Japan: Day 3
Konichiwa! Today's theme: public transportation (and even more broadly, appreciating the breadth of Japan's incredible technology and organization).
(Team Ronin modeling the queuing for you!)
I've always wondered, how does someone like this on the subway not miss their stop?
JANETTE: The speed of the subway train cars was faster than I expected.
DIA: I loved how easy it was. It was also just a nice experience.
MADDUX: It was exactly what I expected it to be. But I learned about the ticketing system and how the local commuters have a card they use as opposed to the temporary tickets we tourists used. Some of the train cars have bathrooms!
COLTON: It's what I expected. But there were a lot more ads in the cars than I thought there would be.
NABOR: I thought it would be more crowded than it was. With the Tour Director the process was super easy. The system the Japanese use to efficiently get on and off the train cars was really interesting.
I think our experience of public transport here in Japan can be compared to my experience of the Bodleian Library at Oxford: once you've experienced the best of the best--whether that best is one of the most efficient and complex subway systems out there or one of the most comprehensive, exhaustive libraries in the world--the result is the same. It spoils any other experience; the bar is set so high that everything else pales in comparison. My condolences to any of our students who have to go back to California and use public transport... Sorry, guys. Maybe someday the U.S. will get there!
We took eight-ish different connections today, from Hachioji (where our hotel is) to Shimbashi to the Tokyo Cruise Terminal to Kanda to Okachimachi and back to Hachioji (not necessarily in that order). The subways are clean and well-maintained, with bigger stations even having shops and stores tucked near the thoroughfares.
I personally loved discovering how the Japanese load on and off the cars. Before doing that, however, we learned there is protocol for how to properly ascend and descend the escalator. Our travelers got really good at hugging the left (the Japanese operate like the British on the left side of the road and walkways) so commuters walking the escalators could pass on the right.
When preparing to board the train car, the Japanese queue up in two lines on each side of a labeled marker on the floor that is in front of waist-high sliding glass doors that open when the car arrives. Those waiting to board let everyone empty out of the car when the doors open, and the departing crowd streams between the two queues. Then the waiting passengers enter. Everything works like clockwork; little jingles/short songs (not quite sure what to call them--"cute tunes"?) play at the stations periodically between arrival and departure (still not sure what the purpose of these songs is, but they're cute and pleasant to the ear!).
At one point, I observed a handicapped man in a wheelchair who came in with the aid of a subway attendant who had him on the car in seconds using a ramp. When the man was ready to get off at his stop, there was another attendant waiting with a ramp and, again, he was off the car in seconds. It seems the stations notified each other about him so everything could work seamlessly and swiftly without affecting the train's schedule. It was impressive to watch!
You can see a quick, badly filmed clip of some of the travelers on the subway HERE.
Today was more relaxed, schedule-wise, though there was still a decent amount of walking. It was much warmer and stickier today, with no rain.
The statue at the beginning of this post is apparently called a 'Gundam' (a giant robot) and was located close to an amusement park of sorts that the students visited, and two or three massive indoor shopping malls with familiar stores and brands to our own malls. All of this was located in the Odaiba district of Tokyo.
So, after successfully tackling the Tokyo subway and monorail (although one of our travelers (Maddux) noted that it is not a monorail; instead he thought it should be called the "rubber tires rail." I like it; I think it really rolls off the tongue! 😋) with Michiyo's competent guidance, we landed in Odaiba.
Our first stop was to walk through the museum/technology showroom of Miraiken.
After that, we headed over to the Joypolis Amusement Park, which was a kind of mini amusement park (all indoors) that featured virtual reality games, arcades, laser tag, and rides, just to name a few attractions. I didn't go inside so unfortunately I don't have much detail to provide about this experience, but it seemed like a good time!
One of the parent travelers, Lynnette, and I walked around a kind of beach park that was right below Joypolis and even took a quick trek on the famous Odaiba Rainbow Bridge (picture below). We thought it was interesting that NO ONE was in the water, let alone wearing a swimsuit, though it was certainly hot enough to be swimming. There were lots of families and adorable little ones, which made for excellent people watching.
After Joypolis we headed to dinner, once again using public transport. Because it was a Saturday, we definitely saw smaller crowds of people, and I think it worked out beautifully that we weren't completely swamped in the subway walkways and subway cars.
We got off at Ohachimachi for dinner on the way back to our hotel.
The name of the meal was "Okonomiyaki," and it's a kind of savory pancake, omelette-type dish. It was completely new to most of us! You cook each side for about 5 minutes and then finish up on the original side for 5 minutes. Then once you put it on your plate, you cover it in Japanese BBQ sauce and mayo, and then dig in! Here's a CLIP of part of the process, and a few pics:
We then headed home on our longest leg (which took about an hour), and I captured this priceless pic (in case you're wondering, I got permission to post this):
Lastly, below are featured traveler responses to the experience of public transport in Japan. The question was, "How was the subway/public transport different than you expected?"
JANETTE: The speed of the subway train cars was faster than I expected.
DIA: I loved how easy it was. It was also just a nice experience.
MADDUX: It was exactly what I expected it to be. But I learned about the ticketing system and how the local commuters have a card they use as opposed to the temporary tickets we tourists used. Some of the train cars have bathrooms!
COLTON: It's what I expected. But there were a lot more ads in the cars than I thought there would be.
NABOR: I thought it would be more crowded than it was. With the Tour Director the process was super easy. The system the Japanese use to efficiently get on and off the train cars was really interesting.
There you have it! Our last night in Tokyo. Off to Kamakura and Hakone tomorrow!
~Ms. Carr
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