Ticket of Japan Trains and Subways

To buy a ticket for a train or the subway, go to the ticket-telling area (kippu-uriba). On or above each ticket machine will be a map. The station you are at will be highlighted ion red to show your current location (to-eki). Your destination will have a number under it, which is the amount of the fare to get there. If there are two numbers listed, one in black and one in red, number is the price for children eleven years old or younger. To purchase a child’s ticket make sure you push the button marked “Child” before pushing any other button.
(Tip: If you can not read the signs or are unsure of the price of the ticket, buy the cheapest ticket; when you get to your destination give the ticket to the person at the gate, and he will tell you the difference you have to pay. Many stations have yellow “Fare Adjustment” machines clearly marked in English. Put your ticket into this machine and insert the amount of money displayed on the screen. The machine will the spit out a new ticket that you can use to exit the station.)
When purchasing more than one ticket, push the button marked for two tickets (ni-mai) or three tickets (san-mai) before pushing the button with the ticket price on it. If at any time you make a mistake and want your money returned, push the red button to cancel (torikeshi).
Not all trains on a particular line stop at all stops. Express trains (kyuko) are the fastest. There are several types of express trains are marked on the front and on the sides with characters 急行（kyuko）written in different colors depending on the kind if express it is (red for limited express, blue for special express, and so on). If you are traveling a long distance, an express train can save a considerable amount of time. If you plan to stop at a smaller station, get off at the largest station before you stop and transfer to a local train. A local train (kakueki teisha or futsu densha) stops at all of the stations on a line. Sometimes it waits a few minutes at a station so that the express trains can pass by. Local trains have kakueki written in white on the fronts and the sides. The semi-express (junko) stops at more stations than the express will have junko written in yellow or green on the front and the sides.