There’s north, south, east, and west. And, for Tokyo Station, there’s north, south, Marunouchi side, and Yaesu side – all of which you can discover without even buying a subway or train ticket. Here’s how to explore Tokyo Station and its underground passages:
There are 4 sides to explore Tokyo Station without having to purchase a subway or train ticket. 1) The north side towards Nihonbashi, 2) the south side towards Yurakucho and Ginza, 3) the Marunouchi side towards the Imperial Palace, and 4) the Yaesu side towards the main bus terminal.
All sides have access on the ground floor and most especially the underground floor which goes beyond Tokyo Station. These underground passages are ideal for when it is too cold or too hot to comfortably walk outside.
On the north side of the station, you can walk from Nihonbashi to Marunouchi (and vice versa) all underground with the North Underground Passage or the Marunouchi-Yaesu North Passage.
The north underground passage runs along Eitai-Dori Avenue. This path connects you as far as the Tekko Building all the way to Otemachi Station and its surrounding Marunouchi buildings. Along the walk, there is immediate access to the buildings above.
Parallel to that and closer towards Tokyo Station is the Marunouchi-Yaesu North Passage which connects Marunouchi to Yaesu while passing by Kitchen Street and its underground restaurants at Kurobei Yokocho. This passage to Yaesu also ends directly between Character Street, Daimaru, and Ramen Street.
The Yaesu side of Tokyo Station leads right out to the main bus terminal. You can easily walk from end to end (north to south) at the ground level. Alternatively, head to the basement floor on the north or south side to walk along the Yaesu Underground Shopping Mall which also connects Yaesu North and Yaesu South.
From the north side, walk from Character Street past Daimaru’s food hall and turn right. There you will find 2 walking paths on the right side which are parallel – this is the start of the underground shopping mall.
To get from Yaesu South to Marunouchi South, take the Keiyo Underground Passage which has direct access to the Tokyo International Forum which you can also take to get to Yurakucho and Ginza.
On the Marunouchi side, there are multiple underground passages connecting all of Marunouchi and its buildings.
From the Keiyo Underground Passage, you will arrive at Daimyokoji Avenue, also known as the Art Road Passage. This has direct access to Marunouchi buildings, like Brick Square and the Marunouchi Building. The passage also leaves you straight to Marunouchi Central and Marunouchi South where you can dine at Eataly or Standing Sushi and explore local shops.
At Marunouchi Central, you can connect to Gyoko-Dori Avenue which is the underground path that will lead you towards the moat of the Imperial Palace.
The end of that path arrives at Hibiya-Dori Avenue which is the underground passage connecting Otemachi all the way to Hibiya Park.
With all of these underground passages, Tokyo Station is truly the best destination for a rainy day or when the weather is too hot or too cold.
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