Hanzomon Line
The Hanzōmon Line (半蔵門線, Hanzōmon-sen) is the purplest of Tokyo Metro's 8 or so lines. It runs from Shibuya where it merges into the ineffably crowded Denen-Toshi Line, and proceeds generally north-eastwards to the eponymous Hanzomon Station (convenient for the British Embassy), from where it curves north around the Imperial Palace and wiggles its way via Jinbocho through various bits of central Tokyo which The Penguin rarely visits, before striking north through the lowlying heart of Shitamachi all the way to Oshiage. Here it pauses for breath before joining the Tobu network, on which it continues the previously-established "heading north" theme until it reaches somewhere ridiculoulsy distant.
The Hanzomon Line has 14 stations and bears the zippy line letter "Z" ("H" being occupied by the older Hibiya Line).
Fascinating Hanzomon Facts
The name "Hanzomon" is taken from the western gate of the Imperial Palace, which itself (and I am not joking here) is named after one Hattori Hanzō (服部 半蔵), a samurai turned Ninja.
Stations
- Shibuya
- Omotesandō
- Aoyama-itchōme
- Nagatachō
- Hanzōmon
- Kudanshita
- Jimbōchō
- Ōtemachi
- Mitsukoshimae
- Suitengumae
- Kiyosumi-shirakawa
- Sumiyoshi
- Kinshichō
- Oshiage