ISALC, Lewis and Clark College

Survival Skills for Commuter Hell by Ryoko Sakurai

Have you ever gotten on the train during rush hour? If you have, I am sure that you had a horribly unpleasant time. For example, you must have been squeezed next to strangers, lost your baggage, and, in extreme cases, even been molested. If you have not, you are lucky. You do not have to get on such a train compulsorily. I recommend you not do that. Although nowadays commuter hell is one of the cultures of Japan, why does this phenomenon exist? Thanks to the advance of Japanese public transport and lack of parking lots, many Japanese, not only working people, but also students, do not use their own car, but travel on public transportation.

Owing to the high price of land, many people live densely near the metropolitan areas and they try to gather in the downtown area where their offices and schools are. Thus, commuting hell happens. Usually the lineup of passengers consists of people who live within at most two hours from their destination. (Most people live within one hour.) The age bracket of commuters is from twenty to sixty years old, including working people and elementary, junior high, high school and college students. I pity elementary school students with small bodies for being pressed against adults with great force. The passengers remember each other's faces because generally they get on the train at the same place and at the same time every morning, but they do not speak with nor greet each other. However, in such a situation, there are people who use commuting hell as their own significant time by using a little space. (They can have their own space in the inner part of the train car, though they can do nothing around the door.) Many working people read a newspaper or novels. Generally speaking, it is said that Japanese people, including adults, like cartoons, and actually many adults read comic books on the train. Some people devote themselves to studying foreign language by using a Walkman. Generally the students give themselves up entirely to chatting in loud voices, especially female high school students. It is very noisy, though I must admit I was a central figure in this noisy behavior. Some people, who are fortunate enough to seat themselves, sleep on the train. I felt a new appreciation for safety in Japan when my friend told me not to sleep on the bus in America. Through my six-year "commuting hell" experience, I pushed, squeezed and even molested by offensive middle aged men, and I struggled with this problem.

By making the best use of this experience, I will give instruction based on my wisdom, on how to survive in the rush hour trains of Japan. First, you have to try not to fall down when the train jolts. You need to make sure of your space by keeping your feet spread apart, on the floor with uncrossed feet. Don't forget to hold a handrail and a safety strap. Next, I want you to know how to deal with your bags. If your bags are big and heavy, you should put them on the rack or the floor, though you do not have to do that if they are small and light. When you put them on the floor, although it is not nice to look at, if you put them between your feet, you do not have to be anxious about losing them. You may be sure that nobody can see your ugly posture because of the crowding. So, if somebody who you are interested in is on the train, you do not have to be worried about it. If you have a friend who is sitting on a seat, you should put your bags on her lap.

After you learn about ways to handle your baggage problems, you need to know how to take a seat. While most passengers struggle with the crowds, there are people who can spend their time calmly. These, certainy, are the people who are seated. However, because of keen competition, only people that live near the starting station or form a line and wait for the train before the train comes, can get a seat. If you are eager to take a seat, I have a plan up my sleeve. It is simple. You remember the person that gets off the train every day at the same station, and you take up your position in front of him. Don't forget that you have a lot of rivals. They will be thinking the same thing as you and aim to take the seat eagerly when the passenger gets up. Their behavior is like sand in an hourglass, which gathers in a tiny hole with tremendous speed. It is worth a try, though it is a little bit petty.

Finally, though this is limited to only women, I want to mention about how to repel a possible molester because it is one of the most important survival skills. Due to the fact that you are so close together, like canned sardines, the possibility is very high that you will be molested. As a basic way to fight back, there is a way to stare fixedly at the molester. It is effective only for the timid perpetrator and ineffective against the impudent molester. If you are in such a situation, say to him, " Don't touch me!" or "Stop it!" without being embarrassed and in a loud voice. With this, the surrounding people will help you and the train policemen can arrest him at the next station. When I encountered a situation similar to this, the molester pretended to know nothing. I want to recommend an alternative for women who can not yell or are afraid of embarrassment. Pinch the molester's hand strongly! Although it is less effective compared with giving a loud cry, it is much better than to tolerate inappropriate touching. In this way, I got out of my crisis many times. Now, let me tell you the worst things that you could do. That is, do not tolerate the molesters. If you do, you are will be a loser. I know a woman who did not make efforts to get rid of the molester until my friend helped her, even though she had suffered the terrible pain of being pinched on her breasts and hips. Can you imagine how painful this is? You do not have to endure the molester and hesitate to ask for help because it is not your fault. You should not be embarrassed to attack back or to ask for help. If you ask for help, nobody thinks badly of you and the molester is the only person that gets in trouble. So, confront the molesters without embarrassment.

How was it? Do you now have the confidence to survive Japanese commuter hell? I have confidence in these survival skills based on my own experience, though I can not recommend that you get on the train on purpose during rush hours if you do not have to. Although I hated commuting hell when I used to travel on the crowded train, now that time has passed, it has become one of my precious memories and I can't look back on my junior high and high school life without thinking about it, because I fostered friendly relationships between my best friends through endless chatting. We talked about everything from what I did that day to how I felt about my friends and classes, without reserve, and even studied together to prepare for tests. If you have a chance, please try my advice. I am sure that you can survive in commuter hell.

Created by: krauss@lclark.edu
Updated: 10/31/99