Using metros can be annoying. Some people find it fun. I’m one of those people who is obsessed with public transport.
Something about being able to go anywhere without asking someone to take you feels liberating. Tokyo, Japan, is an interesting city that I’ve visited a few times with my brother, visiting friends and exploring. The city has always fascinated me at just how clean and perfect it was. After using public transportation in Tokyo everyday for hours at a time, I really wanted to rate and even compare it to Bucharest’s metro system. Maybe even teach you some things about Bucharest and Tokyo along the way.
To compare each metro system, I will rank out of 10 the following three categories:
- Ease of navigation: How easy is it to use the metro?
- Coverage: Where can I go with the metro?
- Punctuality: How often and on time are the trains?
Tokyo (東京)
Introducing Tokyo’s metro transit system (in Japan, referred to as 東京メトロ (“To(と)-u(う)-kyo(きょ)-u(う)-me(メ)-to(ト)-ro(ロ)”), made up of over 195 km of track. The first time stepping into Tokyo’s metro three years ago was absolutely magical for a 12-year-old me. In Bucharest, kids use public transport alone since a very young age, so I was quite used to the dirty Bucharest metro at that time. Traveling back to Tokyo this past year didn’t feel any different: it felt like entering a different world. Everything was spotless, quiet, and incredibly efficient. In Tokyo you are in the heart of one of the world’s busiest metro systems, which moves millions of people in a single day.
Fun Fact: At most stations in Tokyo, personlized melodies made for each station play when the train arrives! If you’re interested, click here to listen to the Yamanote line melodies. (Tokyo and Akihabara are my favorites) However these songs are slowly being phased out, so visit soon while they still exist!
Ease of navigation: 7/10
If you are familiar with the Tokyo metro you might call me crazy for not giving it a 10/10 for ease of navigation, which you may be right. However I believe that especially for people who aren’t familiar with public transportation or for tourists, it’s not that easy.
Navigating Tokyo’s stations can be overwhelming if you end up in the wrong place. For locals and people who are used to traversing the metros stations, it feels like a well oiled machine, but if you don’t know where you’re going in Tokyo or Shinjuku station, you might never be able to get out. These stations are some of the largest in the world; they are so massive they feel like whole underground cities. While the tools are there to help, the sheer scale and complexity of the network can make the first few rides a challenge.
One such tool to help is the translation! In Tokyo stations there are English translations of almost anything, from announcements to directions, helping the smoothness of navigation for people who cannot read Kana/Kanji (Japanese writing systems). Finding exits and trains was super easy for me.
Japanese has 3 writing systems, one of them being Kanji where letters dont quite work like the alphabet that we are used to; think of them more like Emojis that can be read. In Japan, labels and names are mostly written in the Kanji writing system. Tokyo metro officials knew some people wouldn’t know the Kanji writing of stations, so they also include station names written in Hiragana, a simpler writing system. This is especially helpful for people like Japanese children who haven’t yet memorized all the Kanji.
Example from Image:
- Narita Yukawa In Kanji: 成田湯川
- Narita Yukawa In Hiragana (Normal Japanese writing): なりたゆかわ (na-ri-ta-yu-ka-wa)
What I found to be the best part of navigation, was that Stations in Tokyo have a numbering system, meaning you can easily simply count your stations and hear the number in the announcements to know when to get off!
Coverage: 9/10
Tokyo metro covers almost its entire inner city area. Not a single time while traveling have I needed to walk more than 15-20 minutes after getting off a metro to reach my destination. In Bucharest, sometimes I would need to take a series of buses or walk for hours. Not much to complain here about, except that maybe reaching some outskirts is harder. The circular Yamanote line was super helpful giving easy access to all famous areas of Tokyo such as Shibuya, Shinjuku and Akiba all in one train line.
Punctuality: 10/10
In all of Japan, metros are super punctual, with an average overall delay of just 20-50 seconds IF delayed. Personally, trains were on the dot precisely. Once time, a train was almost less than a minute late, the train conductor then apologized to the whole train on the intercom in Japanese, which was just crazy to me. Japan’s precision is so important that train conductors have a lot of pressure. In 2005, the Amagasaki incident occurred in Osaka, where a train conductor sped through a corner in fear of being 40 seconds late, killing hundreds. (If you’re interested in this incident, watch this video.) That simply shows just how precise trains need to be in Japan. With all this in mind I cannot give Tokyo anything but a 10/10 in punctuality, with trains being only a couple seconds late during rush hour at most from my experience.
Bucharest (București)
The metro in Bucharest (managed by Metrorex) has 5 lines (M1-M5) and 64 stations covering 80.1 kilometers of Bucharest. While not big, it does what it’s supposed to quite well for carrying the people of Bucharest. Overall, Bucharest Metro ranks seventh among European metro systems; this is pretty solid for a former-communist Eastern European country. I’ve been using the metro the past six years, and I would say it does it’s job.
Ease of navigation: 6/10
Bucharest’s metro is quite easy to navigate; its small size definitely helps as, unless you’re maybe at the Piata Victoriei station, it’s pretty hard to get lost in a station. The system is relatively straightforward, with simple, functional station designs and clear signage. The only problem with the navigation is the lack of translation. Announcements are only in Romanian, so if you don’t understand an important announcement such as maybe stations being skipped, you might get into some trouble. Navigating stations however is more simple, you can see colors that point you in the right direction, and recognizing the names of areas is easier.
Things such as the next station and train line direction/name being shown with lights in text help out with navigation on the train. But not quite at the same level as Tokyo with trains having small screens showing not only the next station, but also the upcoming stations and number.
Coverage: 6/10
Right now, there are currently six metro lines (M1 to M6), and they run through main areas like the city center, covering most of the inner city. The M6 line connects to Bucharest’s Henri Coanda International Airport. However, many parts of the city, especially those far from the center, don’t have metro stations nearby. People living there have to use trams or buses, and I’m only reviewing the Metro. As stated before, in Bucharest you cannot use the metro to reach everything like in Tokyo.
Fun Fact: When the blue M2 line was being constructed, the “Piața Romană” station was built secretly by workers. This was because originally Elena, the wife of the Romanian dictator, Nicolae Ceașescu, denied the construction of the station as it was right next to a university and, as she put it, “students were getting too fat” and needed to walk more. Obviously the workers knew this was stupid, and went ahead and secretly built the station anyway, but with smaller platforms to help with not being detected.
Punctuality: 6/10
Even though the Bucharest Metro is often praised for being more reliable than surface transport like buses, my experience says something else. According to Bucharest’s metro provider, trains usually arrive every 4-10 min. Personally sometimes I’ve had to wait as much as 20 minutes for trains, with delays being common. Especially at late hours between 9pm-11pm, you might have to wait up to 30 minutes for a train. These delays usually occur on the blue M2 line for me, it being the busiest. While with Tokyo’s busiest line, the Yamanote Line, I would experience the least amount of delays.
Final Thoughts
When comparing the Tokyo and Bucharest metro systems, the contrast is clear. Tokyo is of course one of the most well designed, efficient transportation systems in the world. It’s what Japan is known for, especially with other transportation methods such as the Shinkansen bullet train. Cleanliness, accessibility, and multilingual signage make it exceptionally foreigner-friendly, despite its complexity. And Bucharest’s metro, while functional, lacks in several areas. Don’t get me wrong, it’s very impressive for a country that is not so developed as other countries, similar cities don’t even have metro lines. But cities like Tokyo show us there is a long way to go. In the end, Tokyo sets the bar with an overall score of 9.5/10, while Bucharest earns a respectable but limited 6.5/10 for me.
Cleanliness, accessibility, and multilingual signage make it exceptionally foreigner-friendly, despite its complexity.