Coming to Japan in August? My condolences. It’s bloody hot – and not likely to get better until closer to October.
The pressing heat has everyone looking for ways to stay cool. The good news is, you can get a lot of places in Tokyo by staying indoors – even if you’re taking the train somewhere. Here’s a look at some of the Tokyo train system’s most notable underground passages – some of which remain well-kept secrets even among residents.
Sweltering heat means staying indoors
Every year, it seems Japan sets new heat records. This summer is no exception. In Tokyo, it’s been a steady 35 to 36 degrees Celsius (95 to 96.8 Fahrenheit) since the start of July.
(Don’t hold me to that. It’s just my hunch, as someone living through it. Hey, it’s hot – I’m allowed to be grumpy and make up statistics.)
To keep cool, many resort to products that may or may not actually lower your body temperature. Others minimize their outside time as much as possible.
But there’s another way to beat the heat: Don’t leave Tokyo’s train stations.
Tokyo train stations: Oases of capitalism (and tunnels)
Tokyo’s train stations often earned justified accolades for their convenience. With millions of busy Japanese citizens and tourists pouring through them every day, stations are often set up to provide access to goods and services that people need while transiting between work and home.
Owned and operated by a combination of city-run and privately-owned train companies, large stations often sport entire shopping malls. Malls such as Atre, Lumine, and Keio contain everything from restaurants and supermarkets to brand-name clothing stores.
Larger stations will often sport multiple such department stores connected to a single station, owned and operated by different train companies. This organic growth also means that larger stations, such as Shinjuku and Shibuya, are something of a sprawling mess.
However, it also means that stations tend to connect to one another in weird and wonderful ways. One of those ways is via long underground passages that not only connect different train companies to a station, but may even connect separate stations to one another.
Such long underground passages aren’t exclusive to Tokyo. Sapporo in Hokkaido sports a 2,300 meter (1.43 mile) underground walkway that connects different stations and businesses.
In Sapporo, the goal of the walkways is to keep people from having to trudge through the snow in the dead of winter. Tokyoites can also use their walkways to avoid icy conditions in the winter. But lately, their primary use is preventing people from having to climb out into the humid heat of summer.
Tokyo’s longest underground walkways
If you spend any time in Shibuya or Shinjuku, you’re likely to realize just how sprawling each of these stations are. Shibuya Station lets out into Mark City, which is split across two buildings, and also provides access to Hikarie and Scramble Square (and Scramble Square’s latest attraction, Shibuya Sky).
Shinjuku is even more spread out. The main Shinjuku Station connects Shinjuku West Exit Station, Nishishinjuku Station, Shinjuku 3-chome Station, as well as to the popular underground mall, Subnade, located near the Kabukicho side.
(The sprawl of Shinjuku should be known to anyone who’s played the Steam game Exit 8, which challenges you to walk from Shinjuku 3-chome to Nishishinjuku Exit E8 without getting lost.)
However, other stations across Tokyo also sport sprawling labyrinths that enable you to stay out of the burning sun. Japanese site Norimono News recently gave readers a tour of four of the largest.
Toranomon Station to Toranomon Hills Station
Toranomon Hills is one of many new developments in midtown (like Azabudai Hills) that aims to capture more revenue from locals and tourists. A 440m underground connects both stations, making hopping back and forth between them easy. What’s more, they’re regarded as a single station for charging purposes, which means transfers are free.
The only hitch? There’s no signage indicating the connection between the two stations. It’s one of those “if you know, you know” routes.
Nihonbashi Station to Kayabacho Station
It’s bit of a complicated route that requires passing underneath the Toei Asakusa Line. And it’s also another relatively unmarked line. But if you can find it, you can cut between the two stations without ever going outside. (There’s apparently even a way to get to Kayabacho from Tokyo Metro’s Marunouchi entrance.) However, the two stations aren’t regarded as transfer points, so you’ll pay to switch lines here.
Tochomae Station to Nishishinjuku Station
As if Shinjuku needed to get more labyrnthine. If you’re going to to the Tokyo Metro building to see the projection mapping show, you can get to Nishishinjuku and hot event spot I-Land Town. Those of you staying at the Hilton Tokyo or Hyatt Regency Tokyo in Nishishinjuku will find this path very convenient, as it connects to each of these five-star hotels.
Ueno Station – Ueno Hirokoji Station – Ueno Toei Okachimachi Station – Ueno JR Okachimachi Station – Naka-Okachimachi Station
Now here’s an underground route! The area between Ueno and Okachimachi is a popular tourist spot. Not far from Ueno Park, this strip contains the Ameyoko restaurant and shopping district, replete with many small, mom-and-pop owned restaurants and shops.
The good news is, you can explore a lot of this area by taking passages that connect these five relatively close stations to one another. Leaving the JR Uneo Exit, you can enter the underground path near the Keisei Line. A short length of stairs will connect you to the passage leading to Ueno Okachimachi Station. From there, you can make your way to Ueno Hirokoji and Naka-Okahimachi.
The entire route connects through various junction points and stretches for around 1km, comprising a 15 minute walk. There are exits at various points long the way, meaning you can get to numerous eating and shopping destinations within this area while avoiding the cursed sun. Good for those looking to beat the heat. (And vampires, I guess.)
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Sources
そこ、つながってるの!? 東京の「意外なロング地下道」4選 乗換だけじゃない 酷暑を避ける“命の道”. Norimono News
地下通路直線距離日本一は札幌. 【うまうま365日】
The Exit 8 perfectly captures the surreal horror of navigating a busy tube station. Rock Paper Shotgun
