Is There Uber in Japan? What About Taxi GO?

Yes, you can use Uber in Japan and it works well, at least in the big cities. You might also consider installing Taxi GO, which is the dominant ride hailing app in Japan. Here are all the details.

Uber taxi: Diego Thomazini / Shutterstock.com

The Takeaway

• Uber is available in Japan and works in Japan’s major cities.
• Taxi GO is Japan’s largest ride hailing app (with over 80% market share) and it’s available in English.
• Ride sharing is not legal in Japan, so these apps work with existing taxi companies (they’re more like taxi-hailing apps in Japan).
• Both apps add a small surcharge to the taxi fare, which is charged to your credit card, so you never have to handle cash.
• Both apps remove all communication difficulties: Your driver knows where you’re going from the app.
• Both apps work well in big cities. I suspect that Taxi GO works better in the countryside, but I must confirm this with more testing.
• These apps work great when you’re staying at an AirBnB outside the city center or when you’re exploring the outskirts of a city (where there are few taxis).
• There’s no need to use an app when in the city center: It’s faster just to flag down a taxi on the street.
• If you leave something in a taxi, you can easily get it back because the app has a record of your car and driver.
• Scroll down for all the details.

Taxi GO in Japan: Ned Snowman / Shutterstock.com

Introduction

I recently tested Uber and Taxi GO in Tokyo and Kyoto. I was originally very averse to using these apps, since it’s usually easy to hail a taxi on the street or grab one at a taxi rank. However, once I started to use these apps, I saw how useful they could be and now I use them for at least half of my taxi rides in Japan.

Kyoto Taxi: TK Kurikawa / Shutterstock.com

The first thing to understand is that ridesharing, as it exists in the United States and many other countries, is not legal in Japan. Therefore, when you use a ride hailing app like Uber or Taxi GO, you’re really just calling a taxi. And, the apps add a small fee to the standard fare taxi fare. Despite this, there are several advantages to using these apps, particularly for foreign travelers to Japan who don’t speak Japanese.

I should note that I did not test these apps in the countryside, but I will do so later this year and add my findings to this page.

How Much Does It Cost to Use Uber and Taxi GO in Japan?

As noted above, Uber and Taxi GO add a fee to the fare charged by the taxi company. At the time of writing, both Uber and Taxi GO add a usage fee (surcharge) of Y100 to the fare. It’s not much, but note that some taxi companies also add a surcharge for pick-ups made via these apps. But, there’s no meaningful difference in price between the two apps. Here is the fee information for Taxi GO and here is the fee information for Uber Japan.

Tokyo Taxi: Savvapanf Photo / Shutterstock.com

Which Is Easier to Install and Use?

Most people who are going to use Uber in Japan already have it installed on their phone. If not, it’s easy to install it either in Japan or before coming to Japan. You can also install Taxi GO either before coming to Japan or after arrival. Keep in mind that you will have to be able to receive a text message on your phone in order to activate Taxi GO. You can usually do this via your provider’s roaming service. You’ll find both Uber and TaxiGO on the App Store and Google Play.

Taxis in Tokyo – image © Dick Thomas Johnson / CC BY 2.0 DEED

How Well Do Uber and Taxi GO Work in Japan?

I was originally going to do a head-to-head comparison of Uber and Taxi GO, but I realized that this would be meaningless, since there are so many taxis using these systems in Tokyo and Kyoto that it would just be the luck of the draw which company had the closest taxi when I ordered the ride. Or, to put it more simply: Both Uber and Taxi GO work very well in Tokyo and Kyoto. Rides generally show up within minutes.

In Kyoto, Uber has contracted with MK Taxi, while Taxi GO works with Yasaka Taxi. Both are reputable companies with good cars and drivers.

MK Taxi in Kyoto – image © Meredith P / CC BY-ND 2.0 DEED

The real question is how well they work outside the cities. At this point, I’m guessing that Taxi GO will outperform Uber in small towns and rural areas, because it’s a Japanese company and has better connections with local taxi companies. I’ll test this in the next few months and post my findings here.

What Are the Advantages of Using a Ride Hailing App in Japan?

Ride hailing apps in Japan basically solve all your communication problems around taxis. You don’t have to say anything to the driver since he’ll already know your destination. At the most, you may have to tell him your confirmation number, but you can do that by holding up your phone. Also, you never have to mess around with physical currency since the fare and fee are charged to your credit card. Finally, if you forget something in a taxi, you can easily find out the driver and car number and contact the taxi company to get it back (although you may need a Japanese speaker to communicate with the taxi company directly).

Taxi in Hiroshima nightlife district – image © Kristoffer Trolle / CC BY 2.0 DEED

When Should You Use a Ride Hailing App in Japan?

Uber and TaxiGO work great when you’re staying in a place that doesn’t have a taxi rank or staff to call a taxi for you, such as an Air BnB. Without these apps, you’d have to call a taxi company and hope someone on the other end speaks English, or you’d have to hike to the nearest big street and try to explain to the driver how to get to your accommodations. Not fun. Also, they work great when you’re exploring far from major streets. While taxis are abundant in the central parts of most Japanese cities, once you get to the outskirts, they may be few and far between. A ride hailing app can save you from a long walk or an equally long wait at a bus stop for the next bus.

Taxi driver in Kyoto – image © Gabe Kronisch / CC BY 2.0 DEED

When Should You NOT Use a Ride Hailing App in Japan?

Don’t bother using a taxi app when arriving at an airport in Japan: Either use public transport to get to the city or go to the taxi rank where they’ll usually be taxi vans waiting for arriving passengers and their luggage. Likewise, at most train stations, even small ones in the countryside, they’ll usually be a taxi rank outside the station and you can just board the first taxi in line. Finally, there’s no point in using a ride hailing app in the downtown areas of most Japanese cities since there are so many taxis driving around that it will be quicker to just flag one down.

Taxi van at Kansai Airport – image © Chris Rowthorn

Of course, you may want to arrange airport transfer in advance. Klook offers online bookings with instant confirmation for private airport taxis from Narita, Haneda and Kansai International Airport. The rates are usually cheaper than just grabbing a cab off a taxi rank. Here are their offerings for these airports:

• Narita Airport private transfer
• Haneda Airport private transfer
• Kansai Airport private transfer

More Information

• Kyoto Taxis
• Tokyo Taxis

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