5/7/2025 Sayurann
There’s a subway line called the Marunouchi Line—the only one that runs through Suginami Ward. It connects Ogikubo Station in Suginami to Ikebukuro Station in Toshima Ward. Along the way, it stops at several major terminal stations like Shibuya and Tokyo, linking up with many other train lines.
At first glance, it seems like a great train line. But if you board at Ogikubo, the journey to Ikebukuro takes about 50 minutes, simply because the train winds its way through so many stations. If there were a more direct route to Ikebukuro, I imagine it wouldn’t take nearly as long. Instead, the Marunouchi Line takes a curved, almost circular path—so much so that I doubt anyone living in Suginami uses it to go to Ikebukuro. Access from Suginami to Ikebukuro still, even today, requires at least one transfer. Compared to places like Shinjuku, Shibuya, or Tokyo Station—where you can get to directly—Ikebukuro just feels inconveniently out of reach. For me, Ikebukuro has become a place I only go to when there’s a shop I can’t find anywhere else, or when I’m meeting someone who lives nearby. Am I the only one who feels this way?
Another thing that’s always puzzled me: the Marunouchi Line stops in four different spots around Shinjuku Station. I’ve never really looked into the reasoning behind this, so I’m not sure what the advantage is, but sometimes when I’m heading back toward Shinjuku and find a random ticket gate in an unexpected place, it turns out to be a Marunouchi Line entrance. It’s surprisingly convenient, yet I can’t help but think, “Why did they build a station here of all places?” It’s both helpful and bewildering at the same time.
Also, on the Suginami side, the station names can be a bit confusing if you’re used to JR lines. Some of the stations have names that just add a character like “Shin-” or “Higashi-” to the beginning of familiar JR station names, so it’s hard to tell if you’re actually near the JR station or not.
That said, the neighborhoods around the stations on the Suginami end of the line are full of supermarkets, general stores, and other amenities that make daily life easy. They’re great places to live. I have friends who live in that area and they say the balance is just right—not too noisy, not too quiet.
On the Ikebukuro end, there are unique advantages too. For example, it stops at both Tokyo and Otemachi Stations, which are close enough to walk between—kind of a rare route. It also stops at Korakuen Station, right near Tokyo Dome, making it ideal for people heading to baseball games or concerts.
So while the Marunouchi Line remains a bit of a mystery to me, even after many years of living in Tokyo, I can’t deny how convenient it is for getting around and making transfers between lines. It’s one of the most heavily used train lines in Japan for a reason. I use it all the time for work these days, and I know how essential it is to my daily life. Still, I can’t help but quietly wish that the detour from Suginami to Ikebukuro could be just a little shorter. I’m sure I’m not the only one in Suginami who hopes it’ll one day be easier to get to Ikebukuro.
[Reference URL] https://hbol.jp/pc/212656/