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When you travel or live in Tokyo, riding trains is the best way to travel, whether you’re going off to somewhere near or far. Just considering subway lines or overground railways, first-timers would be overwhelmed. But in Tokyo’s public transportation, there are also manners and silent rules that are strongly recommended to do, to be naturally Japanese. I have interviewed my classmates from abroad about what aspects they found surprising or weird on trains in Tokyo that they don’t have in their home-city. From their opinions, I have also looked over my actions on trains as well as other people’s actions on trains to unravel why we behave the way we do on trains.
1. Be Quiet And Do Not Disturb Others
The silence issue came up the most from my classmates, and many told me that Tokyo trains are dead silent on the inside. The more crowded the train gets, the quieter it gets. Also, my classmate from China told me that people on Tokyo trains follow the “no talking on the phone” rule very well. She told me that people on trains in Chinese cities talk very loudly on the phone. On trains in Tokyo, there is a strict written rule of no talking on the phone, and the rule also states to put phones on silent or vibrate. But this doesn’t mean that you don’t have to restrict yourself from using the phone; just use it for texting or reading, or playing games silently.
My classmate from the Philippines also commented that trains are so silent that even mothers warn their young children to be quiet. She was puzzled by this. Even though it’s okay for kids to be loud and fool around because they are kids, a mother warning a small kid not to cause noise was surprising to her. In this case, Japanese people believe strongly about “not causing trouble in public” (迷惑かける) and since trains are such a strong aspect of Tokyo life, it is important to keep the silence to keep peace as part of being in public. This also goes with eating on trains as well. A classmate from Vietnam also told me that no one eats on trains in Tokyo, while on trains in the United States, people eat hamburgers or pizza. As this is also similar with the aspect of silence, smells are an important part of being in public as well. Hamburgers and pizza contain heavy smells that could be disturbing to others, so hardly any passengers eat food on trains in Tokyo. It seems as though Japanese people are very sensitive to keeping the peace, especially in confined environments like trains. Therefore, try to keep it to yourself as much as possible when you ride trains in Tokyo, or, you just may be causing a scene.
2. No PDA (Public Displays of Affection)! But There’s a Chance?
Another major aspect foreigners are surprised about is the rule of no public displays of affection (PDA) on trains. In general, Japanese couples don’t show prominent PDA in public, even in parks, cafés or on the street. This may be the cultural difference of it being virtuous to not show off your romance in public, or it may just be that Japanese people are generally shy in showing emotions in public as well. Many couples do hold hands on the train, or the girlfriend may lean on her boyfriend’s shoulder to sleep, but not much more. There is no hugging or kissing on trains.
But, my Vietnamese classmate had an experience once when she was riding a very crowded train with her boyfriend and she was hugging him to make room for other passengers to get in. Although he was reluctant about it, for her, she told me that that moment was a good excuse for PDA. Also, from my past experience living in London, I have seen a young girl offer her seat to an old lady, and then sit on the lap of a boy who was sitting next to her. Apparently, they were a couple and once the girl offered her seat, there was nowhere else for her to sit, so she just sat on her boyfriend’s lap—a nice gesture to an old lady and PDA too. This kind of situation almost never happens on trains in Tokyo, but I do think that some degree of PDA could contribute to the public.
3. Get Used to the Complex Commute/Transfers!
Full article continued at Tokyo Girls' Update
Source article written by Satsuki