Korea vs Japan Public Transport: Free Transfers vs Dense Rail
Transit cards, fares, and phone-call manners on board
Korea's public transport system features free transfers between bus and subway as its biggest advantage. A single T-money card covers most public transport nationwide, with fares much cheaper than Japan.
Japan has various operators like JR, private railways, and subways, charging separate fares for each transfer. However, rail network density is very high, and train punctuality is world-class.
Phone calls on Korean subway cars are relatively accepted, but in Japanese trains, phone calls are considered a serious manner violation.
Key Differences
Korea: free bus-subway transfer / Japan: separate per-line fares
Korea: T-money unified card / Japan: multiple cards (Suica, PASMO)
Korea: cheap fares (1,400 won~) / Japan: relatively expensive (170 yen~)