Maybe you already know that Japanese people use trains and buses to commute daily, however, there are times when these two are not the best choice for them to get on. When you visit a completely unfamiliar place, you don’t know which station to get off at as well as which bus to take to get to your destination, or when there is no train or bus running late at night, a taxi is probably your last choice. So in this article, let me show you tips on how to get a taxi in Japan!

Taxi companies in Japan:

There are several taxi companies in Tokyo such as: NIHON KOTSU, Kokusai Motorcars, Tokyo Musen, Tokyo MK, Checker Cabs, Daiwa motor, Hinomaru, etc. These are all major taxi companies, licensed to drive customers and also provide insurance so you can use their services without worries. Moreover, there is another type of taxi called “Shirotaku” – which means taxi drivers driving illegally, without a license, without insurance and posing risks to customers. You can distinguish this type of illegal taxi by the registration plate number, the plate of a legal company is green while the plate of “Shirotaku” is white as normal cars. Besides, “Shirotaku” taxis often approach people by asking if they want to take a taxi, while legal taxi companies never do that.

How to get a taxi:

Taxis can be found at taxi stands in front of train stations and shopping malls, so when you arrive at these locations, find a taxi stand and save their phone numbers to call when needed. Just like in other countries, you can also take a taxi running on the road by raising your hand and waving slightly. Inside each taxi, at the front of the car, there is a small LED sign with glowing letters indicating whether they can take passengers or not. Here are few words on the LED sign and the meanings of those:

空車 (Kūsha): VACANT / Available – Accepting passengers
割増 (Warimashi): Surcharge (surcharge for late night / early morning service)
賃走 (Chinsō): Carrying a passenger
支払 (Shiharai): Checking out (current passenger will leave soon)
迎車 (Geisha): Currently on the way to pick up guests, so there are no seats available
回送 (Kaisō): Deadhead

How to explain the destination:

Like in other countries, when getting on a taxi in Japan, you need to clearly state where you want to go and preferably in Japanese. If you are not very fluent in Japanese, you can search for your destination on Google map in advance and say the magic sentence to get everything you want in Japan: “Koko desu” – “This one”, so the driver can grasp the location accurately and easily.

Taxi fare:

Taxi fares are metered with a starting price of 410 yen for the first kilometer and an additional 80 yen for every subsequent 237 meters. Other additional fees might include:

If the speed is less than 10km/h, the surcharge is 80 yen per 90 seconds. Therefore, if there is a traffic jam, the taxi fee will be very high.
If you take a taxi between 22:00 and 5:00, you have to pay an extra 20% of the total fee.
If you call a taxi to your place, you will pay an additional 410-yen fee.
If you need to go on the highway, an additional fee will be charged (tolls, etc.). Usually the taxi driver will inform you of this.
Taxis to the airport usually have a flat rate.

For example, going from Chiyoda-ku to Haneda Airport will cost 5,600 yen during regular hours and 6,800 yen if going late at night or early in the morning (NIHON KOTSU)

Most taxi companies accept payment by credit card or cash, there are also companies that accept train cards like Suica, Pasmo (e-money) too, so just bring those cards along with you.