Japanese Railfans of a different character

[gmat]

     Last Saturday, I made a rare trip to Omiya Station to shoot trains. Japanese railfans are very well mannered, save sometimes unconsciously getting in your line of sight in the heat of the moment. So the group of four that I saw were very unusual. When they approached me and a group of other guys, one said something loud and starting gesturing with his arms. I thought he was directing it to a friend among us, but no one responded. I noticed that although they seemed like high school kids, a couple had large tripods and all had aluminum camera cases. I guess that they were rich kids with more money than sense or breeding. Later when a train passed by, the loudmouth one started saying words in English and then flipped the bird at the driver in the back of the train. His friends had a laugh, but I don't think that others were quite so entertained.

     You see a lot of different rail fans including quite a number with intellectual or physical disabilities and all are usually well behaved. On that last group of fans, sometimes the driver will blast the horn when they stand at the wrong spot to take a photo and I've seen once where the driver got out to scold such a boy, but it ended up seeming more like looking out for his welfare. 

 

Best wishes,

Grant

[bikkuri bahn]

There have been increasing numbers of these bad-mannered fans, and as you observed, they tend to be younger.  Many of the older fans lament their behavior as they don't stick to the unwritten codes of railfan courtesy.  In the end, all fans will suffer if the railways start clamping down with regulations.  It would be best if the older fans started telling off these youngsters, but save some old-timers, Japanese tend to be reticent when observing other people acting up. 

 

Fwiw Omiya Sta. seems to be plagued with these bad eggs, as it's a natural congregating point and located in the center of suburban Saitama Pref. with its large population of young people.  I saw this clip on TV a while back, the young fans forced a station staffer to kneel- better for the staffer to have called the railway police to come and caution the fans.

 

[The_Ghan]

Seriously!  This is the first time I've seen Japanese Railfans behaving like a bunch of Aussie tourists at a Full Moon Party in Phuket!!!

 

Cheers

 

The_Ghan

[Kabutoni]

Oh how I despise those railfans. Stupid, loud and unfriendly. For some reason I think they are railfanning, just for the sake of railfanning and because it's popular these days. Not because of the pleasure of it or out of interest. Maybe it's an anti-reaction to other cultural movements (or otaku phenomenon as you might call them). Who knows. If I were to be personally confronted with these kind of figures, I would walk up to them and courteously tell them they can shove it (excusez le mot) or in a worst case, make them eat their expensive tripods.

 

It seems to me they also tend to show up at the usual places where everybody is already taking pictures and thus end up without any unique footage. Seems a bit daft to me, as you'll find that same picture you took anywhere on the net, only from a slightly different angle...

[bikkuri bahn]

I've mentioned this before, but I purposely avoid the last run events at stations just for those reasons. Some of these "fans" I think feed off the crowds and enjoy the yahoo atmosphere, like an idol concert or the like .  Take your pictures a couple of months (or even the weekend before) the end, like the pros and video producers do.  Even better, do it lineside or at a smaller station.

[Guest ___]

    Last Saturday, I made a rare trip to Omiya Station to shoot trains. Japanese railfans are very well mannered, save sometimes unconsciously getting in your line of sight in the heat of the moment. So the group of four that I saw were very unusual. When they approached me and a group of other guys, one said something loud and starting gesturing with his arms. I thought he was directing it to a friend among us, but no one responded. I noticed that although they seemed like high school kids, a couple had large tripods and all had aluminum camera cases. I guess that they were rich kids with more money than sense or breeding. Later when a train passed by, the loudmouth one started saying words in English and then flipped the bird at the driver in the back of the train. His friends had a laugh, but I don't think that others were quite so entertained.

    You see a lot of different rail fans including quite a number with intellectual or physical disabilities and all are usually well behaved. On that last group of fans, sometimes the driver will blast the horn when they stand at the wrong spot to take a photo and I've seen once where the driver got out to scold such a boy, but it ended up seeming more like looking out for his welfare.  

 

Best wishes,

Grant

 

 

I have to agree 100% with the statements. When I was in Omiya in 08, I noticed this as well. I had a few of the kids try to nudge me out of my spot but backed off when I stood from a kneeling position to reveal I had a foot on them, was a Gajiun and wearing some official credential. I don't think the slow stern comments, "Is there a problem young man" in my Coast Guard voice sorta put a stop to their ill-mannered demeanor. I have not encountered this while in Kansai with the railfans there. I will also note that the older railfans did not share in the ill-manner temperament that I have seen from the youth.

 

EDIT: (1950) bikkuri, I read your post after I psoted mine. (Replying to gmat before reading the thread.) It is interested that your post reflects exactly the same impression I noticed at Omiya.  

[Guest ___]

There have been increasing numbers of these bad-mannered fans, and as you observed, they tend to be younger.  Many of the older fans lament their behavior as they don't stick to the unwritten codes of railfan courtesy.  In the end, all fans will suffer if the railways start clamping down with regulations.  It would be best if the older fans started telling off these youngsters, but save some old-timers, Japanese tend to be reticent when observing other people acting up. 

 

Fwiw Omiya Sta. seems to be plagued with these bad eggs, as it's a natural congregating point and located in the center of suburban Saitama Pref. with its large population of young people.  I saw this clip on TV a while back, the young fans forced a station staffer to kneel- better for the staffer to have called the railway police to come and caution the fans.

 

 

In the US, those railfans would have been arrested for interfering with the safe operations of a rail movement, and interfering with the duties of a railway official.

[Nozomi4ever]

OH GOD!!! THAT SERIOUSLY SUCKS!!!

[spacecadet]

In the US, those railfans would have been arrested for interfering with the safe operations of a rail movement, and interfering with the duties of a railway official.

 

To be honest, they probably would have been arrested first for taking pictures of trains.  Only terrorists take pictures of transportation!

[The_Ghan]

 

 

To be honest, they probably would have been arrested first for taking pictures of trains.  Only terrorists take pictures of transportation!

 

 

Indeed, the fine line of amateur photography rests somewhere between terrorism and pedophilia these days!  What a screwed up world we are living in.  That's why I stay down in the granny flat playing trains 

 

Cheers

 

The_Ghan

[Mudkip Orange]

It's only terrorism when muslims do it. When white guys do it, it's "extremism." See: the recent Oslo bombings.

[Kabutoni]

It's only terrorism when muslims do it. When white guys do it, it's "extremism." See: the recent Oslo bombings.

Here (Netherlands and Germany) it's 'extremist terrorism' from what I've read.