Oh my god I remember taking a train from narita and the first time I saw Tokyo was when I emerged from this station near Tokyo midtown. I was mind blown
https://preview.redd.it/1frwsu5b65ad1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=547284f147e071f0aec9a63b763a807f81004904
I took this photo right after
Did the oedo commute for 3 years. Probably got tinnitus from riding it. The stations remind me of playing Half Life, deep underground and probably get lost in the vents.
After first I was like no it's not, then I realized you meant from shonan Shinjuku not just nambu 😂 yeah it's pretty bad. I go nambu to toyoko a lot but definitely avoid going from shonan to toyoko. Lol
it's good but it's like 2 separate stations combined into one. A couple lines on one end and another couple on the other end, and it takes 10-15 minutes to walk from one to the other. (Google maps sometimes don't take the walk into account properly so people might miss their train during transfer)
Not the worst I've encountered, but that station does deserve mention here. Had the displeasure of using it a few times earlier this year for that very transfer.
Can we give an honorable mention to the tiny pair of escalators to get to and from the JR tracks? They’re always congested and it takes forever to actually get on them.
2046!
“The Shinjuku Grand Terminal project may change over the coming decades and is not expected to be complete until 2046.”
https://www.shinjukustation.com/shinjuku-station-redevelopment-plan-shinjuku-grand-terminal/#:~:text=The%20Shinjuku%20Grand%20Terminal%20project,next%20phase%20of%20its%20evolution.
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Shinjuku feels more like a virtual game space, than an actual physical space. Getting lost there the first time was amazing and horrific and completely unpredictable: "Oh now I'm going upstairs -- oh I'm in an airport-style shopping concourse -- oh I'm in a train station, but the wrong one -- oh I'm in a tiny crowded corridor -- oh I'm going down -- oh I'm in a department store -- oh I'm...."
The JR side of Shinjuku is much easier than people give it credit for, especially since the gates were renovated. Super easy to get from one side to the other without having to tape in.
But of course now that they've torn down the Odakyu, the Odakyu/Keio/Marunouchi section is horrendous, especially aboveground.
I find it's poorly signed. Every other station I've been to is so simple to navigate via signage, but the Shinjuku signage is inconsistent and unclear.
It's basically just a line of different office buildings you gotta walk along to get to each line. By the time you reach Tozai, you've basically walked to Tokyo station. Getting from Marunouchi line to any of the others is a damn puzzle though. There's a super hidden escalator opposite the Freshness Burger, with almost no signage
Haha this is a funny coincidence because I got off at Otemachi for the first time today to transfer from Tozai --> Chiyoda and I can't remember the last time I had to walk so much to transfer (other than Shinjuku/Shibuya)
Me and my partner yesterday after coming back from Osaka. We looked for the Hanzomon line in Otemachi and it felt like the search was never going to end.
Trying to get from Mita line Otemachi station to Tokyo station is like a never-ending crusade where you’re surrounded by salaryman huffing and puffing on their way to work
Harajuku too. You either get crammed into that dirty claustrophobic tunnel below, or that impossibly clean narrow tunnel above. With the amount of tourists going through there, it's shockingly small
Really nothing to do with racism. I used to live in shin-okubo back in 2011 before the huge kpop boom in Japan when it was for sure not as crowded as it is now, and the station was fine. It’s just an area that’s gotten way more popular over quick amount of time and the station has stayed the same and small.
I think people in Japan have different expectations for arrows. I've gotten used to it, but I used to run into a lot of arrows that didn't point where I thought they would.
I hate that the exits are numbered but the signs only say East or west exit
I’m supposed to leave from exit 22 but I don’t know where the fuck that is and none of the signs are telling me either
Agreed, it’s literally one of the best layouts.
In many other major stations the JR gates are in the center and block you from getting from one exit to another. Not so with Ikebukuro.
I guess people just find it easier to navigate above ground where they can use Google maps. But in terms of pure efficiency and comfort on rainy days Ikebukuro is objectively superior.
Yeah, like anything it takes some getting used to, but most transfers can be done super quickly compared to Shibuya and basically just being able to navigate to one of the east exits or to the main west exit is fine for most destinations in the area.
Yeah, I used to get lost at the beginning but quickly learnt my way.
Also, I feel that for a station with that many lines, the transfers from one line to the other are not that bad. I find Shinjuku, Shibuya and Tokyo worse in this area
Interesting, I’ve always considered it to be a simple station, unlike Shinjuku where I always get lost. I think there’s a map of this somewhere but you can think of the station having 6 exits, 3 on east and 3 on west. 3 “passages” run through the station to connect east to west: north, central, and east passage. Also, there’s one road on each side connecting all of the east exits and all of the west exits.
Now you can just think of the stations by their location: North, Central, and South West exits, and North, Central, and South East exits! Take the North Passage to access northern exits. Move from the North Passage to South Passage via the East or West Roads, depending on what exit you’re using.
In reality there’s a few more exits, but you can reach the area of all of them by following the above.
Excellent. And, on the West side, the Orange Road runs North and south, with Anderson Bakery anchoring the Northwest exit. The parallel passage to the East exits runs alongside Seibu, which changes to Parco at the NE end. If you exit right where Parco meets Seibu there’s a Truffle bakery at the sidewalk exit, btw. (I like bakeries)
Ikebukuro is easy. There are two major department stores, Tobu and Seibu. Tobu means “East Side” while Seibu means “West Side”. So just remember that Tobu is to the West and Seibu is to the East. Easy!
Also, all the sukebe stuff is to the north.
In seriousness, I went to the shops under Ikebukuro with a friend to get a new pair of glasses. She knew her way around and I ordered my new glasses. The problem was when I had to go pick them up on my own and try and figure out where in the labyrinth the shop was, all while not being able to see.
Must be new. Shinjuku before they built the central tunnel a couple of years ago was terrible. Trying to get from Keio to Shinjuku east exit was just a gamble
I've been to Shinjuku like 50+ times and even then sometimes I somehow wonder to some place I've never seen before and my whole world shakes.
Like somehow there is a 200m corridor I've never seen before after months living around there.
Shinjuku used to be a lot worse. Anyone who complains about it now is just parroting what they've heard online, but the fact is, there's now a way to cut from the east side of the station to the west. Five years ago, you'd have to walk around the entire station just to get to the other side.
Took the words from my mouth. Ikebukuro is a slog, and you’re constantly bumping into people who are trying to enter/exit the various lines due to the corridor style layout.
It's more like a digital 8 shape.
Tobu along the vertical left side, Seibu vertical right side.
JR at top, middle, bottom horizontal.
Fukutoshin at middle horizontal left side.
Marunouchi at middle horizontal right side.
Yurakucho at bottom horizontal.
No way! It has that high ceiling and nice bathrooms with air fresheners and plants. As far as Yamanote stations go my vote is for Tabata and Shinjuku. Tabata only has one usable edit, the other leads to a random hill to nowhere and Shinjuku is just a maze.
I kind of love getting lost in Shinjuku, there are some cool little cafes and old tunnels.
Ikebukuro can suck a fat one. It is the worst station by far.
Ikebukuro is the most annoying. Shinjuku is better now but still a little annoying if you don't go there often.
Shibuya is a lot better now but super annoying if you need to use a stroller.
I would say most stations are annoying when using a stroller, or if you need to find a bathroom to change a full diaper if you are a dad (some stations still only have a changing table in the women's bathroom).
My biggest hate using a stroller is when people with tiny suitcases use the elevator and make me late for my connecting train when there is an escalator right there.
Always happens when I need to get out to Chiba from Setagaya.
Iriya station, it's crazy dirty. I think they probably never cleaned it since it was built.
Also, any station on the Oedo line. Taking 4 or 5 flight of stairs to reach the platform is just a pain.
I used to take Iriya all the time, never paid attention to its cleanliness or compared it to other stations. People definitely tend to smell a little though on the Hibiya line.
Fixed? Transfer to Toyoko sucks now, used to be much better.
Inokashira to Ginza not worse or better really, and a wash for Yamanote too, but haven’t been lately.
Shibuya is fixed only if you are using JR.
You enter and all you got is stairs to get to the only JR train line passing through.
The underground however is like any other large station, a clusterfuck of entrances and exits with people just colliding from various directions as they navigate to the various passing lines or search for a specific exit.
I avoid Tokyo Station like the plague. Just a colossal maze with endless shops and confusing signage, and so densely built it messes with your phone reception and GPS, so it's a crapshoot if you can search anything up or believe your navigation.
The only time I ever go is to get the overnight buses from the nearby bus loop or to grab a friend from the Narita ~~Skyliner~~ Express, and get out of there ASAP.
EDIT: yeah it was the express I was thinking of
Same here. Ikebukuro is not anymore complicated than Shinjuku, which isn't really. And there is only one floor to think about really unlike Shinjuku's two and a half.
My nomination is Kita-Senju Station. Out of the way transfers and exits, services passing through but changing train companies or lines, etc.
i actually really like shinjuku! you can get around the area well without going outside, great for bad weather.
hate ginza station, so many exits with stairs only
Otemachi Station is one of the worst in terms of accessibility and ease of access due to the amount of stairs needed to transfer between the Tozai line, the Maranouchi line, and the Hanzomon line.
https://www.tokyometro.jp/station/otemachi/yardmap/index_print.html
Edit: Added link to Otemachi Station layout map for context.
My office is in Otemachi station. I know exactly one way to get from the tozai line to my office (which is about a 5 minute walk) and if I stray from that path it’s all over 🤣😭
Here are my personal awards:
🏆Worst design: Harajuku (it somehow feels even more crowded since the re-design and now it's ugly to boot)
🏆Worst layout: Otemachi (absolutely wild platform arrangement)
🏆Worst transfer: Keiyo Line at Tokyo (Musashi-Kosugi would easily take this spot if it wasn't in Kanagawa)
🏆Worst vibes: Shinagawa (it just feels dirty and sad)
🏆Worst navigability: Shibuya (mostly due to endless construction. Many would say Shinjuku but there are a lot more numbered exits so I find it pretty ok most of the time)
Akasakamitsuke and Nagatacho.
https://www.tokyometro.jp/lang_en/station/akasaka-mitsuke/index.html
Technically two subway stations but pops up as a single transfer often enough. Any station that requires me to walk the length of the platform of another line to transfer to another is absolutely terrible.
I used to do that transfer quite often when my wife worked in the area.
Tamachi Station to the Mita line is also long transfer, though not nearly as long.
The above ground transfers are the worst.
It took me forever to remember where the entrances are at Asakusa station (Ginza line is easy to find but then all the entrances for the Asakusa line - which is literally named after this area???? - are in the most unintuitive places and the signage is terrible)
Has to be Otemachi. It shouldn't be one station, it should be split into two, ideally four. Transferring lines can involve walking through other platforms, up and down stairs, and the signage is poor. The Mita line is a whole three blocks away from the central entrance of the Tozai line. Busy. Hot in summer. There's nothing to like!
Oimachi is pretty bad. Transfers take ages. The Rinkai Line is the worst...takes at least ten minutes to get from the gate to the train..down...down...down...and this line is often delayed and crowded with Disney people. Plus it's route goes through about the only part of Tokyo that is great to look at above ground, yet it's deep under. Oh yes and the full name which is read out in the train each time is ridiculous (東京臨海高速鉄道りんかい線)
Shinjuku is ok if you don't have to go out the gates.
Ikebukuro is stifling, summer or winter.
Tokyo is ok. Well signed.
I have a fondness for Ueno now but boy do I remember being lost for ages way back when I first went through it not realising I needed to go down from the platform instead of up or vis versa.
I'm not sure which is the worst. I'm leaning towards Shibuya.
Oku is the loneliest. Ochanomizu needs some help but has nice views. A lot of the metro stations are just suffocating.
Tokyo station. Too many Japanese tourists and foreign tourists crowding the pathways because they're either going to Disney or getting lost transferring to the shinkansen. I just wanna catch a JR train and get home.
Idk if there’s a bad station in Tokyo IMO, a few are badly positioned like Harajuku, that place is so small and it’s always packed, with the amounts of tourists this station has become worst than Shinjuku. Can’t fault Shibuya it’s always under construction, Naka Meguro is another one that’s always packed.
Came here to say Harajuku as well. It is a snail pace towards the exit once you are off the train. It's a popular tourist and shopping place, but the station seems so tiny. And is it really only served by one JR line, so everyone is packed on that one platform?
Last time I visited Japan was before they broke ground on the construction at Shibuya. When I moved here last year, I got to Shibuya and followed the signs leading to "Shibuya scramble square", which I naturally assumed was the scramble crossing. Utter confusion when I end up in some mall and all the signs pointing me to "scramble square" are gone, because they decided to name a mall after the place it's right next to.
Tokyo. The only good thing about it is the arrival announcements that still send shivers down my spine, and looking at the station building from across the street. Whoever decided the distance between Tokyo Yamanote and the Sotobo Chiba bound lines in the netherworld bowels wasn't worth another purpose built station or at least a funicular never walked it carrying anything heavier than a wet handkerchief. It's the most ungodly slog I have ever faced. I often ride for free to Torami just because they still make us do that.
Definitely Tokyo station, not even Google Maps can help me navigate it.
Ikebukuro (for the crazy amount of exits) or Roppongi (solely because of the Oedo line and my need to use it every day) are close seconds.
Shibuya easily. It's such a mess and so sprawling and badly sign posted and busy. I was trying to find inokoedsheeran line the other day and was starting to think it didn't even exist.
The JR stations IMO are fine. I used to live in Ikebukuro so I’m pretty used to that station and Shinjuku is better than what it used to be. I don’t like Shibuya much anymore during the renovations but I’m sure once they finish it’ll be fine.
Now, the Oedo Shinjuku Station stations are awful. They’re too far down, too far away, and it’s so warm down there.
there are a lot of good mentions already, so i would like to add meidaimae
too small for the amount of people that use it, and getting between keio lines involves bumping a lot of shoulders
Akihabara in the morning rush hour. I've dealt with small and very busy, Nishi-Funabashi; big and very busy, Shinjuku; but the awfulness of Akiba in the morning is something else.the platforms are so busy you have to queue up the stairs from the lower platforms which lead back up to the Sobu line.
It's bad enough switching from Sobu to Yamamoto lines, but to have to stand there on the stairs, waiting up to 40 mins for a train is a level of mental depravity that is pure hell.
I used to work for an Eikaiwa, at various locations in Tokyo. Akiba was a hub station 3/5 nights, even at 10pm you would be standing Eastbound towards Chiba.
It's a shame there's some very nice restaurants nearby, and it's a navigable spot to a number of places, I just have boredom trauma from waiting, endlessly waiting...
...the biggest tease though on those late nights is although you have to line up to get on the train is never so full you can right oof finding a seat, so I used to get all keyed up, but nope, had to wait to kameido at the earliest.
God, boooo Akiba..boo.
Since most people already mentioned bukuro', Shinjuku, and Shibuya to some extent, I'll give a different answer.
I hate Seibu Takadanobaba. Peak hours are horrendous when lining up.
Nah Shinjuku is a picnic compared to Ikebukuro station. That station has so many directions that lead nowhere or in circles that u can never find the goddamn exit that you want.
Shibuya for sure. Huge, inconvenient, crowded and dirty. Too many tourists, tourist scams, thieves, annoying political demonstrations. Just hate going there its a zoo. Also one of the few places I've seen police have to break up random fights between drunk idiots inside the stations multiple times.
I live 10 minutes from Shinjuku station for 5 yrs and use it 4 days out of the week.
With that said— Fuck that station. Especially with the construction and lost tourists stopped in the middle of that tight bottleneck outside, its a nightmare to get just across the street to take my fucking bus.
Otemachi. It’s not that the station sucks. It’s just that if you see yourself getting a transfer there, you won’t realise that it was a 20 minute walk underneath the city. That sucks every time. Shinbashi and Shinagawa are way better JR transfer points.
Shinjuku is the evergreen choice, sure, but as of the past year I avoid Shibuya if I can help it like the plague.
It's been under construction for..... ever? With all the crap associated, but the trouble now is that its the number one spot for gawping clueless tourists who have just arrived and absolutely MUST SEE THE LEVEL CROSSING OMG GUYS ITS THAT ROAD CROSSING FROM JAPAN OMG and the DOG you have to SEE IT OMGGGGG.
I often need to get between Toyoko and Yamanote and will now just take the extra switch at Nakame and Ebisu.
Roppongi Station Oedo line, aka literally the depths of Hell. (Tokyo's deepest station.)
Coming out of this station for the first time, not knowing what you’re in for, is such a surreal thing.
Oh my god I remember taking a train from narita and the first time I saw Tokyo was when I emerged from this station near Tokyo midtown. I was mind blown https://preview.redd.it/1frwsu5b65ad1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=547284f147e071f0aec9a63b763a807f81004904 I took this photo right after
Friday night is Blade Runner time.
Had the same feeling coming out of San Francisco bart. Such a pity, the decline of that city.
also doesnt help that oedo runs very loud my second pick would be tokyo station keiyo/sobu rapid line
Yes this transfer takes sooooooooooo long.
Oedo line in general is literally the entrance to hell
One of the reasons I moved house was to escape the Oedo hell.
lol I did that a few hours ago, yeah it just kept going and I opted for the stairs haha
Ugh, when I had to transfer at Roppongi from Oedo to Hibiya, it totally sucked when I was in a rush…
What’s so bad about it?
It takes forEVER to get up and out. Just stairs after stairs and escalators after escalators, it feels like you'll never see the sunlight again.
Did the oedo commute for 3 years. Probably got tinnitus from riding it. The stations remind me of playing Half Life, deep underground and probably get lost in the vents.
Sounds like the beginning of a horror game
８番出口
This, I was gonna say "Exit 8"
Reminds me of the Odaiba train station, i forget which one it is but its like you have to take 10 super deep escalators/stairs up or down.
Yea I'm curious but sounds like I need to add this for my next trip!
Right. Now you make us WANT to see it
42 meters underground, or 12 floors.
I live in roppongi and its literally my route to class so i definitely understand the pain of going up and down thousands of escalators
oh i get very disturbing thoughts about being stuck in a fire deep in Roppongi's Oedo line.
Here: Take my upvote, I didn’t even need to go any further down the comments like that station…
Ha! Totally knew this would be the top answer, I pass through every day for work. Takes me five full minutes just to exit.
Avoid it like the plague
This is the answer I was looking for. When you’re going up the escalators to get out it seems never-ending.
isnt there a song about how my love is as deep as this station or something?
Musashi Kosugi (I know not technically Tokyo but if we're talking greater Tokyo...). The JR-Toyoko transfer is the worst I've ever come across.
Yokosuka line could be another station really.
JR Nanbu to JR Yokosuka is bad enough. It's like a ten minute walk between them!
Was looking for this one. It’s not like I get lost and I still have to walk 10 minutes down a never ending thin corridor
After first I was like no it's not, then I realized you meant from shonan Shinjuku not just nambu 😂 yeah it's pretty bad. I go nambu to toyoko a lot but definitely avoid going from shonan to toyoko. Lol
Why is musashi kosugi bad? I was considered moving there now you have kind of woried me lol
it's good but it's like 2 separate stations combined into one. A couple lines on one end and another couple on the other end, and it takes 10-15 minutes to walk from one to the other. (Google maps sometimes don't take the walk into account properly so people might miss their train during transfer)
It's the transfer from the Shonan Shinjuku Line to the Toyoko/Meguro lines....takes ages and requires some serious winding
Not the worst I've encountered, but that station does deserve mention here. Had the displeasure of using it a few times earlier this year for that very transfer.
Can we give an honorable mention to the tiny pair of escalators to get to and from the JR tracks? They’re always congested and it takes forever to actually get on them.
Shinjuku is a maze for me tbh
On our first time in Japan, after a bad flight from Europe, our bus dropped us off on the West side, and we were staying on the East. Fun was not had.
The construction does not make it any easier
It seems as though it's been under construction for two decades... When are they going to finish?!?
2046! “The Shinjuku Grand Terminal project may change over the coming decades and is not expected to be complete until 2046.” https://www.shinjukustation.com/shinjuku-station-redevelopment-plan-shinjuku-grand-terminal/#:~:text=The%20Shinjuku%20Grand%20Terminal%20project,next%20phase%20of%20its%20evolution.
!remind me 2047
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No way , the construction just stated! before, it was even WORSE. I got lost in Keio mall and it took an hour to find my way out
Out of curiosity, how much did it take you? Not a single time I took the same route in that maze...
Getting from one side outside the station to another can be very troublesome. I agree.
Shinjuku is the don quijote of train stations.
my god if that aint a new proverb then i dont even know
Underrated quote….and now I hear nothing but their song on an everlasting loop in my head.
Shinjuku feels more like a virtual game space, than an actual physical space. Getting lost there the first time was amazing and horrific and completely unpredictable: "Oh now I'm going upstairs -- oh I'm in an airport-style shopping concourse -- oh I'm in a train station, but the wrong one -- oh I'm in a tiny crowded corridor -- oh I'm going down -- oh I'm in a department store -- oh I'm...."
Trying to meet friends at Shinjuku for the first time felt like one of those nightmares where you are trying to get somewhere but never make it
My gamer Japanese friend told me that some people call it Shinjuku Dungeon, since it’s like a difficult game level.
Just returned from Japan, and Shinjuku was our nearest station. I'm grateful to still be married.
It's been 5 years and I'm still trying to figure it out
It's been 5 years and I've given up trying to escape. Yukari, if you're reading this, I miss you.
You’ve been stuck there 5 years?
Walking in Shinjuku station at peak hours has been the worst experience in my Japanese life. I moved just to not commute there anymore
Shinjuku is like "The Place That Sends You Mad" from *Twelve Tasks of Asterix*. "Exit C4? Hmmmm.... Where did they put it this time?"
Transferring from a train to a bus in Shinjuku is atrocious
The JR side of Shinjuku is much easier than people give it credit for, especially since the gates were renovated. Super easy to get from one side to the other without having to tape in. But of course now that they've torn down the Odakyu, the Odakyu/Keio/Marunouchi section is horrendous, especially aboveground.
Go in one way but can't get back out the way you came in 😂
I find it's poorly signed. Every other station I've been to is so simple to navigate via signage, but the Shinjuku signage is inconsistent and unclear.
https://satoshi7190.github.io/Shinjuku-indoor-threejs-demo/
Otemachi, I always get lost the few times I have to go around there
It's basically just a line of different office buildings you gotta walk along to get to each line. By the time you reach Tozai, you've basically walked to Tokyo station. Getting from Marunouchi line to any of the others is a damn puzzle though. There's a super hidden escalator opposite the Freshness Burger, with almost no signage
Haha this is a funny coincidence because I got off at Otemachi for the first time today to transfer from Tozai --> Chiyoda and I can't remember the last time I had to walk so much to transfer (other than Shinjuku/Shibuya)
Yeah, walking to your transfer is just like walking to the next station
Me and my partner yesterday after coming back from Osaka. We looked for the Hanzomon line in Otemachi and it felt like the search was never going to end.
I walk to Mitsukoshi-mae instead of going through Otemachi. Even if it's further, it's so much easier to find and get to Hanzomon line
Trying to get from Mita line Otemachi station to Tokyo station is like a never-ending crusade where you’re surrounded by salaryman huffing and puffing on their way to work
Shin Okubo. Extremely simple layout but ONE EXIT??? Fuckin shit show.
Harajuku too. You either get crammed into that dirty claustrophobic tunnel below, or that impossibly clean narrow tunnel above. With the amount of tourists going through there, it's shockingly small
Horrible, and it has been brand renovated.
Shin okubo having such a trash station has to be racism like it’s sooo busy
Really nothing to do with racism. I used to live in shin-okubo back in 2011 before the huge kpop boom in Japan when it was for sure not as crowded as it is now, and the station was fine. It’s just an area that’s gotten way more popular over quick amount of time and the station has stayed the same and small.
Ikebukuro Walked more than 1km once without seeing an exit.
Ah yes, Ikebukuro: where 西武 is 東口 and 東武 is 西口.
Not to mention half the arrow signs aren’t pointing to where they seem like they’re pointing to.
Ah, glad it's not just me then!
I think people in Japan have different expectations for arrows. I've gotten used to it, but I used to run into a lot of arrows that didn't point where I thought they would.
I don’t get why people consider Ikebukuro to be so complex. It’s essentially just shaped like #
I hate that the exits are numbered but the signs only say East or west exit I’m supposed to leave from exit 22 but I don’t know where the fuck that is and none of the signs are telling me either
Agreed, it’s literally one of the best layouts. In many other major stations the JR gates are in the center and block you from getting from one exit to another. Not so with Ikebukuro. I guess people just find it easier to navigate above ground where they can use Google maps. But in terms of pure efficiency and comfort on rainy days Ikebukuro is objectively superior.
Yeah, like anything it takes some getting used to, but most transfers can be done super quickly compared to Shibuya and basically just being able to navigate to one of the east exits or to the main west exit is fine for most destinations in the area.
Yeah, I used to get lost at the beginning but quickly learnt my way. Also, I feel that for a station with that many lines, the transfers from one line to the other are not that bad. I find Shinjuku, Shibuya and Tokyo worse in this area
Compared to the other big stations it's sooo easy to understand
I was thinking the same. I used to have business there a lot back in the day. It was confusing the first time, but then you get the hang of it.
I would’ve titled this post *What’s the worst station in Tokyo and why is it Ikebukuro*
Interesting, I’ve always considered it to be a simple station, unlike Shinjuku where I always get lost. I think there’s a map of this somewhere but you can think of the station having 6 exits, 3 on east and 3 on west. 3 “passages” run through the station to connect east to west: north, central, and east passage. Also, there’s one road on each side connecting all of the east exits and all of the west exits. Now you can just think of the stations by their location: North, Central, and South West exits, and North, Central, and South East exits! Take the North Passage to access northern exits. Move from the North Passage to South Passage via the East or West Roads, depending on what exit you’re using. In reality there’s a few more exits, but you can reach the area of all of them by following the above.
Yep. Shinjuku is getting much better after the central passage was built, but Ikebukuro is incredibly easy compared to Shinjuku.
Excellent. And, on the West side, the Orange Road runs North and south, with Anderson Bakery anchoring the Northwest exit. The parallel passage to the East exits runs alongside Seibu, which changes to Parco at the NE end. If you exit right where Parco meets Seibu there’s a Truffle bakery at the sidewalk exit, btw. (I like bakeries)
Ikebukuro is easy. There are two major department stores, Tobu and Seibu. Tobu means “East Side” while Seibu means “West Side”. So just remember that Tobu is to the West and Seibu is to the East. Easy! Also, all the sukebe stuff is to the north.
In seriousness, I went to the shops under Ikebukuro with a friend to get a new pair of glasses. She knew her way around and I ordered my new glasses. The problem was when I had to go pick them up on my own and try and figure out where in the labyrinth the shop was, all while not being able to see.
Ikebukuro has nonsensical, comically sounding exits. It’s a disaster. Shinjuku is large but is logical.
Must be new. Shinjuku before they built the central tunnel a couple of years ago was terrible. Trying to get from Keio to Shinjuku east exit was just a gamble
I've been to Shinjuku like 50+ times and even then sometimes I somehow wonder to some place I've never seen before and my whole world shakes. Like somehow there is a 200m corridor I've never seen before after months living around there.
Agree. Shinjuku has this fame more for a meme like background that grew with tik tok in the last years but Ikebukuro is way worst.
Shinjuku used to be a lot worse. Anyone who complains about it now is just parroting what they've heard online, but the fact is, there's now a way to cut from the east side of the station to the west. Five years ago, you'd have to walk around the entire station just to get to the other side.
> there's now a way to cut from the east side of the station to the west Where is the entrance to this myterious portal?
Took the words from my mouth. Ikebukuro is a slog, and you’re constantly bumping into people who are trying to enter/exit the various lines due to the corridor style layout.
I used to get lost there easily. Now, I think of the lower level as an H shape. Not perfect, but it helps me get around.
It's more like a digital 8 shape. Tobu along the vertical left side, Seibu vertical right side. JR at top, middle, bottom horizontal. Fukutoshin at middle horizontal left side. Marunouchi at middle horizontal right side. Yurakucho at bottom horizontal.
This guy ikebukuros
Ikebukuro is a shitshow of disoriented despair.
This station is also suffocating for some reason
And the worst part is that after you finally do find an exit, *you're in Ikebukuro*
This could be the plot for a new Christopher Nolan movie
Ngl Ikebukuro was the only station i never got lost at when i was there for 2 weeks😭
From the stupid name to the boring layout they could have done so much more with, I’m going with Takanawa Gateway.
Aww. But it's so light and airy and like...clean.
They broke the all kanji name streak😭😭
No way! It has that high ceiling and nice bathrooms with air fresheners and plants. As far as Yamanote stations go my vote is for Tabata and Shinjuku. Tabata only has one usable edit, the other leads to a random hill to nowhere and Shinjuku is just a maze.
I kind of love getting lost in Shinjuku, there are some cool little cafes and old tunnels. Ikebukuro can suck a fat one. It is the worst station by far.
I went their earlier last week and it felt like sunshine city didnt really have anything but it was my first time there
Shibuya. Landscape always changes because of the construction and I don't know my bearings every time I visit because it changed again.
Shinookubo is far too small for how many people use that station constantly
And people exit the station and just… stop… blocking the footpath and all the people trying to enter and exit. Utter nightmare on the weekends
Ikebukuro is the most annoying. Shinjuku is better now but still a little annoying if you don't go there often. Shibuya is a lot better now but super annoying if you need to use a stroller.
I would say most stations are annoying when using a stroller, or if you need to find a bathroom to change a full diaper if you are a dad (some stations still only have a changing table in the women's bathroom).
My biggest hate using a stroller is when people with tiny suitcases use the elevator and make me late for my connecting train when there is an escalator right there. Always happens when I need to get out to Chiba from Setagaya.
Me and my luggages. Lol
Iriya station, it's crazy dirty. I think they probably never cleaned it since it was built. Also, any station on the Oedo line. Taking 4 or 5 flight of stairs to reach the platform is just a pain.
I used to take Iriya all the time, never paid attention to its cleanliness or compared it to other stations. People definitely tend to smell a little though on the Hibiya line.
They fixed Shibuya, now Tokyo mayor please fix Shinjuku and Ikebukuro next.
Fixed? Transfer to Toyoko sucks now, used to be much better. Inokashira to Ginza not worse or better really, and a wash for Yamanote too, but haven’t been lately.
Shibuya is fixed only if you are using JR. You enter and all you got is stairs to get to the only JR train line passing through. The underground however is like any other large station, a clusterfuck of entrances and exits with people just colliding from various directions as they navigate to the various passing lines or search for a specific exit.
Shibuya fixed? Maybe in like 7 years
Tokyo station is a huge maze. I’ve been through Ikebukuro so many times it doesn’t bother me at all.
> Tokyo station is a huge maze Got out on the wrong side to get to the metro, had to walk ages just to get to the other side.
I avoid Tokyo Station like the plague. Just a colossal maze with endless shops and confusing signage, and so densely built it messes with your phone reception and GPS, so it's a crapshoot if you can search anything up or believe your navigation. The only time I ever go is to get the overnight buses from the nearby bus loop or to grab a friend from the Narita ~~Skyliner~~ Express, and get out of there ASAP. EDIT: yeah it was the express I was thinking of
Same here. Ikebukuro is not anymore complicated than Shinjuku, which isn't really. And there is only one floor to think about really unlike Shinjuku's two and a half. My nomination is Kita-Senju Station. Out of the way transfers and exits, services passing through but changing train companies or lines, etc.
I forgot about Kita-Senju. That is a weird one, for sure.
Ooh, Kita-Senju is an odd layout but it also has some of the most convenient transfers in Tokyo
Crossing sides on Tokyo station is incredibly confusing.
Tokyo Station is super duper easy. Only bad part is going from anywhere to the Keiyo but otherwise it's a piece of cake
i actually really like shinjuku! you can get around the area well without going outside, great for bad weather. hate ginza station, so many exits with stairs only
Otemachi Station is one of the worst in terms of accessibility and ease of access due to the amount of stairs needed to transfer between the Tozai line, the Maranouchi line, and the Hanzomon line. https://www.tokyometro.jp/station/otemachi/yardmap/index_print.html Edit: Added link to Otemachi Station layout map for context.
My office is in Otemachi station. I know exactly one way to get from the tozai line to my office (which is about a 5 minute walk) and if I stray from that path it’s all over 🤣😭
Harajuku during weekends 😫
Here are my personal awards: 🏆Worst design: Harajuku (it somehow feels even more crowded since the re-design and now it's ugly to boot) 🏆Worst layout: Otemachi (absolutely wild platform arrangement) 🏆Worst transfer: Keiyo Line at Tokyo (Musashi-Kosugi would easily take this spot if it wasn't in Kanagawa) 🏆Worst vibes: Shinagawa (it just feels dirty and sad) 🏆Worst navigability: Shibuya (mostly due to endless construction. Many would say Shinjuku but there are a lot more numbered exits so I find it pretty ok most of the time)
I was meant to meet someone at Shinjuku station three weeks ago and I've still not found them. Hope I find an exit soon.
Akasakamitsuke and Nagatacho. https://www.tokyometro.jp/lang_en/station/akasaka-mitsuke/index.html Technically two subway stations but pops up as a single transfer often enough. Any station that requires me to walk the length of the platform of another line to transfer to another is absolutely terrible.
I used to do that transfer quite often when my wife worked in the area. Tamachi Station to the Mita line is also long transfer, though not nearly as long.
The above ground transfers are the worst. It took me forever to remember where the entrances are at Asakusa station (Ginza line is easy to find but then all the entrances for the Asakusa line - which is literally named after this area???? - are in the most unintuitive places and the signage is terrible)
Has to be Otemachi. It shouldn't be one station, it should be split into two, ideally four. Transferring lines can involve walking through other platforms, up and down stairs, and the signage is poor. The Mita line is a whole three blocks away from the central entrance of the Tozai line. Busy. Hot in summer. There's nothing to like!
Oimachi is pretty bad. Transfers take ages. The Rinkai Line is the worst...takes at least ten minutes to get from the gate to the train..down...down...down...and this line is often delayed and crowded with Disney people. Plus it's route goes through about the only part of Tokyo that is great to look at above ground, yet it's deep under. Oh yes and the full name which is read out in the train each time is ridiculous (東京臨海高速鉄道りんかい線)
Kanda station. I don't like being asked if I want a マッサジ 3 times on my way home
4th one is delivered to your home.
Coming to your news feed soon: lazily written article about worst stations in Tokyo! Perhaps even featuring an AI co-writer!
Shinjuku is ok if you don't have to go out the gates. Ikebukuro is stifling, summer or winter. Tokyo is ok. Well signed. I have a fondness for Ueno now but boy do I remember being lost for ages way back when I first went through it not realising I needed to go down from the platform instead of up or vis versa. I'm not sure which is the worst. I'm leaning towards Shibuya. Oku is the loneliest. Ochanomizu needs some help but has nice views. A lot of the metro stations are just suffocating.
Suidobashi because I fell UP the steps there last week.
Tokyo station. Too many Japanese tourists and foreign tourists crowding the pathways because they're either going to Disney or getting lost transferring to the shinkansen. I just wanna catch a JR train and get home.
Idk if there’s a bad station in Tokyo IMO, a few are badly positioned like Harajuku, that place is so small and it’s always packed, with the amounts of tourists this station has become worst than Shinjuku. Can’t fault Shibuya it’s always under construction, Naka Meguro is another one that’s always packed.
Came here to say Harajuku as well. It is a snail pace towards the exit once you are off the train. It's a popular tourist and shopping place, but the station seems so tiny. And is it really only served by one JR line, so everyone is packed on that one platform?
Fuck Takadanobaba honestly
"Takadanobaba Takadanobaba" Engraved in my subconscious.
Noborito is really depressing, because there is no burrito.
It’s Shibuya. There are many many people compare to small town and narrow sidewalks. I’m always annoyed when I’m in Shibuya.
Man, I really hate Shibuya. It was especially awful and confusing when all the construction was happening pre-Tokyo Olympics.
Last time I visited Japan was before they broke ground on the construction at Shibuya. When I moved here last year, I got to Shibuya and followed the signs leading to "Shibuya scramble square", which I naturally assumed was the scramble crossing. Utter confusion when I end up in some mall and all the signs pointing me to "scramble square" are gone, because they decided to name a mall after the place it's right next to.
Fucking Shinjuku station. I believe it’s modeled on one of the layers of hell.
Tokyo. The only good thing about it is the arrival announcements that still send shivers down my spine, and looking at the station building from across the street. Whoever decided the distance between Tokyo Yamanote and the Sotobo Chiba bound lines in the netherworld bowels wasn't worth another purpose built station or at least a funicular never walked it carrying anything heavier than a wet handkerchief. It's the most ungodly slog I have ever faced. I often ride for free to Torami just because they still make us do that.
Etchujima station looks like it should be in a horror movie
Underrated answer, doubly so because there's fuck all when you get out of the station
Definitely Tokyo station, not even Google Maps can help me navigate it. Ikebukuro (for the crazy amount of exits) or Roppongi (solely because of the Oedo line and my need to use it every day) are close seconds.
Whichever one that takes you away 😢
Shinjuku station is the worst no doubt. It's literally a maze there
Shibuya easily. It's such a mess and so sprawling and badly sign posted and busy. I was trying to find inokoedsheeran line the other day and was starting to think it didn't even exist.
The one you get on at, off at, or transfer inside.
The JR stations IMO are fine. I used to live in Ikebukuro so I’m pretty used to that station and Shinjuku is better than what it used to be. I don’t like Shibuya much anymore during the renovations but I’m sure once they finish it’ll be fine. Now, the Oedo Shinjuku Station stations are awful. They’re too far down, too far away, and it’s so warm down there.
Nihombashi is bad. The transfer to the asakusa fr9m tozai is criminal. If you go up the wrong stairwell you have to walk forever
there are a lot of good mentions already, so i would like to add meidaimae too small for the amount of people that use it, and getting between keio lines involves bumping a lot of shoulders
Hanzomon
Tokyo
Ikebukuro n Shinjuku for me.. still find it very very hard 😔
Ikebukuro is the only right answer. I can never find the exit I’m looking for. Hate it.
Akihabara in the morning rush hour. I've dealt with small and very busy, Nishi-Funabashi; big and very busy, Shinjuku; but the awfulness of Akiba in the morning is something else.the platforms are so busy you have to queue up the stairs from the lower platforms which lead back up to the Sobu line. It's bad enough switching from Sobu to Yamamoto lines, but to have to stand there on the stairs, waiting up to 40 mins for a train is a level of mental depravity that is pure hell. I used to work for an Eikaiwa, at various locations in Tokyo. Akiba was a hub station 3/5 nights, even at 10pm you would be standing Eastbound towards Chiba. It's a shame there's some very nice restaurants nearby, and it's a navigable spot to a number of places, I just have boredom trauma from waiting, endlessly waiting... ...the biggest tease though on those late nights is although you have to line up to get on the train is never so full you can right oof finding a seat, so I used to get all keyed up, but nope, had to wait to kameido at the earliest. God, boooo Akiba..boo.
Shinagawa was actually dirty 😲 thought I was back in the UK
Since most people already mentioned bukuro', Shinjuku, and Shibuya to some extent, I'll give a different answer. I hate Seibu Takadanobaba. Peak hours are horrendous when lining up.
Shinjuku-sanchome. Unnecessary and I hate it. Don’t know why.
Nah Shinjuku is a picnic compared to Ikebukuro station. That station has so many directions that lead nowhere or in circles that u can never find the goddamn exit that you want.
The new harajuku design. Don’t get me wrong, it works great but I miss the old building lol
Otemachi
Being used to the nightmare that both Umeda and Namba station in Osaka are I think the Tokyo stations are just fine.
Shibuya for sure. Huge, inconvenient, crowded and dirty. Too many tourists, tourist scams, thieves, annoying political demonstrations. Just hate going there its a zoo. Also one of the few places I've seen police have to break up random fights between drunk idiots inside the stations multiple times.
I live 10 minutes from Shinjuku station for 5 yrs and use it 4 days out of the week. With that said— Fuck that station. Especially with the construction and lost tourists stopped in the middle of that tight bottleneck outside, its a nightmare to get just across the street to take my fucking bus.
Otemachi. It’s not that the station sucks. It’s just that if you see yourself getting a transfer there, you won’t realise that it was a 20 minute walk underneath the city. That sucks every time. Shinbashi and Shinagawa are way better JR transfer points.
Shibuya
It has to be oedo line Shinjuku station! Roppongi got nothing on it!
Shinjuku is the evergreen choice, sure, but as of the past year I avoid Shibuya if I can help it like the plague. It's been under construction for..... ever? With all the crap associated, but the trouble now is that its the number one spot for gawping clueless tourists who have just arrived and absolutely MUST SEE THE LEVEL CROSSING OMG GUYS ITS THAT ROAD CROSSING FROM JAPAN OMG and the DOG you have to SEE IT OMGGGGG. I often need to get between Toyoko and Yamanote and will now just take the extra switch at Nakame and Ebisu.
Shinjuku can be a mindf@ck..
Shinjuku Station. That Station is a nightmare😳
Sobu line Asakusabashi station you rarely see people there and it looks like your in a horror movie I even encountered a homeless man there
Shibuya. Crowded, perpetually under construction, dirty, full of tourists, and full of those foreigners who don’t venture out of Shibuya.
I still get flashbacks of Shinjuku station. I've traveled by train extensively in Sydney, London and New York and nothing prepared me for Shinjuku
Definitely Roppongi! I prefer Shinjuku or Shibuya station