I live outside Tokyo but travel there occasionally. I’m not used to the crowded trains and they make me a little stressed and uncomfortable. I try to avoid rush hour but it’s not always possible. How do you deal with crowded trains?
If you live near the end of the line, travel the few stops there and wait in line to get a seat. It will be worth it
If possible, getting a seat at the first station on the line goes a long way, especially for the longer train rides.
I just embrace the physical scrap and scramble when an empty seat opens
Accept my fate honestly.
Got squished every morning on the train half way from home to previously work place. Had some pos lightly touched my behind, couldn’t do anything about it so I just change to different door if I can get out. But I would try to stay close to the door, with my back to the side of the seats (weird English I’m sorry), that way I know no one is touching my back side.
But I changed job recently, take a bus and then Rinkai. Bus is crowded as hell but half way a lot of people get down, plus driver can refuse new people if the capacity is too much. I get to sit on the way back. Rinkai is expensive without a commuter pass so not that many people would take it if not for their job, I can sit almost every morning even if I’m not early enough as people would get off half way anyway.
I just deal with it. It’s Japan. There are many many many people here and not much space. The best I can do is the find the car that isn’t as busy, but takes repeated visits to the same place to learn where that is.
What’s worse are crowded buses. I can stand on the train just fine, but a bus, especially those manual transmission buses, ugh.
I bought a scooter and used that to get to work instead. You need to have a driving license but that’s not so hard to get.
I always look and find a new show/anime to watch on the train and that makes me forget most of the trip.
don’t fight it, resign to the fact that you are but a sardine amongst the other sardines in the tin. practice leaving your body for 40 minutes while aboard the train.
Never bathe or change your underwear. You’ll soon have all the free space you need.
I take the Odakyu line, it’s like we are all hugging 😷. I usually try to get a spot by the door.
if you always arrive at the same station in Tokyo, you can buy a bicycle and keep it parked near the station.
After a while you will get used to it. There isn’t anything you can really do. Maybe listen to music ?
When I had to go to the office everyday, it wasn’t unusual to be squished with the same people day in and day out. You start noticing faces and daresay perfumes over the years.
Now I avoid the rush by going earlier, brewing up some coffee and enjoy a red bean and mochi bun from my favorite bakery.
I also travel there occasionally. My method tends to be trying to get the choice spot. i.e. wedge myself into the area between seat and door. Or, you know, another corner. Keep your bag in front of you, if you can. This allows for many things, like if you’re slightly paranoid like me, you know where your bag is so nothing can be slipped out, and it protects your chest, and crotch, from unwanted contact.
Active noise cancelling headphones.
If you’re travelling to a terminus, board the car farthest from the station exits. Often that will be the last car in the back, though if you’re a man it’ll be the second-to-last car during rush hour on many private lines.
Have you tried being tattooed in public? It works for me. Plenty of space around me.
Imo if you really hate it you have to adjust your lifestyle to avoid the crowded trains. I started waking up way earlier and taking an early train to work, and study/hang out at a cafe before work now and its great.
I got a good deal on some used Bose QC35 headphones last summer and never looked back. Those + Spotify (or other entertainment) block out most noises, which helps me deal with the physical squishing a lot easier.
you see OP, you aren’t dealing with the crowded train.
you ARE the crowd on the train.
Going earlier generally helps. (You could have your breakfast at your destination rather than before departure, for ex.)
Isolating yourself with a good podcast or something you can focus on rather than the environment may help as well.
I’m a bit confused by the question – there’s not really anything to do except ride the train and get off when it’s your stop. Yeah it can be stressful and uncomfortable – but that’s city life.
If you wanna sit, stand by seats and keep an eye out for people shifting around in their seat as the train nears the station – that’ll tell you when someone may be about to get up, and you can swoop in lol
時差出勤
I come to work 45 min earlier than others and can sit on the train.
It’s unavoidable. Everyone is stressed and uncomfortable on crowded trains. My “solution” was to move closer to the places I go to most often and ride my bicycle just about everywhere.
This was after years of living along the west end of the Chuo/Sobu so I probably had it pretty bad.
If you line has reserved seating, pay the 750 yen or so for a reserved or green car seat.
I haven’t checked it in a long time but the JR app at least used to show how crowded each Yamanote car is in real time. You could also figure out where the most people are going to be (eg the car closest to the exit for the main station) and go as far away as possible. eg when I used to catch the Tozai line from Nakano, the three cars closest to the end were sardine cans for the transfer at Takedanobaba (iirc), the rest were much more peaceful.
Don’t stand around the doors. That’s the most crowded area. Go deeper between seats as that’s where the least crowded. People don’t want to go deep inside because it’s harder to get out but if you shout “Sumimasen, Orimasu!”, people move away and you can get out. If you go between seats, you might find a empty strap you can hold onto and if you are lucky you might be right in front of someone getting off at the next station and grab a seat.
Stand in front of the seats and hope the person sitting in front of you unboards.
much better in crowded trains than in crowded traffic.
try find bus route or bike sharing to start the journey from less crowded station maybe.
Noise cancelling ear thingies and a great podcast
Each line, each starting station and each time period has its own different strategies. There are some lines where it is possible (and better) to secure a standing place near the exits, there are other lines where it is better to go deeper in the aisle because at some point the turnover will likely allow to get you a seat, there are still other lines where you just have to squeeze until a certain point, when you can advance to a better position. How and when you move while people are getting off the train is also important.
Besides, even during rush hour some trains are a bit less crowded than others and one should at first try different ones in their available time frame, for example 8:25, then 8:30, then 8:35, to see if there is a sort of “blind spot”, a train less convenient for the average commuter and thus less “inflated”.
It sounds silly, but at the beginning it really is something like a strategy game. After some weeks, after you find a bearable pattern, it then becomes automatic and your body starts making the right moves even without you knowing it.
Normally either the very front or very back of the train is less crowded.
If you live in Tokyo normally you can find less crowded routes but of course if you live in Saitama or Chiba it might be difficult or impossible to find an alternate train route.
I just put my noise-cancelling headphones on and focus on swaying to the rhythm of the train. I felt strangely peaceful while listening to Megadeth at full volume on one of those sardine-can commutes last week.
Keep your hands above your waist at all times. Stand in the mid section where the seats are not in the doorway area. It’s much less crowded.
Also put your bag on the rack! My god the capacity of the trains would increase significantly if people just used the luggage racks.
My company has flex time so on days I go into the office I will go an hour later to miss the rush. You might see if your co has a similar policy.
I have the uttermost hatred for extreme crowding on the trains so what I noticed is if it is too crowded, I just get off it. Majority of the time the very next train will be somewhat reasonable because everyone else just had to get on this train, they couldn’t wait for the next one, leaving the next one ok-ish.
Earbuds and music help. I have Beats and you can set them to noise cancellation or transparent. Put a time-waster game on your phone. Some people read a small book. You just want something inconspicuous to help you make some mental distance.
Deal with it!🤷🏻♂️
If you really want a seat you’ll want to be mindful about what car you’re on and what’s stops are popular. When I would take Tozai I got on at Nihombashi and knew that at Otemachi a lot of people would be getting off at the end cars cause that’s where the exits were. I almost always got a seat and could relax the rest of the ride if I rode car 10.
Try and do something that you enjoy during the ride. I listen to music or read books. It’ll still suck but at least it’ll suck a bit less.
I used to take a line to work that had a crowdedness rate (混雑率) of 200%, but luckily I then moved to the other line that has a crowdedness rate (混雑率) of 200%. 😅
I would dispute the comments about being foreign or scary or whatever. It’s too damn crowded for that to make any difference. You can wake up earlier, if you’re that way inclined. I’m a night owl, so can’t reliably do that, but when I do go 30 minutes earlier it’s much less packed. Some of my colleagues in a previous job worked 7-3 for this reason.
My advice would be to do as others – backpack on the front of the body, get used to the pattern of movement inside the train, use music or something else to help you disassociate from your bodily discomfort. Is there a station where many people get off? That’s your chance to secure a corner, or even a seat. Is the other set of doors going to open at your station? Worth making your way gradually across to the other side when you get the chance.
Also, don’t discount how attuned everyone else is to the discomfort. If you’re struggling to get off, let them know. If you’re struggling to get on, bow slightly, paste on a look of apologetic determination and *get on that train*.
Stand right inside the door, blocking access to the middle of each car that tends to have more room for standing space. Do this no matter if your stop is the next one or 10 stops away. I always appreciate it when people do this, it makes my life a little easier when trying to manage crowded spaces.
42 comments
If you live near the end of the line, travel the few stops there and wait in line to get a seat. It will be worth it
If possible, getting a seat at the first station on the line goes a long way, especially for the longer train rides.
I just embrace the physical scrap and scramble when an empty seat opens
Accept my fate honestly.
Got squished every morning on the train half way from home to previously work place. Had some pos lightly touched my behind, couldn’t do anything about it so I just change to different door if I can get out. But I would try to stay close to the door, with my back to the side of the seats (weird English I’m sorry), that way I know no one is touching my back side.
But I changed job recently, take a bus and then Rinkai. Bus is crowded as hell but half way a lot of people get down, plus driver can refuse new people if the capacity is too much. I get to sit on the way back. Rinkai is expensive without a commuter pass so not that many people would take it if not for their job, I can sit almost every morning even if I’m not early enough as people would get off half way anyway.
I just deal with it. It’s Japan. There are many many many people here and not much space. The best I can do is the find the car that isn’t as busy, but takes repeated visits to the same place to learn where that is.
What’s worse are crowded buses. I can stand on the train just fine, but a bus, especially those manual transmission buses, ugh.
I bought a scooter and used that to get to work instead. You need to have a driving license but that’s not so hard to get.
I always look and find a new show/anime to watch on the train and that makes me forget most of the trip.
don’t fight it, resign to the fact that you are but a sardine amongst the other sardines in the tin. practice leaving your body for 40 minutes while aboard the train.
Never bathe or change your underwear. You’ll soon have all the free space you need.
I take the Odakyu line, it’s like we are all hugging 😷. I usually try to get a spot by the door.
if you always arrive at the same station in Tokyo, you can buy a bicycle and keep it parked near the station.
After a while you will get used to it. There isn’t anything you can really do. Maybe listen to music ?
When I had to go to the office everyday, it wasn’t unusual to be squished with the same people day in and day out. You start noticing faces and daresay perfumes over the years.
Now I avoid the rush by going earlier, brewing up some coffee and enjoy a red bean and mochi bun from my favorite bakery.
I also travel there occasionally. My method tends to be trying to get the choice spot. i.e. wedge myself into the area between seat and door. Or, you know, another corner. Keep your bag in front of you, if you can. This allows for many things, like if you’re slightly paranoid like me, you know where your bag is so nothing can be slipped out, and it protects your chest, and crotch, from unwanted contact.
Active noise cancelling headphones.
If you’re travelling to a terminus, board the car farthest from the station exits. Often that will be the last car in the back, though if you’re a man it’ll be the second-to-last car during rush hour on many private lines.
Have you tried being tattooed in public? It works for me. Plenty of space around me.
Imo if you really hate it you have to adjust your lifestyle to avoid the crowded trains. I started waking up way earlier and taking an early train to work, and study/hang out at a cafe before work now and its great.
I got a good deal on some used Bose QC35 headphones last summer and never looked back. Those + Spotify (or other entertainment) block out most noises, which helps me deal with the physical squishing a lot easier.
you see OP, you aren’t dealing with the crowded train.
you ARE the crowd on the train.
Going earlier generally helps. (You could have your breakfast at your destination rather than before departure, for ex.)
Isolating yourself with a good podcast or something you can focus on rather than the environment may help as well.
I’m a bit confused by the question – there’s not really anything to do except ride the train and get off when it’s your stop. Yeah it can be stressful and uncomfortable – but that’s city life.
If you wanna sit, stand by seats and keep an eye out for people shifting around in their seat as the train nears the station – that’ll tell you when someone may be about to get up, and you can swoop in lol
時差出勤
I come to work 45 min earlier than others and can sit on the train.
It’s unavoidable. Everyone is stressed and uncomfortable on crowded trains. My “solution” was to move closer to the places I go to most often and ride my bicycle just about everywhere.
This was after years of living along the west end of the Chuo/Sobu so I probably had it pretty bad.
If you line has reserved seating, pay the 750 yen or so for a reserved or green car seat.
I haven’t checked it in a long time but the JR app at least used to show how crowded each Yamanote car is in real time. You could also figure out where the most people are going to be (eg the car closest to the exit for the main station) and go as far away as possible. eg when I used to catch the Tozai line from Nakano, the three cars closest to the end were sardine cans for the transfer at Takedanobaba (iirc), the rest were much more peaceful.
Don’t stand around the doors. That’s the most crowded area. Go deeper between seats as that’s where the least crowded. People don’t want to go deep inside because it’s harder to get out but if you shout “Sumimasen, Orimasu!”, people move away and you can get out. If you go between seats, you might find a empty strap you can hold onto and if you are lucky you
might be right in front of someone getting off at the next station and grab a seat.
Stand in front of the seats and hope the person sitting in front of you unboards.
much better in crowded trains than in crowded traffic.
try find bus route or bike sharing to start the journey from less crowded station maybe.
Noise cancelling ear thingies and a great podcast
Each line, each starting station and each time period has its own different strategies. There are some lines where it is possible (and better) to secure a standing place near the exits, there are other lines where it is better to go deeper in the aisle because at some point the turnover will likely allow to get you a seat, there are still other lines where you just have to squeeze until a certain point, when you can advance to a better position. How and when you move while people are getting off the train is also important.
Besides, even during rush hour some trains are a bit less crowded than others and one should at first try different ones in their available time frame, for example 8:25, then 8:30, then 8:35, to see if there is a sort of “blind spot”, a train less convenient for the average commuter and thus less “inflated”.
It sounds silly, but at the beginning it really is something like a strategy game. After some weeks, after you find a bearable pattern, it then becomes automatic and your body starts making the right moves even without you knowing it.
Normally either the very front or very back of the train is less crowded.
If you live in Tokyo normally you can find less crowded routes but of course if you live in Saitama or Chiba it might be difficult or impossible to find an alternate train route.
I just put my noise-cancelling headphones on and focus on swaying to the rhythm of the train. I felt strangely peaceful while listening to Megadeth at full volume on one of those sardine-can commutes last week.
Keep your hands above your waist at all times. Stand in the mid section where the seats are not in the doorway area. It’s much less crowded.
Also put your bag on the rack! My god the capacity of the trains would increase significantly if people just used the luggage racks.
My company has flex time so on days I go into the office I will go an hour later to miss the rush. You might see if your co has a similar policy.
I have the uttermost hatred for extreme crowding on the trains so what I noticed is if it is too crowded, I just get off it. Majority of the time the very next train will be somewhat reasonable because everyone else just had to get on this train, they couldn’t wait for the next one, leaving the next one ok-ish.
Earbuds and music help. I have Beats and you can set them to noise cancellation or transparent.
Put a time-waster game on your phone. Some people read a small book. You just want something inconspicuous to help you make some mental distance.
Deal with it!🤷🏻♂️
If you really want a seat you’ll want to be mindful about what car you’re on and what’s stops are popular. When I would take Tozai I got on at Nihombashi and knew that at Otemachi a lot of people would be getting off at the end cars cause that’s where the exits were. I almost always got a seat and could relax the rest of the ride if I rode car 10.
Try and do something that you enjoy during the ride. I listen to music or read books. It’ll still suck but at least it’ll suck a bit less.
I used to take a line to work that had a crowdedness rate (混雑率) of 200%, but luckily I then moved to the other line that has a crowdedness rate (混雑率) of 200%. 😅
I would dispute the comments about being foreign or scary or whatever. It’s too damn crowded for that to make any difference. You can wake up earlier, if you’re that way inclined. I’m a night owl, so can’t reliably do that, but when I do go 30 minutes earlier it’s much less packed. Some of my colleagues in a previous job worked 7-3 for this reason.
My advice would be to do as others – backpack on the front of the body, get used to the pattern of movement inside the train, use music or something else to help you disassociate from your bodily discomfort. Is there a station where many people get off? That’s your chance to secure a corner, or even a seat. Is the other set of doors going to open at your station? Worth making your way gradually across to the other side when you get the chance.
Also, don’t discount how attuned everyone else is to the discomfort. If you’re struggling to get off, let them know. If you’re struggling to get on, bow slightly, paste on a look of apologetic determination and *get on that train*.
Stand right inside the door, blocking access to the middle of each car that tends to have more room for standing space. Do this no matter if your stop is the next one or 10 stops away. I always appreciate it when people do this, it makes my life a little easier when trying to manage crowded spaces.
Be like water. Flow with the water.