Tokyo Metro’s ad campaign comes in the form of eye catching yellow and white posters that feature an image and a phrase, in English and Japanese, starting with “Please do it…”.

Want to be a lazy slob with your stuff strewn around you?  Tokyo Metro says “Please do it at home” in the first of this series of  ads that started in appearing in the city’s subway stations in April.  Some of the other things that Tokyo Metro wants you to do at home include:

• Putting on your make up,  a common sight on trains and the subway in Tokyo despite the reminder. (May)
• Talking on your cell phone (June)
• Playing music loud enough for others to hear (July)

In August, a poster declared “Please do it at the beach” and portrays an image of someone wading through a crowd to get on a train as the doors are closing.  When you hear the station music start it’s a sign that the doors are about to close and rushing to get on the train is probably not the safest thing that you could do.  You’d be better off taking a deep breath and waiting for the next train, it’s usually no more then a 10 minute wait.

The most current poster reminds riders not to bring luggage and large packages on the trains with the phrase “Please do it on the mountain“.   This is presumably a reminder to the thousands of people that make the trek up Mount Fuji each summer in Japan with backpacks and walking sticks in tow.  Taking large packages on the train is not only disruptive to the other riders but is very frustrating and is something that is best avoided, especially during busy hours, as even packages from a day of shopping can be very hard to manage on a crowded train.

Tokyo Metro has also created women only cars so that women don’t have to be subject to gropers during busy times when the trains are packed to capacity.  They also remind us often about using cell phones in “manner mode” which means don’t answer your phone or let it ring when you are on the trains.

Tokyo Metro isn’t the only entity reminding people of their manners.  Japan Tobacco has also created a series of posters that remind smokers to use designated smoking areas, not to litter, and not to smoke when they walk in their Smokers’ Style Campaign which are also bilingual.

Image Credit:  Personal Collection

Post from: The Tokyo Traveler

Townsend Harris was one of the key figures that helped open Japan to the west, was first American consul-general in Japan and negotiated a treaty that established trade between the two countries.  A group from Shimoda, Japan makes an annual pilgrimage to his graveside in Brooklyn, New York to honor his memory.

Jim Allen writes that “Hideo Nomo changed Japanese baseball more than any player of his generation” in his weekly column for the Daily Yomiuri.

Lastly, this video from CNN offers some insight into Japanese culture and the rise in popularity of Butler Cafes, where customers are treated like princesses by western “butlers”.

Photo Credit:  Flickr, Otome Road omiyage

Post from: The Tokyo Traveler

Details:

• Tokyo Metro Open Tickets for Tourists can only be purchased at the airport.
• Tokyo Metro 2-Day Open Ticket (Adult: 980 yen, Child, 6-11: 490 yen)
• Tokyo Metro 1-Day Tourist Open Ticket (Adult: 600 yen, Child, 6-11: 300 yen)
• The ticket is valid for six months from the date of purchase.
• “One day” refers to the period between the first train in operation in the early morning to the last train around midnight.
• The 2-Day Open Ticket is good for two consecutive days.
• Children under six are free.
• Detailed information and ticket counter maps (PDF).

If you purchase a Tokyo Metro One-Day Open Ticket at a Tokyo Metro station in Tokyo the adult fare will be Y710 and a child will cost Y360.  No two-day tickets are available. So taking a moment to pick up your Tokyo Metro Open Tickets for Tourists at the airport will save you quite a bit of Yen, especially if you are traveling with a group!

For more information on Tokyo Metro and how to use the system take a moment to read Taking the Subway in Tokyo – The Basics.

Photo Credit: Personal Collection

Post from: The Tokyo Traveler

The Fukutoshin line is the deepest line of the 13 at 40 meters (131 feet) underground and it will be the first to offer express service. The express will make the run from Shibuya to Ikebukuro in 11 minutes and the local will take 16 minutes.

There are 16 stops on the Fukutoshin line and the line is so new that it is not on has now been added to the English Route Map (PDF) provided online by Tokyo Metro. Here is a list of the 16 stations with their city or ward in parenthesis:

F1 Wakōshi (Saitama)
F2 Chikatetsu-Narimasu (Itabashi, Tokyo)
F3 Chikatetsu-Akatsuka (Nerima, Tokyo)
F4 Heiwadai (Nerima, Tokyo)
F5 Hikawadai (Nerima, Tokyo)
F6 Kotake-Mukaihara (Nerima, Tokyo)
F7 Senkawa (Toshima, Tokyo)
F8 Kanamechō (Toshima, Tokyo)
F9 Ikebukuro (Toshima, Tokyo)
F10 Zōshigaya (Toshima, Tokyo)
F11 Nishi-Waseda (Shinjuku, Tokyo)
F12 Higashi-Shinjuku (Shinjuku, Tokyo)
F13 Shinjuku-sanchōme (Shinjuku, Tokyo)
F14 Kitasandō (Shibuya, Tokyo)
F15 Meiji-Jingūmae (Shibuya, Tokyo)
F16 Shibuya (Shibuya, Tokyo)

Recently a reporter with the Asahi Shimbum had an opportunity to preview the line and learn more about it’s construction. The article, Reporter digs up the dirt on a new subway line, is an well worth reading.

For more information on how to use the subway system in Tokyo you will want to read Taking the Subway in Tokyo – The Basics. It may help you if you have a chance to check out the new Fukutoshin line.

Photo Credit: Wikipedia, Tokyo-metro 10000
Station Name Source: Wikipedia, Tokyo Metro Fukutoshin Line

Post from: The Tokyo Traveler