On 20 April 2026, Tokyo’s metered taxi fares changed for the first time in several years. The Kanto Regional Transport Bureau (関東運輸局, the government body overseeing road transport in the greater Tokyo region) issued a new 公定幅運賃 (kōtei-haba-unchin, statutory fare band) covering the 特別区・武三交通圏 (the 23 special wards of Tokyo plus Musashino and Mitaka). Major operators, including 国際自動車 (KM Taxi, one of Tokyo’s largest licensed fleets), implemented the revised schedule immediately. If your mental model of Tokyo taxi costs is more than a few weeks old, it is now inaccurate.

This guide covers the new fare structure in full, explains how to hail, book, and pay, and addresses the practical details that trip up foreign residents most often, including airport fixed rates, late-night surcharges, and hourly charter options useful for multi-stop property viewings.

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The April 2026 Fare Revision: What Changed and Why It Matters

The previous increment distance, meaning the distance the meter must travel before adding ¥100, was 255 metres. Under the new schedule effective 20 April 2026, that distance is 232 metres. The difference sounds minor. In practice, fares accumulate roughly 10% faster once the flag-fall is exhausted.

Here is the complete metered fare structure for the 23 wards, Musashino, and Mitaka:

| Item | Detail | Rate |

|—|—|—|

| 初乗運賃 (flag-fall) | Up to 1.096 km | ¥500 |

| 加算運賃 (increment) | Every 232 m thereafter | ¥100 |

| 時間距離併用 (time-distance combined mode) | When speed falls below 10 km/h, every 85 seconds | ¥100 |

| 深夜・早朝割増 (late-night surcharge) | 22:00 to 05:00 | +20% |

| 遠距離割引 (long-distance discount) | On the portion of the fare exceeding ¥9,000 | −10% |

| 迎車料金 (dispatch fee, charged when booking via app or phone) | Per booking | ¥500 |

A 5 km daytime ride now costs roughly ¥2,100 to ¥2,200, compared with approximately ¥1,900 under the previous schedule. The difference on a single trip is modest. Over a week of daily rides across Minato-ku (港区) or Shibuya-ku (渋谷区), it adds up.

The time-distance combined mode deserves particular attention. When traffic slows below 10 km/h, the meter no longer measures distance alone: it charges ¥100 for every 85 seconds of slow movement. On congested corridors such as Roppongi to Shibuya at 19:00, or Aoyama (青山) to Shinjuku during rain, this mode can account for a significant share of the final fare. Budgeting ¥3,000 to ¥4,000 for inner-city rides during peak hours is prudent.

The fare revision is authorized under the 道路運送法 (Road Transportation Act), the primary statute governing road transport in Japan. It applies only to the 特別区・武三交通圏; outer areas of Tokyo, including 多摩 (Tama), operate under a separate regional fare order. According to japan-guide.com, metered taxis in Japan are among the most regulated and consistently priced in Asia, which is accurate: there is no surge pricing, no negotiation, and no driver discretion on the metered rate.

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Airport Fixed-Rate Taxis: Haneda and Narita

For airport transfers, most experienced Tokyo residents use 定額運賃 (teigaku-unchin, fixed-rate) taxis rather than metered rides. The rate is agreed before departure, eliminates congestion risk, and is available from both Haneda Airport (羽田空港) and Narita Airport (成田空港).

Haneda Airport — Daytime Fixed Rates (05:00 to 22:00)

| Destination Ward | Daytime | Late-Night (22:00–05:00) |

|—|—|—|

| 千代田区 (Chiyoda-ku) | ¥7,600 | ¥9,000 |

| 渋谷区 (Shibuya-ku) | ¥8,500 | ¥10,000 |

| 新宿区 (Shinjuku-ku) | ¥9,000 | ¥10,700 |

| 豊島区 (Toshima-ku) | ¥11,200 | ¥13,200 |

| 練馬区 (Nerima-ku) | ¥12,800 | ¥15,100 |

Minato-ku, which covers Azabu (麻布), Hiroo (広尾), Shirokane (白金), and Roppongi Hills (六本木ヒルズ), falls between Chiyoda and Shibuya in distance from Haneda. Expect daytime fixed rates in the ¥8,000 to ¥9,000 range depending on the specific destination address.

Narita Airport — Fixed Rates to Central Tokyo

| Destination | Daytime | Late-Night |

|—|—|—|

| 千代田区 / 中央区 | ¥26,000 | ¥30,000 |

| 新宿区 / 渋谷区 | ¥28,000 | ¥33,000 |

| 世田谷区 / 板橋区 / 練馬区 | ¥30,000 | ¥36,000 |

Narita fixed-rate taxis require advance booking. Walk-up metered rides from Narita are available but rarely advisable: the distance is approximately 65 km to central Tokyo, and a metered fare can reach ¥35,000 or more in traffic. The fixed rate is the more predictable option by a wide margin.

All figures above are sourced from the KM Taxi official April 2026 rate card and the 東京ハイヤー・タクシー協会 (Tokyo Hire-Taxi Association) published fare table.

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How to Hail, Book, and Board a Tokyo Taxi

Hailing on the Street

Look for the illuminated sign on the taxi’s roof. 空車 (kūsha, literally “empty vehicle”) displayed in green or red indicates the cab is available. A taxi showing 賃走 (chinso, “in service”) or 回送 (kaisō, “returning to base”) will not stop.

Do not attempt to open the rear door yourself. Tokyo taxis use 自動ドア (jidō-doa, automatic doors), operated by the driver from a lever at the front. Reaching for the handle is unnecessary and occasionally startles drivers. Stand near the kerb, make eye contact or raise a hand, and the door will open once the cab pulls up.

Taxi stands (タクシー乗り場, takushī noriba) are located at the exits of most major train stations and in front of large hotels. In Nishi-Azabu (西麻布), Omotesando (表参道), and Azabudai Hills (麻布台ヒルズ), street hailing is generally reliable during daytime. After 23:00 on weekends, supply tightens sharply and app booking is faster.

Booking via App

The GO app holds approximately 80% of Japan’s taxi app booking market. It accepts overseas-issued credit cards, works with non-Japanese phone numbers, and offers an English-language interface. A ¥500 迎車料金 (mukaesha-ryōkin, dispatch fee) applies per booking, though zero-fee campaigns run periodically. Download GO before you need it, not at the kerb at midnight.

S.RIDE is a secondary option with a single-swipe booking interface, focused on Tokyo and Osaka. Uber Japan operates in Tokyo through licensed taxi fleets, not private rideshare drivers, which is legally distinct from how Uber functions in most other markets. All three apps allow you to input a destination in English or by dropping a map pin, which resolves the address communication problem entirely.

Communicating Your Destination

If hailing without an app, have your destination written in Japanese or saved as a map pin to show the driver. Most Tokyo taxi drivers speak limited English. Showing a Google Maps screen with the destination marked is universally understood. Verbal English addresses are unreliable.

For readers navigating the city while researching neighborhoods or properties, understanding Tokyo’s parking infrastructure is equally relevant: taxis are efficient for point-to-point travel, but multi-stop visits sometimes benefit from a chartered vehicle with a fixed waiting arrangement.

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Payment: What Tokyo Taxis Accept in 2026

As of 2025 data, 99.4% of Tokyo taxis are cashless-capable. In practice, this means every cab you board in the 23 wards will accept the following:

• Credit and debit cards: Visa, Mastercard, American Express, JCB
• IC cards: Suica (スイカ) and PASMO (パスモ), the contactless transit cards used across Tokyo’s rail network
• QR code payments: PayPay, LINE Pay, d払い (d-barai)
• Cash: yen notes and coins

There is no minimum fare for card payment. Tap or insert at the terminal mounted near the rear seat. The driver does not handle the card.

One point that surprises many foreign residents: there is no tipping in Japan. チップ (chippu, tip) culture does not exist in the taxi industry or in most service contexts. Pay the metered or fixed amount exactly. Offering extra money will cause confusion and may be politely refused.

For a broader picture of daily costs in Tokyo as a foreign resident, including transport, housing, and tax considerations, the Koukyuu guide to living in Tokyo as an expat in 2026 covers those figures in detail.

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Hourly Charter Rates for Multi-Stop Trips

For buyers conducting property viewings across multiple neighborhoods in a single day, 時間制運賃 (jikan-sei-unchin, hourly charter fares) offer a more practical arrangement than sequential metered rides. The taxi waits between stops, the meter does not run during waiting time, and the total cost is fixed by duration.

KM Taxi’s April 2026 charter rate schedule:

| Duration | Rate |

|—|—|

| 1 hour (initial block) | ¥5,900 |

| Each additional 30 minutes | ¥2,700 |

| 3-hour package | ¥16,700 |

| 5-hour package | ¥27,500 |

| 8-hour package | ¥43,700 |

A three-hour charter covering, for example, Azabudai Hills, Nishi-Azabu, and Kita-Aoyama (北青山) costs ¥16,700 fixed, regardless of traffic. The equivalent in sequential metered rides, including dispatch fees and congestion time, would likely reach ¥18,000 to ¥22,000 with no waiting-time guarantee between stops. For buyers coordinating viewings with an advisory team, the charter model is consistently more efficient.

For buyers working with Koukyuu, the licensed 宅建士 (takken-shi, Japan’s licensed real-estate transaction specialist) who manages the engagement handles viewing logistics as part of the brief, including coordinating transport between properties. Koukyuu operates exclusively on transactions of ¥300 million and above, covering residences in Azabu, Hiroo, Shirokane, Omotesando, and Azabudai Hills, among other neighborhoods.

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Practical Notes for Foreign Residents

Late-Night Surcharges

The 深夜・早朝割増 (shinya-sōchō-warimashi, late-night and early-morning surcharge) of 20% applies between 22:00 and 05:00. It is applied to the metered total before any long-distance discount. On a ¥3,000 metered ride at 23:00, the final fare is ¥3,600. Fixed-rate airport fares have separate late-night pricing, as shown in the tables above.

Long-Distance Discount

The 遠距離割引 (en-kyori-waribiki, long-distance discount) of 10% applies to the portion of a metered fare that exceeds ¥9,000. This is relevant primarily for rides from outer wards or for late-night metered trips from Narita, where the metered total can exceed that threshold. The discount is applied automatically by the meter.

Traffic and Route Planning

Tokyo’s major arterial roads, including Gaien-Higashi-dori, Meiji-dori, and the Aoyama-dori corridor, experience significant congestion between 07:30 and 09:30 and again from 18:00 to 20:00 on weekdays. During these windows, the time-distance combined meter mode engages frequently. For rides of 4 km or more during peak hours, the GO app’s fare estimate function gives a useful range before you confirm the booking.

For foreign residents still adjusting to road rules and traffic patterns in Tokyo, Japan’s traffic signal conventions differ from most Western systems in ways that are worth understanding, particularly for those who also drive.

Receipts

Request a 領収書 (ryōshūsho, receipt) before the door opens. Drivers carry printed receipt pads. The receipt shows the metered amount, date, and taxi company registration number. For expense reporting, this is the standard documentation.

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Koukyuu is a private buyer’s advisory for distinguished Tokyo residences in Chiyoda-ku (千代田区), Omotesando, and Nishi-Azabu, focused exclusively on transactions of ¥300 million and above, with a licensed 宅建士 personally managing every stage from the first consultation through to signing. To begin a private conversation, book a private consultation).