One of the common questions I hear fly out the mouth of my fellow gaijin is, `How do I get there?` Japan seems to have one of, if not, the best train systems in the world. You can reach just about any location in Japan by train. It is truly amazing for me to see just how detailed the train system is at times. Even some of the more remote areas of Japan have a train station!
While the system is very detailed, clean, and on time; it can be a challenge to get your head around how it works exactly. When I was visiting Japan I usually had a native with me to lead me around. It was not until I started actually living in Japan did I realize the challenge of trying to use the trains on a daily basis.
At first, I got lost often. I tried to understand things as best I could, but I would end up taking the wrong transfer or head in the wrong direction. It was pretty embarrassing sometimes. Yet, after a few months I got the hang of things. It is rare for me to get lost using the trains these days.
While I used the trail by fire method to get a handle on the train system; there are plenty of people who are either too busy or not brave enough to jump in head first. Well, I have found the best tool to find your train route in Japan. Jorudan.co.jp is the best resource for finding exactly `how to get there` in Japan. The link I provide is the English version. I have tried it on several spots around Japan it has given me good results every time. The best part is that it gives you several ways to get to your desired location by sorting results by: fast,low price,easy,air and bed. It will even give you routes by price and time. You know, some companies ask employees to choose the cheapest route to work.
I suggest giving this site a go. It is very useful for traveling in Japan.
4 comments:
The signs are very good such as the one above. The timeliness of the trains is amazing. The stations are simple but clean. Here in Los Angeles, there are only a few train lines. But they suck. The trains are often late. The stations were supposed to be unique with art work but are dirty and scratched with gafitti and the signs are not helpful.
I usually use Jorudan, but I've been burned by inaccurate schedules on a couple of occasions, both causing me to be late for work.
Interesting. I wonder why it is giving wrong train times? Maybe they are not hooked up to the train arrival/departure correctly.
train times change, so sometimes jorudan is out of date. In Kanto there were some times that shifted in April, I think, but I wanna say that jorudan has caught up with the changes. (Musashino line comes to mind)
Post a Comment