After taking the most expensive cab ride of my life from Narita International Airport I realized that taking the subway was the only way to go in Tokyo. Of course one could always take a cab, rent a car, or ride the bus, but only if you had a lot of cash and didn't need to get anywhere anytime soon. I had never ridden the subway system before so once I stepped upon the platform at Shibakoen station I knew I was in for a ride.
Trying to figure out how the subway system ran was a little confusing at first. Some of the maps and ticket consoles were completely in Japanese. But in consideration of their Western visitors our host nation displayed some maps in English and even some, not all, of the ticket consoles had "english version" options. So once we figured out what to do we were quickly on our way.
The Tokyo subway system is truly an amazing thing. We'd open up our Tokyo guide book and pick a destination in town and the subway lines would have a stop at least several blocks from where we needed to be. We were zipping all across Tokyo, from Roppongi Hills to the temples at Asakusa, in what seemed like a matter of minutes.
I think what really impressed me the most about the subway system was the etiquette. Yes, there is a certain amount of etiquette involved while riding the subway. One thing I noticed is that while taking the escalators at the station everyone would stand to the left. This would leave the right side open for anyone in a hurry to walk by. It's not an occasional few who honor this but EVERYONE. Also talking on the subway is kept to a minimum or at least a low whisper. You'll see a lot of people texting with their cell phones but rarely see anyone speaking on their phones or having loud conversations.
The fact that I'm writing a whole blog about the subway system shows how impressed I was with it. Considering that Tokyo is a city of over 12 million commuters makes it that more amazing. So along with taking a tour or sampling the local cuisine, if one truly wanted to experience Tokyo, I'd recommend buying a ticket and riding the subway.
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