Cheap and conveninet travel within tokyo

Hi I�fll be traveling to Tokyo this October and I�fm looking for the most convenient and cheap way to get around. I�fll be there for 4 days and I�fm choosing between getting a suica card or getting the 72 hours unlimited ride Tokyo subway ticket. I�fve been looking up the places I plan to visit via google maps and it seems I�fll be needing to take buses to get there. So my question in particular are as follows:

1. Is it better to get the unlimited subway pass or a suica card? (I prioritize convenience but I�fd also like to be able to save)
2. Can the suica card be used to pay for bus fare all over Tokyo?

If you have other suggestions on how I can get around I�fm all ears as well. I plan to do a museum crawl and I�fm looking to go to the following museums:

Ghibli Museum
Suginami Museum
Chihiro Art Museum

Yahoo Kusama Museum
Digital Museum Mori Building

National Museum of Western Art
MOMAT
The Sumida Hokusai Museum

It all depends on your actual itinerary and the place of your accommodation. If you want to do in very slow pace, 1 day for 1 museum, then no pass will pay off.''

I think you already have ample knowledge for traveling in Tokyo. You can locate each museum on the google map. Then there is no magical way to calculate the fare. Use Google map's "find route" option (I am sorry I can't see the English version of google map, so the name is not correct). Then use Hyperdia to see the fare. Sum-up the fare and compare it with the pass.

You might better consider Grutto Pass.

https://www.rekibun.or.jp/en/grutto/

Suica card for convenience. As it can be used for all railways, subways and buses.

Subway pass is only for subway. And doesnt get you to all the locations you listed.

You can use Google Maps to calculate fares - they will often give you multiple options for routes, and sometimes the fares will differ. I've found that it's pretty rare to save much money with a subway pass, but it may be possible depending on where you're staying, where you go to dinner, etc.

The Grutto Pass (http://whereintokyo.com/dbinx/grutto.html ) is something to look at if you're interested in visiting several more museums than just the ones you've listed. It's good for two months, and it costs Y2200, so it's not really intended for short-term tourists. (Also it only covers three or four of the museums on your list.)

The subway passes are too restrictive and only offer rides on two of the railway companies in Tokyo, and only central areas. To maximise use, sometimes you have to do poor transfers and routes when switching between the subway and JR or one of the other companies is much more efficient.
Certainly the subway doesn't get you to Ghibli (near JR Mitaka).
The trains are pretty cheap to use anyway.

Thank you so much for all the information you all provided.

Just a heads up, if you don't have Ghibli Museum tickets already, it's too late. You can't buy them at the museum and they sell out weeks in advance.

@Me2 - yes - that is very true and important. I encountered some lost people trying to navigate the trains last week and they were about to head to the wrong stop (thanks to Google maps misguiding them). So I told them the right destination, and train and then asked what time their tickets were for. The penny dropped when husband said "oh, so that's what the site meant about three months in advance". He thought he could just turn up and buy.

Saved the four of them (two young kids) a pointless trip out to the burbs of Mitaka - I don't think they would have enjoyed the park.

Yes, buying Ghibli tickets was the first thing I did. I was given the tip to set an alarm for when the site starts selling them cause they sell out fast.

You can walk to the museum from either Mitaka or Kichijoji, I thought the walk from Kichijoji was quite pleasant. The bus between Mitaka and the museum can be very crowded in the morning. We had to wait for the 3rd bus when we arrived in the morning because it was so crowded. You can use a Suica to pay for it, but if you want the discounted round trip you need to buy the ticket separately. It is not covered by any of the Tokyo passes from what I remember.

I'd probably just use a Suica over the subway pass. I like being able to transfer and use whichever line is cheapest at a particular time.

Either Mitaka or Kichijoji to Ghibili are both so short I've never bothered to consider the bus. Mitaka has a slightly better train schedule so I naturally chose that, but if I'm in the area I tend to enjoy the Inokashira-Koen (the park) at Kichijoji. Personal preference.

We did the bus because it is super cute looking and I thought it would be better for my daughter, so she'd have more energy for the rest of the day. When I went on my own in '02, I walked from Kichijoji because I love Inokashira Park.

Honestly, I don't expect to go back to the museum any time too soon. It's very small, very crowded, and they really only change up so much every year. If I want Totoro merchandise, I can buy that elsewhere as well. :/ My daughter is a huge Miyazaki fan but even she was disappointed.

Walk from Mitaka is nice. Old showa era buildings and a few pet cafes along the way.

Hi!
If you want to go to the Sumida Hokusai Museum, it might be an idea to also visit the Edo Tokio Museum which is really nearby.
The Sumida Hokusai Museum has a interesting modern Architecture but the Exibition itself was small.

So you can cover both Museums in one day easily.

Enjoy your Trip!