Subways: Commute Fresh

I really love subways. I take the Midosuji Red Line to work, from Shinkanaoka to Namba. It's a really nice twenty-minute ride becuse I don't have to transfer lines, so I can just enjoy my time with my iPod, a solid reading session, people watch, and practice my Hiragana on advertisements and the names of stops.




Why doesn't Los Angeles have a better subway system that expands further East than the freaking Gold Line to Pasadena. LA's just too big. I'd really like to live in the city instead of out in the 'burbs. Everything is too spread out, everyone's too rich, you never see people. But shit, LA being big should be no excuse. I mean the Bay Area is physically as widespread as LA is to the San Gabriel Valley and beyond, but you can still jump BART from Oakland to Downtown SF. I remember having a conversation with Jake Bowdoin, an old soul from Art Center College of Design, telling me that LA used to have an extensive trolley system but was halted due to the automotive, gas, and rubber lobbyists. And LA is the one city that needs it the most. Imagine the cut-down on smog in the valley, congestion on the freeways. Not to mention the safety and convenience externalities of having drunk people ride instead of drive. Wasted at 5 AM after partying all night? Have no fear, you can get home just fine.

You know when you ride subways and you can see down the whole train into other cabins too? I love that. That visual helps me realize the scope of it all and reminds of how much less of a negative environmental impact we make through mass transit rather than millions of one-person-one-car deals sitting on highways.

Public transportation builds community. It allows us to at the very least see the people with whom we share our city, our pride, our home. And at it's very best it's a channel to open random conversations, forums, and meet new people. Not to mention the exposure potentials for public art, grassroots politics, and underground musicians. One of my favorite stops is on my walk from Namba Station to the office building is seeing b-boys and b-girls dance on the streets, especially when big speakers are brought in on Saturdays. Hip Hop is alive in Osaka, people.

Knowing how to navigate a subway system is like being in a close relationship with your town. I'd be lying if I didn't say my heart beats twice in gratification every time I bust out my monthly pass entering and exiting the subway. Somehow I'm just more legit than people buying single tickets. I ride this madness daily, I flow through the veins and arteries of the city and we're getting to know each other better every day.