JSG : Trains during rush hour
I sincerely think that during rush hour, the airspace inside train compartments in Japan defy the laws of Physics.
It is a miracle how the men and women turn up to work so put-together after they've been through rush hour commute. I, for one, enter a train with pressed clothes and polished shoes and exit looking like I've been through 12 hurricanes. This Friday, I walked home with lost hair, headache and a torn skirt because someone's bag got stuck on it and she was trying to get off the crowded train. True story.
The government apparently ran a study, and my train carries 188 percent more than it's capacity during rush hour. That means, the space of one person on the train has 2.8 people occupying it. I would insert pictures of the train itself, but there isn't enough space to raise my arms to click a photo. Maximum movement is in the form of my thumbs when I am texting someone and looking downward into the screen that is 0.05mm away from my chest - on a good day. There are a few things I learned though :
1. Humans are stronger united.
Once I enter a train station and get in line leading into my train, I can stop all motion. My legs could be suspended mid-air for all I care, because I will be carried back-to-chest-to-back to my destination train station. One can't help but go with the flow. If you try to resist, you will immediately understand that you are a little speck in this vast universe. If that is not a lesson in Zen, I don't know what is.
2. Human origami is possible.
I am pretty sure the Japanese art of Origami originated in a train because how else could you explain the bending and folding of humans to fit space you didn't know existed? There have been times when I stood, for the entire duration of a trip, on one leg - because there was not enough floor space for more. I lived the crane life.
3. Humans are spongy.
Naturally, when there are 2.8 units of human occupying the space of 1 unit human, not all humans get hand rails (don't even ask me about getting a seat - I will hate you forever). But this is not a problem because no human needs any support during the motion of a super fast train. People are so packed, that they sway backwards and forwards as a blob. Remember back-to-chest-to-back? Except inside a train, you're squeezed up against 7 strangers with no air space to move (and sometimes breathe) so there is no question of impact.
4. You can be train fizz, too.
Think about a soda bottle that is vigorously shaken to generate fizz. Once you open the cap, all the fizz just projectile spits out. That is exactly what it is like when the train doors open and somehow you were the moron squished against the door. You get spit out, and on multiple occasions get left behind wondering how three trains went by and you're still on the same station back-to-chest-to-back with a new set of people.
The only piece of wisdom I can give you is this -
Stay clear from the door space because you will be taken into and out the train against your will. Say 'gomenesai' and try to make your way to the middle of the cart so that you are side-to-side in front of a seated person. This is ideal because you have air above the seated person that you can use to breathe. Place your bag in the overhead compartment so your hands are free. Arch over the seated person - and reach your hands to the side of the train. Have minimum concern for body odor or over-perfumed arm-pits. And for all that it is worth, this post of the survival guide has no real tips. So petition do as we do in India, and sit on top of trains.
It is a miracle how the men and women turn up to work so put-together after they've been through rush hour commute. I, for one, enter a train with pressed clothes and polished shoes and exit looking like I've been through 12 hurricanes. This Friday, I walked home with lost hair, headache and a torn skirt because someone's bag got stuck on it and she was trying to get off the crowded train. True story.
The government apparently ran a study, and my train carries 188 percent more than it's capacity during rush hour. That means, the space of one person on the train has 2.8 people occupying it. I would insert pictures of the train itself, but there isn't enough space to raise my arms to click a photo. Maximum movement is in the form of my thumbs when I am texting someone and looking downward into the screen that is 0.05mm away from my chest - on a good day. There are a few things I learned though :
1. Humans are stronger united.
Once I enter a train station and get in line leading into my train, I can stop all motion. My legs could be suspended mid-air for all I care, because I will be carried back-to-chest-to-back to my destination train station. One can't help but go with the flow. If you try to resist, you will immediately understand that you are a little speck in this vast universe. If that is not a lesson in Zen, I don't know what is.
2. Human origami is possible.
I am pretty sure the Japanese art of Origami originated in a train because how else could you explain the bending and folding of humans to fit space you didn't know existed? There have been times when I stood, for the entire duration of a trip, on one leg - because there was not enough floor space for more. I lived the crane life.
3. Humans are spongy.
Naturally, when there are 2.8 units of human occupying the space of 1 unit human, not all humans get hand rails (don't even ask me about getting a seat - I will hate you forever). But this is not a problem because no human needs any support during the motion of a super fast train. People are so packed, that they sway backwards and forwards as a blob. Remember back-to-chest-to-back? Except inside a train, you're squeezed up against 7 strangers with no air space to move (and sometimes breathe) so there is no question of impact.
4. You can be train fizz, too.
Think about a soda bottle that is vigorously shaken to generate fizz. Once you open the cap, all the fizz just projectile spits out. That is exactly what it is like when the train doors open and somehow you were the moron squished against the door. You get spit out, and on multiple occasions get left behind wondering how three trains went by and you're still on the same station back-to-chest-to-back with a new set of people.
The only piece of wisdom I can give you is this -
Stay clear from the door space because you will be taken into and out the train against your will. Say 'gomenesai' and try to make your way to the middle of the cart so that you are side-to-side in front of a seated person. This is ideal because you have air above the seated person that you can use to breathe. Place your bag in the overhead compartment so your hands are free. Arch over the seated person - and reach your hands to the side of the train. Have minimum concern for body odor or over-perfumed arm-pits. And for all that it is worth, this post of the survival guide has no real tips. So petition do as we do in India, and sit on top of trains.
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