ENG TOKYO MOTOR SHOW BLOG

Hello. I am Yoshizawa from the Tokyo Motor Show Office.

Following up our last blog entry, we are reporting how public transportation serves the 40th Tokyo Motor Show 2007.

In our previous report, we went to the Chiba Prefectural Bus Association and spoke with the staff there.
In this entry, we went to JR East's Chiba Branch Office and asked Mr. Makino about how to make use of trains to get to the Tokyo Motor Show.

Hello, I am Makino and I work at JR East's Chiba Branch Office.

First of all, I would like to tell you that taking the train from Tokyo to the Makuhari area, where the Tokyo Motor Show is held, offers much greater convenience than you might think.
From Tokyo Station to Kaihim Makuhari Station, the station nearest the show site, it takes only 23 minutes on the fastest trains, the Wakashio and Sazanami limited express trains of the JR Keiyo Line. This is faster than the usual commute for most of us.

(The Wakashio limited express train will be in service with a special train schedule for the 40 Tokyo Motor Show 2007.)

When the Tokyo Motor Show is open to the public from Saturday, October 27 to Sunday, November 11, 2007, we expect many more people will take the train than usual.
Kaihim Makuhari Station will increase station staff to better serve passengers.
It has some extra ticket gates, used only when very large events are held.
All these extra ticket gates will be in service during the Tokyo Motor Show, eliminating waiting queues.
Event if your fare is insufficient, you can pay at the extra ticket gates for the extra distance you have ridden.

We rarely use these extra ticket gates.
Apart from the Tokyo Motor Show, we used them when Glay, a Japanese pop band, played for an audience of 200,000 people and when the Japan Series baseball games were held.

We will work hard to make your travel to the show site easier and more comfortable.

We revised the train timetable in March to increase limited express trains stopping at Kaihim Makuhari Station.
When there are long intervals between limited express trains, we will run special trains starting from and arriving at Kaihim Makuhari Station.
Since more limited express trains stop at Kaihim Makuhari Station, both heavy congestion and waiting time will be reduced.
You can buy limited express train tickets one month in advance.
With advance tickets, you can avoid queuing up when you travel.
Advance tickets with seat reservations are even better. With reserved seats, you do not have to worry about your seats on the way home. Comfortable seats are waiting for you.

A regular one-way ticket from Tokyo Station to Kaihim Makuhari Station costs 540 yen for adults and 270 yen for children from six to twelve years old.
For limited express trains, however, you need to buy a limited express ticket in addition to the regular ticket.
A limited express ticket costs 500 yen without a seat reservation (250 yen for children) or 1,010 yen with a seat reservation (500 yen for children).

For people coming to the Tokyo Motor Show on local trains, we will extend some JR Musashino Line services. In the morning and early evening on weekends during the Tokyo Motor Show, JR Musashino Line's local trains that usually stop at Minami Funabashi Station will continue to Kaihim Makuhari Station.
For further information, please see the October issue of the JR Timetable.

Announcements on the trains during the show days will inform you of the nearest stations for the Tokyo Motor Show. Please be sure to get off at the right station.
The nearest stations are Kaihim Makuhari Station on the JR Keiyo Line and Makuhari Hongo Station on the JR Sobu and Keisei Chiba Lines.

(People going to the Tokyo Motor Show from Kaihim Makuhari Station)

For people in wheelchairs, we at JR are fully prepared to offer excellent service. Station staff work to assist people in wheelchairs to reach their destinations as part of our JR service.
This service are commonly being offered to wheelchair users company-wise regardless of the Tokyo motor Show. We also work hard to create barrier-free stations and trains.

The stations have temporary counters selling tickets for the Tokyo Motor Show.
After getting off the train, you can buy your tickets at the station.
This way, you can avoid queuing up at the Tokyo Motor Show.
Afternoon tickets are also available, allowing you to enter after 15:00 on weekdays. An afternoon ticket costs 1,100 yen for adults and 500 yen for junior high school and high school students.
Afternoon tickets are available only at Kaihim Makuhari Station and the Tokyo Motor Show.
They are especially convenient for people enjoying the Tokyo Motor Show after school or business hours.

(You can buy your tickets at the station before arriving.)

At the stations nearest the Tokyo Motor Show, we will help you to get to the Tokyo Motor Show smoothly and safely.
We hope you will take advantage of our smooth JR trains and service when visiting the Tokyo Motor Show.
We are looking forward to serving you.

Thank you, Mr. Makino.
People at JR are doing their best to ensure smooth access to the Tokyo Motor Show, as well as avoiding heavy crowding.
There will be special limited express trains too.
A new ticket system with IC cards, SUICA and PASMO, is also in service.
People living in the Kanto region can go through automated ticket gates by just touching the ticket gate machines with the IC cards.
This system will significantly reduce the crowds at ticket gates!

When you are using an IC card, make sure that the amount left on the card is sufficient.
Charge your cards before traveling, avoiding the embarrassment of a closed gate and an alarm going off.

When coming to the Tokyo Motor Show 2007, be sure to take comfortable public transportation.

Hello. I am Yoshizawa from the Tokyo Motor Show Office.

The 40th Tokyo Motor Show 2007 will be a new comprehensive show with all passenger cars, commercial vehicles, motorcycles, commercial vehicle bodies, parts, and other related products exhibited in one place, using all the premises of the Makuhari Messe complex.
People have higher expectations for the coming 40th Tokyo Motor Show 2007, and it will be very likely for many people to flock to the show. What concerns visitors most may be transportation access to the show venue.

If you want to arrive at the motor show quickly and easily so you can enjoy it without having to worry about getting there, punctual public transportation, i.e. trains and buses, is a wise choice.

In this and following blog issues, we would like to report how public transportation serves the 40th Tokyo Motor Show 2007.

In this first report, we went to the Chiba Prefectural Bus Association and interviewed Mr. Kato, who has been handling bus services for the Tokyo Motor Show since the 28th show in 1989, when the Tokyo Motor Show was held at Makuhari Messe for the first time. Buses will play an important role connecting train stations and the exhibition site.

Hello, I am Kato and I work at the Chiba Prefectural Bus Association.
In 1989, the 28th Tokyo Motor Show was the first Tokyo Motor Show held at Makuhari Messe. We worked with the Chiba Prefectural Police Headquarters then to undertake several full-scale traffic control simulations, recognizing that the Tokyo Motor Show is one of the largest events in Japan.

Cars waiting to enter the parking lot lined up bumper to bumper with the end of the line still on the expressway. From the license plates, we could see that they were from all over Japan, from Hokkaido in the north to Kyushu in the south.

(1,924,200 people visited the 28th show)

At that time, the JR Keiyo Line had not yet extended form Tokyo Station to Kaihim Makuhari Station. We operated 100 shuttle buses between Makuhari Hongo Station on the JR Sobu Line and the Makuhari Messe exhibition site.
We worked hard to provide safe and convenient services for visitors.
Based on our experience and know-how over almost two decades, we will continue our efforts so that visitors can easily go to the Tokyo Motor Show.

During the sixteen days when the 40th Tokyo motor show 2007 is open, from Saturday, October 27 to Sunday, November 11, 2007, we are operating extra buses from Makuhari Hongo Station on the JR Sobu and Keisei Chiba Lines, and direct express buses from Yokohama Station (YCAT), to the exhibition site.

The extra buses leave Makuhari Hongo Station, which serves the JR Sobu and Keisei Chiba Lines, every 5 to 10 minutes for Makuhari Messe.
There will be plenty of buses, and you won't have to wait long. Also, as this is a bus service for the motor show, we are deploying the latest types of buses wherever possible. During the motor show, we will run articulated buses, which are two buses connected together, between Makuhari Hongo Station and Makuhari Messe.
In Japan, articulated buses are very rare, running on only a few routes, and many people photograph the buses.

(You may be able to ride an articulated bus!)

The shuttle bus services for the 40th Tokyo Motor Show 2007 site also have temporary tollbooths at the motor show site. Visitors can pay for the bus after getting off, avoiding crowding when getting on the bus. (For return buses, fares must be paid in advance.) In this way, getting on buses is quick and easy without buying tickets or other problems. Crowding is also eased when getting off buses. Traveling on buses is smooth and comfortable.

(Temporary tollbooths at the motor show site)

There is also an express shuttle bus service between Yokohama Station (YCAT) and the 40th Tokyo Motor Show 2007 site. A one-way ticket costs 1,500 yen for adults and 750 yen for children. The buses use the latest traffic information to select the most appropriate routes, avoiding traffic jams. If a traffic jam occurs on the Metropolitan Expressway, the buses take the Tokyo Bay Aqualine.
Couples and families with children even welcome the sudden change of route, because they can enjoy the beautiful night view from the Aqualine on their way home. (There is no extra charge for such a route change.) We recommend this shuttle bus service to people living in Kanagawa.

(There is a sign for the buses, so you won't get lost.)

There are also express buses from Haneda and Narita Airports to Makuhari Messe for people from abroad or regions outside the Tokyo metropolitan district.

Some buses also offer English, Korean, and Chinese language services.

For people in wheelchairs, we provide information and assistance concerning the most wheelchair friendly buses. We hope people in wheelchairs will visit the motor show.

From Sunday, October 28, to Tuesday, October 30, 2007, Tokyo Truck Show will be held at the Tokyo Big Sight exhibition center. We will run direct buses connecting Tokyo Big Sight and the 40th Tokyo Motor Show 2007 site at Makuhari Messe with approximately two buses every hour. You can easily visit both shows in one day.
As the 40th Tokyo Motor Show 2007 will be the biggest motor show ever held in Japan, all of our staff will do our best to ensure visitor safety and convenience, as well as reducing waiting time even further. Please visit the Tokyo Motor Show by bus.

Thank you, Mr. Kato of the Chiba Prefectural Bus Association!！
It's nice that there are convenient bus services from nearby stations and airports, as well as from the nearby stations.

In our next report, we will visit the JR East's Chiba Branch Office to ask about taking the train to the 40th Tokyo Motor Show 2007. We are looking forward to seeing you then.