On a Monday at 7.20am, the streets of Tokyo are quiet.

I am on my way from a hotel in Marunouchi, an epicentre of the city airport, and the roads are mostly empty.

It’s an unusual sight for me, who’s used to clogged-up Stirling Highway, tiny trains running alongside, mostly half-empty.

But there are up to 40 million journeys across all rail systems in Tokyo each day.

More than 30 million people live in the Greater Tokyo area, and more than 8.1 million of them use trains every day.

The most recent figures for Tokyo Metro show more than 6.8 million people a day use its nine subway lines.

There are 195km of subway lines, and 180 stations.

Tokyo Metro’s website posts expected or actual delays of more than five minutes for the Ginza, Marunouchi, Hibiya, Tozai, Chiyoda, Yurakucho, Namboka and Fukutoshin lines.

On the landing page for each line, there is also a “tourist” tab (top right), with useful tips for using Tokyo Metro, route and station information, and how to buy tickets. www.tokyometro.jp/en

The Greater Tokyo metropolitan region might spread over a radius of 45km, but nearly 7 million people a day head by rail to work or study in the central 23 wards of the city.

Tokyo has developed with railways — it depends on railways.

And the railways and stations are not immune to modern-day congestion.

As visitors, we can simply avoid rush hours (particularly 7.30am-9.30am, and 5pm-6.30pm) — and I advise doing that as much as possible.

Also, be aware there aren’t always good passenger service facilities for the elderly and less able. There are stairs with no alternatives at some stations. And some stations are massive, so give yourself plenty of time.

And although there are some English signs, don’t expect English to be widely spoken. Even at ticket offices, there might just be a small vocabulary of known words, and trying to ask questions outside of those can be tricky.

My tip for that is to master one of your phone’s translator apps.

If you write your question in English, it can be shown in Japanese, for example. I find that a good last-resort trick.

MY BIG TIPS

for trains in Japan

Don’t stress out. You can always catch the next train.

Don’t buy a locked-in, allocated seat ticket (yes, even on the Shinkansen). Buy an open ticket and be comforted by the fact that in this often Englishless melee, you can always catch the next train.

On the Shinkansen bullet trains, an open ticket does not have a reserved seat (jiyuseki). These tickets are valid for any train on the specific route and date purchased, allowing you to board any unreserved car.

Apple and Google Maps will give accurate and step-by-step platform guidance.

NAVITIME APP

If there’s one app that really helps me, it is Japan Travel by NAVITIME

It is a transfer guide app, and really helps when trying to understand routes and fares.

In the app, you can check transfer information and the total costs before you travel.

But Apple and Google Maps also do route searches — and it is good to use whichever you are familiar with in conjunction with Japan Travel, I think.

Buying a NAVITIME eSIM before arriving in Japan means you know you will have stable data communication when you arrive.

“Through-trains” connect lines operated by multiple railway companies. This means passengers don’t need to transfer trains midway through their journey — which is not only convenient, but reduces congestion at stations.

It also means that, when lines are run by different railway companies, fare calculations become more complicated. But, by using the through-route timetable search, you can find departure times for trains that go directly to your destination, without transfers.