Pyongyang has a subway (maybe)

Patrick Chovanec visited North Korea so you don't have to. Along the way, he had the opportunity to visit Pyongyang's subway.

A Visit to North Korea

Here is hoping that North Korea becomes a place where people want to go within my lifetime.

More on Taiwan

Click the link for a photo guide from one of my Multiply Buddies about how to take the metro in Taipei, Taiwan.

台北: Riding the MRT

The Daejeon subway also uses round tokens. It is kind of weird putting a coin on a subway.

Shanghai Metro - longest in the world?

Currently, Shanghai claims that with the opening of line 10 last month, Shanghai Metro became the longest such system in the world.

Of course, that depends on what counts toward that total.

Not including portions run by Korail and Incheon Subway, Seoul's Metropolitan Subway system runs 314 km. However, that is counting some track that runs outside of the boundaries of the city of Seoul, and does not include some that is actually within the city's boundaries. So 314 km is too short. Counting every line that could possibly be considered part of the system, the subway is 755 km long. Of course, that ends up trips that never even enter the province where Seoul is located and that are between towns of less than 100,000.

So Shanghai runs a lot of trains that I hear are clean and fast, and you can probably go anywhere you might want to on them. But not necessarily any better than in, say, Paris, which strictly defines what is the metro and what are the suburban commuter trains.

(Also, the maglev to the airport is cool, but very few people take it because the maglev is more expensive than some airplane tickets and the ordinary subway is fast and comfortable enough for most people.)

Songtan (Pyeongtaek)

Of Interest - Osan Air Force Base, foreign restaurants, stores with foreign goods
Lodging - several hotels near the main gates of the air force base
Tourist Office - no
Nearest Int'l ATM - I would think there would be one nearby, but I don't where

Most people coming to my site from a google search are looking for Osan. While Osan is a nice little town, I don't think that is what they are looking for. I think they really want to go to Osan Air Force Base which is one subway stop to the south in Pyeongtaek.

To the west of the station is Osan Air Force Base. To the east is the town of Songtan.

The Air Force Base is a fifteen to twenty minute walk from the station. Follow the signs (in English). Between the station and the base are a wide variety of small shops and restaurants, many that serve foreigners, not just Americans. The last time I was there, I ate at a Pakistani restaurant that had an almost entirely Pakistani clientele.

The town of Songtan is a typical suburban town. The area is more modern looking and the buildings are generally bigger than those near the base.

Songtan is on line 1 of the Seoul subway, but I wouldn't go all the way from Seoul on the subway. Take the train to Pyeongtaek and then change. That is usually the quickest way whether you are coming from the north or south. Some trains do stop in Osan, but not many. The nearest KTX stop is at Cheonan-Asan. Go to Asan subway station to change for these trains if you are going to south to Daejeon, Daegu, or Busan. It will probably not save you time to take the KTX to Seoul. Asan is near the end of line 1, and not all subway trains go that far. Only trains that say they are going to Sinchang will go stop at Asan.

Toride

Of Interest: one of Tokyo's bedroom communities

Lodging: no

Tourist Office: no

Lockers: small, medium, and large for only 100 yen

International ATM: In a 7-11 to the right of the station entrance

Toride is a transport hub for commuters going into Tokyo. It is only 40 minutes to Ueno Station by Joban line Express (JR East). The station is the terminus of the Joso line of the Kanto Railway (Keisei subsidiary).

The city of Toride has several train stations. It is hard to tell Toride Station is downtown or not. There is a small department store near the station, but few buildings of note.

Update: A couple of things have made me think about this city again. Someone told me that he used to live in Toride, and today I saw a request for articles about doing "special" things in "exotic" places. I really like to feel the "ordinariness" of things. Toride is very "ordinary", but it left a vivid impression on me.

Part of my challenge for this website is to express the experience of walking out of the station. Walking to end of the road that leads away from the station, walking back, seeing certain kinds of buildings near the station, seeing other (smaller) building further away, eating at the It0-yokado, going to the 7-11, very ordinary things.

Ito-yokado is like Target, and it is places like that that show you what a country is really like.

Hakata, Fukuoka

Of Interest: temples, Kushida shrine, Canal City Hakata

Lodging: multiple

Tourist Office: yes

Hakata Station is the main JR station for the city of Fukuoka. It is also a stop on the subway, but Nishitetsu trains do not stop here.

The tourist office has extensive materials in English both on the city and Fukuoka prefecture. From the station, you can walk to the oldest Shingon temple in Japan, Tochoji. Jotenji is nearby. It was built in 1242 and may have been the orginal home of the Hakata Gion Yamakasa Festival. This festival is currently hosted by Kushida Shrine which is a little further away, maybe a twenty to thirty minute walk. Nearby is Canal City Hakata, the biggest mall in Fukuoka.

The Hakata Gion Yamakasa festival lasts for two weeks in July. Local businesses and associations build and display floats. At the end of the festival, each group carries its float in an early morning race. Each float has a different character which reflects the group of people who built it.

Tokyo Station

Of Interest: Imperial Palace park, Ginza shopping district

Lodging: yes, expensive

Tourist Office: no

International ATM: post office near station (exit to the west)

Tokyo Station serves JR East trains, JR Central shinkansen, and Marounichi subway trains. It was originally built in 1914 as a way to connect lines originating Shinbashi with lines originating at Ueno. It is currently the main shinkansen station in Japan. You can go almost anywhere in Japan from here. Maybe not anywhere in Tokyo.

The original facade is still intact on the Marunouchi (west) side. Go to the Marunouchi side to go to the Imperial Palace. On the way, you can stop by one of the best English language book stores in Japan. You can see the building where the store is located in the picture above. The building has a clock and almost looks like it curves.

The Yaesu side leads to the Ginza shopping district. The main shinkansen exit leads to this side.

Walk south from either side to find cheap eats.

Shinbashi, Tokyo

Lodging: Yes

Tourist Office: Yes, in the Yurikamome line station

Of Interest: shopping, original Shinbashi Station, downtown Tokyo

International ATM: see map for 7-11's

The area around Shinbashi Station is mostly offices. An office complex has been built around the original station building. (I recommend finding it. It is a nice little area.) However, Shinbashi is within walking distance of the Ginza shopping district and the Tokyo Station area.

JR trains, the Yurikamome line, Keihin Kyuko trains, and the Ginza subway all run through Shinbashi.

Ebisu, Tokyo

Lodging: yes

Tourist Office: in old brewery complex

Of Interest: Original Yebisu Brewery museum, Yebisu Garden Place

Internet Access: in Yebisu Garden Place

Ebisu is a quiet neighborhood in Shibuya-ku, Tokyo. The neighborhood was named for the beer that was brewed there. Today the brewery is a museum and is surrounded by a commercial development called Yebisu Garden Place. This area contains many restaurants, a luxury hotel, two museums, a department store, some small shops, offices, and even some residences. Sapporo Beer has its world headquarters here and owns the development. The company still brews Yebisu Beer, just not here.

Ebisu Station serves two lines of JR east and the Hibuya subway line.

Shibuya, Tokyo

Of Interest: shopping, entertainment district

Lodging: multiple
Tourist Office: Probably yes, but probably unfindable
International ATM: post office (check map in the station plaza)

Computer Access: multiple internet cafes with good prices
Accessible: No, lots of barriers, lots of stairs

Shibuya is the fourth busiest railway station in Japan and the single most confusing train station that I have ever been in. Almost every line has its own little station so you have to change stations to change trains. The Ginza line is inside Tokyu Department Store. Other changes require walking through a mall.

Shibuya Station is in the middle of Shibuya Ward's central commercial district. The area is very businesslike during the day, but at night it attracts young people from all over Tokyo. Because of the variety of people the area attracts, you can find almost any kind of leisure activity. Prices are very reasonable here. If you are looking to save money by staying overnight at an internet cafe, this is the place to do it.

JR East, Tokyu Corporation, and Keio Corporation serve Shibuya Station. JR trains all come to one set of tracks, but there are two different Tokyu station areas. (They want you to walk through their store and buy something.) Three subway lines also come here. Ginza comes into the third floor of the department store while the Hanzomon and Fukutoshin lines run underground. You can change between those two lines without going through a ticket gate.

Here is a review of a Shibuya area hotel, the Granbell Hotel, by Aki, one of my favorite bloggers. Another post on the same hotel has a nice picture of a typical Japanese breakfast. Yum.

Asakusa, Tokyo

Of Interest: Senso-ji temple, Sumidagawa River cruise, Asakusa shrine

Lodging: multiple, including many budget hotels and ryokan

Tourist Office: between the metro station and Senso-ji

Lockers available: small and medium

There are two Asakusa Stations. One serves the Ginza and the Toei Asakusa subway lines as well as the Tobu Isesaki line that heads out of Tokyo into Saitam, Tochigi, and Gunma Prefectures.

The second one is a stop on the Tsukuba Express. The Tsukuba station is fully accessible with small and medium lockers. It is also fully handicapped accessible. It is an attractive station with murals of the history of the area.

And Asakusa is a good area for history buffs. Asakusa was a village in ancient times that was absorbed into old Edo. Asakusa is Tokyo's oldest entertainment district and is a good place for traditional culture. Asakusa still has geisha houses and other forms of traditional culture.

The main tourist attraction is Senso-ji, Tokyo's oldest temple. Originally built in 645, the temple and its grounds were mostly destroyed during WWII. On the temple grounds is a tree that was almost killed by a bomb during the war. The tree regrew from the burned stump, and this symbolizes the reconstruction of the temple. Asakusa shinto shrine is next to the temple.

There are also museums in the area. Tepco Asakusa (Folk Museum) is near the Tsukuba line station.

To help people get around, there is a local loop bus.

There is an excellent blog post about Asakusa at the Tokyo Dreaming blog including pictures that express the feeling of the place.

Nagoya subway system

Nagoya has a subway system with six lines, including a short connector line, Kami Ida. It is operated by the City of Nagoya Transportation Bureau. Parts of the Higashiyama and Tsurmai lines are above ground, but most of the system is below ground.

Fares run from 200 to 320 yen. The Yurika is the systems prepaid card. There are both regular and daytime only (cheaper) cards. There are joint Yurika for use on both subway system and the Aonami or Meitetsu trains. There are also multiple ride tickets and one day passes of various kinds.

Most stations in the system are not handicapped accessible.

Lines are as follows:

Higashiyama (yellow) crosses the city from east to west. Transfers to JR Kansai and Kintetsu Nagoya trains going east are possible at Hatta Station. Transfers to the Linimo maglev are possible at Fujigaoka. Transfers to multiple JR trains are possible at Nagoya Station.

Meijo (purple) makes a circle around Nagoya. Transfers to JR lines are possible at Kaneyama and Ozone Stations. The Yutorito line is also accessible from Ozone.

Meiko (purple and white) connects to Meijo line to Nagoya port becoming the Meijo line at Kanayama Station.

Kami Ida (pink) connects the Meijo line to the Meitetsu Komaki line. It only has two stops, Heian-dori and Kami Ida.

Tsurumai (blue) runs northwest to southeast. It connects to the other end of the Meitetsu Komaki line at Kami Otai Station. Tsurumai connects to the Meitetsu Toyota line at its other at Akaike Station. Connections to the JR Chuo line is possible at Tsurumai.

Sakura-dori (red) is Nagoya's newest line. It parallels the Higashiyama through most of downtown before turning south at Imaike. It turns east at Sakura-honmachi and ends a couple of stops later. Transfers to many JR lines are possible at Nagoya Station. Building on an extension to the east should start this year. Stations have elevators at some exits.

The Nagoya subway connects to three short commuter lines that are included on the subway map, but which require separate tickets: Limino, Aonami, and Yutorito.

Osaka/Umeda

Lodging: multiple

Tourist Office:?

Of Interest: downtown Osaka

Internet Access: On the second floor in of Osaka Station in an office services store

International ATM: Osaka's main post office is nearby

Osaka Station and Hanshin's Umeda Station are basically across the street from each other in downtown Osaka. Umeda subway station is here also. Higashi-Umeda and Nishi-Umeda subway stations are connected to Osaka station through underground passage ways.

I vsisited this area a couple of times when I lived in Japan, but I did not spend much time here during my most recent trip. I remember the main kabuki theater was within walking distance, and that people were very friendly and helpful.

Osan

Lodging: motels in every direction

Tourist Office: no, but there is a decent tourist map at the station

Of interest: downtown Osan

Nearest bank: Nonghyup is straight down the road in front of the station

I have been to Osan three times, but every time I forget my camera. So sorry no pictures. Hopefully, I will remember next time because Osan actually has some pretty interesting parts. (Although if you look at the crappy picture I took of Sintanjin, maybe that is not such a bad thing.)

Several historical sites are located in Osan. The closest to the station is a Confucian shrine, one of two major ones in Korea. Someone who is good at reading maps and has a good memory can walk there in less than 45 minutes. Other sites are further away, but Osan is small enough that a taxi ride shouldn't be too expensive.

I also climbed to the top of a hill that is close to the center of town.

Osan is a working class town with a large foreign population. (Foreign meaning non-Korean.) There is a Central Asian/Russian restaurant to the left of the station and something else to the right.

Osan station is mainly served by subways and commuter trains that follow the subway route. There are a couple of trains daily to Busan and a couple to Seoul.

Pyeongtaek

Of interest: Train station mall is a good place to hang out
Lodging: several motels and a hotel

Tourist Office: No

Pyeongtaek has a new station that is more than a station. In the building are several restaurants, a department store and a CGV movie theater.

Current movie times are on Nate (in Korean). A listing of movie posters with their names and in English and Korean can be found on The Yeogiyo.

The US army is in the process of moving the Yongsan army base to the area. The new constuction is probably in anticipation of this move as well as being a response to economic growth in the area. The station is right downtown, and right next to both bus stations, so it is a convenient location for development.

The station exits are numbered because this is a subway station as well as a regular train station. The main exit is Exit 1. To get to downtown, walk straight ahead. Buses to Seoul leave from a terminal that is just to the right of the main station. A large collection of motels and one hotel are on that same road after the intercity bus terminal.

Exit 2 leads to a residential neighborhood.

The new station is a good place to go when the weather is bad. The prices are cheaper than in Seoul, and there are some restaurants that you don't usually see outside of the major cities. There is a hamburger place and several Japanese restaurants. You can decent white bread in the department store basement.

Pyeongtaek is about an hour from Seoul on mugungwha, saemaeul, and commuter trains. Going north you can choose between trains that go to Seoul or Yongsan stations. Trains go to all southern lines, that is to Busan, Gwangju, Yeosu, Mokpo, and all stations in between. The Janghang Line to Chungnam (Onyang, Hongseong, Seocheon, etc.) stops here. The commuter train takes this route, ending three stops of the main line at Sinchang. These trains stop at the Cheonan-Asan KTX station (listed as Asan Station for non-KTX trains). If you are going past Daejeon, it may be quicker to change trains to a KTX train here. Please check the link in the sidebar for current schedules.

Daelim Station

Lodging: No

Tourist Office: No

Of interest: Chinese restaurants and stores

The same day that I discovered Soyosan, I discovered a real Chinatown in Seoul.

As anyone who visits Korea (or Japan for that matter) discovers, there are a couple of fake Chinatowns in Seoul and Busan. You might think that there are few Chinese people living in Korea. In fact, there is a large Chinese community in Korea. Most Chinese do not live together in one area, but are spread out through the country. One area that has many Chinese residents is an area south of Daelim Station.

Daelim Station is a transfer point between lines 2 and 7 in southwestern Seoul.

I walked out of one of the line 7 exits and started to explore. At first, I didn't see much, although the area is one of the more attractive in Seoul. Between a triangle of main streets is a maze of alleys and houses. In the middle of this labyrinth is a road that is larger than the rest that is lined with restaurants and shops with signs in Chinese.

I used to know more than 500 characters. I used to be able to read the names of at least some Chinese dishes. But not anymore. I couldn't read much, but I noticed that a few places were advertising Szechuan food. That is interesting because most Chinese residents of Korea come from north eastern China, particularly Manchuria. I also noticed a dish whose first two characters were "cow" and "sun". I would very much like to know what a cow sun is.

Perpendicular to this road is a food market with many Chinese products along with the typical Korean stuff.

With all this and finding out that part of line 2 runs above ground, I thought I was never going to come to the end of the days discoveries. Rail travel opens up whole new worlds.

Dobongsan Station

Lodging: Not certain, but probably yes

Tourist Office: ?

Of interest: National Park

Coming back from Soyosan, I changed trains from line 1 to line 7. The view from the train station is beautiful, but since I didn't even have time to climb to the top of Soyosan, I obviously didn't have time to explore here. The mountains here are a little farther from the train station, but there are several to choose from. Like Soyosan, this area is a nice little break north of the city.

Soyosan Subway Station

Lodging: Yes

Tourist Office: No

Of interest: Soyo Mountain, Jajeam Mountain, Peace Museum, Wonhyo Waterfall

I like to go exploring because of the unexpected things that I see. Here I saw maple trees with pink seeds. I have only ever seen brown maple seeds.

Soyosan Station is at the northern end of line 1. San means mountain, and this station is at the foot of Soyo Mountain.

Almost everyone who gets off here is going to the mountain, so just follow the crowd. You will walk through a little town with motels and restaurants. There is a motel actually on the mountain along with several restaurants, so I recommend waiting.

There is a also a peace museum right outside the little town.

I didn't stay overnight, but I did eat. An excellent meal. The restaurant was next to the stream that comes off the mountain. They specialize in mushroom dishes. I had mountain vegetables which were really good.

One of the oldest temples in Korea is located here although the current buildings were actually built after the Korean war. The Buddhist monk Wonhyo built Jajae'am-sa in 645.

The walk from the station is not the only way up, it just one of the easiest and most convenient. You can also walk from one of the back gates of Camp Casey.

Cheongnangyi Station

Lodging: New Boolim Hotel, motels

Tourist Office: No

Of interest: Near Dongdaemun

There are two Cheongnangyi Stations, one train and one subway. They are right next to each other. From here you can take a train the Chungcheon or into Ganwan-do. The subway line number one runs through here which means that you can get to downtown Seoul, Incheon, and Uijeong-bu from here.

I go to various places in Dongdaemun-gu often, and I have stayed at the New Boolim Hotel twice. I was satisfied both times, but my room was not as clean this time as the first time. I notice that the reviews on asiarooms.com have gotten worse in the last six months.

A lot of people come to this area at night. It is particularly good place to come to eat at night. Go across the station/department store plaza and there is a street with a variety of traditional restaurants. The road is next to the Skin Food store.

Trains for Gangwan-do leave from Cheongnanyi Station.

Seoul subway - light blue line

Today took the light blue line from Yongsan to Deoksu. I had a really good time because I spent most of the trip talking to another passenger. Meeting people is one reason that I like traveling by train.

This line goes into Gangwan-do and once it gets out of Seoul, the scenery is really beautiful. Within Seoul it runs along a river for a while and is a good way to see the city. This line is really more like a regular train line than a subway line. It is less crowded than the other subways, faster and all above ground.

Deoksu Station
Lodging: No
Tourist Office: No
Sights: None

Deoksu Station is both the end of the line and station on the train to Wonju. I walked around the town. It is a fairly typical suburb. Nice landscaping and better than average sidewalks, but worse than average traffic. I was really careful crossing the street.

If you are interested in a short trip into Gangwon-do, I recommend getting off at one of the earlier stations.