Introduction
On my very first trip to Tokyo, I stood in front of a sprawling subway map at Shinjuku Station, eyes darting between neon-colored lines and tiny station codes. The hum of trains below and the rhythmic ding of ticket gates made the place feel alive, but also overwhelming. Fast forward a few visits later, and those once-bewildering maps have become my favorite travel companions. The Tokyo Metro and Toei Subway are not just ways to get around—they’re the pulse of the city. If you learn how to use them well, you’ll unlock Tokyo’s neighborhoods with ease and on a budget.