Google or Yahoo just randomly give Idabashi, Ichigaya, or Nagatacho and tell you the time is basically the same. Having never really taken these lines and these transfers much, I was wondering if there was any expert out there who travels this route a lot and can tell me about the inside of the stations. Which one is the fastest/easiest transfer?
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Spend a few minutes, give them a try, see what works for you! The exits and entrances will change your times.
I'm only going once (hopefully) from out on the west side into Ikebukuro and on to the US embassy. Looking for the closest transfer since I'll have a stroller, and I know sometimes transfers can be like 900 meters of tunnels and tons of up and downs.
If you re going to the embassy with a troller, get off at Nagatacho or Ichigaya and take a taxi. It’s a mess and with a stroller, no one will be happy. The cost is definitely worth it!
When I sorted the suggested routes by fastest and least walking, it suggested Iidabashi.
Iidabashi, exits are right next to each other. Worst is Ichigaya.
Google Maps has an option for "wheelchair accessible" when searching for routes. FWIW, it gives the Iidabashi transfer as the option when I put in a departure from Ikebukuro; but also with a warning "Use caution--wheelchair-accessible directions may not always reflect real-world conditions". So, grain of salt I guess.
At full peak capacity, it's going to be bad no matter which station. That being said, Nagatacho/Akasaka-mitsuke is probably the busiest of these stations. Never used Ichigaya but in Iidabashi the tunnels are right next to each other.
Ark42 [OP] 1 points · Apr 2022 · 関東・東京都
Going in the middle of the day with a stroller, to the US embassy. I guess I should have mentioned that before. This isn't my commute route so I can't just experiment day by day until I memorize the exact best car and door for the transfers😅
datanas 2 points · Apr 2022
If you rely on elevators, this can suck quite a lot. I would still avoid Nagatacho just because you have 5 or so busy lines converging there. That's a lot of old people and those too lazy to take escalators at any time of day. I'm not sure about elevator placement at the other stations but my gut feeling is you'll have an easier time there. Just add 10 minutes to the change from one train to the next (and pray it isn't elevator maintenance day on that day but if it is you have options on the way back).
The worst stations to change with a stroller in my experience are Shinjuku, Asakusa, and I forgot the name of the Tozai line station that didn't have an elevator at all (before the Olympics). Since you won't go anywhere near those, you'll be okay!