Commuting

On my way to work this morning, I walked past a barrier constructed from poles with a hoop either end, snugly fitting around the peaks of traffic cones; a seemingly pointless erection (of which Japan has many), since it consisted of three sides of a square and contained no immediately obvious chasm.

I was walking at the same pace as a very busy, and no doubt, incredibly important man who appeared to be heading straight for this apparent impasse.

Just as quickly as I'd noticed him, he produced his umbrella and used it to lift one of the poles, as if it were the automatic arm of a car park. Not even stopping to look, he passed under, let the arm drop and it fell back into place with a precision to make fairground attendants weep.

I was very impressed, and not a little incredulous, as there was ample space for him to simply walk around it. This uncompromising approach to obstacles didn't strike me as particularly Japanese until I remembered what time it was.

The deferential manner one imagines the Japanese possessing simply doesn't apply during rush hour. It's every man for himself, and God help you if you get in someones way. This unremitting zeal for getting to work isn't one I subscribe to. I'm fortunate in that most days I'm able to walk to my assigned school. Hayley on the other hand, having to travel to and from Tokyo every day, is experiencing a notoriously Japanese phenomenon - that of starting the day by being tightly packed into a tube of suits and briefcases. Commuting by train clearly demonstrates the Japanese "you can fit more in there" ethic.

Indeed, few are at their best first thing in the morning, least of all me. I however am yet to let my moral fibre take a tumble greater than cycling on the pavement. In recent weeks, Hayley has witnessed near fisticuffs between two elderly "ladies" over a seat on a bus, whilst I have seen a doddery old gentleman, taking his time in disembarking, actually being pushed out of a train by younger, more able bodied folk with a greater than octogenarian awareness of how truly short life is.

Situations like those seen every morning at train stations across Japan, in the UK would produce pitched battles and quite possibly deaths, as jostling commuters are shoved beneath oncoming trains. This hemmed in tension is very Japanese.

The day to day "let's all get along, ooo don't we live in a crime-free happy paradise?" attitude conceals the deeper resentment of keeping face within the group, readily submitting to others, putting oneself second; an active volcano that still erupts every now and then.

Which is not to say the explanation that the anonymity of commuting allows people to exorcise their anger in a scramble for their immediate needs is anything more than an oversimplification. It may be that uchi and soto (inside and outside) are at work here, and those outside of your group, be they Japanese or non, simply aren't as important as your group...and God help them if they get in your way.