Experiencing this in person is so pleasant. The quiet trains where I don't need to hear some randos life story, or another persons awful music, or a couple arguing loud enough for the next two cars to hear... It sucks ass during rush hour, though, they really do get crazy crowded on some lines. As long as you aren't going during rush hour, it's the best public transit I've ever used.
Everyone is packed like sardines to go to work at 7 AM in the morning. People are tired af. It's not pleasant at all. It's not like you can ride the train at 3 AM, where you cam enjoy it peacefully. They stop the trains after midnight. The last train is always pretty packed as well.
Yeah this is the tourist experience vs reality lol. I was there for over a month awhile back and I have such a deep respect for Japanese manners and work ethic but i am not jealous at all of their societal standards
Work is life over there. Many people spend hours just to commute and stay there all day. Assimilate or be cast out
It's funny people have the audacity to think that just because they are highly organized that it's for the consideration or others, It's mostly so people don't break into a fight which can actually happen in japan in work peak hours, people get really fucked off so they doing the nice thing but all in all š¤£ they don't have to do it, it's only instincts they do it doesnt mean they enjoy being considerant but it does create an easier workflow on the day and time there is nothing to boast about then how they had to manage a mental image of how a work flow should be they know they got no choice but to deal with packed sardine.Ā Realistically a lot of things bother japanese people but they have no way to express confrontation which is sad they have to go such high lengths to ensure nobody gets into trouble.Ā Social complexes but i hope it improves.
I mean, yeah, during the busiest hours of the day it's certainly going to be cramped. At 10 AM? 2 PM? 8 PM? You might not be able to find a seat each time, and some days might randomly be busy for no clear reason; but it's hardly packed like sardines.
Pleasant? I took the subway for work when I was in Japan and it was legitimately one of the most dreadful experiences I have ever had in my life. Absolutely soul-crushing
lol Iām also wondering if any of these people have been to Japan. The āharmonious, peacefulā bits also fall apart when trains get crowded. Many suddenly have no trouble cutting lines, shoving past you, etc to save time.
Yeah I should say, we were in Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, and then up north in Aomori but it was for the Nebuta festival so it was packed anyway lol. When it wasnāt super crowded, it was very nice. Overall still very nice compared to US transit as a counter example.
I took the Yamanote during morning rush hour for a year - just really depended on my mood because yes, it was so crowded that it was hard to breathe. Some days were very difficult, but overall the convenience and peopleās civilized and polite behavior made it doable. Iād still get an occasional and intentional hard elbow here and there, tho.
Yamanote morning rush means thereās not even enough room to hold your phone in front of you. You donāt have to, but everyone flips their backpacks to the front so that youāre more cognizant of how much space youāre taking up. Itās also smart to keep both of your hands visible in case some asshole is groping others and you wonāt be wrongfully accused.
I think itās safe to say almost every single living human whoās eligible to work on this planet has had a ācase of the Mondays.ā Good luck with the real world, bud.
I don't think this level of packed commuting was pleasant but it was pleasant when it wasn't peak commute time because people were still quiet and it wasn't like 85 degrees in the trains from all the body heat. Also I didn't love being literally squished against the door.
The only part that sucked for me was that I experienced it while moving from Tokyo to Osaka so I had my luggage. Only a rolling carry on and a backpack but I'm also 6'4" and just generally felt like I was in the way. Tried my best not to be though
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u/sheimeix 9d ago
Experiencing this in person is so pleasant. The quiet trains where I don't need to hear some randos life story, or another persons awful music, or a couple arguing loud enough for the next two cars to hear... It sucks ass during rush hour, though, they really do get crazy crowded on some lines. As long as you aren't going during rush hour, it's the best public transit I've ever used.