Shinjuku and Shibuya Staitons in the Tokyo area
Even forty years ago, the major department stores
had entrances directly off the subway, and you could
go from one to another with out going outside.
I can only imagine what it’s like now.
Correct. In Shinjuku, you can literally walk to the basement level of a department store after you get off the Tokyo Metro or Toei subway lines that go through that area. Mind you, Shinjuku Station’s layout is so complex that even people born in Tokyo or are long-time residents there are still confused on how to get around that station, especially when you have the JR East, Seibu, Odakyu, and Keio commuter rail and Tokyo Metro and Toei subway systems all converging on one station.