Name: How to Use Taxis in Japan
Uploaded: 2025-07-19T20:14:27.000Z
Duration: 6 min 29 s
Description: Thousands of YouTube videos with English-Chinese subtitles! Now you can learn to understand native speakers, expand your vocabulary, and improve your pronunciation...

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Although Japan is known for its efficient and on-time public transport system, taxis provide a pleasant alternative for travelling directly between places and remove the difficulty of figuring out the oft-times complicated train or bus network.

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Taxis are especially useful in areas with less convenient public transportation like smaller cities and the countryside.

On top of that, the general high level of service and trustworthiness of taxi drivers make for a stress-free experience.

Taxis are found all across Japan and can be a great option especially if you're travelling with luggage or for those with mobility issues.

They can also be economical for groups travelling short distances and they remain the only option late at night once buses and trains stop operating.

With all that in mind, and in order to help make your future trip to Japan as smooth and convenient as possible, here is our guide on how to use a taxi in Japan.

Regular taxis have enough room for 4 passengers and 2 suitcases.

Although found in smaller numbers, larger taxis can allow for up to 5-6 passengers and 2-4 suitcases but usually come with slightly higher fees.

Introduced in 2017, the Toyota Japan Taxi is now found in large numbers on Japan's streets.

With a capacity of 4 passengers, it can alternatively accommodate a wheelchair in place of 3 passengers.

There are 4 options for finding a taxi in Japan.

Option 1 at designated taxi stands which are commonly found in front of railway stations and other landmarks.

Option 2 requesting for a taxi for immediate use by phone or through your hotel concierge or a restaurant.

Option 3 flagging a taxi down at a location where it is safe for it to stop.

Vacant taxis can be identified with a red plate and only those will stop to pick up passengers.

Option 4 using a taxi-hailing app which allows riders to specify the pick-up and drop-off locations in the app stress-free and without any language barrier.

Japan's most-used taxi-hailing app is the Go app and the GoTaxi network is the largest in the country.

In addition to specifying pick-up and drop-off locations when using a taxi app, users will also get an approximate fare based on the input locations, the estimated taxi arrival time, as well as be notified when the taxi arrives.

Another benefit of using a taxi app is the ability to schedule a taxi in advance for a specific date and time, and to request for a certain type of taxi.

Cashless payment is accepted on GoTaxis or alternatively, payment can be made in-app with a pre-registered credit card.

Once you've found a taxi, it's time to hop in.

Riding a taxi First thing to note, in Japan, the rear left door of taxis open and close by themselves.

You're not supposed to do it yourself except when using a different door.

With the address system in Japan being a little confusing even for local Japanese taxi drivers, explaining it would require its own separate video, we recommend writing down the address of your destination, or even better, showing the location you're heading for on a map.

This is handy especially if you do not speak Japanese or if your destination is not a well-known spot.

When using the Go app, there is no need to stress about communicating your intended destination to the driver as the drop-off location can be filled out beforehand.

A confirmation number is required for verification before getting into the taxi.

When it comes to payment, many taxis accept payment by credit cards and IC cards such as Suica and other digital payment methods in addition to cash.

If you're using cash to pay for your ride, it is best to avoid paying small amounts with large bills.

Note that tipping is not common in Japan.

Taxi app users who choose to pay through their registered credit card in the app can simply leave the taxi at the end of the ride as the final fare is charged to the card automatically.

Fares Fare calculation is almost always by the metre with a few exceptions on some popular tourist and airport routes where a pre-determined fare may be offered.

The fare varies depending on the city, company and taxi type.

With a standard-sized taxi, the fare starts typically from 500 yen for the first 1 to 2 kilometres and increases with distance travelled, and by time elapsed when the taxi is not moving or moving at a very slow speed.

For example, in smooth traffic conditions, a 10-minute taxi ride from Kyoto Station to Kiyomizu-dera Temple costs roughly 1,500 yen.

On top of the standard fare, additional fees like the following may apply.

Reserving or calling a taxi often involves an additional fee of a few hundred yen.

When riding a taxi during the night between 10pm and 5am, it is good to know that the taxi fare rates are raised by typically 20%.

If the taxi uses expressways, the expressway toll fee will be added to the fare.

Some operators offer a discount on long trips, typically 10% on trips exceeding 9,000 yen.

In popular tourist areas, some taxi companies offer what is known as sightseeing taxis, with a driver doubling as a guide.

Though the language barrier might be an issue, there are some taxi drivers with foreign language skills or sightseeing taxi services targeted specifically for foreign tourists.

Plans of different durations and rates are available, but typically cost around 20,000 yen for a three-hour plan.

And that was our guide on how to ride taxis in Japan.

I hope this video has been enjoyable and helped make your trip preparations a little easier.

For more information on how to ride taxis or to watch another video, click the links on the screen now or head over to japan-guide.com, your comprehensive, up-to-date travel guide, first-hand from Japan.

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How to Use Taxis in Japan

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