Fare Adjustment
When you’re travelling via the train network in Japan, and you’re not exactly sure where you’re going or how much you’re supposed to pay, the Fare Adjustment Machine is here to save the day!
Hysterically funny rhymes aside, a foreigner (particularly a foreigner with no Japanese skills) can have a real problem getting around, since the rail network maps tend to look like abstract artwork and in many places, the train stations are written in kanji. Kanji! Not even hiragana to aid the young Japanese kids who haven’t learnt the 2000+ kanji character set yet!
So, in many instances, you won’t know how much you’re supposed to pay for your trip. If this is the case, buy the cheapest ticket available. This is generally done by slotting coins into the ticket machine until the lowest fare is highlighted. Then, once you have reached your destination, slot your ticket into the Fare Adjustment Machines, which are usually well marked, even in English. The machine will tell you how much extra you need to pay for the distance you’ve travelled.
The machines don’t always give instructions in English, but it’s not too hard to guess how much you are required to pay from the amount displayed on the screen. Also, if there is no adjustment required, then the machine will refuse to take coins.
When you have paid, the machine will give you a new ticket and chew up the old one. Put this new ticket into the gate (don’t expect it to come out again) and you’re free from the train network!
Links:
Tokyo Metro – I think this may be a train otaku’s personal website. It’s about the Metro (subway) system but does provide lots of photos of tickets, ticket machines, gates and fare adjustment machines, so in case you’ve never seen one before, now you know what to look for. In English too, strangely enough.
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