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The Psychology of Japanese Train Stations

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Re: The Psychology of Japanese Train Stations

#71

Post by maxsilver »

dorfsmay wrote: post #67
11thEarlOfMar wrote: post #40

In my first experience with trains in Japan, I had to take a jaunt that included a leg from Nagoya to Matsusaka. The train ride was about 90 minutes, and I was anxious about knowing which station to exit. I anticipated that the signage would all be in Japanese. So I asked the station attendant in Nagoya how I'd know when to get off. He looked at my ticket and said, "The train will stop at 1:11PM. You get off." The tr…

I don't understand, isn't that how trains work everywhere? Otherwise how are the people in the next city supposed to know when they need to be there to board that train?

> isn't that how trains work everywhere?

I live in Midwest USA, and trains and busses here are routinely off schedule. More than say 60% of the time, it will be 5 to 15+ minutes late, and you'll be forced to waste that time just waiting for arrival/transfer. Also, occasionally buses arrive and depart a little bit early, so you can't just arrive on time and be safe either, you have to plan on being at least 10 minutes early to be safe.

If a scheduled departure time is 1:10PM, then a weekly list of actual departure times in the US might often look like : (Monday, 1:15PM, Tuesday, 1:18PM, Wednesday, 1:04PM, Thursday 1:22PM, Friday, 1:11PM, more or less at random). There's no reliable way to plan ahead for that, so realistically you just have to always be 10 minutes early, and expect to wait through to 20+ minutes late, just in case.

This also repeats for every single transfer you might have to make... and most trips require at least one transfer...

Re: The Psychology of Japanese Train Stations

#72

Post by toomanybeersies »

dorfsmay wrote: post #67
11thEarlOfMar wrote: post #40

In my first experience with trains in Japan, I had to take a jaunt that included a leg from Nagoya to Matsusaka. The train ride was about 90 minutes, and I was anxious about knowing which station to exit. I anticipated that the signage would all be in Japanese. So I asked the station attendant in Nagoya how I'd know when to get off. He looked at my ticket and said, "The train will stop at 1:11PM. You get off." The tr…

I don't understand, isn't that how trains work everywhere? Otherwise how are the people in the next city supposed to know when they need to be there to board that train?

Well, the train says it arrives at 1:11, which means that it will be there at some time past 1:11, because it will inevitably be late, caused by breakdowns or track maintenance or the weather (in Australia, if it gets too hot, the trains have to slow down).

Re: The Psychology of Japanese Train Stations

#73

Post by MarkSweep »

kalleboo wrote: post #8
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'm visiting London right now, and compared to here, Tokyo train stations are amazing for signage. There are always super clear, easy to spot signage for where transfers & exits are, what exits they are and what landmarks they lead to, where elevators or escalators are, etc. Electric signs starting at the entrances (before the gates even) for what trains are arriving at what platforms and when. In London navigational…

The multitude of train companies is further complicated that some companies have through service on each other tracks. Do you will be waiting on a Toei Asakusa Line plateform when a train from the KeiKyuu company shows up. The map inside the train does not have the station you just departed from on it much lest your destination. Good luck!

I enjoy figuring out how their system works so it does not bother me. But I tell people who go there for the first time to stick with JR and maybe Tokyo Metro, as the lines a tourist would typically use have simple schedules and all the stops are color-coded and numbered.

Re: The Psychology of Japanese Train Stations

#74

Post by SlowRobotAhead »

bigger_cheese wrote: post #63
kalleboo wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm visiting London right now, and compared to here, Tokyo train stations are amazing for signage. There are always super clear, easy to spot signage for where transfers & exits are, what exits they are and what landmarks they lead to, where elevators or escalators are, etc. Electric signs starting at the entrances (before the gates even) for what trains are arriving at what platforms and when. In London navigational…

I agree I thought subway in Singapore was amazing last time I visited. What I really liked was the way the carriage always stopped at the same fixed point on platform and they had designated areas for people to stand when embarking. It made the whole process of getting on and off the train much more organised. Here in Australia trains are no where near that disciplined about where on platform they stop. Carriage door…

Singapore was great for subway. As to the stops at a particular spot, lots of the Asian trains do that, USA and others not so much, we noticed it too.

Re: The Psychology of Japanese Train Stations

#75

Post by SlowRobotAhead »

jessaustin wrote: post #45
kalleboo wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm visiting London right now, and compared to here, Tokyo train stations are amazing for signage. There are always super clear, easy to spot signage for where transfers & exits are, what exits they are and what landmarks they lead to, where elevators or escalators are, etc. Electric signs starting at the entrances (before the gates even) for what trains are arriving at what platforms and when. In London navigational…

It sucks that Japan is mostly a cash society... There are a range of opinions on this topic. I vastly prefer cash no matter what nation I'm in, and am extremely annoyed when it's not a possibility. Japan and its cash just works. Most situations in other nations that do not admit cash pretend that they function acceptably, but we don't have to look hard to see cracks in the facade.

No thanks. I did not find it convienient having US, Malaysian, Singapore, and Japanese coins in my pocket. I like having a single card that has an always current exchange rate with no fees, and in fact pays back 1.5%.

Re: The Psychology of Japanese Train Stations

#76

Post by rayiner »

dorfsmay wrote: post #67
11thEarlOfMar wrote: post #40

In my first experience with trains in Japan, I had to take a jaunt that included a leg from Nagoya to Matsusaka. The train ride was about 90 minutes, and I was anxious about knowing which station to exit. I anticipated that the signage would all be in Japanese. So I asked the station attendant in Nagoya how I'd know when to get off. He looked at my ticket and said, "The train will stop at 1:11PM. You get off." The tr…

I don't understand, isn't that how trains work everywhere? Otherwise how are the people in the next city supposed to know when they need to be there to board that train?

I mean there is a time posted, and it won’t leave earlier than that, but it may leave a lot later. Here is the delay distribution for the train I would take to work if it wasn’t so late: https://juckins.net/amtrak_status/archive/html/history.php?t...

Re: The Psychology of Japanese Train Stations

#77

Post by rayiner »

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!)"...?

This is great we need those everywhere.

Re: The Psychology of Japanese Train Stations

#78

Post by BigJono »

toomanybeersies wrote: post #72
dorfsmay wrote: post #67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't understand, isn't that how trains work everywhere? Otherwise how are the people in the next city supposed to know when they need to be there to board that train?

Well, the train says it arrives at 1:11, which means that it will be there at some time past 1:11, because it will inevitably be late, caused by breakdowns or track maintenance or the weather (in Australia, if it gets too hot, the trains have to slow down).

In Melbourne at least it seems like the system is run exactly at capacity. If one train has to stop at a platform for 3 minutes extra because of a signal fault or a sick passenger, every train on that line (and probably 2 other lines) for the next 3 hours is critically fucked.

It seems like there's no leeway in the timetables to make up lost time, and no extra trains parked in the outer suburbs (morning) or CBD (afternoon) to make up services.

Re: The Psychology of Japanese Train Stations

#79

Post by lhorie »

dorfsmay wrote: post #67
11thEarlOfMar wrote: post #40

In my first experience with trains in Japan, I had to take a jaunt that included a leg from Nagoya to Matsusaka. The train ride was about 90 minutes, and I was anxious about knowing which station to exit. I anticipated that the signage would all be in Japanese. So I asked the station attendant in Nagoya how I'd know when to get off. He looked at my ticket and said, "The train will stop at 1:11PM. You get off." The tr…

I don't understand, isn't that how trains work everywhere? Otherwise how are the people in the next city supposed to know when they need to be there to board that train?

When people in japan says "the train will be there 1:11PM", they mean, "it'll be there 1:11:00PM sharp, not 1:10PM, not 1:12PM".

Re: The Psychology of Japanese Train Stations

#80

Post by tpurves »

11thEarlOfMar wrote: post #40

In my first experience with trains in Japan, I had to take a jaunt that included a leg from Nagoya to Matsusaka. The train ride was about 90 minutes, and I was anxious about knowing which station to exit. I anticipated that the signage would all be in Japanese. So I asked the station attendant in Nagoya how I'd know when to get off. He looked at my ticket and said, "The train will stop at 1:11PM. You get off." The tr…

Yes! When I first visited japan I used the same method. Every train trip, all I had to do was look at my ticket for the arival time, and look at the clock and, to the minute, it never failed to help me get me off at the right stop.
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