Getting from Haneda airport to hotel at Mikawashima station: in Terminal 3 after passport control, customs and getting the luggage, you walk out by information and other counters to your right side and with monorail signs to the left. Follow the signs to monorail until the ticketing stations, where you can buy the ticket all the way to the station, where the hotel is. We were helped by an employee getting the ticket all the way to the last station (750 yen/person, 1 USD = 150 yen). The route was: from terminal 3 to terminal station of monorail (Hamamatsucho). At Hamamatsucho station we changed to JR Yamanote line and went to Nippori station (Tokyo/Ueno direction). This was the longest ride. At Nippori station we took JR Joban line towards Toride and got off at Mikawashima station, where our hotel was about 3 mins walk (Hotel Nagoni). It took us about 50 mins to get to the hotel from the airport. Transfers from one line to other are quite easy, but at times you need to walk quite a lot to reach the gates and platforms. The stations are like cities with many floors, shops, restaurants, etc. Toilets are everywhere and all clean. Good signage and directions in Japanese and English, announcements also in English.
We bought Subway 72 hours pass right at the airport (1500 yen/person) but this is where the learning curve started. This pass was valid only on Tokyo metro and Toei lines, not on Monorail, not on JR lines and any other private transportation system operating in and around Tokyo. That means, when going around Tokyo and to smaller towns nearby, we could use the pass only on metro and toei lines. As explained by a metro employee, every line with a colour on the transportation map falls under those two transportation systems. Everything else in grey and black and white were either JR lines or any other private company and not accepting the subway pass. So, when moving from one transit system (like metro/toei) to JR lines, you are required to buy a ticket, even if you have the pass. Basically, you leave metro gate with the 72 hours pass and enter JR station via a gate with a ticket bought right there from an attendant or ticketing machine (usually 130-150 yen/per 1-2 stations ride). This might have some minor difficulties at smaller stations (no ticketing machine or the station attendant will give you incorrect info, instead of just selling you the tickets), as we learnt and tricks, like the pass and the ticket needs to be inserted into the gate slot together, when the gate functions as exit and entrance for metro/JR lines (ticket won't be returned, if exiting the JR lines and entering subway system). By the third day we became experts in travelling with metro/toei pass and separate tickets for JR lines. But then we bought the so much advertised and mentioned Suica card. It’s time and headache saver!!! It’s like a pre-charged debit card accepted by all transportation companies in Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto and more. You can pay with it also in many shops, restaurants, or for snacks/drinks in the food machines. You can get them at major metro and JR line stations. The machines selling them have IC signs on them and also Suica. You change language to English and pick the correct option to purchase a new Suica card. You put in credit card or cash, and the machine prints for you a green/silver card charged with the selected amount. It keeps 500 yen/card, basically, the cost of the card. After that, you only need to wave the card at the IC reader on the gate of whichever transport system you want to take. It’s universal and you don’t even have to know about what we learnt and described above. It subtracts the required amount whenever you exit the gate and it shows you how much you have remaining. To top up, you find a machine with IC on it, select English language, topping up option, amount, slide in cash or card, and it’s done. We used the Suica card all over Tokyo and small villages nearby, used it in Osaka metro system, Kyoto buses and even paid with it for goods at the Osaka airport when leaving Japan. Great card to use as a tourist!