Oh so you thought this would be easy

Tokyo's system of public transportation is renowned for it's scale, efficiency, and complexity. Tokyo is a thoroughly rail based city with all major centers of commerce anchored by the stations. Of course I didn't realize just how complex the system was until I arrived here.

For instance here is a map of the Tokyo subway system.

Complicated yes. This is what I expected based on my googling of the Tokyo subway system. Of course I realized once I got here this excludes all of the private rail lines, (that is not publicly owned but anyone can ride them) which are also an integral part of Tokyo's transportation infrastructure. Here is a map showing all of the private rail lines (at least as far as I know)

And as it turns out each of these single lines is an oversimplification as many different trains run along the same lines and make different stops. For instance the Keio line which I take on my daily commute has trains that come in 6 flavors, local, commuter rapid, express, semi-special express, and special express.

Keep in mind that this is depicted as a single line on the broader Tokyo rail map (the 2nd one) above.

This means determining the most efficient commute route is actually a fairly complex optimization problem.

My standard commute would be say take the express from Shinjuku to Tsutsujigakoa, then the local to Kukoryo.

Or it may be faster to take the semi-special or special express from Shinjuku to Meidaimae, then the express to Tsutsujigakoa, then local to Kukoryo.

Or then again I may take the semi-special or special all the way to Chofu and then take the local back two stops to Kukoryo.

Which route is faster all depends on which trains are coming quickest.

The reverse of my commute is further complicated by the "New Keio Line" which technically goes to Shinjuku as well goes to a separate station from the rest of the Keio line and continues on past it.

On the upside trains arrive and leave on the exact minute they say they will, and some kind of train comes virtually every minute during rush hour and every 2-3 minutes on off hours.

The main hubs in this transportation are these massive underground complexes, that include malls, shops of all kinds, endless escalators, and even public artwork. I've learned the sense of direction which I hold in such high regard does not extend at all to these subterranean labyrinths and have managed to get myself horribly lost in Shinjuku station whenever I try and deviate from my normal routine - which I'm just getting down now.

I'll leave it up to the reader to imagine what the results would be if this incredibly complex system was managed by the MBTA...