Japanese train commuters (i.e. practically all Japanese) supply a ranking of the behaviours they find most annoying on a train, making essential reading for Japanese and uncultured barbarians alike.
The ranking (with votes in parentheses):
1. Getting on the train before waiting for the people on it to get off (7694)
The most basic rule of getting on a Japanese train is to stand aside and wait for everyone to disembark before alighting.2. Talking too loudly (6794)
Conversing is permitted, but carriages are usually silent and conversations held in muted tones. Conversations held at American tourist volume are likely to attract the discrete opprobrium of the entire carriage.3. Talking on a cell phone (5336)
Nobody but a drunk or an uncouth foreigner would ever be seen conversing on a cell phone on a Japanese train, although it is permissible (barely) to answer a call to hang up on someone with a terse warning that the answerer is on a train. The terror of disapproving silence awaits those who violate this sacred taboo.4. Not budging up to free up a seat (5335)
The proper seating behaviour is to occupy the corner and middle seats first, then the spaces equidistantly between these points, at all times never sitting next to a stranger – only when no space remains can a seat between two people be taken, and at this point it is polite for those already seated to shuffle around to maximise seating.5. Cutting in line when boarding the train (4540)
The honourable way to board a train is for two orderly queues to form at the door markings on the platform, which then move to the side to make way for the disembarking passengers and only alight when they have all escaped.6. Letting noise leak from headphones (3378)
Since the main activities on a Japanese train consist of a staring into space, fiddling with a phone, reading a book or sleeping, usually the only scope there is for noisiness is with handheld games…7. Leaning on a stranger (3326)
Usually a problem with seated, sleeping passengers – although in the case of attractive young members of the opposite sex it is considered a rare blessing to be leaned on.8. Eating or drinking on the train (1623)
Nobody (save perhaps utter barbarians) is ever seen eating or drinking on a commuter train.9. Letting your luggage interfere with other passengers (1407)
Luggage is normally stowed overhead or closely guarded. Poking ladies with luggage runs the double risk of being misinterpreted…10. “Other” (1133)
Don’t do anything else either!
The only other major item of train etiquette not covered here is the proper method for boarding a train which is so solidly packed with commuters that it requires bodily pushing to get on – in these cases, the trick is to turn around and push onto the train without facing the mass of humanity already crushed within its confines.
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edit: oh i see how it works, comments are sorted by rating now
Is it possible to sort them by date again? Sorting the comments by score seems a little disconcerting.
Unless you are trolling there is a link at the top of the stack of comments. It says "Sort By:"
:O
Hm... Didn't notice that...
@Anonymous 22:38 28/01/2011
Can't i noticed that until just now lol
Damn, everything's been done in my country!
But at least we don't grope butts here. XD
So you grope breasts instead then?
I wonder if it's the Philippines?
Literally -everything- is the same as in my country... except that there are no groping perverts, a plus.
Where I live the trains are yellow and it's pretty much the same but for two differences.
1) We do wait for everyone to get out of the train, but we do so in a huge mob. (Which can make leaving the train quite a hassle.)
2) There are usually enough seats, often two facing pairs. The proper etiquette is to first take a window seat, then a seat diagonally opposite that one, then the others.
In Japan, train rides YOU!
I can relate to this list very well. The really heavy train traffic isn't common around here, but it's usually the trams that get absolutely packed in the morning and at the end of the day. When you're pushed against a door because of how full it is, having people cramming themselves into the tram before people can even get out really doesn't make life easier. I've never been leaned on by a stranger, but I've been pushed half off my seat by obese people.
Should we charge obese people extra for concealing a small child then?
Definitely!
How do excess baggage charges make sense when some hulking land walrus who is packing 100gk of blubber more than you can travel at the same "seat" price, but, your 5kg "in excess" bag means you cop $ extra.
Be fair, pay per kg! Per you+your luggage kg that is.
Guilty for no.2 if I'm with friends (especially if I've been drinking)
Guilty as all hell for no.4 I even try to look as much like a pissed off metalhead as I can to deter people.
Guilty for no.5 If it's busy and I wanna sit down (from my house to the city is a really long ride)
Guilty for no.6... what can I say... I love my music.
Guilty for no.8 I'm not about to have a full 3 couse meal on a train but if I'm hungry/thirsty and I have food or a tasty beverage I'm not holding back.
But in saying all that... If someone asks me nicely to keep it down or it's late at night then I'll keep it down. If I see someone who really needs a seat, mother, elderly or disabled, I'll gladly get up for them. I'll listen to my music loud enough to enjoy but I draw the line at sending myself deaf plus I'm not like some others who listen to their music on portable speakers. And sure, ok, you're not meant to eat on the train but that’s only so you don’t make a mess. I don’t make a mess and I put my rubbish in the bin.
Basically this list proves people need to chill the f*ck out when it comes to these things... but people also need to not be dicks about them either.
@#5 you like being deaf as well?
oh man, how untolerant in most things :/ the convenience ist lost there. @phone.
hm.. little disappointed about list like that.
Eating, chatting, phone, and other noise.
My God I hate people who bothers with such.
It's so trivial.
what? no "the man or woman smells awful"?
Personally I do not give a damn if someone eats or listens to loud music with head phones while on a train or plane.
I really don't understand why anyone would find that annoying.
I think people who are so easily annoyed should be force to ride the L in Chicago just so they can understand what actual annoying behavior is.
What ticks me off are people who refuse to bathe stink up the place or people who pick their nose.
BTW I use my car when ever possible.
I'd rather hear noise leaking from headphones than have a fat sweaty salaryman leaning on me...
Just give me a break will ya? I just want to get on the fucking train!
How about a fat sweaty otaku with noise leaking from his headphones leaning on you?
10. “Other” (1133)
Don’t do anything else either!
huh.. I see.... I think the best thing to do is say u put some spit on one of his 200 pairs of Hashi.
I think "other" would be the sexual harassers lool
It's probably about chikan thing. ^_^
one or two of these rules make sense, the rest are appropriate only if someone used to call you "Rain Man"!
"Don't do anything else either!"
That kind of phrase is too vague! At that point, I'm not even allowed on the train anymore just because of some misunderstanding!
This needs to be elaborated upon or else people will think a simple small action is all it takes to getting hated on a train!
You've never been to a foreign country, have you?
All of the mentioned above, leads me successfully to assumption:
It's better to use a bike.
Apart from the no eating part (unless it's something that stinks up the entire carriage... that's just bad form), I'd say this applies equally to the tube in London.
We commuters just want to sleep/read the metro in peace.
You know whats annoying? Taking the JR line from Narita into Tokyo where my modest suitcase is too cumbersome to store over head, and wheeling it around the stations wasn't a picnic either.
Gotta pack light if you want to avoid a headache, or risk offending the locals
you should get a bus next time, it's more appropriate for luggage
or send the luggage by takkyuubin. it's cheap and safe, I received my luggage in two days, if I remember correctly.
Or travel at non-peak times if you can. I've had no big problems taking my big suitcase to and from NRT. The worst part is lugging my 20kg (45lb) suitcase up and down stairs, and that's my problem alone.
Or take the Narita Express, which is actually meant for people with luggage. If you're a foreigner, you can get the Suica/NEX discount as well, which pretty much leaves you with no reason to use it.
woaw, totally different with what we had here
train is always packs, people selling foods, smoking, a lot of talking, harassing, the whole train smell sweaty and dirty...
it's no wonder Japanese labelled us as barbarians
Yeah because having no conversations, starving to death, no phoning and 256people per m² is called culture and high living standards or what?
No wonder there are so many social rejects there. What if i see a cute girl there? No chatting?
Bullshit in my opinion, though totally normal for tea-ceremony-and-NEED-Nippon
First of all, it SHOULD be noted that speaking on your cell phone in the train is a Tokyo/Kawasaki/Chiba/Yokohama/Kanagawa thing. The rest of Japan (Hokkaido and every other 'part') has no trouble with people speaking. While in Sapporo for quite a while, it's not uncommon to have most of the carriage on the phone.
As for talking too loudly, some might scoff at that 'rule' but keep in mind that many of us travel up to 5 hours PER DAY to get to and from work. I myself for many of my shoots have to go into other prefectures. That tied with 'sleeping communities' of people who live up to 150km away from their work location means that people value their quiet time on the train and use that for sleep. Having some assfag and his dickhead buddy laughing loudly and boasting to the train about the women he just fucked last night from the bar is not exactly the highlight of anyone's trips.
Annoyance 6: There are actually large announcement signs put up for this. I'll see if I can dig them up.
Annoyance 8: OK this is just common courtesy too. Don't start snacking on your McD's while on a packed train and sharing the aroma of your bad breath mixed with processed meat.
5 hour commutes no wonder the Japanese are so stressed out.
Of course I could cover that distance in my car in just an hour and a half.
Less if I can use the turnpike where you can get away with 80mph as the speed limit there is 75.
But I would not want to commute like that everyday.
If I run into rush hour traffic I get off that road and use an alternate route since even if it's longer it'll be quicker then dealing with the zombies.
I don't see why head phones would be so annoying they're not that loud but the phones I can understand esp the rings tones.
I can relate to most items on the list, actually. The "silence" rule seems awkward to me, though. I mean, as long as it's not overly noisy, I don't see how anyone would be bothered.
Talking on the cellphone is more of a bother to the one talking, in fact, since the train's noise would prevent both you and the person you're speaking with to listen clearly. I've had that experience several times before, and I'd rather hang up and call back once I leave the train.
As far as people with headphones leaking noise, well... It doesn't always bother me, personally. If anything, I feel sorry for that person's eventual hearing problems for keeping that up. Unless the person in question looks like a douche.
when boarding, you don't stand to the side when letting passengers off, you stand back and then previous passengers are the ones who move to either side (of the two column queue you should be part of)
Nope, I do believe it works as described from memory. The two queues form on the "corners" of the doors and alighting passengers walk straight off.
Basically, the entire area in front of the door is clear so the passengers can move out in a "block". That said, some stations might mark lines slightly differently on the platform.
You see this on shinkansen, which have single-file doors. The marked queue makes an 'L' shape at the door, streaming down the side of the train carriage.
it could change from station to station, but every one of the many stations i've been to have had markings indicating to stand away from the door, not beside it. i wanted to stand beside the door, but we didn't.
Longer queues can't move back.
Also, at some larger stations with two platforms around every track, the system is refined to open the doors on the side opposite to the waiting passengers first, so the carriage is already empty when it opens on the other side.
number one is a universal rule, anyone who does not follow it is either a douche or a total n00b.
As a user of London Underground, I'd say they'd all apply the same over here as well. Especially number 1 - stupid selfish people trying to get on without realising there'd be more space if they waited and let people off first, the train's not going to move until it's safe to do so and the doors are clear anyway.
Aw yeah, when i go to Japan i'm gunna speed onto the train infront of everyone else, lay across 4 seats, shout to my friend down the phone about how good Japan is, put my headphones on full, rest my feet on some salarymans lap, bust out the chips and dip and have the best train journey ever.
Thanks, Sankaku Complex.
-1. That rule is common here as well. Easy to follow.
-2. Obviously not only related to Japan.
-3. I talk to whoever I want on a buss or a train.
-4. Here train seats are like airplane or bus seats and I do take the one closest to the window to let others join when it's crowded.
-5. Never needed to do that.
-6. I have good hearing so noise never escapes my headphones even in an empty room.
-7. I've never done it but I've had a young boy do that on me and his mother looked at me like she have done something wrong but I told her not to worry since I ain't going off until an hour.
-8. Eating a chocolate or drinking a Coca Cola or a Milk shake doesn't bother me but smells like French Fries makes me wanna eat it too:D
-9. I keep my luggage near me for safety reasons so it never happens.
-10. Other..? Hmm people that kicks in the back of your seat or similar or people that grinds their shoes on the floor during winter since we use small stones instead of salt during winter to prevent slippy walk ways.