Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Please enjoy the jam-packed train in Japan. 満員電車(まんいんでんしゃ)を楽しみなさい。

It’ the best school to get to know Japanese people

I am sure that you had thought a jam-packed train in the morning was to be a joke until you came to Japan.
I think that there are many foreigners who cannot stand a jam-packed train of the morning.

If you have not experienced a jam-packed train yet, please try to get on a train at about 8:00 from 7:30 a.m. on weekdays, because there are many companies which start work at 9:00 a.m. You can watch a strange sight.

Anthropologist Edward T. Hall defines the personal space as a distance that people feel uncomfortable when approached by others.
Though the personal space of Japanese people is longer than its average of the world, Japanese people get on a jam-packed train which is terribly overcrowded while maintaining order,.

At the platform, they always wait for a train in a queue in good order even when however crowded terribly.
And some people who think that it’s difficult to get on the train due to a terrible rush stand in a line for a next train orderly.

In the train, you can watch various Japanese people as follows.
Some persons are sleeping while leaning on others.
Though there is not space reading a newspaper at all, some businessmen are reading a newspaper desperately.

By observing them carefully, you can enjoy a game which you imagine that this person’s job may be finance or that person may be going to get off at Kasumigaseki station and so on.

Please enjoy the jam-packed train in Japan.
It’s very helpful school to get to know Japanese people.

-----  by Mori-sensei MJI.

最高(さいこう)の学校です。

 日本に来るまで、朝の満員電車なんて冗談(じょうだん)だと思っていたのではありませんか?
朝の満員電車に我慢できない外国人は多いと思います。

もし乗ったことがなかったら、平日(へいじつ)の朝7時半から8時頃、電車に乗ってみてください。というのも朝9時から仕事を始める会社が多いからです。

文化人類学者エドワード・ホールの定義(ていぎ)したパーソナルスペース、他人に近づかれると不快(ふかい)に感じる距離(きょり)は、日本人の場合(ばあい)世界の平均値より長いと言われています。にもかかわらず不思議なことに日本人は秩序(ちつじょ)を保(たも)って満員電車に乗っています。

駅のホームではどんなに混(こ)んでいる時でも秩序(ちつじょ)よく行列(ぎょうれつ)し、電車に乗れないと思った人は次に来る電車に乗る列に並んだりする光景(こうけい)にも出会います。

電車に乗ると、人に寄(よ)りかかって寝ている人、新聞を読むスペースなど全然(ぜんぜん)ないのに必死(ひっし)に新聞を読んでいるビジネスマン、色んな日本人がいます。

そういう人たちを観察(かんさつ)していると、この人は金融(きんゆう)の仕事をしているのだろうとか、あの人は霞が関(かすみがせき)駅で降(お)りるだろうなど想像(そうぞう)するゲームができます。

満員電車を楽しんでください。満員電車は日本人を知るには最高の学校なんです。

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