Interesting facts about the Japanese train-riding culture

1. The train stations are always clean: The inside of the train is always sparkling clean without any traces of trash even though there are no trash cans on the trains. This is because the trains have a team to clean everything daily, as well as the Japanese’s high sense of hygiene. If there is trash, they always carry it with them to throw back at home or where there are trashcans available.  

2. Extremely safe: There is no need to worry about safety while riding trains in Japan, as there would always be staff available to make sure that everyone is standing behind the safety yellow line when trains arrive at and depart from the station. While waiting for, as well as getting on and off the train, the Japanese would queue and wait patiently. Even during peak hours when the platform is packed with people, there would be staff guiding people on where to line up and what to do so as to prevent chaos from happening. 

3. Cabins for women, children, and people with disabilities: During non-peak hours, there are few passengers, thus both men and women can share a cabin. However, when rush hours come, there are so many people that special cabins are made to ensure the safety of women, children, and people with disabilities. These cabins will have clear signs, making it easy to distinguish them from the normal ones. Additionally, disabled people can also request assistance from the staff at the train stations to help facilitate the process of getting on and off the trains.

4. Keep quiet on the train: Those traveling via train in Japan for the first time might be weirded out by the quietness inside the cars. The Japanese place great emphasis on other people’s privacy and feelings, thus would turn their phones on silent mode and barely ever talk while riding on the train so as not to affect other people. This also includes not talking on phones. Thus, it is not rare to see people reading, working, sleeping, or even doing their makeup while on the train.  

5. Station staff: If you happen to get off at the wrong station or run into any problems, don’t worry, you can always ask for assistance from the station staff. They are always ready to help you solve the issue as fast as possible. You don't have to be afraid of the station staff being unenthusiastic or grumpy like in some other countries. They would always place the safety and comfort of the passengers first. 

6. Always on time: Japanese trains are famous worldwide for being on time. It would depart from and arrive at the station exactly according to the timetable. This also helps contribute to the culture of being extremely punctual of the Japanese. This does not mean that the trains are never late. Sometimes, trains can be late due to reasons such as typhoons, accidents, technological issues, etc. In such cases, the station staff would give out a “Train delay certificate” so that passengers would not run into problems at their workplace or at school. 

For those who have chosen Japan as their destination for working or studying, the train might very be the form of transportation that you would take most of the time. Those who have yet to ride on trains in Japan should try at least once! 

The above article was what GoEMON wanted to share with everyone about the train-riding culture in Japan. GoEMON hope that it was of use to you! 

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