While reading Hank’s post on EcoGeek about his first train ride, I was reminded of many of my own impressions when I started riding the train daily in Japan. I’m not really up on my US train system, but from what I hear it’s nothing compared to Japan’s (obviously). Here’s my list of impressions from daily commuting on the Japanese train.
- No security and no lines. One time I got on a late train and was planning on catching the 11:35 shinkansen to Kyoto, but when I got to Tokyo Station I noticed there was a Kyoto-bound shinkansen leaving in 3 minutes. I sprinted to the platform and jumped in before the doors closed and off the train went.
- Everything is on time. In Japan, trains run on time. If you’re late the train leaves you or closes you in the doors. It doesn’t matter where you are or what time of day it is, but the train will leave when it is supposed to and get to where it’s going when it’s supposed to. One time there was a power outage in the city I was travelling through on the shinkansen and we had to sit on the tracks for 30 minutes…but we still got to our destination on time!
- You can do whatever you want. You can drink, sleep, play games, read, do work, or even hang out in the smoking car and light up.
- The train can be wonderfully social. On the train you don’t have to worry about the relationship between paying attention and staying alive. Chatting, gaming, sleeping, and texting are all A-OK. Some trains even have seats that flip around so you can face your companions booth style.
- Peace. Japanese trains are great because you don’t need to do anything besides what you want. No one talks on their cell phone and no one is obnoxiously loud or sexually inappropriate.
- You can stretch out. On the plane or in your car you can’t really get up and move around too much, but on the train you have plenty of legroom, and don’t ever need to be in your seat.
- Speed at rush hour. Even when it’s rush hour, the train is never late. In fact, it will be quicker during rush hour because more trains run. You might be a little crammed in if you’re commuting out of the city, but hey, learn to love your neighbor.
- You don’t need to buy tickets. You can use your cell phone, JR Suica pass, or commute ticket to ensure that you never need to buy another ticket.
Well, that concludes my impressions of trains in Japan (and I think much of this is the same in Europe). Here’s hoping that one day we’ll have the same in the US.
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{ 2 comments }
I lived in Japan in a few areas both out in the country and in the big cities for many years and I agree with all your points: Train travel in Japan really is an awesome experience, and a model to the world of how well run things can be. Unfortunately the trains being so on time thing is (in my opinion) a natural side effect of Japanese culture and work ethic: they take their jobs extremely seriously, and in general have a natural love of precision and things being in order. I’m from Australia and I’d love to see a train system half as good as Japan here, but I just don’t think Australians (or Americans) are anal enough about things being on time to achieve it. It would probably require a fundamental change in the nature of the society.
There is huge room for improvement which we could easily achieve, but I think the level of train service I’ve enjoyed in Japan isn’t going to ever be a reality in my home country :/
I’ve never been on a train in Japan, but I have commuted on trains in Germany, France, New York, and California. America has a long way to go to meet the level of expertise in trains that the Europeans have acheived, but there’s a growing movement among the commuting public here in the San Francisco Bay area to get out of cars and onto rails. I used Amtrak’s Capitol Corridor service between San Jose and Sacramento (3 hours) twice a week for 4 months and found the commute the most relaxing part of my week. On-board people are chatting, playing board games on the tables provided in most booths, and generally kicking back and enjoying the scenery pass by. I never went hungry due to friendly service in the Cafe car. Would I say there’s room for improvement? Of course! The California rail system is limited and slow compared to the foreign systems I’ve used, but ridership on the Capitol Corridor has increased by over 10 percent last year. Ridership drives the money machine here in California… so let’s see what happens as more people figure out how to relax and ride the rails.
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