Amazing Train Discovery!

I learned the most amazing thing about the trains this week from Raku!  Did you know there are signs that tell you which train car to get in, in order to make the fastest transfer to another line?  I can't get over how efficient it is.  As far as I know this applies to Tokyo Metro and JR, but may not be true of some of the other companies.

Signs like this appear on the walls and columns on the train platforms.  Until three days ago I didn't give them a second glance.

But all you do is find the station where you will transfer on the left, and then across the row it will show which car is closest for each possible transfer. (The number to the left of the station name tells how many minutes away that station is from you)

For example, if you're catching the Marunouchi line at Kasumigaseki you should ride in cars 1-3.  In some cases it will show different cars depending on which direction you'll be headed on the line you're transferring to.  The chart also shows which cars are near elevators, bathrooms, the station master, and sometimes specific exits.  Amazing!

And if you're wondering how to find the correct car there are little signs near the tracks telling you car numbers.

This is what the Tokyo Metro signs look like, I believe the JR looks a little different.

Now I know why some areas of the platform are so crowded when others are nearly deserted.