(Not sure if necessary, but putting the 18+ tag because of the nature of the topic)
Hey everyone!
Just saying it right at the beginning, I have an anxiety disorder and with that comes all kind of trouble.
I’m in Tokyo at the moment, until Saturday. I’m traveling with my girlfriend and an older lady who we are friends with.
Today our friend suggested that we go see the Tokyo Skytree and we would go there by taking the subway. Of course we could also take a taxi, but going around by taxi all the time seems a bit unnecessary and a bit expensive to me.
I know that Japan is one of the safest countries in terms of crime and we don’t plan on going to any bad areas to my knowledge. We’re staying in Shibuya near Shibuya Station and like I mentioned, we want to go see the Skytree. Then tomorrow we’ll maybe go check out Akihibara. On Wednesday we’re going to the Pokémon Café and the Pokémon Center DX.
I just wonder…Is it really safe to use public transport in Tokyo? Especially considering my female friends. You know, with all the sexual harassment and groping/chikan stuff you hear in the media and shit. Maybe I’m paranoid because of my anxiety disorder, but I don’t want anything to happen to my girlfriend or our older lady friend. And of course I’m not keen on getting into verbal altercations, much less into physical ones. (Which doesn’t mean I wouldn’t yell at someone if I had to. Hell yeah, I would go verbally beserk.) I’m not a person who wants to get into trouble.
I know there are women-only train cars, but as far as I know only during rush hours in Tokyo? And also we don’t really want to seperate our trio, as I would then have to go alone into a normal “mixed” train car, since, well, as a guy I obviously can’t be in a women-only one.
Should we just take public transport, try to stay out of the rush hours and stand together in a spot away from the doors? Or should we take the money into our hands and just take a taxi?
Thanks for your advice and sorry if I seem stupid, weird or paranoid. Usually I’m quite ok with my anxiety stuff and I haven’t felt anxious so far in Tokyo except for once when we were walking home in the dark, but there wasn’t a reason for that. Everything went fine.
12 comments
Out of the 15 million daily trips taken in Tokyo, how many sexual assault reports do you hear? Hint, it’s very low. You do the math.
From my experience, the trains and subways are safe.
During rush hours (morning till 9AM and after 5PM), you can expect the packed cars of people shoulder to shoulder.
So you should probably avoid those times. Because outside of those times, the cars will be less crowded and you’ll have more space to stand or sit.
The first and last cars are usually the least occupied, because they are usually the furthest away from the stairs/escalators off the platform. So you should aim for those cars if you want the least amount of human contact.
It’s super safe. I see a lot of females walking alone at night
So long as you don’t travel during peak times you’ll likely find the train cars quiet and safe. There is usually plenty of space and generally quiet and you can usually get a seat.
I wouldn’t call the trains at peak unsafe but they are stressful.
Also the be quiet” rule is so fundamental to train travel in Tokyo that the idea of any kind of altercation beyond a possible dirty for breaking an unwritten rule is so unlikely as to almost not be worth thinking about.
If you are really worried about groping i think they still have women only train cars. You couldn’t ride with them at that point but whatever.
Yes it’s safe
I was a frequent solo female traveler pre-covid. The parts where tourists usually visit is quite safe. I think as long as females follow the general precautions you will have no issues.
I was groped on a bus in Paris, France when I was 15. Are you going to have social anxiety about going to Pairs and using the public transit there? The bus was mostly empty at the time, but being 15 and shy I was completely put out by the experience.
I have had a guy back in 2000 try to grope at me on a train in Japan. I don’t remember if it was Tokyo. I was much older at that point and I jabbed him with my umbrella., hard. The train was also not crowded when it happened.
I’m not going to say it doesn’t happen but outside of that one trip I’ve never had any other issues outside of a guy who was too friendly and wouldn’t stop following me. For the record, I am not particularly attractive, i’m incredibly average looking. I’ve no clue what the guy who wouldn’t stop following me was up to, I never asked and just mostly ignored him until I got to Animate, smiled at him and declared he could now ask a worker where the yaoi video games were located. He very very very quickly left after that.
I take my daughter.
Japan is at least as safe as public transit is anywhere for women. I’m personally not going to lock myself away because some men are jerks.
You are overthinking.
Good lord – if you can’t take public transport in Tokyo where can you?
Tokyo is one of the safest places in the world and one of the only places I have ever been where I *haven’t* been harassed. It’s the only place in the world I feel perfectly safe walking alone at night as a woman.
That said, you should be perfectly fine on public transportation. Especially if you’re in a group and 100x especially if you do not look Japanese (the gaijin bubble is real! People tend to keep their distance)
I’m a woman living in Tokyo since 2016. Taking the trains here is very safe. I think you’re working yourself up over nothing.
If something feels weird, move to another car. If you’re worried about creepy men, stay near other women or people with children. The women-only cars only operate on certain lines going in certain directions at certain times on weekdays. You cannot rely on them to be in use all the time.
The likelihood of you or your travel companions being assaulted or harassed is low. Sadly, the people who are victimized the most by gropers on trains are young girls in elementary, middle and high school. Doesn’t mean adult women aren’t groped, but these people overwhelmingly target children as children are less likely to speak out, make a scene or react.
You’re going to major tourist areas in a high tourism season. It’s not like you’re trolling around Kabukicho at 2am alone. Chill out. You’ll be fine.
Been on rush hour, safe to say the least