I don't even know if this picture does justice to the mad jam that takes place nightly from Shinjuku Station, dubbed the busiest station in the world, with over a MILLION people travelling through it every day.
The last train of the evening is always full of incredibly drunk people trying to get home, so imagine hundreds of thousands of people all trying to squeeze into the last train home. That is where the pictures of station workers pushing people into trains comes from. And it is totally true!
Once you step into that train, SAY GOODBYE TO YOUR PERSONAL SPACE. You will be standing up undoubtedly pressed up against a complete stranger, jammed together like sardines in a tin, your back against their chest, your faces mere inches away, your body parts all touching, and you have no choice but to stand quietly, obediently, until you get to your station. The pushing and shoving is incredible - just when you think there can't possibly be any more room for more passengers to come on board, ten more people squeeze in. It is really quite unbelievable.
But the truly amazing thing is how orderly it all is. There is no hard feelings, no concept of 'get away from me', no rude gestures, no comments passed, no cursing, no elbowing, no fighting, no insults. Everyone on the train simply understands and accepts that this is the way it is, we have no choice but to be squished together this way, so everyone is quiet, patient, and understanding. It is quite a fine example of the mentality of Japanese people -- that the collective is more important than the individual.
1 comment:
Yam... you talk about this mad squash of humanity like you don't like being pressed up against random strangers... when everyone knows that you love big crowds just in the hopes that someone might get a lil naughty with you! You're such a slut!
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