Ah trains, whether you love them or hate them, if you live in Japan you will spend some time on them, unless you live in the total middle of nowhere or are a recluse. Today I'd like to talk a little about some stuff I've noticed riding the trains around, especially in the Tokyo area.
● Why won't anyone sit by me? This is the question every non-Japanese person must ask themselves several times before it finally becomes a non-issue (and then even a plus). The fact of life is that Japanese people prefer to sit by other Japanese, in most cases. It doesn't matter if you (the non-JP) is dressed in a suit and tie looking like Leonardo DiCaprio, a woman done up with make up in a classy way, looking hot as the sun, whatever. You will have people specifically avoid you because you're the other.
If you want to really see it in action, try hopping on a ride from Shinjuku station late at night. I guarantee there are some really nasty shady types on the train. But if the question is "Do I sit next to that angry, stabby looking hobo or do I sit next to that white guy reading a book?" for most people here it isn't a question. You take your chances with Mr. Stabs-a-lot.
Now I've heard several excuses for this from the obvious: "They're afraid you'll ask them a question in English and they won't know how to answer," to the insulting: "They don't want to smell your barbarian stink." (OK I've never had that one said to me, but I did see an old guy sniff his shoulder after I'd bumped into him, like he was checking to see if I hadn't rubbed off some gaijin foul on him). Whatever the case, this will happen to you, and there are a lot of reasons I'm sure, but who really cares? In the end, if it means you get to sit without a stinky dude falling asleep on you, then that's a good thing, right?
● Of course then the opposite also happens: Please, oh please God, don't sit by me. Being that the only open seat on the train car is right next to me, I find that the creepiest, most foul (often drunk) people always choose to flock to that one seat next to me. Hell, they seem to plop down next to me even if the rest of the train is empty. I'm not sure if this one happens to lots of people. Maybe I have a special non-threatening vibe that draws in the truly messed up like flies to a pile of rotten mashed potatoes. I don't know.
Note, however, that this one is far less annoying when you're riding the train home drunk. Of course then the real possibility is that you (and by you, I of course mean me) become the creepy, foul-smelling guy.
● Train lateness. This one is an odd one. If you look on any website about Japan they all rave about the punctuality of trains, how they're never late, and blah blah blah. Yes, compared to the busses I occasionally rode when I was a kid back home, they're super nifty. And yes, this was very true a decade ago. But over especially the past 5 years it seems like the trains have gotten worse and worse. And I'm not really sure why.
The overall suicide rate in Japan has actually been falling (no pun intended) lately, so surely the number of jumpers is also decreasing, but I don't know. Maybe it's just that over time, the number of total times the train has been delayed has added up in my mind but the actual frequency hasn't increased, but my biased experiences just make me feel like it's more often (sorry, math major nerdieness rears its ugly head).
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OK, this post is a long one, so I'll finish with just 4, and I'd like to end on a positive tone, so:
● Damn, are the trains in Japan really nice. Yes, there are delays, and yes sometimes there are crazies, people holding back their barf right in front of you and all kinds of weird crap that happens when you deal with masses of people packed into a small space, but the trains themselves are just really nice.
On the Joban Line that goes from Ueno all the way up into deep, dark Ibaraki and sort of beyond, the new cars have toilets even. You can see these kinds of cars popping up all over the place, too, so many times even if you have to use the bathroom in a real emergency, you're fine. I had this happen to me on a trip to Mie several years back, and let me say had their not been a toilet I would've been in serious trouble.
You also have a billion different train types, all in neat, unique colors, so it makes every ride feel just a bit special. A good friend of mine told me that if the US would just introduce some neat looking, unique feeling train designs, maybe we'd have more people wanting to ride.
Of course Japan then also has the real kings of train travel, the Shinkansen (bullet trains). Not only are they freakishly cool, but the ride on the newer models is so smooth you can set a full cup of water on your tray and not have to worry about it spilling. And of course you also get a tray. And leg room. And a decent space to sit on even if you're a big person. Combine that with air conditioning and no wait before the train ride starts, IMO the only real way to travel long distances in Japan is by Shinkansen. Planes = suck. Give me a nice Shinkansen ride any day.
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OK, thanks for reading. If you have any interesting train stories or things you'd like to add, post it in the comments section below.
Oh, and in case you're interested, the picture at the top of this post is an above view of the tracks near Iidabashi Station, one of the coolest train watching spots in Tokyo, not only because of the number and denseness of the lines, but also because all kinds of trains pass by here, and the view is completely clear with no obnoxious fencing or partitions getting in the way.
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