A huge underground city - this is what one of the most convenient modes of transport in the Japanese capital, the famous Tokyo metro, can be compared to. It ranks second among the world's metros in terms of annual passenger traffic, second only to the Beijing subway. One of the metro stations in the Japanese capital is listed in the Guinness Book of Records: it is the busiest transport hub in the world.
All of the most used stations are connected to many other transport systems, including monorails and trains. This is one of the factors that make the metro in the Japanese capital a very convenient and popular mode of transport. Many townspeople prefer it to their own cars, as this public transport saves them from two evils - spending money on gas and wasting time in traffic jams, and in return they get comfort and high speed of movement.
This huge and sprawling subway has many features that are best known before traveling to the capital of Japan. Some of these features may surprise our compatriots, since the metro in the Japanese capital has a lot of differences, for example, from the usual Moscow subway.
Fare and where to buy tickets
The cost of the ticket is in direct proportion to which station you need to get to. Each of the stations has its own number.
Speaking about the fare in the metro in the Japanese capital, it should be noted that the metro is operated by two operators. One part of the metro is run by the city government, while the other was privatized in the early 2000s. The privatized part includes one hundred seventy-nine stations, they are located on nine branches. The minimum cost of one trip in this part of the subway is approximately one hundred and sixty yen. In the non-privatized part of the subway, the trip costs ten yen more. There are one hundred and six stations in this metro zone, they are located on four lines.
It is not difficult to buy a ticket - you can do it at the machine. For convenience, you can choose an English-language menu in it.
Metro lines
Tokyo subway map
There are thirteen lines in the metro of the Japanese capital, there are two hundred and eighty-five stations on them. The total length of the tracks is three hundred and four kilometers. Every year the metro transports more than three and a half billion passengers and ranks second in this indicator among the world's metros. The daily passenger traffic is just under nine million (this is the average).
Separately, it is necessary to talk about Shinjuku-eki - the most used metro station in the Japanese capital. In fact, it is a transport hub connecting the capital with part of the suburbs. It is considered the busiest transport hub on the planet, information about it is included in the Guinness Book of Records. The daily passenger traffic here is more than three and a half million people. The number of exits from the station is amazing - there are more than two hundred of them. The station is connected to other urban transport systems.
The station tracks are separated from the platforms by a fence; there are automatic gates in it (so that passengers can get into the car).
While at the station, you can visit a huge number of shopping centers that are actually built into it. For example, one of these centers is located underground, stretches eastward under one of the city streets and has sixty exits. It connects to another underground shopping center.
Working hours
At five in the morning, the doors of the subway in the Japanese capital are opened for passengers. Another busy working day of this huge and ramified transport system begins. Until one o'clock in the morning, her trains carry residents of the Japanese capital and guests of the city.
During the busiest hours of the day, the time interval between trains is approximately two or three minutes. There is a train schedule that they follow strictly.
History
The construction of the first metro line in the Japanese capital began in the 1920s. In about seven and a half years, the first section was completed and put into operation. In the early 2000s, part of the metro was privatized.
The gas attack in March 1995 became a black page in the history of the metro. Thousands of people were injured, twelve died. The attack was carried out by members of a destructive sect.
Speaking about the history of the subway in the Japanese capital, a few words must be said about the history of its largest station, Shinjuku. The story about it should start from the mid-80s of the 19th century: oddly enough, this station is older than the Tokyo subway. The fact is that at first it was a railway station. It became part of the metro only at the end of the 50s of the XX century.
At the end of the 60s, anti-war demonstrations took place in the area of the station, once demonstrators even blocked the paths and stopped the movement of trains.
In the spring of 1995, a terrorist attack was prevented at the station, which was attempted by representatives of the aforementioned destructive sect. They tried to poison the passengers with the help of cyanide, but the device with the poison was discovered and rendered harmless in time by the employees of the subway.
Peculiarities
In the metro of the Japanese capital, there is a very unusual position, it is called "osiya" (accent on the last syllable). The duty of this employee is to push passengers into overcrowded carriages, as well as to ensure that no luggage is pinched by the closing doors. The title of the position can be translated as “push”. It comes from the Japanese word "osu", which means "to push". For the first time this unusual position appeared at the station, which the Japanese call Shinjuku-eki, and tourists simply Shinjuku. Initially, the "pushers" were part-time students. They worked in their free time, part-time. Later, the position appeared at other stations. "Pushers" began to work not part-time, but on a permanent basis.
Another feature of the Tokyo metro is that there are fountains with drinking water at its stations, as well as machines that dispense water. All stations have toilets. But what you will not find in the subway of the Japanese capital is architectural delights. Everything here is decorated quite simply (but at the same time very modern).
There is no safety gutter in the underground. This is the name of the special groove between the rails. It is designed to rescue passengers who have fallen onto the rails.
All the seats in the carriages are heated. So even on the coldest day, you can warm up by taking the subway. Stations are announced in several languages. These are: Japanese; English; Chinese. Moreover, in the third of the listed languages, stations are announced quite rarely.
During rush hours, only women sit on the last carriage of the train - this rule exists in order to protect the weaker sex from harassment.
And one more unusual feature of the metro in the Japanese capital: avoid talking on your mobile phone in the metro, otherwise you may get into an awkward situation. The fact is that conversations on a mobile phone in carriages or at metro stations are considered inappropriate and indecent behavior here.
Official website: www.tokyometro.jp/en
Tokyo subway
