Hanalog

Ok. that was super lame .. but whatever. I am still laughing .. and since I am probably the only one that reads these posts .. its all daijoubu. (It means “where is the train?” in both poor japanese and english .. though after reading it, you might assume a slight spanish influence.)

Omotesando Station: There are 3 train lines that come into the station, the Ginza Line, the Hanzomon Line, and the Chiyoda Line

It is not uncommon to be short on time when commuting. Once you are in the (unfamiliar) train station, will you know how to navigate? Are you more likely to go in the right direction or just go crazy?

Like most subway systems, some stations will connect several different train lines (Government Station in Boston, Grand Central/Port Authority/Union Square in NYC, and Omotesando/Otemachi stations in Tokyo). It is especially difficult at these stations to know which direction to walk in order to get to the correct train line. Otematchi has 5 different train lines connecting and they can be as far as 350m (1,148 ft.) apart. How do they help lead you in the right direction?

Through a combinations of ceiling and wall signs, many in both english and japanese, the path is pretty clear. The train lines are labeled using a romaji (latin) letter for each station and encased within a colored circle .. very similar to the NYC Metro’s labels.

NYC Transit Metro labels

Tokyo Metro labels

These labels will pretty much be the main guide throughout the station from the beginning to the end. It will be used on the hallway signs, the ceiling signs, the subway maps, and entrance signs. The romaji characters (latin letters) are familiar in both English and Japanese, making it possible to accommodate the locals and the majority of the international folks visiting on business.

The ceiling signs (above) and the wall signs (below) showing which direction to the subway platforms in Japanese Kanji, English, and the distance (in meters) from that spot to the platform. One question; Where’s the kitchen sink?