Public transportation can tell you a lot about a city, and the Tokyo subway system — which is primarily made up of the Tokyo Metro and the Toei Lines — was clean, efficient, and easy to navigate even though I don't speak or read Japanese.

On my first trip to Tokyo, Japan, I took the subway from Haneda airport to my hotel in Shibuya with hardly a hiccup. The subway, which has operated since 1927, has had nearly 100 years to perfect itself, and it's incredibly efficient to use as a tourist.

Here's what it was like to ride the subway in Tokyo, and why other cities around the globe should take note.

You can buy a refillable card to ride the trains.

I opted for a Pasmo card because it allows you to transfer between the two independently operated Metro and Toei lines. It can also be used on the city buses.

It cost me 500 Japanese yen (about $4.54 at the time) to buy a new Pasmo, but that price is refundable when you finish using the card and return it at the end of your trip.

The card is refillable at any station kiosk, and you simply tap it to enter and exit the station. Unlike in some other cities, I didn't have to infuriatingly swipe a flimsy paper card at just the ride speed.

Fares are calculated based on distance, and children get a discount.

Some subway systems around the world utilize a flat fee for all riders, but the Tokyo system is priced based on distance.

For my ride from the airport to Shibuya, I had to transfer from the airport line, which is more expensive to ride, to the local line, which is usually a bit cheaper.

The first part of my trip cost me 300 yen (about $2.73 at the time) and the second part on the local line cost me 170 yen (about $1.54 at the time).

Although I didn't have any children with me, I noticed there were discounts for kids.

Infants ride for free, toddlers ages 1 to 6 ride for free as long as there are no more than two toddlers per adult or child, and children ages 6 to 11 (or a third toddler) ride for about half of an adult fare.

Google Maps is super helpful when it comes to deciding which train to take.

The most confusing thing about the Tokyo subway system is that multiple train lines run on the same platform.

You have to pay close attention to the time your train is scheduled so you get on the right one.

This was the one mistake I made when traveling from the airport. I got on an express train that didn't stop at the station I needed to transfer at. But that could have been avoided if I had paid better attention to which train I was supposed to board in the first place.

When you enter your destination into Google Maps, it will tell you the time your train is coming, which car to get on for the easiest exit or transfer, and even how likely it is that you'll get a seat.

There's free Wi-Fi at many of the subway stations, so pulling up this information should be relatively hassle-free.

In my experience, the trains almost always run on time.

Google Maps was so helpful because it would say, for example, that the train we needed to board would arrive at 5:57 p.m. When the train would pull up exactly at 5:57 p.m., we knew without a doubt that it was the one we needed to take.

It was sort of unbelievable, especially as a former New Yorker, to see a subway system run with such accuracy.

There were also new trains every three or so minutes, so if you missed one, another was right around the corner.

The tight schedule is a point of pride for Tokyo. Tokyo Metro's public-relations manager, Noboru Ishikawa, told Metro magazine in 2019 that avoiding delays is the subway system's no. 1 priority.

All of the signs are in English and Japanese.

If you don't have access to Google Maps, navigating the trains is still fairly easy. All of the stations have visible maps that are easy to find, and they are labeled in English as well as Japanese, so I didn't have to worry about not speaking the native language.

In the cars themselves, digital screens also show upcoming stops and transfer stations in English.

Adapted from (https://www.insider.com/testing-public-transportation-in-japan-vs-america-differences-subway)

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Some subway systems around the world utilize a flat fee for all riders.

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