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The Psychology of Japanese Train Stations

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Re: The Psychology of Japanese Train Stations

#21

Post by jlg23 »

SlowRobotAhead wrote: post #5

Anecdote time... Tokyo train stations kinda suck. Coming from a few weeks in Malaysia and Singapore, it was interesting to see just how little and how poorly translated English is there. (They speak Japanese and not English, but lets be honest about it being the lingua franca) It was VERY DIFFICULT to figure out how their train colors worked, how Orange gets to Blue (it's a connect, but a couple blocks away). That Gi…

I have never been to Japan myself but those of my friends who were all had nothing but praise for the train system.

WRT the lack of English: In most parts of of South America you won't find anyone who speaks English. Same for North Africa. One can be annoyed or just see the humourous aspects and put the car into the "car parking park" (seen in Morocco) before having a "vegetarian in bread" (seen in Berlin). ;)

Re: The Psychology of Japanese Train Stations

#22

Post by jdtang13 »

JoeDaDude wrote: post #18

More on the shisa kanko Point-and-Call system here: https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/pointing-and-calling-j... I've heard of people doing similar things with small children for safety reasons, things such as point both ways before crossing, and the old "fingers on noses before the door closes" for car doors.

This is such an awesome system. It completely makes sense that your mindfulness will increase when you integrate your full body with a task, using your eyesight, gestures, and voice.

It's quite similar to jotting down notes using pen-and-pencil and enunciating the object of study in order to remember it well. It is even similar to prayer and meditation, where incense and singing increases your own awareness.

Re: The Psychology of Japanese Train Stations

#23

Post by contingencies »

I've been through mass transit systems in at least fifteen countries by this point. Japan (Osaka) didn't leave a huge impression, as plenty of countries in Asia have similar systems. Yesterday I caught the first inter-city mass transit in China from Guangzhou to Foshan, part of the aggressive infrastructural beginnings of the Pearl River Delta (PRD) megacity.

The two cities' systems were evidently conceived and funded independently, with an interconnecting station design that terminates both systems in a big mess. Hauling a kid and luggage we first had to climb two huge flights of stairs (no lift), go through a stupid ineffective security screening, interface with a horrific UI to buy tickets, walk a substantial distance, descend, negotiate more stairs, walk a substantial distance again, and finally stand on a squashed platform. I did note they had anti-suicide barriers, but the lack of space made them more like anti-accident barriers. (Shanghai by contrast has full height doors on the platforms.)

The actual metro ride was very pleasant and fast however and despite a crowded train (it was evening rush hour) and some ill passengers nearby we managed to emerge unscathed. Total cost from Guangzhou to Foshan: 6元 (about USD$1).

IIRC I think John Young of cryptome published or shared something years ago on "the architecture of control" specifically discussing the physical environment of train stations. I remember it changed my perceptions of train stations even in the comparatively vacuous venue of Sydney's system. I just had a search but unfortunately couldn't find it.

Re: The Psychology of Japanese Train Stations

#24

Post by contingencies »

fein wrote: post #17
pwaivers wrote: post #15

I was really hoping for more examples of crowd management and station design. This article only has a few examples, and none of them really explained why Japanese trains are so efficient.

The likely answer is that the Japanese are an efficient people in general. It's not surprising that a group of people following the same social norms would have an efficient system for public transport.

Americans would first build a three level carpark and gas station, then a strip mall with a drug store, take-away coffee and donuts. Then they would privatize the publicly funded station, at which time the service quality would tank and the entire facility would fall in to a state of minimum repair. Or something like that.

Re: The Psychology of Japanese Train Stations

#25

Post by rangibaby »

__david__ wrote: post #19

I was very surprised to recognize one of the train-leaving jingles: https://youtu.be/470_2wt2t1o?t=41 Took me a second but I realized it was the same music that the old Mr. Do arcade machine (from 1982) plays when you get an extra man: https://youtu.be/5_BBQWed8Vk?t=434 So is this jingle an homage to the game, or did the game lift the melody from somewhere else?

It’s the theme song from Astro Boy https://youtu.be/KGq6z1mEU9Q

Re: The Psychology of Japanese Train Stations

#26

Post by lhorie »

themodelplumber wrote: post #12
lainga wrote: post #2

>Rail stations, whether in Japan or elsewhere, are also great places to see “nudge theory” at work. Gentle nudges, like ultrasonic deterrents to keep teenagers away with "a look of confusion or discomfort, and often a cry of urusai! (Loud!)"...?

I remember riding on a train in Japan when some schoolgirls sitting across from me were just chatting in an excited way...nothing that seemed out of place, but man did they get it. Things seemed fine to me, especially on a hot summer day in an uncrowded train with the windows down (plenty of atmospheric noise). All of a sudden a conductor (not sure if you call him that, he was in the back end of the car) popped out o…

> All I could think was that he put on that intervention for us few foreigners

Nah. In Japanese culture, it's simply considered rude to be loud in trains.

Re: The Psychology of Japanese Train Stations

#27

Post by stcredzero »

themodelplumber wrote: post #12
lainga wrote: post #2

>Rail stations, whether in Japan or elsewhere, are also great places to see “nudge theory” at work. Gentle nudges, like ultrasonic deterrents to keep teenagers away with "a look of confusion or discomfort, and often a cry of urusai! (Loud!)"...?

I remember riding on a train in Japan when some schoolgirls sitting across from me were just chatting in an excited way...nothing that seemed out of place, but man did they get it. Things seemed fine to me, especially on a hot summer day in an uncrowded train with the windows down (plenty of atmospheric noise). All of a sudden a conductor (not sure if you call him that, he was in the back end of the car) popped out o…

That just sounds like an Asian in parental mode to me. Sounds just like my mom or dad when they've had enough. (Seriously, there was always a part of me thinking, "Why does Mom/Dad sound like they're in a Samurai drama?" I'm not even Japanese!)

Re: The Psychology of Japanese Train Stations

#28

Post by nlawalker »

SlowRobotAhead wrote: post #5

Anecdote time... Tokyo train stations kinda suck. Coming from a few weeks in Malaysia and Singapore, it was interesting to see just how little and how poorly translated English is there. (They speak Japanese and not English, but lets be honest about it being the lingua franca) It was VERY DIFFICULT to figure out how their train colors worked, how Orange gets to Blue (it's a connect, but a couple blocks away). That Gi…

Just another anecdote alongside the others. Maybe I got lucky but I found the amount of written and spoken English in Japan, especially in the metropolitan areas, to be perfectly adequate.

As for actually getting around, it's just a matter of having the right tools. I'm mostly sharing this for the benefit of anyone thinking of going to Japan.

- The landscape of transit cards is confusing, and while many of them are still accepted in various places, the existence of such a wide variety is mostly a legacy thing as far as I could tell. I had a Suica card and it worked virtually everywhere I went in Japan, though I didn't venture off the beaten path.

- The Japan Rail Pass, while not having any functional use, did make things cheaper.

- A rented wifi hotspot is an absolute no-brainer. If you travel to Japan, just get one. You can pick it up at the post office in the airport and drop it back at the same place in a prepaid envelope when you depart.

- The Hyperdia smartphone app is fantasic. You can pretty much get yourself between any two points in Japan with it, and once you've used it a couple times and understand some of the icons it's easy to tell when you need a separate pass or need to walk between platforms or nearby stations.

Re: The Psychology of Japanese Train Stations

#29

Post by hkmurakami »

themodelplumber wrote: post #12
lainga wrote: post #2

>Rail stations, whether in Japan or elsewhere, are also great places to see “nudge theory” at work. Gentle nudges, like ultrasonic deterrents to keep teenagers away with "a look of confusion or discomfort, and often a cry of urusai! (Loud!)"...?

I remember riding on a train in Japan when some schoolgirls sitting across from me were just chatting in an excited way...nothing that seemed out of place, but man did they get it. Things seemed fine to me, especially on a hot summer day in an uncrowded train with the windows down (plenty of atmospheric noise). All of a sudden a conductor (not sure if you call him that, he was in the back end of the car) popped out o…

Was this outside of a major metro area? The tone and conjugation of the word is surprising.

Re: The Psychology of Japanese Train Stations

#30

Post by fein »

contingencies wrote: post #24
fein wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The likely answer is that the Japanese are an efficient people in general. It's not surprising that a group of people following the same social norms would have an efficient system for public transport.

Americans would first build a three level carpark and gas station, then a strip mall with a drug store, take-away coffee and donuts. Then they would privatize the publicly funded station, at which time the service quality would tank and the entire facility would fall in to a state of minimum repair. Or something like that.

Are we using reality here or whatever lives in your head?

American public transit is public (government owned and run) and it still sucks.

Additionally Japan, just like any other country, is going to build concessions and parking into/ around anything that draws enough people to merit an investment.

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