Hi everyone,
First time in Japan – travelling with my mother on her birthday trip in March 23 for two weeks.
I’m 33 F, she is late 50s.
I have seen a great deal on ‘women only’ carriages and harrassment and unwanted attention on the trains/subway.
As sad as it is – it seems that women who wear certain types of clothes and make up are more likely to be victims of harrassment /’chikan’, but really anyone is open to this.
Can I ask- truly – how common is this? Has anyone experienced this when travelling?
I have seen a lot of women saying that this is a real problem. And -as much as we shouldn’t have to – should we avoid certain types of clothing/make up styles?
If we see this happening to anyone else – should we say something?
What do you do if this happens to you?
Again – I have read lots of differing advice on this varying from not making a fuss or shouting – to just – glaring at your attacker. What is best here?
Thanks in advance!
5 comments
Let’s start with women-only carriages: they are (generally) only active on peak hour services of certain companies: in general on subway and commuter lines chiefly in Kanto, Kansai and Greater Nagoya areas.
Now, does *chikan* happen? Yes and it’s considered a problem. Does it happen as often as reported by media or by popular culture? No, it does not. Will you as a tourist experience it more often than harrassment in a typical major western city? Probably not.
Now, does your dress style increase the likelihood of harrassment? Not as much as in major western cities, although one should take that women fashion in Japan is more on the conservative side.
I say this a s a middle aged woman who grew up here, in the kindest way possible. It’s not common for 33 year olds to be targeted. Don’t worry too much about it and enjoy your time in Japan.
It does happen. It’s happened to me, and a number of my female friends, and unfortunately some of the students I taught. Bear in mind we all live(d) in Japan, in the Tokyo/ Kanagawa/ Saitama area.
I don’t think clothing/ make up makes a difference. Time of day really, really does. It’s much more common in peak travel times, where the cars are packed full of people. It’s also much more common on the very late trains (like the last train, and maybe 1-2 before that). Fortunately this is when women’s carriages tend to operate on the lines that have these. You can find the carriage by the signs on the platform- they’ll show you where to stand to get on the women’s car.
How you react is not entirely up to you- reflexes are a big thing. I froze. Not how I’d have chosen to react, but it’s not something I was in full control of. I was recommended to yell chikan! And point towards the person. How that would have played out I’m not sure.
Most stations, especially the ones you’re likely to use as a tourist have a police box (koban) attached and you can always make a report there if you’d like. I know my students have done this.
As a foreign woman, you probably don’t have as much to fear. Also, if you avoid peak hour trains (where people are packed in tightly) there’s much less risk of encountering a chikan, as they need a crowd to conceal what they are doing.
When my wife was at high school, a chikan cut a square out of the back of her school uniform skirt on a crowded train one morning and she didn’t realise until she got off the train.
Why is it less likely to happen to western woman?