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| Platform Pancakes... | (Entered Sep. 05, 2007) | When in Tokyo... | |||||||
While most people in the West are content to toss their cookies in the privacy of their own home, here in Japan, the trains and train stations have somehow become the designated area for this pastime. Ride the last train pretty much any evening, and you're bound to see some stumbling drunk salaryman making a valiant effort to get home before passing out completely. If you yourself are also drunk, you'll need all your wits about you to avoid stepping in some stomach graffiti on the platform, unless you're the one making it of course. Worry not though, for it'll all be whisked away with nary a complaint by the train station employees in time for rush hour tomorrow morning.
Public drunkeness is something of an institution here in Japan, the only time you're allowed to take off your shell of dignity and politeness, with the trains being the main stage in the dramas that unfold. I once saw a guy in a deep drunken sleep, suddenly erupt and cover himself, the floor, as well as the people beside him in what looked to be his last ten meals without even waking up. This being Japan, no one as much as raised their voice, not even the people who got decorated. There was a mad rush for the exits though. What no pictures? Hey this site does have some standards.
Whatever the story, it's probably a good idea to watch where you step, or sit, when taking the trains home late in the evening. If a person of dubious condition should sit down beside you, you might be well advised to find another seat, or clear the area. Rely on signs like green complexions, groaning, mumbling incoherently and your general intuition. Passing out on the train floor is also a pretty good indication of worse to come.
Sometimes the combination of busy trains, rush hour and drunkenness can have tragic results. Getting a seat on a train in Tokyo is considered a rare event so you'll often see people racing each other towards the nearest seat as soon as the doors open. However every once in a while, the seats are left vacant for a reason. One fateful day, I witnessed this young, fashionably dressed guy get on the train, spy a bunch of empty seats, and make a beeline for them. Before anyone could so much as open their mouths to warn him, he sat down directly in the leftovers of some inconsiderate drunkard. To make things worse he actually sat there for a few minutes before he noticed what was beneath him. By that time though, the people nearby were either too horrified or embarrased to lend any assistance. Just another night on the trains in Tokyo....
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Harajuku to Tokyo, Park Photowalk |
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