Wednesday, 21 February 2007
Oh, for fuck's sake!
I've almost had it up to here with people on the trains here. Seriously. I just don't understand how people don't even seem to think that pushing someone deliberately is rude, invasive or provocation. It just does my brain in every time someone, whether it's a teenager, a business man or an old lady, deliberately pushes me forward, out of their way or over a bit and I push them back or tell them in Japanese not to push ("Osonai de!" use it the next chance you get!) they get this complete look of shock and misunderstanding over why I pushed them and some even act as if I'm the one that has offended them!
This morning I was waiting for the train and I was the only person on this part of the platform waiting in line. When the train stopped, noone got off. The train was completely empty. In short, there was no rush to get on the train. Anyway, this was a local and I was waiting for the express so I didn't move. Suddenly someone behind me started to push me firmly with the weight of their entire body. Fed up, I thrust my elbow backwards and pushed them away.
The guy, about my age have me this offended angry look and just stared at me as he walked around me and just sat on the train continuing to stare at me in disbelief and frustration.
Seriously. There were three waiting lanes drawn on the platform, I was in one. He could have easily walked around me to get one the train, or hey, actually started a new line next to me (don't get me started on people's inability to manage lines properly). More importantly if he wanted me to hurry up and get on the train I wasn't waiting for he could have maybe tapped me on the shoulder and muttered a "Summimasen" ("Excuse me"). Instead he pushes me forward rather hard, a very dangerous thing to do as a train is pulling into a station and we're a metre from the tracks I might add, I push him back and he acts like the victim.
This kind of shit happens on a daily basis not just to me but almost everyone in Tokyo. It's seriously retarded. In any other country this kind of shameless pushing would get your head smacked in.
I almost did his head hid but was stopped from the fact that three of the fingers on my punching hand were still bleeding from falling down the station's steps on Saturday (that's another story).
My fingers are feeling a lot better tonight. Those people on the trains better not push me tomorrow.
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Labels: japan, Japanese Social Issues
posted by Brad at
8:41 PM
6 Comments:
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Welcome. My name's Brad and I'm about to start my fifth year in Tokyo, Japan though lately I've found that that defines me as badly as saying I'm from Sydney, Australia.
Sigh - the daily gauntlet that is the train system in Tokyo. I refuse to catch the last train (shuden), so I either catch a taxi, or walk home from one of the major train stations. Exhausting, isn't it!
Oh, yeah. what I thought was really bizzare though was on New Years, all the trains were half empty! It's like Tokyo is a polar opposite of other cities sometimes. (Arty Fartys on New Years until 5am was heaps fun btw.) ;)
Jeez mate you should chill a little bit there. Pushing the locals around is just asking for trouble.
Man, they're pushing me. I just push them back. ;) It's not just out of frustration though. Just a few weeks ago on my train a man and his wife almost had their baby which was in a stroller crushed by the 30 or so people being pushed into our carriage by the train conductor! The husband (who was Japanese) was screaming and yelling for people to stop and for the conductor to stop pushing people on as his baby was with them, but did anyone stop? Nup! They kept on pushing and pushing pretending he wasn't even there while the people around me muttered to themselves about how embarrassing that man was for yelling so loud.
The general rudeness and lack of respect for other people is a HUGE problem in Tokyo. I know it sounds crazy but I seriously think actually pushing someone back gives them a message that what they're doing is out of line, rude and actually very dangerous.
I saw quite a few violent scenes where people (Japanese men) were fighting over 'Don't push me!' arguments. So that's something we should watch out, as some can be really dangerous. But I agree with Brad in that he stresses the importance of sending them a message. Otherwise, yeilding to such rudeness and lack of respect only encourages it furthere, making people feel it is acceptable for them to become passive-aggressive. What's scarely here is that because of their being so passive-aggressive, especially when they are total strangers in public, you will have to deal with individual, unspoken assumptions, by, say, playing mind games (with Japanese!) I do respect Japan's culture of modesty, inexpressiveness as a virtue, but according to my Japanese self and well-tested observations for many years in Tokyo I now really feel that such cultural virute is not accomodating people's frustration typically in the morning rush trains filled with pent-up emotions and anger because such scenes in Tokyo are already driving us into an 'inhuman' environment to live. I think many Japanese would agree and do as I have been doing which is just stay way AND in denial and no verbal confrontation. I know it's sad but at least this helps me feel okay.
Yeh i can understand the situations you explained. Ive seen some pretty strange things in rush hour myself when i was living in Nara. I was heading into Osaka in the morning a few years ago when i saw a salaryman fall flat on his face as he tried to push his way into the train to grab a precious seat! But i agree that Tokyo people have an attitude problem totally! I just don't think touching anyone else is a good idea...you might be better off putting up with it. Otherwise your proving your a crazy gaijin.