Show HN: Jdan's Japan subway station icons
Jdan's Japan Subway Station Icons is a website that displays simple, minimalist icons representing subway stations in Japan, each designed to capture the unique character or landmarks of the station location.
Background
- **What this is**: A website by developer Jdan ("jdan") that displays hand-drawn, minimalist SVG icons representing every subway station in Japan — part of a personal design project.
- **Why it matters**: Japanese subway maps are famously dense and complex. This project distills each station into a single, recognizable symbol (e.g., Shibuya’s iconic crossing pattern), showing how systems design can balance information density with visual clarity.
- **Prior context**: Japan’s rail networks are operated by multiple companies (JR, Tokyo Metro, Toei, private lines), each with its own map style and station numbering. Station icons are typically logos or marks used on signage and tickets; this project is an unofficial, artistic reimagining of that whole system.
- **Audience note**: The project is shared on Hacker News (“Show HN”), a community where engineers and designers showcase side projects. The appeal here is the blend of data visualization, icon design, and love for transit systems.