Japan train pusher-on-ers
May 11th, 2008 Posted in JapanWell… A friend of mine– one I met in Tokyo, of course– sent me this video on Facebook, and I immediately thought it was perfect to post; not because it is new or anything, but because it’s something I can actually comment about– yes, this actually happens in Japan, and it’s pretty common.
In my last year, I was working in Shinjuku in Tokyo. It was a 9am-6pm position, so I had to commute during peak time, and I had to use the busiest train line- the Yamanote line. The video above looks like it was taken on the Sobu line, also in Tokyo, and it is an especially busy time, but I experienced something similar to this most mornings before work.
Usually, once the train gets full, people will wait for the next one, but a couple of folks in a hurry will quickly jump on before the doors close, and usually the train blokes (as they are wont to be called) push bags, shoes and bits of clothes into the closing doors. Occasionally they have to help people onto the train, as in this picture.
Anyway… this video is EXTREME, and I never experienced it quite this bad (well, I could have been, but I was probably inside getting squashed, not outside getting pushed). Makes me think this could have been during a train delay, when people are really desperate to get going in a hurry- especially because they are used to the trains being so perfectly predictable…
And yeah, it sucks to be inside when the train is this full, let me tell you. Especially because it’s so bloody hot. And often because your whole body is tense so you don’t inadvertently stroke some business man’s butt (unless you’re into that). But generally it’s only for a couple of stops… Unless you catch the last train home– then you could be in for a 45-minute hell ride…
Also interesting to note is that the majority of these people are quite well-off, they work in the city in cushy jobs, and are most likely wearing some pretty expensive clothes (and Japanese business men will leave their top buttons done up and their ties tied tight until they are out of the public eye)… And you can almost guarantee the women are all carrying Louis Vuitton or Chanel handbags…
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