Word: metros
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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With extremely limited facility in Japanese, I am also generally at a loss to understand advertisements. An occasional English word accompanied by a photo tends to indicate that cell phone providers and green tea producers frequent the walls of the Tokyo metro. Posters supporting the Tokyo 2016 Olympic bid have been a recent addition...
There are many practices unique to the Tokyo Metro. Trains are generally stuffed to bursting, yet at every stop people manage to push their way onto the train as those around them bang into each other like bowling pins with no space to tumble. Talking on a cell phone is strongly discouraged, however texting tends to be the favorite activity of most of the train riders. Tokyo commuters have also developed an uncanny ability to sleep standing up, somehow waking up just when the train reaches their station...
Perhaps the most amusing time to take the metro is very early on weekend mornings from Roppongi or Shibuya. These areas, generally known for their nightclubs, tend to produce an exhausted group of dressed up young people who close the clubs in the morning and then fall asleep on the platforms while waiting for the trains...
Striking up conversations is not something I have observed to be a common practice on the Tokyo metro, but occasionally I find myself making friends. Sometimes kind people will stop to offer me directions when they notice me standing still and staring at signs. A college student woke me up one morning to make sure that I did not miss my stop. And a trendy man once inquired if I might be able to help him fix the buckle on his cowboy boot...
Although tourist attractions may have their merit, I have found commuting to be an indispensable experience. It is an activity that on the surface may seem mundane but continues to present new surprises. The Tokyo metro has given me an expansive look into the life of Tokyoites, and I never cease to be intrigued...