Job Discussion Forums

[Ozesl]

What times are the rush hours in Japan in the morning and evening?
What advice do you have to handle it?
I hear that the trains are so packed that you can't move. How do you get out?
Any women who have used the trains/subways and been groped?

[Glenski]

Haven't had to deal with rush hour in so long, I can't give you the hours, but other advice goes as follows.

Winter: Be prepared to sweat, as they turn on heaters in trains and subways way up, and coupled with being packed in like sardines, you will bake.

Summer: See winter.

As for being crammed, expect to be herded in like cattle, flowing with masses of people that may even get pushed on by the train staff. Don't overreact! If at all possible, take small steps and try to stand somewhere comfortable or near the door if you are getting off soon.

Get off if you are near the door and it stops, just so others can disembark. Or just get the hell out of the way somehow.

If you want to get out, state in a firm but polite voice, "sumimasen!" and then move sideways as best you can. There's really no other way.

DON'T board with backpacks mounted on your shoulders!

If you are a woman and have been groped, it's your decision to do something about it. More and more women are doing so these days. The more common route AFAIK is to grab the offender (called "chikan") by the wrist, announce "chikan", and haul him off the train to the nearest official. Like I said, it's your call. Expect him to deny it, of course, but persist if you want something done about it.

[BobbyBan]

Rush hours are probably roughly the same as anywhere else, 7-9 in the morning and then around 5-9 in the evenings.

Most trains have women-only carriages that operate on weekdays around these times.

[mimimimi]

I backtrack to the previous station where I'm far more likely to get a spot next to the door so it's easier for me to disembark during morning rush hour. It's not easy to push your way through when you're small and wearing heels.

Not all train lines have women-only cars. I've only ever seen them in Tokyo.

[Glenski]

[steki47]

[BobbyBan]

[lisa111082]

I've never been groped on the train, but I was in a major shopping district, outside, broad daylight. You know how you do that side step thing when someone walks toward you, where both of you try to get out of the other's way so you can get by? Dude was doing that, except moving with me. Then he suddenly punched me in the right breast and ran away. So it happens anywhere, not just trains.