Location: Tokyo,
Japan
“If you don’t have a local person or someone who knows
their way around to guide you, you’ll most certainly get lost.” This is pretty
much the first thing (non-Japanese) people will tell you after their stay in Tokyo.
Further, this turns out to be pretty much the first thing that comes to my mind
whenever I‘m recalling that one moment in Tokyo when I desperately tried to
figure out where I am and how I’m going to get where I’m supposed to be. It
goes without saying that not speaking Japanese, doesn’t help to ease the
situation either. Next time, I’ll bear the wise words of returning Tokyo visitors
in mind before walking off on my own in the Japanese capital. I really can only
agree with them.
However, this post is not supposed to be (entirely)
about my lack of direction, but primarily about one of the things that
fascinated me most about Tokyo:
the transportation system, more precisely the metro or subway. I’m sure you’ve
seen the pictures: crammed cabins and more people squashing in as supervisors
are trying to push the crowd further back from the doors in order for them to
close properly. It’s not just pictures, it’s real. On average, more than 6.33
million people use the subway routes of one of Tokyo’s
major subway companies every day. Just a reminder, more than 13 million people
live in the Tokyo Metropolitan Area (TMA). Now, this would mean that nearly
half of Tokyo’s
population uses the rail system (of one transport company!) on a daily basis.
Naturally, during commuting time, subways are incredibly crowded. Once I
actually happened to get on a subway during working hours and I was really surprised
about how empty it was. I assume only a handful of passengers that use the
underground every day have ever actually had a chance to sit down.
Nevertheless, the public transport system in Tokyo
is very accessible. In fact, it is considered to be one of the most highly
developed transport systems in the world. Moreover, as the urban transport
primarily based on rails (e.g. subway), it is also one of the most
environmentally friendly ways to get around.
See you next time!
Yours August
See you next time!
Yours August
