When I pulled up to Shinjuku Station, I knew I was in Tokyo, and I knew it was one of the largest cities in the world. I'm not sure if I've ever seen so many people in one place at one time (that was until I was at this station during rush hour...don't worry, I'll have a whole blog with photos about the morning commute in Tokyo).
But I had bigger things to worry about; namely getting the station to my apartment. I've never been in on a subway before, let alone had to navigate a big-city train station. And, even if I could figure it out, did I even know where I was going?
Do you give you an idea as to why I'd be a bit nervous navigating the subways, I present Exhibit A:
By the way, did I mention that Tokyo has the largest and most complex subway system in the world?
Well, I'm happy to report that now, only 4 days after my arrival, I've mastered the subways and the JR (Japanese Railways; aka, trains) lines. I have a Suica Card (basically a rechargeable card to swipe at the gates, paying your fare), and I seem to fit right in traveling from place to place.
It's not so bad anymore. I wake up, walk 2 min. to the Shin-Nakano Station, catch the Marunouchi Line bound for Ikebukuro, get off at the first stop (Nakano Sakuae) and transfer onto the Oedo Line. And then, I just ride that all the way into Minato-ku, getting off at Azabu-Juban. Piece of cake. From there it's only a 15 min. walk to campus. So, 50 min. later and about 2 miles of walking, I arrive at school...it's no surprise that Japanese are so thin and healthy, they have to walk everywhere (more on that to come).
No comments:
Post a Comment