East Japan Railway Conpany (JR East) Got A New Sign For Stations And Lines

Let's keep talking about Japanese trains a little more. In Tokyo area, there are so many train lines then the train network is really complicated. They are roughly distinguished by companies, such as JR East, Keio Line, Odakyu Line and so on. However, even one company sometimes includes many different lines, for example JR East has more than 10 lines going through Tokyo area. So it is difficult to use them efficiently by memory.

Actually there has been a common way for people to remember each line easily since old days. Actually Japanese trains' colors or designs are associated with lines, so people usually remember each line with the name of the line, the direction and the train color/design. However it wasn't convenient enough for tourists especially from oversea since many of them can't read Japanese characters.

Then Japanese subway lines started to number each station with initials of the line's name sometime ago and many travelers said it was much easier. Then, recently the biggest train company in Tokyo area, JR East, took the same system into their signs as you can see in the photos.

The trains' colors of JR East are also different each other depending on the lines basically. For example, Yamanote Line trains are painted in yellow green and Keihintohoku Line trains are painted in blue. Then those who live in Tokyo area for a long time can tell them apart immediately even the two lines run parallel in some area but it wasn't so easy for tourists. 

So the company made a new sign based on initials of the line name and the station number at each station and put a square around it with each train's color. Thus, on the platform of JR East Yamanote Line in Ueno station, the mark "JY 05"is put in a yellow green square and showed with the station name "Ueno". On the other hand, the next platform, which is for JR East Keihintohoku Line, shows "JK 30" in a blue square with the station name.

I hope this change makes foreign people's travel easier!