Week 2 - Riding the Train

In Japan for many Japanese people, part of their daily routine is to ride the subway trains to commute around to many different destinations. As is the same with every other mode of transportation, if you would like to use this type of transportation, you have to pay first to get into the station. The self ticket vendors are convenient for everyone’s use. You are paying according to how many stops you’ve passed through. Once money is inserted into the machine, look at the map route of the destination you would like to go to find out the exact cost and then select the amount for the ticket you are purchasing. Once you get the ticket, slide it in the slot of the entrance gate, and the ticket will pop back up to the other end where you take it back with you.
If you have a Suica or Passmo card with money already loaded in it, then you don’t have to worry about calculating the costs until you are almost out of money. With the Suica card, you can just swipe it over a sensor at the entrance gate and your fare will be calculated for you.

When you are just about to enter to the platforms, there are signs directing everyone which platform they need to be at depending on where they are going. While on the platform, there are digital billboards telling everyone when and which train is approaching. When the destination has been reached, the procedure to exit is while approaching the exit gate, slide the ticket into the slot and this next the ticket would not come back out. This is a way of letting everyone know that they have reached the destination. The way how suica works is by scanning the card at the entrance gate and exit gate. With the final scan at the exit gate, the remaining amount on the card will be display each time.

As a female getting ready to ride the train, many things came across the mind. Looking around the surroundings, there are many males who would also be riding the same cart of the train. While waiting for the next train, there are males beside you, up front and even behind. In the female’s mind, most males are potential “chikan”. What to do in this situation? The many incidents that occurred before, lead to the actions of getting a “Women’s Only” cart during the morning peak hours which are displayed in the cars. There is no difference in the appearance of the “Women’s Only” cart and the regular carts. The way to identify the cart is the pink signage posted on the inside of the cart.

Before even entering the train, there is proper etiquette to lining up and boarding the train. There are lines painted on the ground, showing people where to line up and how many lines to make. This is extremely helpful, as it prevents people who come later from pushing in front of people who had been waiting for a while. When the train arrives, the doors stop right in front of the lines, once again preventing people from pushing their way to the front.

On the train there are many signs in both English and Japanese with accompanying pictures instructing people on how to behave. Manners and expected behaviours are very different in Japan compared to Calgary. For one, it’s expected that you don’t use your cell phone on the train and that it’s turned to “Manner Mode” for the duration of the ride. Most cell phones available in the electronic shops have a “Manner Mode” button between the call and end call button.

In addition, Japan also has seating specifically designated for priority seating. This includes people with small children or who are pregnant, elderly or disabled passengers. Although you are expected to give your seat to any of these passengers, these seats are especially handy because the people who sit there expect to give their seats away.

However, many of Japan’s “train etiquettes” are similar to what’s expected in Calgary. If you have a back pack with you, you’re expected to hold it in your lap or place it on a rack. You are supposed to sit close enough to the people beside you to allow the maximum amount of people to sit, and if someone who needs a seat gets on the train, you are expected to give up your seat.

Although it may be difficult for a person in a wheel chair to ride the train during rush hour, there are practices in place to help those who may have disabilities. Some of the signs are accompanied with Braille and there is priority seating reserved for those who need to sit. Accompanying the electronic signs announcing the next stop, announcements are made over a loud system.

A lot of Japan’s train etiquette expectations are the same in Calgary. The main difference between Japan and Calgary is that the expectations in Japan are more often followed than in Calgary.