7 ms·

The Tokyo subway during rush hour is anything but heaven.

sanitycheck 4y ago
It's like London, but the overly-compressed people are more polite and the air doesn't get quite so.. thick because the carriages are much bigger. Also, the trains are on time, so there's no waiting on an overflowing platform for 10 mins of no trains then 30 minutes of trains too full to get onto. Having experienced both, I'd take Tokyo anytime.
traceroute66 4y ago
> The Tokyo subway during rush hour is anything but heaven. I've done that. Its busy for sure. But it works. Even if crowded, its still punctual and high-frequency. Still preferable to a London rush-hour.
dagw 4y ago
No public transport system is great at rush hour. Still having used the 'subway' in both London and Tokyo at rush hour, I much prefer Tokyo.
- dustedcodes 4y ago
  You must be trolling. In London even during the rush hour you get a seat when you are disabled or pregnant. In Tokyo you end up pregnant when you enter the train: https://noisebreak.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/oshiya.jpg https://noisebreak.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/oshiya.jpg
  - dagw 4y ago
    Is that still a thing? I never saw any oshiya when I was there 5 years ago.
    - bobthepanda 4y ago
      Train congestion has been falling with the decline in population. Also, the pandemic has really sped up adoption of either wfh, partial wfh, or commuting during “shoulder” hours instead of the peak of peak, from what I’ve heard.
      - fomine3 4y ago
        Population is increasing in high density area, but wfh and time shifting are true
    - tjpnz 4y ago
      It's still very much a thing on some lines but if you time your commute right you'll never experienced it.
    - dustedcodes 4y ago
      It was a thing before COVID in Tokyo. Don’t know about now. The point I’m trying to make is that this thing NEVER happens in London. Train pushers don’t exist, so even if it’s not an everyday thing in Tokyo anymore I can hardly believe that anyone would say “I prefer the rush hour in Tokyo”, to which my previous post was the response to :)
      - dagw 4y ago
        Even if the trains in Tokyo are more packed (debatable, but I'll concede it for now), there is more to commuting than that. The reliability of the service, the cleanliness or the stations and carriages, the (lack of) pushing and shoving on and on the way to the platform, the temperature and ventilation of the stations and carriages etc. Tokyo wins in all these measurement.
        dustedcodes 4y ago
        Fair enough. Overall I agree, the train system in Japan is heaven. It's almost unfair to compare them with other train systems in the world.
      - bobthepanda 4y ago
        I mean, TfL just closes stations to people entering if crowding gets too high, which is arguably worse from a functionality perspective at least.
  - johnwalkr 4y ago
    Based on the fashion and film grain, that picture is probably 30 years old. I lived in Tokyo recently, for 5 years, and saw this maybe 3 times, all at special occasions, such as on the way to a large fireworks festival. I've experienced train pushers in Vancouver during the 2010 Olympics, too. Yes, many trains are uncomfortably crowded at rush hour but I've experienced the same in Europe. Maybe slightly worse in Europe, because at least the train tends to be on time and the ticket machines and turnstiles always work in Japan.
    - WastingMyTime89 4y ago
      In Paris train pushers are just a convenient excuse for you to ram the idiots standing clueless in the middle of the carriage towards the aisles where they should have gone from the start while pretending it’s not your fault anyway. It’s nearly as enjoyable as getting someone out of the way so you can get in said aisles yourself and avoid being compressed next to the doors at rushed hours.
alias_neo 4y ago
Having spent the past ~10 years living in London, I disagree. Rush hour Tokyo trains were a dream, people are polite and queue, but they queue so that they're not in the way, the carriages are surprisingly head-roomy for 6'4 me, unlike the shit show of the central line, they're cooled properly, like the circle/district and the stations were almost universally clean and spacious unlike our tube platforms which are often cramped with tiny exits through archways blocked by people filling the platforms. I'm not saying the London Tube is bad, but I would take Tokyo subway over it any day. It may be controversial to say but tourists (local or from afar) are generally the worst part about central London commuting, due to the ignorance of the etiquette, especially when tourist numbers can be overwhelming in some parts.
- claxo 4y ago
  Wait, wait- Any rule you can spell in a few words or a link?
  - koyote 4y ago
    - Stand on the right of escalators - Have your ticket/oyster/card ready BEFORE getting to the gates (and move to the side and out of the way if you need to take time to find it) - Move inside the carriages - Don't start conversations with commuters (especially during morning rush hour) - Take your rucksack off and put it by your feet if it's crowded - Don't walk 3+ abreast - Don't run for the train and especially don't block the closing door (there's a train every 2-3 minutes, just wait)
    - matt-p 4y ago
      Could not possibly agree more, they are the worst. System would be massively more efficient and pleasant if everyone followed basic etiquette. Other annoyances; When you get to the bottom of the escalators don't just stop in the middle looking at phones and wondering what platform you need. Stand to the side. Observe the queues next to each door position on the platform and join them. Do not just stand in the clear space in the middle. Following on from that, let people off the train first!! Walk down the platform don't huddle at the entrance to it. Don't wait for the gates to close before tapping your card. Just tap and check for green light.

It's like London, but the overly-compressed people are more polite and the air doesn't get quite so.. thick because the carriages are much bigger. Also, the trains are on time, so there's no waiting on an overflowing platform for 10 mins of no trains then 30 minutes of trains too full to get onto. Having experienced both, I'd take Tokyo anytime.

traceroute66 4y ago

> The Tokyo subway during rush hour is anything but heaven. I've done that. Its busy for sure. But it works. Even if crowded, its still punctual and high-frequency. Still preferable to a London rush-hour.

dagw 4y ago

No public transport system is great at rush hour. Still having used the 'subway' in both London and Tokyo at rush hour, I much prefer Tokyo.

dustedcodes 4y ago
You must be trolling. In London even during the rush hour you get a seat when you are disabled or pregnant. In Tokyo you end up pregnant when you enter the train: https://noisebreak.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/oshiya.jpg https://noisebreak.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/oshiya.jpg
- dagw 4y ago
  Is that still a thing? I never saw any oshiya when I was there 5 years ago.
  - bobthepanda 4y ago
    Train congestion has been falling with the decline in population. Also, the pandemic has really sped up adoption of either wfh, partial wfh, or commuting during “shoulder” hours instead of the peak of peak, from what I’ve heard.
    - fomine3 4y ago
      Population is increasing in high density area, but wfh and time shifting are true
  - tjpnz 4y ago
    It's still very much a thing on some lines but if you time your commute right you'll never experienced it.
  - dustedcodes 4y ago
    It was a thing before COVID in Tokyo. Don’t know about now. The point I’m trying to make is that this thing NEVER happens in London. Train pushers don’t exist, so even if it’s not an everyday thing in Tokyo anymore I can hardly believe that anyone would say “I prefer the rush hour in Tokyo”, to which my previous post was the response to :)
    - dagw 4y ago
      Even if the trains in Tokyo are more packed (debatable, but I'll concede it for now), there is more to commuting than that. The reliability of the service, the cleanliness or the stations and carriages, the (lack of) pushing and shoving on and on the way to the platform, the temperature and ventilation of the stations and carriages etc. Tokyo wins in all these measurement.
      - dustedcodes 4y ago
        Fair enough. Overall I agree, the train system in Japan is heaven. It's almost unfair to compare them with other train systems in the world.
    - bobthepanda 4y ago
      I mean, TfL just closes stations to people entering if crowding gets too high, which is arguably worse from a functionality perspective at least.
- johnwalkr 4y ago
  Based on the fashion and film grain, that picture is probably 30 years old. I lived in Tokyo recently, for 5 years, and saw this maybe 3 times, all at special occasions, such as on the way to a large fireworks festival. I've experienced train pushers in Vancouver during the 2010 Olympics, too. Yes, many trains are uncomfortably crowded at rush hour but I've experienced the same in Europe. Maybe slightly worse in Europe, because at least the train tends to be on time and the ticket machines and turnstiles always work in Japan.
  - WastingMyTime89 4y ago
    In Paris train pushers are just a convenient excuse for you to ram the idiots standing clueless in the middle of the carriage towards the aisles where they should have gone from the start while pretending it’s not your fault anyway. It’s nearly as enjoyable as getting someone out of the way so you can get in said aisles yourself and avoid being compressed next to the doors at rushed hours.

alias_neo 4y ago

Having spent the past ~10 years living in London, I disagree. Rush hour Tokyo trains were a dream, people are polite and queue, but they queue so that they're not in the way, the carriages are surprisingly head-roomy for 6'4 me, unlike the shit show of the central line, they're cooled properly, like the circle/district and the stations were almost universally clean and spacious unlike our tube platforms which are often cramped with tiny exits through archways blocked by people filling the platforms. I'm not saying the London Tube is bad, but I would take Tokyo subway over it any day. It may be controversial to say but tourists (local or from afar) are generally the worst part about central London commuting, due to the ignorance of the etiquette, especially when tourist numbers can be overwhelming in some parts.

claxo 4y ago
Wait, wait- Any rule you can spell in a few words or a link?
- koyote 4y ago
  - Stand on the right of escalators - Have your ticket/oyster/card ready BEFORE getting to the gates (and move to the side and out of the way if you need to take time to find it) - Move inside the carriages - Don't start conversations with commuters (especially during morning rush hour) - Take your rucksack off and put it by your feet if it's crowded - Don't walk 3+ abreast - Don't run for the train and especially don't block the closing door (there's a train every 2-3 minutes, just wait)
  - matt-p 4y ago
    Could not possibly agree more, they are the worst. System would be massively more efficient and pleasant if everyone followed basic etiquette. Other annoyances; When you get to the bottom of the escalators don't just stop in the middle looking at phones and wondering what platform you need. Stand to the side. Observe the queues next to each door position on the platform and join them. Do not just stand in the clear space in the middle. Following on from that, let people off the train first!! Walk down the platform don't huddle at the entrance to it. Don't wait for the gates to close before tapping your card. Just tap and check for green light.