ASAKUSA Underground > Toei Bus - let's get lost
Tokyo is a labyrinth.
Are you scared of being stuck in there?
If you don't have much time to spend in Tokyo, you surely are.
If you are lucky enough to have some time to explore the Tokyo labyrinth, taking a bus is a good idea.
It is the best way to get lost, to get lost nicely.
Unlike other major capitals on the planet, Tokyo has several “public” transportation companies serving for its dwellers.
The bus network is not an exception.
Therefore, it is highly complicated.
Unless you are sure of which bus to take and where to get off, it is not advisable to get on a bus.
The chances are that you might end up standing in the middle of nowhere, where you could be far away from a train or subway station.
To get pleasurably lost in the Tokyo labyrinth, a Toei bus is the one you should take.
The biggest advantage of it is that they have a flat fare of 200 yen (100 yen for a child) within the 23 wards of Tokyo; the area that has the word <-ku> in its address.
Plus, from Asakusa, the destinations of most Toei buses are a JR station or nearby, so you don't have to worry about how you get back to your hotel.
Check http://www.kotsu.metro.tokyo.jp/english/index.html to find out more details.
In this Internet site, they will give you important advice, like how you tell which bus stops at which bus stop.
It has information on Toei subway/underground and Toei Streetcar (Toden) Arakawa line, too.
You will notice one peculiar thing when you use any kind of public transport in Tokyo.
It is their patronizing announcement from the speaker without break.
One may find it quite noisy.
It is, in fact, the result of the mixture of kindness and commercial purposes.
To earn extra revenue, all the bus companies give an extra name to each bus stop.
It is usually the name of a big shop, a private medical clinic, or any nearby commercial institute, and the company ask them to pay for the publicity.
Another thing is the robot-like inhumane attitude of the bus driver.
A Tokyo bus driver will never stop at any place except a bus stop.
Even if you beg him, he will refuse to drop you outside a designated area.
When you think of a more humane country like Thailand, it is not the same.
A Thai driver would use his intelligent and kind discretion and let you get off somewhere between the two bus stops not to make you waste your time when the bus is stuck in the heavy traffic.
All right.
There are rules and laws to follow.
If everyone ignores them, life is going to be chaotic.
One can even argue that, thanks to that Japanese loyalty to public order, the country can produce high quality products with precision.
But can't a Japanese have a bit of courage to judge something by himself and decide to do something for a fellow human being?
If you look around inside the bus, it is exceptionally clean, compared to any commuter vehicle in any country.
If you look outside, the town of Tokyo gives you a visual entertainment of excellence.
Enjoy the experience, our dearest guests from abroad.
And please say "hi" or "thank you" to the bus driver to give him an opportunity to smile you back.
After all, it is not illegal to be humane.
Toei Bus - let's get lost
Tokyo is a labyrinth.Are you scared of being stuck in there?
If you don't have much time to spend in Tokyo, you surely are.
If you are lucky enough to have some time to explore the Tokyo labyrinth, taking a bus is a good idea.
It is the best way to get lost, to get lost nicely.
Unlike other major capitals on the planet, Tokyo has several “public” transportation companies serving for its dwellers.
The bus network is not an exception.
Therefore, it is highly complicated.
Unless you are sure of which bus to take and where to get off, it is not advisable to get on a bus.
The chances are that you might end up standing in the middle of nowhere, where you could be far away from a train or subway station.
To get pleasurably lost in the Tokyo labyrinth, a Toei bus is the one you should take.
The biggest advantage of it is that they have a flat fare of 200 yen (100 yen for a child) within the 23 wards of Tokyo; the area that has the word <-ku> in its address.
Plus, from Asakusa, the destinations of most Toei buses are a JR station or nearby, so you don't have to worry about how you get back to your hotel.
Check http://www.kotsu.metro.tokyo.jp/english/index.html to find out more details.
In this Internet site, they will give you important advice, like how you tell which bus stops at which bus stop.
It has information on Toei subway/underground and Toei Streetcar (Toden) Arakawa line, too.
You will notice one peculiar thing when you use any kind of public transport in Tokyo.
It is their patronizing announcement from the speaker without break.
One may find it quite noisy.
It is, in fact, the result of the mixture of kindness and commercial purposes.
To earn extra revenue, all the bus companies give an extra name to each bus stop.
It is usually the name of a big shop, a private medical clinic, or any nearby commercial institute, and the company ask them to pay for the publicity.
Another thing is the robot-like inhumane attitude of the bus driver.
A Tokyo bus driver will never stop at any place except a bus stop.
Even if you beg him, he will refuse to drop you outside a designated area.
When you think of a more humane country like Thailand, it is not the same.
A Thai driver would use his intelligent and kind discretion and let you get off somewhere between the two bus stops not to make you waste your time when the bus is stuck in the heavy traffic.
All right.
There are rules and laws to follow.
If everyone ignores them, life is going to be chaotic.
One can even argue that, thanks to that Japanese loyalty to public order, the country can produce high quality products with precision.
But can't a Japanese have a bit of courage to judge something by himself and decide to do something for a fellow human being?
If you look around inside the bus, it is exceptionally clean, compared to any commuter vehicle in any country.
If you look outside, the town of Tokyo gives you a visual entertainment of excellence.
Enjoy the experience, our dearest guests from abroad.
And please say "hi" or "thank you" to the bus driver to give him an opportunity to smile you back.
After all, it is not illegal to be humane.