I’m Michael. I am a taxi driver in the metropolitan area. I wish I could tell about taxis in Japan from a driver’s point of view.

How to hail a cab in Japan

You can flag down a taxi on the street in metropolitan areas in Japan. Of course, taxi stands at the station and at the hotel. You can book it by phone or online.

Taxi fare

In Japan, taxis are required to be licensed so we don’t have unlicensed taxis or uber taxis which means without a license. Taxis are typically required to operate and charge on a fitted taximeter. Taxi fare rates are set by Japanese government. The initial ride fare and booking fare vary by company. In general, 80 yen is added for every 233 meters. In addition, 80 yen is added approximately every 100 seconds if the vehicle is traveling at less than 10 km/h, such as in traffic jams or waiting at traffic lights. All toll road charges will be added to the fare.

Please think of it as 1000yen for 2km.

Japan taxi

Taxi cars in Japan can be divided into two main types. One is the sedan type cab. The other is the Toyota Japan Taxi. Currently, more than half of the vehicles in Tokyo are Toyota Japan Taxis.

The Toyota Japan Taxis are universal design vehicles and can even accommodate wheelchairs without getting out. (Although it takes more than 10 minutes.) The biggest advantage is that you can carry a lot of suitcases. It can hold three or four suitcases, whereas the previous sedan type could only hold one large suitcase in the trunk. This is very helpful for people with a lot of luggage.

The inside of the trunk looks like this.

It is a hybrid car and runs about 13 km per liter, which is just right since I drive about 250 km in a day's business.

English skills of taxi drivers

I don’t know the English skills of other taxi drivers because I have little chance to talk to them. How about trying to communicate in simple English at first and then after understanding the driver’s English ability and then you can tell the driver your destination and other information.

If a taxi driver takes you too far or is too dishonest with you, you can contact the Tokyo Taxi Center through its website.
The English page of the Tokyo Taxi Center is 　
https://www.tokyo-tc.or.jp/index.cfm