Ever since I was a kid, I’ve wanted to go to Japan. After traveling to many places, I don’t know why I didn’t make a trip out here sooner. If you don’t speak Japanese, have no fear; there are plenty of people who are proficient enough to understand most of what you’re saying, and you’d be surprised at how many people are willing to help you. For the most part, everyone just minds their own business. Even in the busiest train stations, one can just stand and watch thousands upon thousands of commuters whisk by without saying a word. When you approach someone with a question, however, they are very friendly.
Don’t Debate, Just Escalate
The first thing you will notice is the escalator protocol — or, at least that’s what I call it. Escalators are fairly narrow, but wide enough for two people. In Tokyo, if you simply want to ride the escalator (instead of walking while on it), the protocol is to stand on the left side. The right side is the fast lane for those who want to get off faster. If you’re on the right side and someone is behind you, don’t be surprised if you feel a firm — yet polite — nudge that urges you to step aside. As you travel from city to city, take notice of the local protocol. In Osaka, I found the fast lane to be on the left in some areas. Just watch what people are doing before you board the escalators.
Go with the Flow
As I mentioned earlier, there are a lot of commuters in Japan. Some stations in Tokyo see millions of commuters each day. If you’re a foreigner and visiting for the first time, you will most certainly find yourself trying to avoid the crowd. Pay attention to the traffic flow and just go with it. There are a lot of pathways that are marked for traffic in a certain direction, so don’t go down a stairway if it’s marked for traffic going up, unless the station isn’t busy at the time. The most important thing is to just go with the flow instead of trying to avoid bumping into someone. If you bump into someone (and believe me you will), just quickly acknowledge it (i.e., apologize as fast as you can) and move on. If someone bumps into you, don’t even bother waiting for an apology. The worst thing you can do is stop, because you’ll cause a traffic jam for sure. If you need to stop, test your Frogger skills to find the nearest wall and prepare to hug it for a while.
In my next post I will share some tips for traveling on the trains. 🙂
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