What methods and clever route optimization you used to get to work faster? Can you also share some life pro tips to improve the quality during long commute?
Background:
My commute increased from 40 minutes to 55 minutes. Before my time spent walking was 20 minutes and time spent in trains was 20 minutes. But now I spend 10 minutes walking and 40 minutes in trains (5 minutes waiting to for trains).
I have many route options, KI, JC, JB, SS, or SI. JY is mandatory and can’t be skipped. Currently I spend the 40 minutes napping (if I catch a seat open) or reading or playing mobile games. Music makes the distance tolerable. But I am thinking of bicycling for 20 minutes and the start the commute from a station thats mid-way between work and home. The only luggage is a 13inch MacBook.
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Edit: Thanks for the tips. Some excellent suggestions below. Definitely thinking about a motorcycle down the line once I secure the license.
Those suggesting moving closer to work, not an option as property prices near work are upwards of 250,000,000+ yen.
Those suggesting remote work, yes I do work remote 2-3 days week. For some meetings I am required to be at the office (usually involving government officials or client group executives).
39 comments
In the train, use both hands to hold the grab handle or otherwise keep your hands in a visible location at all times.
memorize the staircases at your arrival station and match them with which door you board the train.
read up where are the most optimal transfer stations (same platform transfer) like ochanomizu: chuo <-> sobu, yoyogi: sobu -> yamanote..
won’t save time but does loads for comfort
I have realized that studying (Japanese) while commuting is the best thing I can do. I don’t really have anything else to do while being on the train anyway.
Those 30 minutes, are the most efficient way of studying for me. Fully focused and the best thing is, I know later that I have done something productive already. Also allows me to skip out a learning session in the evening without feeling guilty if I have to.
If your station is particularly busy, or you’re leaving an event like a concert or exhibition, take the train going the opposite direction of your destination 1 or 2 stations then get back on your correct train there. You can now sit down on your way home/to work.
Takes longer but I’ll take the seat over 40 minutes of standing/moving around.
E: thanks for the info guys, I definitely don’t recommend doing this thing as you will assuredly go straight to jail without collecting $200
I cut diagonal across the street versus hitting two separate cross walks. I figure I save about 30 seconds off my commute each way.
Granted I usually waste that 30 seconds gained by enjoying either an extra half minute of sleep or shower.
Rental battery bikes? If you can grab and return well you can avoid transfers / walking and/or spend less time on the train?
If I want a seat on the train, I try to stand next to sitting people who are holding their bags on their laps.
If a person sitting on a seat is holding his bag on his lap, he may he getting off soon. People who have their bags on the floor, up on the shelf are asleep or really concentrated on their smart phone probably aren’t getting off soon.
I go early (just after 6) and avoid the rush (& heat). I can easily sit if I want to. No bumping or jostling, no stress, no smelly oyaji’s head right below my nose. I listen to audio books or podcasts and it makes the trip (almost) enjoyable. Once you get used to it, it’s addictive. Office is silent when I arrive and I can really focus, getting so much done before 10. By 11:30ish, ready for lunch to beat the rush of worker bees who all go at noon. Going early helps getting on calls with US east coast, as I can catch them as their day ends instead of getting coerced to join calls at 10 or 11pm.
40 minutes!
Well, develop a hobby for reading books, if you haven’t.
A bit silly but knowing which trains have toilets and where they are in stations you frequent. If you’re caught short or have kids that knowledge becomes invaluable.
That early morning bike sounds fine now but not nice when winter comes in 🥶when I had a long trek into Tokyo before for work (live in Yokohama) basically mobile games or the switch got me through the commute 😂
There is a little button under the wicket. Push it and it the gates open automatically!
I drive. I don’t like to spend any time with the common folks.
> Before my time spent walking was 20 minutes and time spent in trains was 20 minutes.
I would make the opposite choice. More walking in your commute is an easy way to fit in more exercise, and I personally prefer being outdoors to being on a packed train.
You can also save money on the train fare (especially if your company is paying and you tell them you use a station closer to your house than the one you actually ride from…)
Best commute hack ever: WFH. Been doing it for over 20 years.
For me, it was “buy a cheap moped to see if you like it better than the train, then spend the next 17 years owning nearly a dozen different used motorbikes and cars and rarely taking a rush-hour train.”
I’d personally stay away from cycling in places where traffic occurs unless you have a clear area to bike in, especially in big cities.
I have a long commute with minimal transfers and I crush a lot of audiobooks and podcasts, study Japanese and listen to music, text with family in other country (mornings are a pretty good time change), and binge a lot of Netflix etc, sometimes anime so convince myself it’s “studying”
ITT – mainly theft of services being called “life hacks.” Again.
I remember the first one, guy just straight up no paying for a train ride was a “life hack.”
Commuting on the train is me time, it’s when I watch my shows, etc.
Get your motorcycle license and buy a 125cc scooter. Say goodbye to stressful train commutes and high transportation costs.
If you wear a backpack, take it off and hold it or flip it around to your front.
Don’t stand by the door if you don’t have to.
Shower the night before or in the morning so you don’t stink on a packed train.
Just generally don’t be a douchebag.
Cycle.
Get your driving license and buy a scooter. 100% recommended.
You’d be astonished how small Tokyo actually is when you travel on the roads instead of relying on the trains.
Not really a commute hack, but you can in some cases add extra stations to your 定期 beyond your first and final stops without paying anything extra.
>What methods and clever route optimization you used to get to work faster?
I simply moved closer to work. Used to do roughly an hour one way, now it’s 15 min door to door. Nothing wastes your time more than commute. Life happiness increase bajillion%
Lots of “I drive” “I use a scooter” etc, make sure your company actually allows that- I’ve never worked at one that does allow it. Of course you don’t have to TELL them you do it, but if you’re in an accident on your commute you’re probably in for a bad time
Best to ride in the front or back of the train as most folks like to get into (the packed) cars that stop next to the stair or exit.
Pay special attention to people that look sick and don’t wear masks. I had this one Japanese worker sneeze across my left shoulder in the Oedo line and low and behold, 2 hours later I had a nasty sore throat that escalated into a nasty cold.
I used to trek from Nerima into Kamiyacho way back when and I hated that 1 hour+ commute as no matter what I did, the commute would not decrease in time or boredom. The only solution for you is to move closer to the office, or change jobs/location. Even if you bike it or drive, then you swap money and inconvenience (staying dry or sweat free) for time. Can you opt for remote work?
Yes, don’t work in Tokyo.
It’s a good hack, you didn’t ask for an easy one.
If possible I try to stand leaning perpendicular to the doors on the side when there are no seats available. Leaning towards your whole back/shoulders really helps throughout the long commute+ watching vids, playing games on switch etc, catching up on the news etc is what I focus on. Getting a good noise cancelling headphones helps too but if possible sleeping would be the best for me but not responsible.
If you really wanna sit then shove yourself to the middle and stand in front of people who are seated. Chances are they will get off.
キセル乗車
Moved to minimize transfers, and 5-6 minute walk from the station. Bonus for making sure there’s plenty of supermarkets, conbinis, and restaurants within that 5-6 minutes. I used to waste so much goddamn time with 15-20 minutes walks to the station, and a bicycle only worked the 40% of the time it wasn’t raining. That’s 30-40 minutes a day. What else could I be doing with that 30-40 minutes? Dishes. Cooking. Eating out somewhere.
i use more than one route calculator to compare, because they have different settings. even then, i look at the train lines and the stations in-between, checking on a map. sometimes you can jump stations that are near enough for a short walk, but not factored in as a transfer possibility on the site/app. also, when big busy stations are involved, remember any walking time is on the assumption you take the most optimal route with no stopping, when in reality overcrowding and crosswalks can eat up precious minutes. the theoretical best way isn’t always so. when i was going to school, i found 2 transfers at smaller yamanote stations that didn’t take me outside were actually better than battling the hordes and the labyrinth of one major JR station where the transfer was at a smaller detached metro station some distance away.
Memorize the carriage/door nearest to the exit of your destination station. If in a sardine can, put your bag or arms in front of you to be able to breathe properly without someone body slamming into you. For ladies, have your bag on your shoulder and move it slightly behind you to cover your back and butt. Practice your death glare. Use your elbows.
Buy a motorbike
My husband always looks for stations that board before busy ones or for the first stop if possible. In his last job, he purposely chose to live near the stations first stop so he could always get a seat.
When he swapped jobs he had 3 companies that wanted him so he used that as leverage to get work from home hours and better pay.
I have a few that were specific to my commute from Hachioji to Saitama in the incredibly off chance it’ll be useful haha.
– Take the Hachiko line to Kawagoe then the Kawagoe line to Omiya instead of the Chuo to Shinjuku then the Saikyo/Shonan-Shinjuku line to Omiya. It is in no way faster, and actually considerably slower, but holy hell is it a much better ride. Tranquil, beautiful inaka views while you sit in a roomy carriage vs. regular ole Chuo views while packed in your carriage like sardines in a tin can.
– There’s a [Musashino](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musashino_(train)) service that runs directly to Hachioji without transfers at a few specified times each day.
If there is a reserved-seat train available for your route, take it.
Quick life hack that’ll change your whole lifestyle in JP…
Get a car