Volume 14　東京の電車って快適！


Manners on Trains

Ann: One other thing that I notice being on the trains - I especially noticed this when I first came to Japan - is that, you know, as you say, the trains can get very crowded, and at the same time you have privacy and that's very interesting to me. Because, so, for example, if I'm sitting down, and I often read on the train, and I'm reading a book, the person next to me isn't looking at my book. 
 Whereas, if you, when you go on the train in the States, invariably, you know, I'll sit down, I'll take out my book and someone either will be reading over my shoulder at what I'm reading, or they'll say, "Oh, how's your book?" You know, and they strike up a conversation. Whereas that almost never will happen here, and so you have a d-a kind of privacy here that I enjoy. 

Michael: I guess that is nice. Although to be honest I kind of miss that interaction that you can get with strangers in the U.K. Not just in trains, but in general people are more willing to strike up a conversation with a stranger.

Ann: That's certainly true.

Michael: And you say you don't drive in Tokyo.

Ann: Right.

Michael: Uh, but you have a license?

Ann: Yeah. Yeah, I've driven many, many, many miles. Ha-ha.

Michael: Right. In fact, I never learned to drive until three years ago.

Ann: Oh really?

Michael: Yes. 

Ann: You learned here?

Michael: I learned here. I found I needed to here because I have a family and it is convenient to get out of the city with a family, if you have a car. It gives you that just extra bit of flexibility, which I like.

Ann: Yeah. And what about manners on trains? Do you find, the, anything you've noticed about that?

Michael: For the most part I find people are pretty well-mannered on trains. Of course, you get the occasional, um, usually younger person with their headphones blaring a little bit. And I must confess one time it irritated me so much I actually pulled his headphones out of his little Walkman player.

Ann: Oh, ha-ha.

Michael: Ha-ha, which I think everybody around me actually was quite happy about. Well I'm gonna be extra careful on the way home today on the train to make sure that I don't have my music too loud and that if I see someone who needs the seat, like an older person, a person with any kind of injury say a broken leg, or somebody who's pregnant . . .

Ann: Pregnant.

Michael: Don't forget, give up your seat. They need it.

Ann: That's right. Don't look the other way. That's what I always see: people look the other way as if they don't see.

Michael: That's right.

Ann: Yeah, that's right.

Michael: OK. So be good and we will catch up with you next month.

Ann: Bye.

Michael: Take care, bye-bye.