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[Davo Dentetsu]

I dunno, strikes me as well researched and thoughtful as their usual tat.
 

 

All Aboard: Inside Japan's Train Obsession

Are locomotives the new anime?

Packing It In -  From the first time a foreigner steps onto a Japanese train, things are definitely different. For starters, they most likely didn't just step on to the train, but were more likely “politely shoved on to it” by helpful, white-gloved station agents. Trains (especially during rush hour) get so congested that railroad workers physically push people onto waiting trains. It's efficient, and just a tad bit violent - just how we like it.

 

Geeking Out - Trainspotting isn't just for Scottish drug addicts. There are many different kinds of Train Otaku: Nori Tetsu (people who love traveling the lines and taking new trains), Tori-Tetsu (those who enjoy photographing trains), Oto-Tetsu (those strange souls who record audio of train noises) and even Ekiben-Tetsu (those enjoy eating the special food, specific to each train).

Dining Out - Most train stations (and even many trains) offer Ekiben, special indivual bento boxes, to hungry travelers, usually containing ingredients or cuisine specific to that train line or region. The average Ekiben contains some sort of fish or sushi dish, some chicken, a dessert and a handy array of tiny utensils. Either way, it's a heck of a lot better than what is offered on American rail travel.

 

Faster Than a Speeding Bullet - The undeniable kings of Japan's railroad culture are the Shinkansen bullet trains, a high speed rail network that traverses the country. Environmentally efficient, asthetically pleasing and faster than you'd expect (200 MPH, anyone?), these high tech trains offer ease and dependability while going really, really, really (super) fast.

 

Maybe if they made half-decent manga books (like they used to... oh, they didn't do that properly either), then maybe they wouldn't be hated so much.  Seems like such an irrelevant company in the scheme of things now.

Edited June 29, 2013 by Azumanga Davo

[miyakoji]

These "observations on Japan" intended for a mass audience often seem odd to me.  A lot of the time I lived there, it was in rural areas, so nothing about Tokyo is going to match anyway for me.  NHK has a show called Close-up Gendai, an episode 2 or 3 years ago was about the "tetsudo boom," I thought it was pretty good in covering recent railway popularity and the social and cultural significance of railways in Japan.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Close-up_Gendai

[Ochanomizu]

I rarely see commuter pushed onto the train.  I cannot understand why western journalists are so obsessed about this.  If I consider how many commuter travel each day on the train and about how many are pushed onto the train I am quite sure it is less that ¹/₁₀ of 1%.  There are around 40 million passengers in greater Tokyo each day.  I would be very surprised if 40,000 are pushed onto a train.  However, I accept that many more must endure the crowded train.  Such is the sacrifice of living in a large urban environment.  I expect same in London, Paris, and New York too.

 

Of course, Japanese people would never liken Tecchan with Scottish drug addicts.  I do not see any link or humor in the comment.  Is it insult Japan or Scotland?  I think so.

 

There are many more interesting features of Japanese train to consider: Punctuality, safety (both technical and social), cleanliness, diversity of services, perfection of timetable, and lack of graffiti.

[miyakoji]

Ochanomizu--I think you correctly understand that the article is not very good .  The comment about trainspotting is a reference to a movie called Trainspotting.  It has nothing to do with trains.  It's about the drug problems (specifically heroin) in Edinburgh in the 1980s.

 

http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%83%88%E3%83%AC%E3%82%A4%E3%83%B3%E3%82%B9%E3%83%9D%E3%83%83%E3%83%86%E3%82%A3%E3%83%B3%E3%82%B0

[Ochanomizu]

Miyakoji-san,

 

So sorry, I did not know about that.  Thank you for the link.

 

Culture shock.

 

Ah, my wife is ekiben-tetsu, by the way.  She takes photo, video then eat.  Every time.

[bikkuri bahn]

I always sound like a broken record on this, but here goes- 95% of what you read about Japan from Western reporters (or "bloggers") is either distorted, exaggerated or just plain false.  Even if the reporter is Japanese, the lede will often be worded to make the issue at hand seem more sensational or extreme than it is (granted this is done with almost any article the way "journalism" is done nowadays, Japan related or not).  Once you live in Japan, learn the language and be able to read it, and live outside the gaijin bubble (i.e. what the barstool reporters and "bloggers" are not), do you really see the reality, that Japan is pretty much like any other country, with its good points and bad points.

Edited July 2, 2013 by bikkuri bahn

[Ochanomizu]

Hello Mr bikkuri bahn,

 

So eloquently put.  And yes, I wouldn't believe the other 5% either.  It is because 99% of journalists are giving all the others a bad name.