from Tokyo
There’s only one real option for the trip if you’re looking to save money, and that’s the train. While limousine buses are an option if you’re coming directly from the airport, and you could take local buses if you really wanted, neither comes close to the efficiency and value of the trains.
Tokyo to Yokohama by train
Traveling into Yokohama by train is the most practical option and doesn’t take long at all. Yokohama is very well connected and is easy to reach from all the main stations in Tokyo. While there are bus options, they can be confusing and always take longer—who needs that on a sightseeing itinerary?
Regular train tickets
From Tokyo Station: Catch the Tokaido Line for Odawara, this takes just under half an hour and costs ¥483.
From Shinjuku Station: Catch the JR Shonan Shinjuku Line which takes 30 mins and costs ¥571.
From Shibuya Station: The best option is to catch the Toyoko line F-Liner for Motomachi-Chukagai, which takes just under half an hour and costs ¥309. Be sure not to confuse it with the S-Liner, which has reserved seats and costs more. The Shonan-Shinjuku Line takes the same amount of time as the F-liner, but costs an extra ¥97.
From Shinagawa Station: Catching the JR Tokaido Line is the best option. It takes 16 minutes and costs ¥303. The JR Yokosuka and JR Keihin-Tohoku/Negishi lines cost the same but take 23 and 28 minutes respectively. If you’re keen to avoid JR, then the Keikyu main Line takes 17 minutes and costs ¥303 if you catch the Rapid Limited Express.
If you’re new to Tokyo, then consider getting yourself a Pasmo or Suica travel card. They’re reloadable, meaning you skip the ticket machine lines as well as the stress of figuring out which paper ticket to buy.
Train passes
Even for short journeys like Tokyo to Yokohama you can usually find a travel pass to save you a few yen, be it a longer use option like the JR passes or a local day-trip version.
JR passes
For those with a JR Pass or those considering getting one, this journey really isn’t worth activating it for, so save it for a longer trip if you can. If you have one running already, then by all means go ahead, you can even treat yourself to a ride on the bullet train from Tokyo Station to Shin-Yokohama Station. The journey to Yokohama is also covered by the JR East passes (more details in the link above).
Local day passes
Minatomirai One-Day Pass: This pass offers a return trip from most Tokyu Line stations to Yokohama as well as unlimited use of the Minatomirai Line. It costs ¥920. Thi would allow you to visit Chinatown (Motomachi Chukagai Station), Osanbashi Pier (Nihon-Odori Station), Yokohama’s Red Brick Warehouse (Bashamichi Station), the Cup Noodles Museum (Minatomirai Station) and Yokohama itself. Keep in mind these places are mostly within walking distance though, so be sure to check maps first.
The Yokohama Chinatown Trip Gourmet Ticket: This pass offers one day of unlimited travel on Tokyu lines, unlimited use of the Minatomirai Line, and a meal voucher for use in select restaurants in Yokohama’s Chinatown. It costs ¥3,300 for adults and ¥2,200 for children, so make the most of the Tokyu lines (Toyoko, Meguro, Den-en-toshi, Oimachi, Ikegami, Tokyu Tamagawa, Setagaya and Kodomonokuni).
Airport travel to Yokohama
If you’re heading straight to Yokohama from either Narita or Haneda (hopefully the latter, for your sake), there are some simple options to choose from.
Trains
Narita to Yokohama: The cheapest way to get from Narita to Yokohama is on the JR Sobu rapid service, which changes into the Yokosuka Line when it reaches Tokyo. This journey takes about 2 hours and costs just under ¥2,000.
Haneda to Yokohama: Since Haneda is much closer, you can get to Yokohama in under 30 minutes on the Airport Kyuko for just ¥333.
Limousine buses
Narita: There are limousine bus services running from Narita’s terminals to the Yokohama City Air Terminal (close to Yokohama Station) and to Minatomirai (stopping at major hotels). The tickets cost ¥3,700 for adults and the journey takes around 2 hours. While it’s a little more expensive the the train, you may feel more comfortable if you have lots of luggage or just hate trains. Tickets can be booked online or bought from ticket counters in the terminals.
Haneda: There are frequent Keikyu bus services to Yokohama Station for ¥590 and to Minatomirai for ¥800. Tickets can be purchased at the bus ticket sales counter inside the international terminal.
Pro tip: Traveling with lots of luggage? Consider porting it from the airport to your accommodation so you can get right into the sightseeing.
Transport within Yokohama
Yokohama is very easy to navigate with a combination of four train companies, two subway lines, plenty of municipal and private busses, and your own feet. Once you’ve made it to the city, you can use your IC travel cards on almost all transport (except the odd bus) or try out some of the one-day passes if you think you’ll be relying on transport a lot.
Yokohama’s subway lines
Divided into municipal and private lines, the Yokohama subway system is compact but comes in handy. The Yokohama Municipal Subway is made up of two lines, but feels more like three:
- The Green Line stretches from Nakayama to Hiyoshi.
- The Blue Line has two branches: one from Azamino to Kannai and then to Shonandai.
Meanwhile, the Minatomirai Line is part-run by Tokyu Railways and has through services with the Toyoko, Fukutoshin and Seibu lines as it reaches Tokyo. Minatomirai Line is probably the most useful as it includes stops like its namesake Minatomirai—hence why it’s often included in tourist-friendly travel passes.
Yokohama’s buses
For those who prefer the views of bus travel, then the bay area has an old-fashioned sightseeing loop bus called the Akai Kutsu bus. A single trip costs ¥220 or you can buy a Burari day pass for ¥500 (more on that in the passes section below). There are also services run in the same vein to sightseeing spots like Sankeien Garden and the Red Brick Warehouses—although these buses only run on weekends and holidays most of the time. Regular municipal buses are easy to find in Yokohama, and you can get all-day passes for ¥600 (more info below).
Travel passes
The Burari Pass
This mainly bus-based pass offers free travel on specific municipal buses in the Yokohama Bay area.
- The Akai Kutsu Bus takes you to the Cup Noodles Museum, Osanbashi and more
- The Burari-Sankein bus (takes you to the gardens)
- The Burari Akarenga Bus (takes you to the red-brick warehouses)
- The Burari-Nogeyama-dobutsuen Bus (takes you to a small free zoo)
You also have free use of a section on the Yokohama Blue Metropolitan Line—from Yokohama to Isezaki-chojamachi. The pass can be purchased on some municipal buses in local shops and travel agents, at tourist centers at Shin-Yokohama and Sakuragi-cho stations and Yokohama Station Customer Service Office (East Exit).
The Yokohama One-Day Ticket
Provided by Keikyu, the Yokohama One-Day Ticket allows for unlimited travel on the Minatomirai Line, Yokohama Municipal Subway (between Yokohama and Kamiooka), the Keikyu Line (between Yokohama and Kamiooka) and on a designated route on municipal busses. The ticket costs ¥840 if bought in the Yokohama-Kamiooka area and a little more to include the journey if bought elsewhere (¥1,120 from Shinagawa, ¥1,070 from Yokosuka).
Municipal Bus One Day Pass
This is a regular pass (link in Japanese) that allows unlimited travel on all city bus routes including the Akai Kutsu bus and the Burari-kanko SAN rosen (mentioned above). The pass costs ¥600 for adults and is only ¥100 more than the Burari Pass which might make it worth your while, although it does not include the Blue Line section. It can be purchased at customer service centers across the city and onboard the buses themselves.
Subway One-Day Pass
Valid on all municipal subway lines, this subway pass (link in Japanese) costs ¥740 for adults and is valid for one day. You can purchase it at customer service desks at Yokohama, Shin-yokohama, Kamiooka and Center-Minami stations and in subway stations too.
Combined Bus and Subway One-Day Pass
This all-in-one ticket (link in Japanese) allows you unlimited use of all municipal buses and subway lines including the Akai Kutsu bus and the Burari-kanko SAN rosen. The pass costs ¥830 and is great value if you’re traveling to multiple areas during the day.
We do our best to ensure information correct, however prices, timetables and other details are subject to change at anytime.
