Monday saw the first early morning “women-only†carriages operating in Tokyo. Previously the infamous Saikyo Line only had such coaches in use late at night, but with reported groping incidents roughly tripling from 778 cases in 1996, to 2,201 in 2004, the East Japan Railway Company decided such drastic action was necessary.
Reaction to the new service (irrespective of the picture above) was generally positive. Tomoyo Okamto, a 27-year-old office worker, spoke for many women by saying, “I had been worried only because men are in the same carriages in the morning. I’m relieved now.”
And despite the extra crush in the regular (and presumably women-free) carriages, there was a similar sense of contentment. Middle-aged company employee Hitoshi Ishida was happy as, “it’s a good change because I no longer have to carry a bag and hang onto a strap to avoid being mistaken for a molester.”
Yet as well as praising the new system, Ishida-san brought up an interesting point. “If other carriages are more crowded as a result, the railway operator should set some other coaches aside for elderly people.”
This proposition, despite making a lot of sense, could however open a huge can of worms, with all manner of people and social groups pushing for their own carriages. And in an attempt to get in first, I’ve already sent a request to Japan Railways for a “British blokes in their 30s carriage”.
Chris says
Yeah I think they should keep it the way it is with the priority seating etc or it will just get out of hand.
I was there when they first started the women only cars on the saikyo and they were hardly full at all while the other cars were rammed full. You could see some peoples faces looking in disgust at the almost empty cars. How are things now? Filling up a bit more?
Keith says
I’m anxiously awaiting the flood of posts you’ll soon be able to make regarding men who get caught dressing up in drag to try and get on the women only cars.
Olivia says
Oooh this thing remembers me? fancy!…:P
Toni says
I read about the same thing on Japundit.com a couple of weeks ago and commented on it. Here’s what I said:
“First of all, I read somewhere a while back that with these women-only train cars, in a way it gives the impression to (pervy) men that women who ride in the “regular†train cars will not mind being sexually harrassed.
Second, the notion of women-only train cars is merely a band-aid to the large problem of molestation on trains. Instead of teaching Japanese males that hey, women do not want to be groped and teaching Japanese females to speak up, instead the segregated cars will make women like it’s their fault they are women and so they have to be separated from men. I hope that makes sense. ”
Someone then retorted:
“Toni: So are you suggesting that because the men are perverted, the women are the ones that have to change? That’s hardly fair. Clearly, a large number of Japanese women don’t want to have to stand up in front of 100 strangers and talk about how they’re being sexually assaulted. That’s embarrassing for almost everybody. Nor do they want to stop what they’re doing (while they’re undoubtedly on their way to work, meet friends, etc.) and spend the time necessary to press charges against a groper.
These cars are merely an option for them to exercise, and avoid the hassle. I’m all for it. We shouldn’t deliberately tell women that they are going to have become more combative or else get groped.
By the way, this is by no stretch a Japanese-only problem. This crap goes on anywhere there are crowded areas. Perverted men cannot be “taught†not to do this. ”
To which I responded:
“Aburioe- What I’m saying is that both men and women have to change. Women have to learn that it’s not embarrassing if they’re groped by a pervy man. They should learn to do something about it if it happens to them. They don’t have to report it, but they certainly should do something to show them that they won’t stand for that. On the flip side, men should learn to respect women and not treat them at objects.
Of course there’s pervy men everywhere and you can’t “teach†them not to be pervy, but Japanese culture makes it almost acceptable. What they (chikan) should learn is that if they try to pull something like that, they will get caught and dealt with, maybe by just the woman herself or by the authorities. They’ll be less likely to do it then.
Example: When my mom was a young girl, she’d take the public bus to school. There was this pervy old guy who’d try to sit next to her. At one point he got a little bold and stretched out his arms against the back of the seat and slowly slide his arm down so it’s touching her back. My mom took the pointy part of the umbrella she was holding and jabbed him hard on his side with it. Although she made it look as if it happened because the bus was driving along a bumpy road, she gave him a look that told him that she knew exactly what she was doing and would do it again if he tried anything else. You can bet that he withdrew his arm and kept his appendages to himself after that. ”
Whew! Long comment! Sorry! 🙂
Bobbie says
Bunch of creeps. What are they trying to do – get women and girls to stop wearing skirts?
What I’d like to see is a creep trying to grope some woman and then she kicks his ass. Stomp his groping fingers on the car floor.
TROTTER says
TROTTER….IF I WAS ON A PACKED TRAIN FULL OF BEAUTIFUL JAPANESES LADIES ..I WOULD GET AN ERECT PENIS AN PUT MY PENIS ON ON OR IF I COULD PUT MY DICK BETWEEN THEIR ARSE HOLE..
TROTTER
TROTTER says
TROTTERMAN…LOVES CROWDED TRAIN FULL OF PRETTY LADIES I HAVE PUT MY HARD PENIS ON MANY JAPANESE LADIES ON CROWDED TRAINS..I AM VERY PROUD OF MYSELF THAT I HAVE PUT MY ERECT PENIS ON MANY BEAUTIFUL LADIES ON PACKED TRAINS..AT ONE TIME I WOULD SPEND ALL DAY ON PACKED TRAINS PUTTING MY HARD DICK ON MANY WOMEN MANY TIMES I WOULD PUT MY HARD DICK BETWEEN WOMENS ARSES ..A WONDERFUL FELING WHEN MY HARD DICK IS BETWEEN A WOMANDS ARSE..
TROTTER
Lux says
one thing people do not take into consideration is that women make up half of the population of the world and probably over half of the population of Japan. Hardly a case for every smaller group to make requirements. Besides, groping and other behaviors are sexual crimes. I would like to see British blokes in their 30s dealing with someone trying to rub and poking his hard penis in his ass.
Dudo says
You people are brainwashed. Men wont ever stop being pervy as long as procreation is relevant and hormones dont become obselete. What bothers me is this demonising element society brands pervy guys with. Sure they are deficient socially perhaps, or they just have crass values, but if it wasnt for pervy guys or perversion in general half the worlds population wouldnt be alive right now.
Now get off your high horses and stop pretending women have no sex drive too. I was in japan and as a westerner I had japanese ladies rubbing onto me! So enough said.
Dudo says
You people are brainwashed. People are always going to be pervy as long as procreation is important and hormones are relevant. For anyone to say that you can condition or correct human behaviour is naive at best.
What gets on my nerves is this demonising campain against supposed pervy guys. Yeh perhaps their the socially inept introverts that can only gain abit of cheap sexual gratification by groping or rubbing against a womans genetalia, but hey we live in such a sexually charged society, with media brandishing sex every which way why be hypocritical about it when a hot blooded man cant control his urges. Be sensible people. Women are just as guilty, they might not be so brash about it but they also have desire on their minds, and to cause a gender specific victim mentality is the worst kind of remedy.
I recall japanese women being no saints either. When in Tokyo I distinctly remember a few occassions that as a westerner I was approached for the time and subsequently rubbed up against by quite a number of girls while I was there.