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Level 3
5/4/2024
It is undeniable that the city’s subway system is an integral part of Karakura’s transport for folks of all ages. A usual sight, the stations stand proud at different important places in the city, namely, the plaza, shopping district, the beach, and near the Estates. This article discusses the iconic subway system, its existence, is it lacklustre and overlooked by the residents of Karakura, or does it serve its purpose of providing fast and effective transport from location to location?
While researching for this article, the writer visited all the stations that the Karakura subway system has to offer. Namely, Zikani Station, Kagoshima Station, Itsbyoshi Station, and Shinboshi Station.
When the writer visited Zikani Station at the plaza, he was greeted with a bright and spacious entryway. He would like to highlight that the elevator at the station was faulty, and was not able to be used. The station sported a vending machine, and a set of bathrooms. The station had a white-grey color scheme. The station was very compact, with the staircases leading you directly to the boarding platform, bathrooms and the vending machine.
Top: Pictured, Zikani Station.
The next station the writer visited was Kagoshima Station near the beach apartments and the beach. This station sported a white-green theme. This station had very long winding hallways, from the entrance to the mezzanine platform. It also had a pair of benches, one of which had a carving on the back, reading ‘In loving memory of Kago Kogo’. After some research, the writer found that the bench was left as a dedication to the architect of the station, Eiko Kogo’s wife, who passed away peacefully on the beach, close to the station. Since the beach signified a lot to their relationship, he left the bench, and dedicated it to his wife, Kago Kogo posthumously. A heart wrenching story, the station also includes a 2nd platform, although trains are hardly seen leaving or arriving at the station on said platform. The platform is riddled with graffiti and vandalised walls.
Top: A picture of the graffiti seen at Kagoshima Station.
Heading to Shinboshi Station at the heart of the shopping district, the station has a similar color theme and layout to Zikani Station. The writer would like to mention that the elevator is out of service at this station too. It also has a set of bathrooms and a vending machine. Unlike the other stations, Shinboshi Station has posters on the wall, although hard to spot due to their small size. According to historical reports, Shinboshi boasts the 2nd most commuter count, behind Zikani Station. The writer noted that similar to other stations, the platform was vandalised, and a number of spray-graffiti could be seen on the walls.
Lastly, we have Itsbyoshi Station near the East Tunnel. This station is the writer’s favorite, it has a purple-white theme. Similar to Kagoshima Station, Itsbyoshi Station has two platforms. The station is rather spacious, and also has more advertisements and noticeable posters on the walls. Other than decorations, Itsbyoshi Station also has a set of bathrooms. This station is the writer’s favorite due to it’s livelier color palette and the availability of posters and advertisements to brighten up an area.
Top: Itsbyoshi Station.
After visiting the 4 subway stations in Karakura, a common theme is noticed among the stations. The subway stations all sport a modern theme, are poorly lit, and have graffiti on walls. But, what does this imply? This could mean that the subways are hardly maintained, the lighting in the stations are poor due to infrequent maintenance, and the walls are hardly cleaned or painted over to clear them of vandalism. In addition to this, the subway stations have little decorations apart from the occasional flower pot, and the dedicated benches at Kagoshima Station. The walls rarely have advertisements or posters, and the elevators do not work. In summary, the subway stations may feel plain and poorly maintained to some.
Apart from the poor maintenance that can be seen throughout the subway system, there are hardly any complaints about the effectiveness of the subways. After interviewing commuters on their commutes, no commuters had any complaints about the effectiveness of the subway itself, mentioning that it is a convenient way to get from place to place for cheap. However, subway trains aside, many remarks about the station were made. For example, some commuters highlighted that the train used is an old model, and having travelled to other parts of Japan, they noticed that other cities use more recent train models, while Karakura uses an older one. Another comment made was that they hoped the subway station would be more spacious, as they found the space to feel quite cramped sometimes.
Some improvements that commuters would like to see included, having shop spaces for businesses to operate. To build on this, the writer feels that it would be a good change to implement, should the subways be renovated. Having shops in the stations could bring more businesses to Karakura, promoting entrepreneurship in the city. Small businesses, or bigger entities could rent the shop spaces in the station, and open up their businesses for commuters to visit and patronise. Some examples of businesses that could happen in station stores include a cafe, bubble tea stand, or gift shop. The writer would love to see Daisuki Yohin in a subway station! (Not sponsored, Daisuki Yohin, if you would like to sponsor him, please reach out.)
Top: Kagoshima Station.
In summary, the article finds that the subway system does its job, and does it’s job effectively. However, apart from its effectiveness, it appears as a plain piece of infrastructure, poorly maintained and lacklustre. The writer hopes that some changes can be made to the existing subway stations, including adding advertisements, or posters to walls. Although it may be an uphill task, the writer hopes to one day see less graffiti on the walls of the stations, instead, colorful advertisements and public service announcements. Commuters too, may find these changes more revitalising to their daily commute to and fro, and the subway system would be more iconic of a landmark than it already is.
What are some changes above that were not mentioned, that you hope to see in the Karakura subway system? Maybe you have a different opinion from the writer, feel free to let him know!
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