Of Tokyo Trains and Rush Hour

One of the things to remember whenever traveling to Tokyo is that you should never take the trains during rush hour. Schools and companies start work at 9 a.m., which means that this normally falls between 7:30~9:15. The reason for this is that most people do not own cars. If they do, they do not drive them to work normally. Parking is too expensive in a major city such as Tokyo. The trains are almost always on-time (Over 8 seconds means they're late). That means that everyone takes the trains.

Depending on the line the degree of crowding varies. However, it is not uncommon for trains such as Yamanote Line and Toyoko Line to run at 200 or even 300 percent capacity during rush hour. This is due to what I call the 'city mindset.' In the city mindset, you must never be late for anything. That means if you know that you have to take a certain train, regardless of how crowded it is, you will take that train. Most days this results in a fairly normal level of crowding where people are tightly packed, but you have a small little bubble around you of space. Other days, this logic flies out the window.

Large transfer stations normally hire what they call oshiya (押し屋). The word comes from the verb osu, meaning "to push" and the word ya (store, or in this sense, a position). So, the oshiya is someone that the train company has hired to push people until they fit into the train so that the train can depart on time.

The question you are probably asking is "Why? Why don't they just take the next train?" And that's where the city mindset comes in. The train is already running at 150 or 200 percent capacity. What's one more person? The problem with this way of thinking is that 20 other people waiting to get in the same door as you are thinking that exact same thing. So instead of saying, there's 100 people in that car, and I'll be the 101st person, you are now likely to become the 120th person.

Here's a video below to illustrate my point. (Note: This video is not mine.)
Tokyo Oshiya

As you can clearly see in that video, the train is packed. You can't even see in because the windows are fogged up from people's breath. It's absolutely ridiculous how many people are in that train already, and all of those people want to get in. In fact, there's even a guy who arrives late who tries who get in. (Luckily they turn him away).

The oshiya's job is not to be rude or to force people in. Rather, he's trying to make sure that the train runs on time. There are trains every couple minutes during rush hour. Normally, as soon as one train leaves, the next arrives. This is because it takes a bit longer than normal to board because of the sheer number of people needing to get to work. The oshiya helps everyone to make sure that their bags fit and to ensure that everyone is safe so that you don't lose anything going into the tunnels. They also help to open the door for anyone that may have something trapped and make sure that there's no one who (un)intentionally falls onto the tracks. They're really just there for everyone's security. Unfortunately, at major stations, this is not an uncommon rush hour sight. There are even words to describe this feeling. The most common is manin-densha (満員電車), meaning a packed train. Another is sushi-dume (すし詰め), meaning packed in like sushi.

The feeling in the train is probably akin to feelings of claustrophobia. You arrive at the platform to find a girl against the window on the door nearest you. And as messed up as it is, the longer you're here, the more you think, "Well, this is gonna' suck, but I gotta' get on that train." The idea of taking the next train is just unfathomable. You don't want to be late you see. Ironically, by choosing to get on this train, you are contributing to the messed up schedule. You will make your train late; therefore, the next train will be late, and so on and so on. But you don't want to wait the 5 minutes that it takes for the next train to leave either, so you choose to take the current one.

You all flow toward the train like some massive wave of people. And you squish in. The rule is, is that if you can find room for your feet, then you can stay. You can contort your body into all shapes and sizes to get on that train. Lift your elbows up, suck in your stomach, and just endure. It will be a long ride, but at least you're on your way. On the worst days, that girl that was plastered against the window will now be on the opposite side of the train, with the other side of her face plastered against the opposite door.

Meanwhile, you sit there with your chest hurting from the mass of people pressed against you and praying that you breathe normally soon. Many of Tokyo's trains were used for shipping of coal and livestock in the past. The most-used lines have been fixed so that they are comfortable, but every now and then you'll find a section that's still a little rough where you want to hang onto something (hint: Toyoko Line). If there's anything good that comes from these rush hour trains, it's that you can't fall over. You are literally packed in too tightly to fall. In fact, your feet aren't even below you sometimes. Your left foot may be extended way toward the front, and your back foot is somewhere on the right. And where your feet should be is where someone else's feet are. But you don't really have to worry about that. You don't need feet. If it's crowded enough, the surrounding people will keep you upright.

So, how do you survive the trains during rush hour?
1. Don't take them. Go early or go late. Five minutes makes a huge difference in these settings.
2. Don't be afraid. Just get on the train and everything else will follow. You leave shame at the station entrance.
3. Always face outward regardless of what door you're exiting from. If you face inward, you will be looking directly into someone else's face, and that makes you both uncomfortable. At least when everyone's facing the same way, you can pretend to breathe your own air. (Note: This is also very important for men who do not want to be accused of sexual harassment to women.)
4. Don't make eye contact with anyone. Avert your eyes up or down to avoid that awkward moment. This will also help with trying to breathe your own air.
5. Wrap a scarf or something around your mouth/nose. The key is to drown out the smell of the sweaty people next to you, or to try to avoid the overpowering smell of perfume/cologne from someone who chose a little incorrectly that morning. The smell of yourself will calm you into thinking that you can survive this 10 minutes in transit hell.
6. Don't resist the flow of people. As of the time the train takes off, you are a rag doll. Follow the wave of people and it will be easier to endure.
7. Even if it's not your stop, if you are by the doors, get off. Someone will be needing to get out behind you, and they cannot go through you. If you ever have trouble getting off, a simple "Sumimasen. Orimasu" (Excuse me, I'm getting off) will suffice.

I hope this helps and good luck surviving rush hour. Remember, if you have the choice to travel at another time, take it. No one will punish you for choosing to avoid the infamous Tokyo rush hour traffic.