I used to have no respect for the train system in Tokyo. Yyes, it's extensive and reaches all parts of the great metropolis; yes, it's almost always punctual and reliable; yes, it's as important as the roads and swewers and is as much part of the cityscape as the never-ending buildings. BUT it never earned my respect.
I hated the fact that the service closes down too early (12am) and that fares can get quite expensive (between $4 per 5 minute trip up to $9 per trip). And the fact that people constantly fall asleep on my shoulder, with their mouths wide open... their bodies swaying with the train rhythmically...
I also had no respect for train etiquette. I learned that, first of all, it's a real taboo to bust through the gates and not pay. It is also a taboo to talk on your keitei (Cell-Phone) and to make a scene by talking too loud and animated. Also, eating a meal while you ride the trains is a real no-no too!
HOWEVER, some foreigners, like some of thhe people in my circle off work-friends, including myself do not ALWAYS follow these rules. I have tried hard, but on occasion, you recieve an important phone call while on the train. You can either just brush it off or answer it, and once you do that, you perpetuate the "Filthy Gaijin" stereotype. I have learned that you can bust through the games and no-onne, I mean NO-ONE will say anything. I have seen this point proven when someone I knew jumped through the games, and went back to ask for directions to the same train attendant who saw him do it.
It was totally disrespectful of the norms of Jjapanese society, but what can you do? It was so easy and convenient. Sure, I would get pangs of guilt when I first did it upon arriving in Japan, but that lasts about as long as the walk from the platform to my seat. In less than a minute, my thoughts had shifted to that foxy little school-girl who's rubbing her naked.. supple.. lovely smooth tanned thighs agaist my leg. Ahh, the upsides of being a young white man in Japan.
I have also felt guilty when some drunken gaijin acts like a food on the last trinas, pissed drunk. I have seen the patience of some commuters tested to the limits when some drunken dude being so annoying that I'm sure he would have been beaten to a pulp anywhere else in the world.
I have eaten entire McDonalds meals on the train, late for work and needing to fill my stomach before meeting a potential client. I have also talked on my cel phone, taking and making calls that could have easily been postponed until my desitantion.
I used the trains everyday, I depend on them everyday; they are a cornerstone of routine and conenience, but I still did not respect them. I took them for granted.... Ignonring etiquette was commonplace.
then one day, everything changed whhen I dropped my Suica card at Shibuya station (this card is basically an easy free pass, similar to a credit card... just slide it along the receiver and the doors open and shops give you your merchandise... think magnetic card thingy). I had just put 6000 yen ($70) on it... CRAP! My opinion of the Tokyo trains was about to be reversed.
I was devastated by the loss. I had no money to buy another card. The next day I went back to the station where I dropped and lost my pass. I tried to explain my situation to the attendant, but the language barrier was stillmuch too thick for me to climb. It was a futile effort... BUT an older lady behind me in line... in the sweetest english you could ever hope to hear, asked if she could help translate. An angel, wrapped in the skin of an old feeble Japanese woman was now my aide. Of course, I eventually made my way to the lost and found, and lo & behold.... THERE WAS MY TRAIN PASS! Still inside the little card holder of my wallet... someone had turned it in!
But ... no... there was no way that money was still left on it. That could never happen..... nah, that would be askinng too much. I had given up hope and this was a last-ditch effort of mine to try and find it again. The suiuca card could have easily been found and used by whoever found it. It could have been a free train pass for the entire month... I would have used someone els's train pass if I found it on the ground.. hell, I know most of the folks who read this would do the same, no matter what they may PUBLICALLY say.
I lost it at night, so the person who found it was eitherA in a hurry to get home, drunk... or B an early riser, and hard w orker on their way to some indifferent job. Either way, this person took the time and weent out of their way to return it.
Perhaps this is the reason why the train system is so extensive in Tokyo. Pperhaps this person is the reason why trains are so punctual. Perhaps this is the reason why so many people depend on them, this is the reason why they exist in such practical glory, available to every salaryman, punk, houseife, giggly teenager who enjoys flashing the gaijin on the train (fuck I love this country), and sometimes, disrespectful gaijin. This is why the whole thing works; a person sees an unused train pass and returns it to the lost annd found.
The honesty in this country astounds me. The trains and people who use them validate this belief. Perhaps next time I will follow Tokyo trrain etiquette: I will not bust through the gates, I will NOT eat McDonalds, I will not make a scene and I will NOT talk on my mobile phone. I think I found my respect for the trains of Tokyo, probably at about the same time that my mystery person found my unused Suica card and decided to turn it in.
Thanks again to the FG's at F*ckedGaijin.
Posted by Pozzy at February 13, 2005 9:01 PM | TrackBack