deadhippo
February 2nd, 2007, 08:52 AM
I have been living in Japan for quite a while now but I have been living in a cocoon of sorts. I live in Yokohama and my schedule means that I never need to get the rush hour train and I live on a local station so I rarely even take an express train.
Recently though I changed my job and it means I have to go to Tokyo almost everyday. Luckily though my schedule is not typical and I can miss most of the rush. For training though I had to go during rush-hour for 3 days. From my train in Yokohama I was able to witness the men in white gloves pushing people on to the train. It was not my first time to see this but it was still a shocking display. There was one man left, half on, half off the train who was determined to use that particular train. Most of the other doors had already closed but his door could not as he was obstucting it.
Anyway the station attendants, the subway pushers, the train packers or whatever you want to call them went to work earning their pay by manhandling the remainder of this man onto the train. First they pushed the top half of his body in but the more they pushed that in the more his legs came out.
More pusher-squashers were needed. One man concentrated on the head while two others quickly calculated the necessary actions. The head went in and the top part of the doors closed at an angle. Now all that was left were his legs and the lower part of his torso. The two calculators went to work. One pushed at the ankles and the other the feet. Success and 20 seconds later the train was on its way.
Bon Voyage.
Recently though I changed my job and it means I have to go to Tokyo almost everyday. Luckily though my schedule is not typical and I can miss most of the rush. For training though I had to go during rush-hour for 3 days. From my train in Yokohama I was able to witness the men in white gloves pushing people on to the train. It was not my first time to see this but it was still a shocking display. There was one man left, half on, half off the train who was determined to use that particular train. Most of the other doors had already closed but his door could not as he was obstucting it.
Anyway the station attendants, the subway pushers, the train packers or whatever you want to call them went to work earning their pay by manhandling the remainder of this man onto the train. First they pushed the top half of his body in but the more they pushed that in the more his legs came out.
More pusher-squashers were needed. One man concentrated on the head while two others quickly calculated the necessary actions. The head went in and the top part of the doors closed at an angle. Now all that was left were his legs and the lower part of his torso. The two calculators went to work. One pushed at the ankles and the other the feet. Success and 20 seconds later the train was on its way.
Bon Voyage.