The Train Experience

Riding a train in Japan is a social/cultural experience of its own. I live 2 hours outside of Tokyo in a different prefecture called Saitama. Because of this, I am forced to commute to school for 1 and a half hours every day. Riding the train and manuevering yourself around the underground system becomes a daily ritual for most Japanese people. I remember reading ridiculous statistics about how much hours or days on average a person spends in the toilet or in bed in their whole lifetime. As I sat on the train ( I had to fight a high school girl for the seat) I wondered how many hours or how many days we spend on the train. Probably a considerable amount of time. It is strange that even though we spend so much time in the train everyday, we feel no attachment to it. It is almost the opposite of attachment, but a complete unattachment from the environment. I noticed today riding on the train that everyone in my carriage seemed to have the "public transport face" on. it's a blank look, looking out to empty space, a face without any emotion. It is impossible to know whether someone is sad, angry, happy or excited on the train. Unless they're with someone else, no-one converses with strangers on the train. Maybe that is one way of having private time in such a public space.

I always notice time more when I'm catching the train. Every second, every minute counts. I examine the train schedule, check the quickest route to my destination, and wait impatiently for the train to arrive. As a rule, Japanese trains are never late. Not unless there is a snow storm, hail storm or a gozilla attack. Then I imagine the distance from one platform to the other when I'm transferring to another train line. All in all, riding the train hones all your senses.