What the hell is up with the state of highschool students pushing/cutting in on queues for trains. I started noticing this recently after using trains for work in the morning.
Almost everyday without failure, an individual, a group, a pair of highschoolers (usually guys, but sometimes girls) push into lines. I’ll be lining up sensibly with other adults, elderly and sometimes a few young kids too (good on them), for the train and there’ll be no issues. Then about 5-10 mins before the train arrives a bunch of highschoolers start jumping the queue. I make eye contact with the elderly in the queue and can tell they obviously don’t like it.
I really don’t get this mentality. Train queues, normally start from one side of the train door, allowing for the exiting passengers to progress smoothly onwards in their journeys. Yet again, I often see highschool students standing on the other side of the door, forming their own queues (where there is no platform number at all) so they can board the train quickly and take all the seats.
I really don’t feel good ranting my distaste about something that a bunch of (essentially) children are doing. But I feel something must be addressed because (in my eyes at least) there’s a big sense of self-entitlement or some shift in mannerisms and the expectations of these soon-to-be young adults. Is it Tik Tok; YouTube; Instagram creating a complete disregard for social cohension as they scroll their endless (and shitty) feeds?
I ask this specifically because the ones that do push in are often wearing earpods, head down, glued to their phone screen. Either it’s a guise to hide their shameful intentions or an sad, cringe-inducing level of ignorance. You tell me which is worse…
I often see comments repeating the “don’t judge Japanese people as a whole”, “don’t generalize the population here”, “they aren’t any different from the people in your country” arguments.
Yet, I’ve never encountered this issue in other countries. Being raised in Europe, having worked in numerous different countries and cultures I don’t think I’ve encountered anything remotely similar.
I hope this doesn’t come across as gaslighting or sugar coating other places, I love it here the most out of all places I’ve called home, and in my experience the people here are some of the nicest I’ve met in my everyday life so far. Yet, this issue feels so generalized to me which is why I’m a bit concerned. And don’t get me wrong, it’s not all highschool students. Although I feel like it’s a specific type, I can just look and tell now who is likely going to jump the queue.
But who I am I eh? Lol, maybe this isn’t a huge issue and my coddled and arguably privileged upbringing has left me disturbed by what is maybe a normal occurance and I’ve just started noticing it (coincidentally) in Japan.
Maybe there exists an unspoken rule that late-teens are of a higher authority and caliber in public transportation here.
Someone let me know if my thoughts have any skin here, or if I’m just going insane.
And please, don’t take me as a cynic, I’m far from it (I hope), I just really appreciate a nice and respectable social structure amongst all age groups. (Although, if I am clearly becoming one then please set me straight immediately).
I don’t want to lie and say I’m some veteran or pro of train commuting in Japan. Far from it. I think I’ve had a relatively privileged commuting experience during my time living and working here compared to the usual person. Usually I’d cycle if travelling locally, drive or call a taxi. I think I’ve flown half as much as I’ve took trains here (which is definitely not in my favor to be calling such shots here). I’m much more experienced in communiting on trains throughout Europe in comparison.
As as I sit here writing this on my 1+ hr commute to the office (ughhhh), I can look up and see that the teens that are always pushing in are still glued to their phone screens (I guess me too, as I’m writing this) with earpods in zombie-ing away on their screens, scrolling endlessly and not interacting or acknowledging their friends besides them. Then I (mostly) notice the ones who didn’t push in, looking out the windows, listening to music, talking to their friends or sleeping lol.
Maybe that’s a sign, maybe I’m over analysing this all and I’m losing it…
After re-reading I think my thought process or opinions developed (for better or worse?) when writing this. I hope you’re able to understand my thoughts and my English is okay, as it’s not my native language.
Whatever the objective truth is, I hope you have a good day, respect others, and please, don’t jump in queues at the very least.
23 comments
Are you from the UK, OP?
If you can identify their school from badges or bags, you might want to give the school a call and let them know what their students are up to. Most likely the whole school will get a stern lecture.
You can give a call to their school. The school usually takes it seriously. I remember being so annoyed by the complaints from the neighbors and the station about my school’s students’ behaviors. Some complaints were ridiculous, but some were valid.
It sucks when people are inconsiderate so I sympathize. But seriously? This sounds like an old man rant. You seem to blame kids for being kids as much as them for not waiting in line. You assume that every old person is an angel and not an ornery prick.
The kids wearing earbuds and on their phones are just doing what all kids, rather, all people do these days. In your “hour+” commute, I’m sure you’ve also used a phone. Those kids might be antisocial and oblivious, as opposed to insensitive.
Don’t call their school. Don’t make every kid go to a preaching, insulting assembly about waiting in line because you have confirmation bias about kids being shit. That is way more entitled than you think those kids are.
Just do what we all do- roll your eyes and wait for global warming to kill the zoomers on its own.
What the hell I’m reading? you don’t have to write an essay about social harmony, rules and people behaviour in Japan just because you saw some people skipping the lines, it happens all around the world just suck it up it’s not a big deal.
“oh noe, kids these days don’t behave like the ones I saw on social media crossing the street and bowing afterwards! Where is the law and order!”
I’m waiting for another essay when OP discovers ojiisans casually spitting everywhere.
Entitlement issues! In my area, Junior high school girls often squat right in front of the doors and don’t move when they open. You need to walk over them and they actually grimace at you.
For me it’s business men (or guys that appear around that age), and the elderly.
Always some guy in a monkey suit, who looks like he’s done nothing but taken smoke breaks all day and is about to go home to a late night of drinking in front of the television, just saunters right past the queues on the left and right side and waits directly in the middle of where the doors open, face perhaps centimeters from the door so that he’s not only a nuisance to the queue but also to anyone trying to exit the train.
Is it a joke ? The first thing you can think of is blame tik-tock ? Kids these days…
Kids do this in every country. You must be frustrated, but it’s an exaggeration to say that you haven’t seen it in other countries. Maybe there are no trains in those countries where you’ve lived.
Saying loudly “we are lined up here” usually works for me.
Edit: the naijin way is to call the school after identifying it on the uniform
OK, so who do you call when it is a fully grown adult with their elbows out cutting into the line?
I think it’s an over generalization to say high school students in general.
I’m sure there are a small percentage of bad actors, sure, like in any subset of the population 🙂
The high schoolers that I see regularly are very well mannered!
They also rush to sit down on the reserved seats, I mean if they don’t have energy in the morning when they’re 14-16 then they’ll be dead when they’re 30-40.
The behavior of high school students on trains has been bad for as long as I’ve been here. Not all of them are like that but the noisy, unruly ones really stand out. The fundamental problem is parents who don’t teach their kids proper manners in public.
When we go shopping and dining on weekends unruly kids with inattentive parents are everywhere. Go to a kaiten zushi or family restaurant on a Saturday afternoon when the kids are out of school and see for yourself.
How you form the line depends on the place.
Where I live it’s usually both sides of the door.
Also sometimes it’s 3 lines (written on the ground) but people are just lining up in 2 lines, so in that case I just go to the vacant 3rd line 👍 But yeah cutting in line is rude.
If you don’t like it then just verbally challenge them.. what’s the deal?
Or has this cowardly mentality of telling on people on Japan gotten under your skin already?
While Japan generally doesn’t have a culture of calling out bad behavior by someone you don’t know, kids wearing a school uniform is probably one of the few times where you could feel comfortable actually say something like “並んでいるんですけど。。。”.
Otherwise, you could go the jijibaba route and send a stern letter to their school. I will be taken seriously.
Kids wearing a uniform are representing their school.
I’ve actually noticed this with adults happening more recently as well. People will sit on benches, while others are in line. Suddenly, the train comes and the people on the benches try their hardest to also be the first ones on board, lol. I’ve also noticed more people start lining up horizontally, as if to form a 3rd line next to the normal 2 lines. And no, it’s not the line for a rapid train or whatever, it’s just a 3rd line so they can be up front lol.
Most issues I have from students is when they straddle their bags on the train and absolutely refuse to maneuver their feet when the train starts getting crowded.
” often wearing earpods, head down, glued to their phone screen. Either it’s a guise to hide their shameful intentions or an sad, cringe-inducing level of ignorance.”
I call it “smartphone armor”. People here think that if they feign unawareness of anything outside their phone, then they are not responsible for any collisions they cause or inconsiderate actions they take. These kids really need a hard slap in the face. It’s not exclusive to Japan, but it is rampant here.
Have you tried telling em to fuck off ? If you are this annoyed by it, just tell em to get to the back. 🤷
Kids being kids.
If it bothers you that much why not just say something like ‘ちょっと、皆並んでますよ’ with a grin not a scowl.
I’ve had groups of old people do it queuing for food at ski areas and I’ll call them out on it – that *is* straight up old-person entitlement pass bs.
That’s a long passive-aggressive essay that will never reach those kids. Have you tried talking to them in front of all the other disapproving adults?