5 most useful tourist services and facilities in Tokyo Station

One of the most useful services in Tokyo Station is this travel centre outside the Marunouchi North Exit ticket gate, which offers English-language support for international tourists. If you’ve bought the excellent Japan Rail Pass, which gets you unlimited travel on most JR trains and shinkansen around Japan, you can pick it up here. You can buy the pass at this centre, too, but it’s cheaper to purchase it before you arrive in Japan. This service centre is also the place to get tickets for limited express trains to reach popular day trip destinations from Tokyo. 

There are luggage storage (8.30am-8pm) and currency exchange services (8.30am-8pm) near here as well. You’ll also find a prayer room that’s open to all religions and denominations, which is available from 8.30am to 7pm (until 5pm on weekends).

Open 7.30am-8.30pm daily. Marunouchi North Gate (ground floor, outside ticket gates).

There’s nowhere better to begin your journey beyond Tokyo than Tokyo Station. Shinkansen lines stretch from here all the way north up to Hokkaido and right down south to Kyushu, and that’s not to mention the local lines that connect you to popular day trip destinations in nearby Chiba, Kanagawa and Saitama prefectures. But if you need some inspiration for your next journey, stop by Tokyo Station’s tourist information centre, which is within the JR East Travel Service Center.

Here, you’ll find travel information with a particular focus on the JR East area, which covers the Greater Tokyo and Tohoku regions, plus Nagano, Niigata, Shizuoka and Yamanashi prefectures (the last two are great spots to see Mt Fuji). There are English language pamphlets on the different destinations, but you can also ask the English-speaking staff for advice about making travel itineraries.

Open 7.30am to 8.30pm daily. Marunouchi North Gate (ground floor, outside ticket gates).

If you’re feeling overwhelmed by the hustle and bustle of this mega station, take a breather at the Japan Rail Cafe Tokyo. Start by swapping out your usual coffee for a Japanese green tea set with wagashi (traditional Japanese sweets) before exploring the useful services on offer.

Stop by the ticket information counter, where English-speaking staff can help plan your itinerary and sell you train tickets. There’s a place to buy souvenirs, too, and sometimes you can see traditional Japanese cultural performances. Check the café’s Facebook page for the latest events. You’ll also find plenty of power outlets dotted around if you need to charge your devices, plus free wifi. 

Café open 8am-9pm daily (information counter 8am-4pm daily). Gran Tokyo North Tower, outside Yaesu Central Exit (ground floor, outside ticket gates).

If you can’t find what you’re looking for in Tokyo Station – don’t worry, we’ve all been there – make a beeline for one of the station information counters. There are seven of these here, with the main two being the Central Corridor and Marunouchi Central information counters. But all seven counters have English-speaking staff.

These are the places to visit if you have any questions about Tokyo Station. Of course, you can ask for help finding your train, but the support also stretches to advice about the incredible selection of shops and restaurants in the station, including those on Tokyo Character Street and Tokyo Ramen Street.

All counters open 10am-6pm daily. You can see the location of the counters here. 

Tokyo Station offers some useful baggage services that can make your trip a lot more comfortable. Both Baggage Storage + and Tokyo Station Baggage Service Counter can save you a tonne of hassle by sending your luggage to your hotel or next destination (anywhere in Japan). What’s more, these services can also store baggage and arrange for packages to be delivered. They both have English-speaking staff, too.

You can store smaller luggage and shopping bags in the coin lockers dotted around the station. There’s no shortage of lockers both inside and outside the ticket gates; check this useful map on the station website to find your nearest storage options.

Baggage Storage + open 9.30am-8pm daily. Gransta Underground North Exit (B1F, inside ticket gates). Tokyo Station Baggage Service Counter open 8.30am-8pm daily (storage 9.30am-8pm). Yaesu South Exit (ground floor, outside ticket gates).