Chiyoda Chunnel

I took this picture at the Meiji Jingu Mae station on the Chiyoda line in Tokyo. It reminds me of pictures I saw of the The Chunnel as a kid. Chiyoda is a subway line built in the 1970s. Period architecture dominates! Even the trains themselves feel dated, like a Gerald Ford suit.

Chiyoda line stations always look faded, even other lines much older. Something about the depth and quality of construction caused many of the walls and tunnels to leak. Tokyo Metro has the odd policy of taping plastic sheets over these leaks. In no time, the water has sprouted a healthy colony of green scum. I have even seen two litre bottles strategically taped to the ceilings of stations to catch drips.