5 ms·

Creepy is subjective of course, but it’s pretty high on the list for the most isolated and/or inconveniently-located platform in the country. The only access is

by proggy 1y ago

Creepy is subjective of course, but it’s pretty high on the list for the most isolated and/or inconveniently-located platform in the country. The only access is via a narrow footbridge leading to a 486-step staircase that goes 70m underground (230ft). Unlike most other 50+ meter deep train stations, there are no elevators and no escalators. The only way in or out of the station is via those stairs, which makes platform-to-street time a non-trivial part of the overall journey.

rayiner 1y ago
Why was it built like this?
- bdonlan 1y ago
  It was originally a switching/signalling waypoint, and later started seasonal passenger service for skiiers in 1932, before later switching to year-round service. Apparently it used to be a popular hiking destination as well, but with the establishment of more convenient rail and road routes became less popular in the 80s.
  - toss1 1y ago
    Convenient — your hike (or climbing with skiis) starts immediately at the train platform!
    - koakuma-chan 1y ago
      I would rather take stairs instead a really long escalator, it's scary af (when going down).
      - gruez 1y ago
        Really? I've gone down long escalators before and it doesn't feel scary, and I'm scared of heights.
        koakuma-chan 1y ago
        I took this[0] in Kyiv, it was really uncomfortable. Apparently it's "Deepest Metro station in the world, and a long escalator ride" [1] [0]: https://dynamic-media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/photo-o/15/9b/84/38/20181108-111523-largejpg.jpg?w=1000&h=-1&s=1 https://dynamic-media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/photo-o/15/9... [1]: https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g294474-d8074208-Reviews-Arsenalna_Subway_Station-Kyiv.html#/media/8074208/?albumid=-160&type=ALL_INCLUDING_RESTRICTED&category=-160 https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g294474-d80742...
        kccqzy 1y ago
        I think it has more to do with lighting as well as the height of the ceiling. In NYC the escalator going to Grand Central Madison is very long and yet it doesn't feel uncomfortable at all. It has way more lighting than your picture and the ceiling seems higher too.
        koakuma-chan 1y ago
        Do you feel nothing at all when you're on a very long escalator and you look down? What if someone pushes you, or a person behind you? People would fall like domino.
        incone123 1y ago
        Lots of people will grab the handrail which will dampen the domino effect.
        stronglikedan 1y ago
        no it doesn't. long escalators are just really fucking scary. regular length are scary too, so it just follows
        sho_hn 1y ago
        I'm reading and acknowledging all these comments, but I don't get it. Can one of you describe the fear?
      - rkuykendall-com 1y ago
        This would have been a great opportunity for an Akira Elevator: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/why-the-mysterious-love-affair-between-video-games-and-giant-elevators-may-begin-with-akira https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/why-the-mysterious-love-aff...
        sixothree 1y ago
        You might enjoy this (now 2 part series) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M2oELc61XHE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M2oELc61XHE
  - m463 1y ago
    > 486-step staircase > service for skiiers Can't help but think of trudging up the gondola stairs at heavenly in ski boots at the end of the day. this is why snowboarding will win in the end.
zoeysmithe 1y ago
Yep its not creepy its just a train station. I live in a big city and not-well-lit stations are common and its just a boring fact of life no one even notices here. But to an outsider trying to exoticize things, suddenly its "creepy" or "weird." I mean "the descent is terrifying?" It just stairs. We have this in DC, NYC, and Chicago. To a Chicagoan like me, these 'terrifying tunnels' are just our train station and where we go everyday. There's a real anti-urbanism and anti-public trans aspect here that is concerning. The notes aren't "Silent Hill" like but a cute way human social need expresses itself. Its community. Its not weird or scary at all, in fact its the opposite. The alternative to 'terrifying' stairs and trains are the actual terror of driving which has a much higher injury and morality rate than riding a train. No one wants to have this conversation but if you wonder how egyptomania happened, well, its happening here with people fetishizing Japan and its people. I wish orientalism was taken more seriously. Japan has sort of become this fictional and stereotypical thing and it percolates down with stuff like this. Its just a train station. Its someone's boring work commute. Its not GITS or a catgirl hideout or cyberpunk in real life whatever. Its a place that doesnt have the social, political, and capitalist capital to get much needed renovations, same with the many 'creepy' stations on Chicago's west and south sides, which the North side ones (wealthy, white dominated) have had renovations, new paint, new lighting, etc. Its just the everyday corruption of how many societies work. Go ahead an put "DOAI EKI" into google images. It looks quite normal. The "tokyo cowboy" website inserted that dark green filter. Its just a boring, if not ugly, tunnel with a but of colorful moss to break up the monotony: https://wikimapia.org/16698934/Doai-Station-%E5%9C%9F%E5%90%88%E9%A7%85-Doai-Eki#/photo/1998477 https://wikimapia.org/16698934/Doai-Station-%E5%9C%9F%E5%90%... If anything, the external facade is quite striking with its big triangle face. I mean, this is just a train tunnel, albeit a deep one. Not the Chernobyl exclusion zone and entirely safe and honestly, if you're anything like me, you'll enjoy the quiet and seclusion of a train tunnel. I've been to Japan and when people find this out and start ranting to me about how they'd love to go for stereotype-heavy reasons, its very hard for me to tell them it isn't actually a cybperpunk or anime heaven, but its just a normal developed economy and it and its people are not very different from them, many of whom without a strong interest in the otaku culture they think defines this entire society. Nor is it easy to talk about its many serious political issues, as Japan has many faults orientalism doesn't present. Japan is full of the same working class people as you, with the same worries and joys as you. Maybe they ride the train more than you but their tunnels and stairs aren't "terrifying," they're instead the cherished memories of their hometowns. Maybe the L in Chicago is ugly to you, but its my, sometimes difficult, but beloved train system I ride every day. The L is the source of many of my warm childhood and young adult memories the same way stations like this are to the Japanese there too. I dont know if its accurate to portray these systems as weird exotic and dangerous things. Its just everyday rail. Its our daily lives. So much of this orientalism is dishonesty to get engagement, fame, ad impressions, etc. I'd love a good hearted and honest appreciation and criticism of Japan's rail lines over sensationalist writing like this. The Atlas Obscura style of writing and profit-making is practically ruining the internet and making people divorced from the actual reality of these places and its people. You get the McTourist version of things that don't reflect the reality and people there much, or if at all. I think the older crowd remembers what it was like before wikipedia got big, near everything was sensationalist and 'blogger' and 'personal diary' like this. You couldn't just bring up the data and facts about stations like this or an article written with journalist ethics, instead you'd be pummeled with "Atlas Obscura" style narratives like this made to be sensational and often inaccurate and engaging in stereotypes. The people who wrote this article are motivated by money, not information sharing, hence the style. I dislike we're moving back towards "Anime fans facts on Japan webring" type writing. I really hope people stop and think about this stuff and stop promoting this kind of stuff, especially now when you can just tell an AI to write Obscura-style sensationalism trivially and use many SEO tools to promote this writing for profit. I come to HN to get away from stuff like this and its just disheartening to me to see these types of articles becoming popular here. This isn't the first one and I'm afraid this is becoming a trend.

by proggy 1y ago

rayiner 1y ago

Why was it built like this?

bdonlan 1y ago
It was originally a switching/signalling waypoint, and later started seasonal passenger service for skiiers in 1932, before later switching to year-round service. Apparently it used to be a popular hiking destination as well, but with the establishment of more convenient rail and road routes became less popular in the 80s.
- toss1 1y ago
  Convenient — your hike (or climbing with skiis) starts immediately at the train platform!
  - koakuma-chan 1y ago
    I would rather take stairs instead a really long escalator, it's scary af (when going down).
    - gruez 1y ago
      Really? I've gone down long escalators before and it doesn't feel scary, and I'm scared of heights.
      - koakuma-chan 1y ago
        I took this[0] in Kyiv, it was really uncomfortable. Apparently it's "Deepest Metro station in the world, and a long escalator ride" [1] [0]: https://dynamic-media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/photo-o/15/9b/84/38/20181108-111523-largejpg.jpg?w=1000&h=-1&s=1 https://dynamic-media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/photo-o/15/9... [1]: https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g294474-d8074208-Reviews-Arsenalna_Subway_Station-Kyiv.html#/media/8074208/?albumid=-160&type=ALL_INCLUDING_RESTRICTED&category=-160 https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g294474-d80742...
        kccqzy 1y ago
        I think it has more to do with lighting as well as the height of the ceiling. In NYC the escalator going to Grand Central Madison is very long and yet it doesn't feel uncomfortable at all. It has way more lighting than your picture and the ceiling seems higher too.
        koakuma-chan 1y ago
        Do you feel nothing at all when you're on a very long escalator and you look down? What if someone pushes you, or a person behind you? People would fall like domino.
        incone123 1y ago
        Lots of people will grab the handrail which will dampen the domino effect.
        stronglikedan 1y ago
        no it doesn't. long escalators are just really fucking scary. regular length are scary too, so it just follows
        sho_hn 1y ago
        I'm reading and acknowledging all these comments, but I don't get it. Can one of you describe the fear?
    - rkuykendall-com 1y ago
      This would have been a great opportunity for an Akira Elevator: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/why-the-mysterious-love-affair-between-video-games-and-giant-elevators-may-begin-with-akira https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/why-the-mysterious-love-aff...
      - sixothree 1y ago
        You might enjoy this (now 2 part series) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M2oELc61XHE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M2oELc61XHE
- m463 1y ago
  > 486-step staircase > service for skiiers Can't help but think of trudging up the gondola stairs at heavenly in ski boots at the end of the day. this is why snowboarding will win in the end.

zoeysmithe 1y ago

Yep its not creepy its just a train station. I live in a big city and not-well-lit stations are common and its just a boring fact of life no one even notices here. But to an outsider trying to exoticize things, suddenly its "creepy" or "weird." I mean "the descent is terrifying?" It just stairs. We have this in DC, NYC, and Chicago. To a Chicagoan like me, these 'terrifying tunnels' are just our train station and where we go everyday. There's a real anti-urbanism and anti-public trans aspect here that is concerning. The notes aren't "Silent Hill" like but a cute way human social need expresses itself. Its community. Its not weird or scary at all, in fact its the opposite. The alternative to 'terrifying' stairs and trains are the actual terror of driving which has a much higher injury and morality rate than riding a train. No one wants to have this conversation but if you wonder how egyptomania happened, well, its happening here with people fetishizing Japan and its people. I wish orientalism was taken more seriously. Japan has sort of become this fictional and stereotypical thing and it percolates down with stuff like this. Its just a train station. Its someone's boring work commute. Its not GITS or a catgirl hideout or cyberpunk in real life whatever. Its a place that doesnt have the social, political, and capitalist capital to get much needed renovations, same with the many 'creepy' stations on Chicago's west and south sides, which the North side ones (wealthy, white dominated) have had renovations, new paint, new lighting, etc. Its just the everyday corruption of how many societies work. Go ahead an put "DOAI EKI" into google images. It looks quite normal. The "tokyo cowboy" website inserted that dark green filter. Its just a boring, if not ugly, tunnel with a but of colorful moss to break up the monotony: https://wikimapia.org/16698934/Doai-Station-%E5%9C%9F%E5%90%88%E9%A7%85-Doai-Eki#/photo/1998477 https://wikimapia.org/16698934/Doai-Station-%E5%9C%9F%E5%90%... If anything, the external facade is quite striking with its big triangle face. I mean, this is just a train tunnel, albeit a deep one. Not the Chernobyl exclusion zone and entirely safe and honestly, if you're anything like me, you'll enjoy the quiet and seclusion of a train tunnel. I've been to Japan and when people find this out and start ranting to me about how they'd love to go for stereotype-heavy reasons, its very hard for me to tell them it isn't actually a cybperpunk or anime heaven, but its just a normal developed economy and it and its people are not very different from them, many of whom without a strong interest in the otaku culture they think defines this entire society. Nor is it easy to talk about its many serious political issues, as Japan has many faults orientalism doesn't present. Japan is full of the same working class people as you, with the same worries and joys as you. Maybe they ride the train more than you but their tunnels and stairs aren't "terrifying," they're instead the cherished memories of their hometowns. Maybe the L in Chicago is ugly to you, but its my, sometimes difficult, but beloved train system I ride every day. The L is the source of many of my warm childhood and young adult memories the same way stations like this are to the Japanese there too. I dont know if its accurate to portray these systems as weird exotic and dangerous things. Its just everyday rail. Its our daily lives. So much of this orientalism is dishonesty to get engagement, fame, ad impressions, etc. I'd love a good hearted and honest appreciation and criticism of Japan's rail lines over sensationalist writing like this. The Atlas Obscura style of writing and profit-making is practically ruining the internet and making people divorced from the actual reality of these places and its people. You get the McTourist version of things that don't reflect the reality and people there much, or if at all. I think the older crowd remembers what it was like before wikipedia got big, near everything was sensationalist and 'blogger' and 'personal diary' like this. You couldn't just bring up the data and facts about stations like this or an article written with journalist ethics, instead you'd be pummeled with "Atlas Obscura" style narratives like this made to be sensational and often inaccurate and engaging in stereotypes. The people who wrote this article are motivated by money, not information sharing, hence the style. I dislike we're moving back towards "Anime fans facts on Japan webring" type writing. I really hope people stop and think about this stuff and stop promoting this kind of stuff, especially now when you can just tell an AI to write Obscura-style sensationalism trivially and use many SEO tools to promote this writing for profit. I come to HN to get away from stuff like this and its just disheartening to me to see these types of articles becoming popular here. This isn't the first one and I'm afraid this is becoming a trend.