Travel

After four months of hard slog since the New Year break, most Japanese can now kick back and enjoy the current Golden Week holidays. A rather aptly named spot of time off, as prices for flights and hotels double at the very least, shamelessly shafting the millions of people trying to make the most of this short vacation.

Still, why worry about money when the chance of a stress-relieving holiday presents itself? Yet whilst getting away from it all is arguably more important than financial concerns, it’s a pity that the actual getting away part is such a hassle.

Certainly doing battle at the airport is not for the faint-hearted.

There again, a journey on a shinkansen may be even worse, seat occupancy ranging from a decidedly uncomfortable 130%, to a quite frankly bloody awful 180%. Statistics that mean sights like the one below will be reserved solely for those who manage to push and prod their way on to the carriage first.

Yet being crammed and crushed on a train for several hours may well be preferable to traveling by car, with several routes out of Tokyo inflicting over 50-kilometre traffic jams on heroic holidaymakers yesterday.

That said, when they all eventually reach their destinations, it’ll at last be rest and relaxation time. A few days to idle away with the masses of other want-away workers and holiday-starved sightseers…

Despite suffering often long and stressful journeys, Japan’s hordes of commuters (furtive fiddlers aside) aren’t exactly the most imaginative bunch. Well, not according to a nationwide survey that has been kindly translated by the always informative What Japan Thinks.

The study of 5,625 train travelers — which admittedly allowed multiple answers — found that a staggering 69.6% of commuters spend their journey sleeping. Both surprising and something of a feat considering that bagging a seat is generally a novelty; an occurrence to fondly remember on the majority of other, less fortunate treks.

a rare, conscious commuter this morning

After sleeping, the second most popular pastime it seems is sending text messages. A practice that between naps a hefty 64.1% of train riders indulge in, quite possibly mailing other, similarly soporific slumberers.

Yet it’s only when we arrive at the third most regular routine that the word ‘unimaginative’ really rings true. Perhaps it’s the reason why people end up sleeping so much, but a whopping 62.2% of those questioned while away the hours by, erm, reading in-train advertisements. Now maybe I’ve got an attention span disorder, or my inquisitiveness in regards to cleaning products and diarrhea tablets is sadly lacking, but there has to be a more productive way of spending hour after hour, day after day, doesn’t there?

some riveting reading yesterday

Apparently not it would seem, as sneaking in just behind playing mobile phone games is the mind-boggling dull commuting custom of ‘chewing gum and sucking sweets’. Those advertised on the train perchance? Either way, a hefty 44.9% of entertainment-starved travelers indulge in such sugar-based banality, monotonously masticating themselves silly.

a packet of gum last week

Now admittedly the list does include the rather more worthwhile habits of reading, listening to music, and even conversing with other commuters, but I’ve conveniently omitted them, as they have no amusement value whatsoever. Unlike ‘doing nothing’, which a rather worrying 14.9% of commuters do — or indeed don’t do — everyday.

And finally there’s the 0.4% of people who do ‘other’ things, which quite possibly brings us back to furtive fiddling again…

The treatment of dogs in Japan is becomingly increasingly bizarre, with canine clothes now practically compulsory — the spoilt little mutts boasting bigger wardrobes than most men. Plus as well as sporting designer goods, they are partial to the odd drop of ‘wine’. A few even getting married.

With this in mind, it should come as no surprise that the Kyushu Railway Company has come under scrutiny for its treatment of animals. Specifically the baggage tickets issued for commuting canines and cats.

In the past, this system of ‘personal baggage’ worked well, however recently these tickets have started to irritate picky pet owners, with the word ‘awful’ (amongst other things) being used to describe them. So in a bid to stop this trifling matter escalating into pet pandemonium, the railway company has stepped in and issued appropriately cute ‘pet cards’ to appease the complainers.

A card that cuddly young Qoo-chan should be absolutely delighted with.

“In packed trains, conditions are ripe to turn so-called ‘normal’ people into the abnormal.”

Doctor, and former head of the UFJ Bank health management centre, Yoichi Maitada, explaining the stresses and strains of travelling on Japan’s jam-packed trains.

The already ‘abnormal’ however just go absolutely berserk.