Service commenced on September 17, 1964, 23 days ahead of the Olympic opening ceremony on October 10. At the time of opening, the Tokyo Monorail ran a total length of and served only its termini: Hamamatsuchō Station and the airport. Most of the artificial islands in Tokyo Bay had not yet been reclaimed, and the line mostly ran over water. The price for a one-way ticket was 250 yen, which was relatively more expensive than other available options at the time. It was notably cheaper to take a taxi with four people to the airport than to ride the monorail. A recession following the Olympics resulted in a decrease in airport arrivals, which severely affected ridership. In 1966, the Tokyo Monorail was forced to reduce the price of its fare to 150 yen to attract more passengers.