Tokyo has an excellent public transportation system, covered both by trains and subway. The trains are almost always on time, but for the occasional earthquake or poison gas attack. It seems that the most common delay is caused by suicides, with eastern Japan alone experiencing 228 train suicides in 1998. Though very clean and orderly, there are two things to worry about. If the train is crowded and you are a female, watch out for men who get their thrills by surreptitiously rubbing against you or touching you. And if you are a drunken salaryman, make sure you don't fall on the tracks. Four policemen were recently involved in a serious incident on the Tokyo railway. After a long day of duty, they relaxed with the usual drink and food session and boarded the train to go back to their barracks. Upon exiting, they realized they were heading the wrong way and turned around on the platform to go to the other exit. Unfortunately, they stumbled a bit too much and two of them fell onto the tracks. Their colleagues jumped after them to save them. The final toll: two dead and two seriously injured. This woman here seems to be in no danger from the perverts tonight, but she may appear to be drunk and ripe for a stumbling accident. However, she probably isn't drunk but just engaging in the regular custom of pretending to be asleep. It seems that no matter how short one's journey is on the train in Tokyo, or how much sleep one got last night, the trains are always full of slumberous, restive souls. |
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Copyright © 1999 by Ed Kaspar |