How do I take a taxi in Japan?
The rear left door opens by itself and closes by itself. Stand back and let it. Have the address on your phone screen before you get in, hold it up for the driver to read, and let the driver pick the route. You pay at the end, by card or IC card in most cities, and you never tip.
The ritual, in order
From the kerb to the receipt, in the order it happens
Read the sign in the windscreen, not the colour
A lit 空車 (kūsha) means empty and available. 賃走 or 実車 means someone is already in it, 迎車 means it is on its way to a booking, and 回送 means off duty. Vacant is usually red and hired usually green, but companies differ — read the characters.
Stand back from the door
The rear left door is opened by the driver, with a lever beside the seat. It swings out towards you. Reaching for the handle is the one thing every visitor does once.
Have the address on screen before you sit down
A dropped pin in a maps app beats an address read aloud, and beats a street name outright — most Japanese streets have no name. Hold the phone up, let the driver read it, and say koko made onegai shimasu — please take me here.
Answer the expressway question
高速を使いますか (kōsoku o tsukaimasu ka) means “shall I use the expressway?” It is faster and the toll goes on your fare. From an airport or across a big city, hai is usually the right answer.
Settle how you are paying before you set off
Card and IC cards are accepted in the great majority of city taxis now, and the reader is on the back of the front seat. Ask first anyway — kādo wa tsukaemasu ka — because a rural or late-night car can still be cash only.
Pay, take the receipt, and get out without touching anything
Money goes in the tray, not the hand. Ryōshūsho o onegai shimasu gets you a printed receipt, which is worth having if you leave something behind. Step out, stand clear, and let the door shut itself.
What they will ask you
Four questions, and the answer that works
Drivers are polite and formal and will not slow down for you. These four cover almost every ride.
| You’ll hear | It means | Say |
|---|---|---|
| 高速を使いますか？Kōsoku o tsukaimasu ka? | Shall I take the expressway? | はいHai — yes |
| お支払いは？O-shiharai wa? | How are you paying? | カードでKādo de — by card |
| ここでいいですか？Koko de ii desu ka? | Is here alright to stop? | はい、お願いしますHai, onegai shimasu — yes, please |
| 領収書は？Ryōshūsho wa? | Do you want a receipt? | お願いしますOnegai shimasu — yes please |
The address
Why saying the address out loud does not work
Japanese addresses are not a street and a number. They are a ward, a district, a block and then a building, counted in an order that makes sense on a map and none at all spoken aloud by someone who has never said those syllables before. Almost no street has a name. A driver who cannot place your pronunciation of a district is not being difficult.
So show, don't say. A pin dropped in a maps app, the hotel's own address card, or a screenshot of the booking confirmation all work, and all work better than your best attempt at the address. Hand the phone over the seat back or hold it steady where the driver can read it, and give it a few seconds.
Landmarks are the other currency. Station names, big hotels, department stores and intersections are how drivers navigate, and “the Hilton, then I will point” gets you within two minutes' walk of most things. If you have a phone number for the destination, that is better still — many taxi navigation systems take a phone number as a destination.
Don't touch the door. The rear left door is opened and closed by the driver with a lever, and pulling it shut behind you is the one thing that will get you spoken to sharply in a language you do not speak.
Money
What a taxi actually costs you
There is no tipping anywhere in this. Not in restaurants, not in taxis, not for housekeeping. Money left behind is treated as money you forgot, and someone will come after you with it.
Fares are set region by region and have been revised upward more than once since 2022, so treat any number you read online — including this one — as an order of magnitude and read the meter instead. In Tokyo the meter has started around ¥500 for the first kilometre and climbed roughly ¥100 every 250 to 300 metres. A late-night surcharge of about 20 to 25 per cent applies from 22:00 until around 05:00 in most areas, and the meter adds it on its own.
That maths is why the answer to “taxi or train?” is almost always the train. Narita to central Tokyo is roughly ¥3,000 and an hour on the train, against ¥20,000 to ¥30,000 by taxi. The taxi becomes the right answer at about half past midnight, when the trains have stopped, and at that point it is the only answer.
Questions
The things people ask before they put a hand out
Does the taxi door really open by itself?
Yes, the rear left one. The driver works it with a lever by the seat, and it takes about two seconds to swing out. Do not open it, do not pull it shut, and stand far enough back that it clears you. Say arigatō gozaimasu and walk away — the driver closes it.
How much will the ride cost?
In Tokyo the meter has started around ¥500 for the first kilometre and gone up roughly ¥100 every 250 to 300 metres, but fares are set regionally and have been revised more than once since 2022. A 15-minute cross-town ride lands somewhere around ¥2,000 to ¥3,000. Read the meter rather than any article.
Should I take a taxi from the airport?
Almost never. Narita to central Tokyo is ¥20,000 to ¥30,000 by taxi against about ¥3,000 and an hour on the train — see buying a train ticket. The exception is a very early flight, a lot of luggage, or arriving after the last train, which in most cities is between 00:00 and 00:30.
What is the driver asking about the expressway?
Kōsoku o tsukaimasu ka — shall I use the expressway. It is faster, and the toll, usually ¥1,000 to ¥3,000 depending on the run, is added to your fare. From Narita or Kansai it saves half an hour or more, so hai is the normal answer. Iie if you would rather not pay it.
Can I pay by card, or with Suica?
In the big cities, usually yes — the reader is mounted on the back of the front seat and takes credit cards and IC cards alike. Ask before you set off: kādo wa tsukaemasu ka. Carry a ¥5,000 note as backup, and top up at a convenience store ATM if you are short.
Do I tip the driver?
No. Not the driver, not for luggage, not by rounding up. A driver who finds ¥500 on the seat will get out and run after you with it. The whole of it is on the tipping page, and the answer does not change anywhere in the country.
Is there a night surcharge?
Yes, typically 20 to 25 per cent from 22:00 until about 05:00, applied by the meter automatically. It is not negotiable and it is not a scam. Between last train and first train it is the single reason a ten-minute ride can come to ¥4,000.
What if the driver cannot find my destination?
Show the pin rather than repeating the name. A phone number for the hotel or restaurant often works better than the address, because taxi navigation systems accept one. If you are properly stuck, sumimasen, wakarimasen — sorry, I don't understand — and a pointing finger at the map will get you there.