In Japan, all roads, rails, shipping lanes and planes lead to Tokyo.

By plane

Tokyo (TYO IATA for all airports) and the Kanto Region are served by two major airports. Narita International Airport (NRT IATA) is Tokyo's main airport for international flights, but also serves a handful of domestic flights, particularly on low-cost carriers, and is convenient as a transit airport for those travelling between North America to most major East and Southeast Asian cities. Tokyo Haneda Airport (HND IATA), which is much closer to central Tokyo and thus much more convenient and economical for getting into Tokyo and vicinity, is the main airport for domestic flights, but has also become a major hub for international flights as of the 2020s, particularly on routes that see heavy business traffic. There is also Ibaraki Airport (IBR IATA) for some low-cost carriers, and the Chōfu Airfield, serving turboprop flights to the Izu Islands.

1 Narita International Airport (NRT IATA; 成田国際空港 Narita Kokusai Kūkō). Near the town of Narita nearly 70 km (43 mi) east of Tokyo. Serves most international flights into Tokyo as well as limited domestic flights, primarily on low-cost carriers.

2 Tokyo Haneda Airport (HND IATA; 羽田空港 Haneda Kūkō or 東京国際空港 Tōkyō Kokusai Kūkō). The busiest airport in Japan and second busiest in Asia, located in Ōta ward, 14 km (8.7 mi) south of central Tokyo. Serves most domestic flights, and expansions since 2010 have also turned it into a major international hub, primarily on routes with heavy business traffic.

3 Ibaraki Airport (IBR IATA; 茨城空港) (85 km and 1½ hr north of Tokyo). Skymark operates domestic flights to Sapporo, Kobe, Fukuoka and Okinawa. Spring Airlines operates service to Shanghai and Tigerair flies to Taipei. (updated Dec 2023)

4 Chōfu Airfield (no IATA, ICAO: RJTF; 調布飛行場 Chōfu hikōjō) (The nearest railway station is Nishi-Chōfu on the Keiō Line, a 15-minute walk away. Alternatively, you can take a bus from Chofu or Mitaka stations.). Serves only some turboprop flights to the Izu Islands south of Tokyo.

By train

5 Tokyo Station (東京駅 Tōkyō-eki). Tokyo is the nerve centre of railways in Japan. High speed Shinkansen services arrive here in the Chiyoda ward. (updated Nov 2023)

For all trains on the northern route, you can get off at Ueno, while trains on the western route call at Shinagawa. Most non-Shinkansen services usually stop at Shibuya and Shinjuku stations as well. Ueno and Ikebukuro stations connect to the northern suburbs and neighboring prefectures.

There are multiple departures every hour from Hakata station in Fukuoka to Tokyo, passing through Kyoto, Osaka and Nagoya, with three types of shinkansen trains. The Nozomi is the fastest, with trains taking just about 5 hours from Fukuoka and 2½ hours from Osaka. The Hikari makes more stops and takes 3 hours from Osaka, and the Kodama is the slowest, making all stops and reaching Tokyo from Osaka in 4 hours. The Nozomi trains require you to pay a supplement if you are using the Japan Rail Pass.

Multiple cities from the north offer direct Shinkansen services to Tokyo, including Akita, Aomori, Fukushima, Hakodate, Kanazawa, Morioka, Nagano, Nagoya, Niigata, Sendai, Toyama, Yamagata and Yuzawa. All trains from these cities converge at Ōmiya in Saitama, then run south to Ueno and Tokyo stations.

Although Japan is dominated by fast Shinkansen trains there are still a couple of sleeper trains left: The Sunrise Izumo (サンライズ出雲) runs daily to Tokyo from Izumo while Sunrise Seto (サンライズ瀬戸) connects with Takamatsu, the second largest city on the Shikoku island. Both trains run coupled together between Tokyo and Okayama.

By car

While you can drive into the city, it is really not recommended as the city can be congested, signs may be confusing and parking fees are astronomical. One option that should be considered is cheaper 24-hour parking lots in cities bordering Tokyo. For example, Yashio city's train station in Saitama (prefecture) has hundreds of spaces at ¥500 per day, and is just minutes from Kita-Senju or Akihabara. A car of people can travel by highway at a fraction of the price of each person traveling by train, and can take the last leg by the cheapest train ticket into Tokyo.

For groups of 3-5 tourists traveling in Japan, a rental car to or from Tokyo to be returned at the agency counter in another city may prove to be a major chance for savings compared to train or air travel.

By thumb

Hitchhiking into Tokyo is pretty easy, but hitchhiking out is considerably more difficult. It's definitely possible for determined cheapskates though, see Hitchhiking in Japan for a detailed list of tested escape routes from the city.

By bus

Highway bus services link Tokyo to other cities, resort areas and the surrounding prefectures. There are JR and private bus companies. Bus service may be cheaper, but the train is probably more convenient, especially with the JR pass.

Long-distance buses use a number of terminals scattered throughout the city. At Tokyo Station, the main boarding point for buses is at the Yaesu Exit (八重洲口) on the east side. Some buses lines, including Keisei Bus, have moved to the new Bus Terminal Tokyo Yaesu (バスターミナル東京八重洲) which is across the street and can be accessed by underground passage from Tokyo Station. In Shinjuku, nearly all services use the new 6 Shinjuku Expressway Bus Terminal, abbreviated Busta Shinjuku (バスタ新宿), which is above the JR tracks at Shinjuku Station.

The JR Bus Group - A major operator of bus services to and from Tokyo. Seat reservations for JR Buses can be made at JR Bus counters in Tokyo and Shinjuku stations, and in JR train stations at the same "Midori-no-Madoguchi" ticket windows used to reserve seats on trains. JR Bus Kanto (JRバス関東) and JR Tokai Bus (JR東海バス) offer online bookings for their buses in English.

Willer Express - A company that has nightly bus services to and from Tokyo. Its bus services link many cities in Japan. Online booking available in English.

Kokusai Kogyo Bus (国際興業バス)

Keisei Bus (京成バス)

Keikyu Bus (京急バス)

Keio Bus (Japanese Website) (京王バス)

Kanto Bus (関東バス)

Nishi Tokyo Bus (Japanese Website) (西東京バス)

Odakyu Bus (Japanese Website) (小田急バス)

Odakyu Highway Bus (小田急ハイウェイバス)

Seibu Bus (西武バス)

Tobu Bus (Japanese Website) (東武バス)

Tohoku Kyuko Bus (東北急行バス)

By boat

One of the great ports of the world, Tokyo also has domestic ferry services to other points in Japan. However, none of the regular international ferries to Japan call at Tokyo.

The main long-distance ferry terminal is 7 Tokyo Port Ferry Terminal, on an artificial island adjacent to Odaiba in Tokyo Bay. The nearest station is Tokyo Big Sight on the Yurikamome line, but it's still a bit of a hike. You can also take a direct bus from Shin-Kiba station on the Metro Yurakucho line. The main services from this terminal are:

Kawasaki Kinkai Kisen (川崎近海汽船), ☏ +81 3-3528-0718. This ferry has no passenger facilities, so it can only be used if you have a car. Fares for a car and driver start at ¥25,820. (updated Dec 2017)

Ocean Tokyu Ferry (オーシャン東九フェリー), ☏ +81 3-5148-0109. Tokyo-Kitakyushu passenger fares are ¥16,420 for second class, ¥30,550 for first class.

Ferries to the Izu and Ogasawara Islands leave from Takeshiba Terminal (竹芝客船ターミナル), adjacent to Takeshiba station on the Yurikamome line. Cruise liners tend to use the Harumi Terminal (晴海客船ターミナル), best accessible on bus 都05-1 (To-05-1) from Tokyo Station Marunouchi South Exit. International ferries and cargo ferries that also take passengers can leave from other terminals too, enquire with your shipping company.