Saturday, 15 November 2008

• Currently Vol. 5-Nodame Cantabile By Japanimation see related

  Mini-blog: Japanese Train Etiquette

  Alright, time for a mini-blog. I actually have a few of these in the works. They are not full blogs about my life but just what I think of one or two things that are sort of out of the ordinary or that fascinates me. Don't worry I will still have my big blogs up but these deserve their own blogs. So enjoy this issue:
  
  

  Japanese Train Etiquette

  1. Run Don't Walk:
  

  For some weird unforeseen reason Japanese people are always in a rush to nowhere. I'm serious. Every morning I go to the train station at Mizonokuchi and random people are just running down the hill past me. Seriously do these people like running down hills or something? You're half a mile away from the station you're not going to make it for whatever train you want to catch. Anyway they come every three minutes so chill out. I don't just see this at Mizonokuchi but I see this at every station. People are just rushing and there's no train there. Or there is but the warning jingle is playing and the doors are going to close on you anyway so wait for three minutes you can you know.
  
  

  2. If the Train is Crowded Push your Way in:
  

  So now you've made your way to the train. Great it stopped but no one got off and the train is bursting at the seems with people. Normally you'd just wait for the next train. But no not here. Pushing isn't considered rude so if they don't move well make them move. It's kind of fun having so much um... body contact with strangers. I guess the Japanese like it that way. They also have professional pushers that are actually Judo students that work for $10 an hour to push people in trains. I have seen this first hand and I must say it's quite awesome!

  
  

  3. Silence!
  

  So if you are lucky to have gotten on a train you'll notice that no one talks, no one sings, no one dances. That's how it is. I've actually gotten on and had conversation, singing, and a dance party. Actually one time I got A guy to dance with me on the Den-en-Toshi Line it was awesome!
  
  

  4. If They Refuse Make Them
  

  Take a seat that is. That Japanese usually refuse your kind gestures multiple times before you've long grown tired of saying "Douzo" (Please). However eventually they will sit. But there are also those idiots that refuse to give up their seats for people who obviously need them and oh there's a lot of them. Have they no shame? I've been on trains where they made people that obviously need the seat stand up the whole time. I just don't know.
  

  5. Gotta Love the Train Announcements

  I try my hardest not to mock the English train announcements but they sound so cool that I have to say:
  The next station is Shinjuku San-Chome. Please change here for the Marunochi Line and the Toei Shinjuku Line...
  Right I have no life moving on....
  
  

  6. Oh so That's What Those Gates are For

  I'm riding a fairly new line and they have the gates that line the platform. Apparently people like to jump from the tracks and ruin my morning commute. (An hour train delay come on) And the Fukutoshin Line is very deserted so people love to do it there so they put up gates to stop people from doing it. Very smart. I like it. It sounds far-fetched but one day I'd like to save someone from doing it... I'm not one to sit around and see death.
  
  Well that's all the time I have for you. Tune in next time when I discuss earthquakes and typhoons. Later people.
  
  ~vainya 
  

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