You May Hate Tokyo’s Shibuya Station More Than Shinjuku (Part I of II)
I think Shinjuku is a station you should avoid like the plague, but you may feel that Shibuya is not far behind.
There are ten rail lines coming into Shibuya that are operated by four rail companies, with the station(s) dispersed into three buildings, which collectively have three stories above ground and five stories below.
Common sense would suggest that a transfer from ground rail to the subway would require you to go down, but that would be wildly incorrect.
If you make a transfer from Tokyu‘s Toyoko Line, which is a ground line, to Tokyo Metro‘s Ginza Line, which is a subway, you need to go seven floors up, from the lowest floor to the highest, through two different buildings.
But that’s not all.
If you want to transfer from the Toyoko Line to Tokyo Metro’s Hanzomon Line, which is another subway, you need to go up two floors, albeit in the same building.
But wait, there’s more.
If you want to transfer from the Toyoko Line to Tokyo Metro’s Fukutoshin Line, which is yet another subway, you shouldn’t leave the train because the two lines make direct connection.
You may be already confused, but I’ve only covered three of the 36 possible transfers.
Let me keep on going.
If you’re looking to transfer to Keio‘s Inokashira Line, which is a ground line, that’s actually the simplest because it’s on the second floor in its own building. If you can’t find this line, you have no hope of getting out of Shibuya alive.
If you’re looking for Tokyu’s Den-en-toshi Line, which is a ground line, that’s three floors below ground, in the same building as Tokyu’s Toyoko Line, on the same platform as the Tokyo Metro’s Hanzomon Line. If you were paying close attention, you may be thinking, “Oh, I’ve figured this out! The Tokyu lines and the Tokyo Metro lines are in the same building!,” but think again: the most widely-used Tokyo Metro’s Ginza Line is nowhere near this vicinity.
If you’re looking for the lines operated by Japan Rail (commonly known as JR), which is a ground line, that’s effectively in the same building as the Ginza Line. It just happens to be two floors below the Ginza Line, which, again, is a subway.
It’s relatively easy to find JR because the building and the signage are so visible. The trouble starts once you get to the platform.
(Continues to Part II)
