How To Find and Call a Taxi in Japan

Above, there's plenty of taxi cabs at the ready at the JR Niigata Station.  Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Here's a useful article. It is on "How To: Find and Call a Taxi in Japan." 

This is a subject that I never had a problem with. I occasionally will make use of a taxi about 2-3 times during a trip to Japan. Sometimes even less, especially in Tokyo as the city has the most efficient transit system. Most recently, I had to get one to take me to the Tsukiji Fish Market at around 4:00 am as the trains and subways hadn't begun service yet.

Surviving In Japan begins their article with:

If you have lived in Japan without a car, chances are good you've been stuck somewhere before. 

Japan has, for the most part, a useful public transportation system. Bullet trains zoom all over the country. Local trains service even more areas, while buses transport people in both cities and the countryside. 

And yet, sometimes buses aren't accessible. Sometimes the train station is too far. And sometimes you need to go somewhere with luggage or a box or just don't want to brave another downpour. 

You can call a friend and ask for a ride, but if your friend is busy, you'll need an alternative: call a taxi. 

Most city train stations, and even some smaller ones, have taxis sitting outside waiting to take passengers wherever they need to go. But if you want one to pick you up at home, or from another location, you'll need to call for one.

In Tokyo (and it was also my experience in Sendai as well), there are many taxi cabs driving the streets. I see about 3-4 taxi cabs per minute drive by. It is not difficult to flag one down.

I occasionally will need one to take me from my hotel to somewhere, so I ask the front desk call for a cab. This they do cheerfully. Unlike the U.S., the Japanese are still service-oriented.

Also, as the article states, there are many taxi cabs waiting for pick-ups at train (and some subway) stations.

But if you have never been to Japan, or are inexperienced in calling for a taxi, read the article.

To access it, go here.