The Rush Hour

After having been in Japan for nearly two weeks, today was the first day of school. The first day of school meant that it was also the first experience with true rush hour traffic on public transportation. It was my first experience and it was as hectic as I've always heard it was.

I knew there would be a lot of commuters, but I didn't realize the scope of the train ride until I was at the station closest to my apartment. At 7:55 am, there were dozens of commuters lining up for two entrances for one train car out of twelve. The train pulled in and it looked like it was already full. However, it was not full enough.

Let's get some perspective:
This is a picture I snapped during a normal evening busy period. I don't like to take photos on the train because it just seems rude to take pictures of tired commuters. In any case, there are a lot of people, but there's plenty of elbow room.

The main difference between this rush and regular rush hour traffic is that I cannot move my arms to grab my camera during rush hour.

As each station is passed, more commuters arrive to pack the train cars. If there is no room to move, too bad because a dozen more commuters need to get into the door. Can you still move your arms? Better get them comfortable because seven more people need to fit into three square feet of space and you are about to lose that luxury.

It was a see of black hair all around me and that made me one of the lucky ones knowing that my head stuck out above the mass of bodies. At one point I look over my shoulder and I see this Japanese woman whose eye level was at the chests of all the men in business suits around her, clutching her bag and listening to the disembodied voice announcing the upcoming station since she could not see the signs which display that information. There was no privacy and no comfort in the close quarters. It isn't a short trip trip either since my own commute has me on the trains for 45 minutes before general walking time.

I will be dealing with this everyday I go to school. What fun it is to live in one of the most densely populated cities in the world?