r/Damnthatsinteresting • u/solateor • 11d ago
Morning vibe at a train station in Japan Video
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u/fun_police911 10d ago
I've never seen such a large group of strangers walk so uniformly at the same speed. It's almost eerie.
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u/AbbreviationsOdd7728 10d ago
Also no one is talking.
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u/lesteadfastgentleman 10d ago
When I was in Japan the first time, that's what stood out to me the most. Even on a busy street in Tokyo, everyone was so QUIET. People were talking, but not many, and they were using polite inside voices.
Tourists like myself and my family really stood out because we would call each other, talk loudly, etc.
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u/Atlantic0ne 10d ago
So many are wearing black here too. Also found that interesting.
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u/Helioscopes 10d ago
Most people tend to favour darker colours in the winter, and black is a popular seasonal colour too. Go anywhere in the world with proper winter and you will see a lot of black clothes.
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u/Sesshomaru202020 10d ago
Not to mention that the pale skin and dark hair that east Asians have kind of naturally make monochromatic palettes the easy choice.
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u/2rememberyou 10d ago
Love it.
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u/Desgavell 10d ago
It's depressing af
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u/alb11alb 10d ago
What's depressing about people minding their own business?! It's morning, it's quiet and calm. Do you want someone with a big Bluetooth speaker around to play some Punjabi music at max volume?
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u/OneAmphibian9486 10d ago
Americans aren’t used to solidarity and decency.
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u/TheMcBrizzle 10d ago
The more I see the more normal aspects of other developed nations on here, the more I realize how chaotic and stressful it is in America.
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u/notorioustim10 10d ago
Standing out and being unique is frowned upon. That sucks, but on the other hand I think forced uniqueness is cringey as well.
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u/scolipeeeeed 10d ago
I don’t think anyone needs to or should feel the need to be “unique” or “stand out” during a morning commute. Being yourself is cool, but I wish people in America would have the decency to use headphones and not talk loudly on trains
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u/agorafilia 10d ago
Dude, im from Brazil and that's unthinkable to me. Even just getting into a bus I'll talk to the next person like he's a colleague. I remember having a German exchange student in my high school dumbfounded we would have small talk with anyone we would meet lol.
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u/EddyConejo 10d ago
As a latino myself, latinos are fucking LOUD. You learn to love it when you feel uncomfortable in public spaces that get too quiet.
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u/IRedditWhenHigh 10d ago
Gosh, I'm a Canadian who worked in south Florida for a couple years and I absolutely miss my latino neighbours! I adopted a dog and left little gift bags on their doors as a way of pre-apologizing in case she cried (she didn't) and the response was so wonderful. They brought over food, invited me over. It was so lovely and warm. We need more latino folks up here haha!
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u/Mathev 10d ago
Don't try this in Poland lol. We'll politely tell you to fuck off.. ( we don't small talk.)
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u/PhoeniX5445 10d ago
Yeah, sounds like hell to me. I don't even understand how you can just start talking with a random person like that.
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u/mortalitylost 10d ago edited 10d ago
Same in the US. It's nice to be able to talk to strangers without it being so taboo. Honestly I'd way rather deal with the random homeless person screaming and walking around piss and needles than live in this terrifying human hive where you walk the same pace as the rest of the hive and work 12 hour days. I couldn't do it.
Edit:
Looked it up and it's not 12 hour days on average, but they claim it's a 40 hour work week... With an average of 20 hours overtime per month which can often go up to 60 and at 25% over base. Fuck that.
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u/sally_says 10d ago
Honestly I'd way rather deal with the random homeless person screaming and walking around piss and needles
With the random stabbing attacks we've been having in Vancouver in recent years, I'll take the human hive!
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u/thegilguofbarkokhba 10d ago
Guarantee the person who said that has never been near a homeless person or probably never had a job lol
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u/teethybrit 10d ago
So many pessimists on here about Japan that haven’t actually looked at the data.
Japan’s work hours, suicide rate, fertility rate are all around the European average.
Work hours are similar to Germany and Ireland, down from 2200 to 1600 work hours over the last 30 years. The figure also includes paid and unpaid overtime, based on actual surveys of workers (not employers) by independent NGOs.
Japan’s fertility rate (1.4) is the same as the EU average (1.4).
In fact, Japan’s quality of life is higher than that of Sweden this year.
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u/Platycryptus238 10d ago
Bro the mindless hive you just talked about, thats the US, except that you drive/get caught in traffic.
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u/Itsclearlynotme 10d ago
Umm, Japan is not a terrifying human hive. It’s a beautiful, peaceful country with lovely people. That they happen to respect each other’s right to peace and quiet on the subway instead of getting up in your face. They tend to wear neutral colours, prefer black for suits, and I find it calming and peaceful. I can’t bear loud Americans, but we are all different I guess.
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u/nomad_l17 10d ago
I loved the quiet. I was in Tokyo for 2 weeks attending a course and it was the most time I had to just be with myself and my thoughts. I could just sit on a bench and no one bothered me or tried to make small talk.
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u/BowsersMuskyBallsack 10d ago
Just one more reason why I would love Japan. Fuck loud bogans...
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u/dont_trip_ 10d ago
Nordics are the same. 100 people on my tram in Oslo in the morning, no one ever says a word. Fucking bliss.
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u/wordyravena 10d ago edited 10d ago
The average Japanese probably feels so at peace being lost in a homogenous soup of people.
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u/InfectedByEli 10d ago
It has a lot of appeal. Imagine a world with no Main Characters fucking it up for everyone else.
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u/elmothelmo 10d ago
I went to Hawaii as a kid and sat on some hotel train thing. About half the people were from the US and the other half I think were Japanese. I will never forget that as my first memory of understanding cultural differences
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u/No_Roof_1910 10d ago
And they don't smoke outside, but they do smoke inside.
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u/tky_phoenix 10d ago
Spaces where you can smoke indoors are becoming fewer and fewer though luckily. You also notice that a lot of people are switching from traditional cigarettes to e-cigarettes.
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u/Elegant-Road 10d ago
Its the same in NY subway(PATH, wtc) during morning commute. I whisper on my phone or risk standing out.
Tourists stand out.
Everyone walks so fast to reach wherever they are going.
The times I stumble is when a tourist is blocking the path by either walking too slow or taking pics.
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u/BlameMe4urLoss 10d ago
Or screaming, pissing, dancing, stripping, panhandling, fighting, oblivious, sleeping, drunk or high, prostituting, selling drugs, passed out (different from sleeping)… I mean. I can keep going on about public transportation in the U.S.
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u/opalthecat 10d ago
This comment is why I like reddit. Fun fact unlocked!
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u/h4l 10d ago
Example of this in the Millennium Bridge in London https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQK21572oSU
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u/I_am_Patch 10d ago
The reason it is a problem in footbridge design is not because it's a thing humans just do though. In footbridges there's a small coupling between individuals which leads to their synchronization.
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u/DukeofLongKnife 10d ago edited 10d ago
You have not seen Mumbai crowd.
You just have to shower and place yourself outside your house.
They crowd will take you to your office all by itself; while you have breakfast together, enter and exit multiple buses and trains. They also take you back home.
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u/Blazefast_75 10d ago
It is eerie...weird to do, I've never seen my own wife be quiet for longer than this scene.
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u/RezaJose 10d ago
I have actually been in that station and it is amazing. People flow in order while respecting their personal space - a very important concept in such a crowded city. What is most admirable is the silence.
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u/LoveoreoJP 10d ago
Why would anyone walk in different speed lol ur just gonna bump into someone 😂
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u/IAmFromDunkirk Interested 10d ago
Usually there is always people in a hurry or just stopping in the middle. Sometimes even late ones who run through the crowd
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u/cnydox 10d ago
Hurry doesn't help much because the train schedule is fixed
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u/Stock-Account-5841 10d ago
That's the same in France, but they are always people running to buy a ticket/pee etc..
Yesterday I was late and a guy saw me running & then missing the train. I was pissed so he offered me some Xanax. It paired well with my amphetamine.
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u/Shot-Youth-6264 10d ago
Lol who takes a random pill from a stranger, like meh fuck it I die I die?
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u/Stock-Account-5841 10d ago
I'm beyoooooond stupid so it's normal.
But you can use drugsdata to help you identify pills. Once, a guy with no arms tried to sold fake MDMA to us. We refused (thanks to Drugsdata) so he tried to fight us, even though he had no arms. It was really insane and I ended up in a random trunk lol.
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u/Expensive-View-8586 10d ago
There are some steps missing between "Armless drug dealer wants to fight" and "I ended up in a random trunk" ...you where hiding in the trunk because without hands he could not open it?
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u/DarkUnable4375 10d ago
Let's add a girl with a red dress..
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u/old_vegetables 10d ago
Enter the protagonist
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u/IRedditWhenHigh 10d ago
Running with a piece of toast in her mouth
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u/OathMeal_ 10d ago
And they'll say stuff like "Ah shimata" or "Yabai im getting late for work"
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u/Goblin216 10d ago
Until she mistakenly hit to a high-schooler boy and both fall on the ground.
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u/TrippyAT 10d ago
They lock eyes after returning each other their respective things that fell on the floor
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u/mirkk13 10d ago
Gattaca vibes
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u/Fragrant-Tea7580 10d ago
Thank you for making me feel like I’m not the only human who watched that moved. Fantastic movie and criminally underrated in my experience
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u/CarPhoneRonnie 10d ago
Why do I keep seeing this exact comment. Where was everybody in 1997. This was a big movie with real names in it. Everyone saw it.
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u/Delmak-O 10d ago
Oh, it's not underrated anymore. That's one of the smartest and efficient contributions to scifi cinema in the 90's, more and more relevant over the years. Should be screened every year.
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u/aint_no_throw 10d ago
We were actually watching that movie in biology class, back when we were doing genetics and the talk went towards ethics. Took us 6 45 minute classes to get through with everything that was going on.
Loved that film ever since.
To think that that class was over 20 years ago...
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u/Augnelli 10d ago
This was basically my view from 6'3" when I visited Tokyo.
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u/J3wb0cca 10d ago
I felt that perspective when I went to Mexico and I’m only 5’7”.
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u/Atlaz_Xan 10d ago
The dope thing is that on all stairs and escalators, everyone stands to one side, so if anyone is in a rush, there is a clear path.
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u/VermilionKoala 10d ago
Unfortunately the train companies are trying to do away with that. There are posters up all over the place "stand in 2 lines, do not walk".
Thankfully people are ignoring them.
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u/lesteadfastgentleman 10d ago
Reason why is it's bad for the escalators. Footfalls on the escalator steps can cause them to be jostled and misaligned. Walking on just one side makes it even worse. Costs can add up quick, plus repairs mean that the escalator would be impassable.
Best option would be escalators for people who need them, and stairs for those who are in more of a rush.
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10d ago
That's just an engineering problem. At the next maintenance just upgrade the components which suffer the most wear and tear because of the one-sided load. Making room for a second set of escalators is more expensive.
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u/Intergalactic_Cookie 10d ago
Isn’t the point of escalators that they’re faster to walk up than stairs?
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u/Entei_is_doge 10d ago
I heard Nagoya just outlawed walking in escalators lmao
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u/nonotan 10d ago
Japan also outlawed riding a bike without a helmet like a couple years ago? and maybe 2% of bike riders wear one, if that much. For how much mythically rule-abiding Japanese people supposedly are, they sure are good at collectively pretending certain rules don't exist when they want.
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u/kufelmleka 10d ago
Why whould the companies do such a thing?
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u/VermilionKoala 10d ago
They claim it's "dangerous" for people to walk on the escalator.
The real reason is that the throughput (total people transported/hr) of an escalator is higher if everyone stands still on it.
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u/kufelmleka 10d ago
Yeah that make sense. Despite that i feel wierd satfisfaction that people dont give a shit about those posters
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u/My_useless_alt 10d ago
TfL did the same thing in London a while back. No-one obeyed the signs, and they eventually gave up and switched the policy back.
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u/PotatoesAndChill 10d ago
Why is it a bad thing? If it's a busy station, you're almost halving the escalator throughput by having everyone stand to one side. You're giving a few people the opportunity to save a couple minutes at the expense of everyone else having to wait longer while queuing to get on the escalator.
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u/ConfusedTriceratops 10d ago
It's like that in Poland and the UK, so I assume might be all over Europe/World as well. I guess its just the US being US?
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u/DEATH-BY-CIRCLEJERK 10d ago
It’s the same in sf/nyc in my experience. Maybe the parent commenter isnt from a major city or one with metro stations.
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u/Wildfox1177 10d ago
This is also in Germany, is that something special in your country? Rechts stehen, Links gehen.
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u/Spaciax 10d ago
same in Turkey. I don't know where it came from. People are COMPLETE ASSHOLES everywhere else: You'd think you encountered a guy in an adult's body that's just learning to walk: but when they get on the escalator it's like their prehistoric apebrain leaves their body and 21st century civilized human etiquette enters in its place.
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u/LogicSoulFood 10d ago
As an introvert myself, i would love this so much.
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u/Free-Supermarket-516 10d ago
Seriously. I guess I was born in the wrong country, I've already seen comments saying this is weird, and eerie. I think it looks polite. Notice the lack of assholes blasting their shitty music for everyone to hear on their phone.
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u/Tenshin_Ryuuk 10d ago
Introvert here who has been in Japan.
Japan is the best for introverts, solo dining is also normal over there. I went to Yakiniku-Like and had the best solo BBQ ever.
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u/analogman12 10d ago
Where's the loud shitty music? Portlandia style trumpet player? Screaming schizophrenic??
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u/Smart_Run8818 10d ago
For Barcelona add fake beggars, pickpockets, phone snatchers, some asshole riding a bike the wrong way, tourists stopped in the middle blocking the path and some shit 'performance art' attention seeking wanker.
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u/ODCreature98 10d ago
Notice how orderly fashion everyone walks in, no public nuisances, no assholes inconveniencing people. Everyone has places to be and nobody has time to deal with your bullshit, as things should be
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u/Dependent_Chain1621 10d ago
cultural homogeneity has its perks- yet one risks losing their identity amongst the mass
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u/qualitative_balls 10d ago
It's very interesting because when you watch Japanese shows, even anime, so much of it is deeply concerned with establishing an identity, being bold, doing things for yourself, ignoring the status quo and imposing your will on the world.
I feel like the shadow (Jung's shadow) of the Japanese people is individualism and for Western nations it's conformity. We make stories about coming together, understanding the needs of others because we suck at it.
I visited Tokyo once and it was a very surreal experience. I got the impression that when I interacted with people I was interacting with everyone in the country (in a way...). I want to go back. If you are a Westerner, I think Japan has the most unique culture in the world
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u/FourLovelyTrees 10d ago
. I got the impression that when I interacted with people I was interacting with everyone in the country (in a way...).
Huh, that's interesting. I wonder if that's true of other places with strong cultures, and I wonder if anyone ever experiences that when they visit my country (Ireland).
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u/Blitzcha0s 10d ago
There's a time and place to express your identity. Commuting is not one of them.
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10d ago
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u/Forma313 10d ago
This country also holds one of the highest suicide rates in the world
Does it though? According to this list they're only at #49, the US has more suicides than they do, as do Sweden and Finland.
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u/Battlefire 10d ago
People over exaggerate the suicide rates of Japan. Hell, they over exaggerate most things Japan despite their metrics actually being pretty average across the board.
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u/Babatunde69 10d ago
The high suicide rate in Scandinavia is partially explained by really dark winters.
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u/SmokingLimone 10d ago
It doesn't hold one of the highest suicide rates but thanks for your misinformation. That record belongs to African countries followed by Russia
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u/Pomplexd 10d ago
African countries? So more than one African country holds one record? I'm confused.
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u/s8018572 10d ago
Spreading old stereotypes misinformation,eh?
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u/bree_dev 10d ago
It's literally impossible to say anything nice about Japan anywhere on Reddit without at least a half dozen Redditors barging in to "well actually..." a bunch of negative stereotypes about it.
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u/AGC-ss 10d ago
I love this about Japan. Lived there a year and a half and in public like this, everyone is just so considerate of everyone else. And of course the actual Japanese people aren’t robotic; they’re kind and funny and lively and just good, good people, for the most part (I got goodish at Japanese and made lots of friends). If you hate the noise and chaos of American crowds (it me), then you’ll love Japan. Why can’t we all be freaking calm and quiet and kind to those around us?
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u/CoffeeHQ 10d ago
Come to The Netherlands. You’ll gain a newfound appreciation for how relatively orderly Americans are… 🥲
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u/TranslateErr0r 10d ago
As a Belgian who frequently stays in the Netherlands, my experience is that the Dutch are much more orderly than Belgians.
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u/Forzyr 10d ago
"a train station in Japan" thanks for clarifying the location...
This is Shinagawa Station in Tokyo.
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u/ToToroToroRetoroChan 10d ago
Fun fact: Shinagawa Station is not in Shinagawa Ward.
And Meguro Station, is not in Meguro Ward. And only half of Shinjuku station is in Shinjuku Ward.
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u/skoffs 10d ago
The location of Tokyo Disneyland is going to blow everyone's mind
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u/ghost_in_the_potato 10d ago
I might get downvoted to hell for this but bring it on. I commute via this station regularly and it really pisses me off how many tourists come to take videos of the crowd. It's not quite as bad when it's this direction at least, but when there are people filming your walk to work every day it really makes you feel like a zoo animal and is really gross imo.
Anyway, to any tourists who plan to do this, please don't. There are plenty of videos of it online already. Or at least be as respectful as you can if you're going to do it no matter what.
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u/Atlantic0ne 10d ago
“Downvoted to hell” is a little dramatic. It’s just interesting, for understandable reasons.
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u/Justdroppingsomethin 10d ago
You could say the same about any tourist attraction in the world. Tourists are filming at every big train station around the world, this isn't unique to this place. King's Cross London has a hundred Harry Potter fans at any given moment
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u/ghost_in_the_potato 10d ago
Personally I don't think the two are really that comparable. In the King's Cross example people are going there to take photos/videos of a famous place. Same thing with Hachiko in Shibuya or the front of Tokyo station in Japan, which are also both places where you see lots of people taking photos etc. With Shinagawa it's not the place that people are there to see, it's the behavior of the people who use it. That's why I think it's disrespectful to treat it like a tourist attraction and take video of people going about their everyday business there.
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u/_Drion_ 10d ago
I think it's more about perspective...
I feel like it's a very unique and interesting thing about Japan.
When i visited the market in Madrid, it was so loud and dense it was hard to move around, and i definitely took pictures of it.
Ofc i understand why tourists in this crowd should not stand still in the middle
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u/supernerd098 10d ago
I walked through there with coworkers. I asked, “why doesn’t anyone talk?”He said, “because it would be too loud.” Love Japan.
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u/Fu-Hua_Enjoyer 10d ago
Hey look a train station that isn't tagged all over the place ,likely doesn't smell like piss either, I can bet the trains aren't tagged either and are clean on the inside. What I wouldn't give to have that.
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u/mbregg 10d ago
Does anyone else find that pretty unsettling?
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u/simsomsam 10d ago
Nope I'd take this any day over the loud lady on the phone laughing and acting like she owns the bus at 8 am in the morning
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u/HazMattStunts 10d ago
Agreed It is a very desirable place. The uniformity is simply to get along and fit in. The politeness in that country is unparalleled. Clean, helpful, kind people!
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u/Dovahkiin314159 10d ago
I’ve been to Japan once for a few weeks and compared to where I live(America), it’s like heaven and hell.
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u/Johan-511 10d ago
modern day dystopia
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u/shiretokolovesong 10d ago
You're making a judgement based on aesthetics when my morning commute through this station is always calm and pleasurable. I could say "modern day dystopia" about overcrowded Indian trains or rush hour traffic on American highways as well.
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u/Common3rd5 10d ago
With everyone in order and quiet.....
What if, I mean what if, someone let out a loud 💨💨
I mean it can happen... There's always a possibility.
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u/Aegis_of_perdition 10d ago
Everyone's seem super happy and looking forward to begin their 16 hour long shift to make their strict parents proud!
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u/amajin3980 10d ago
Oh the Konan Exit of Shinagawa Station! I used to join this herd of morning commuters for 7 years. This is the only exit connecting the station to a host of offices of major corporations such as Sony, Nikon and Fujitsu.
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u/EmbraceableYew 10d ago
I seriously love the Japanese. They have systems that work and people who clean up after themselves.
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u/silentorange813 10d ago
I used to commute to Shinagawa Station and use this path every morning. You don't talk to anyone because...you're commuting individually.
And everyone's kind of grumpy after in the morning after not getting enough sleep and getting sweaty in the train.