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I remember always being very impressed with the Japanese/Tokyo rail system being so punctual. But it was not until I saw this video [1] and read about it more

I remember always being very impressed with the Japanese/Tokyo rail system being so punctual. But it was not until I saw this video [1] and read about it more that I understood that it was not out of some kind of "let's make this system really great" motivation (like voluntary desire for perfection) that you associate with Japan nowadays. It was that they could not satisfy the need without it operating really reliably and punctually -- it was simply necessary to have. [1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Se1XtS8LAKs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Se1XtS8LAKs -- Japanology, a pretty entertaining series in general, if you're interested in the quirks and daily life aspects of Japanese society. And one thing I like about this series is that they usually end each episode with some touching personal story of how someone relates to the overall theme of the episode (oddly enough, because I generally never like the attempt to create a “people story” on the news or documentaries).

asiseeit123 5y ago
In other countries being punctual and reliable is not necessary to have
ekianjo 5y ago
> it was simply necessary to have. Of course, you can't transport dozens of millions of people everyday if you start being unreliable. The whole system would collapse if a train is 10 minutes late because it would block dozens of trains behind it.
- tkgally 5y ago
  > The whole system would collapse if a train is 10 minutes late... Short-term collapses do happen fairly regularly. For fifteen years, until COVID, I commuted every day between Yokohama and Tokyo. In the morning, I went from Yokohama to Shibuya on the Toyoko Line (a non-JR private line); most evenings, I returned home through Shinagawa on JR. I remember many mornings when the trains to Shibuya were delayed by ten or twenty minutes or longer; like other lines into Tokyo, the trains ran at full capacity and at maximum closeness to each other during morning rush hour, and the slightest problem could cause a backup. (Evening rush hour is more spread out, and I experienced fewer delays then.) Anyone who rides Tokyo trains regularly has similar stories. But it is true that, overall, Japanese trains, including the trains in the Tokyo area, are reliable and even pleasant to ride. In the ongoing discussion of working at home vs. office [1], many people have named commuting as a negative aspect of working in an office. I actually didn’t mind my commute—the walk to and from the stations was good exercise, the bustle of stations like Shibuya and Shinagawa was stimulating, and the train rides gave me time to think, read, and listen to music. While I am now happy to be working at home, I hope the pandemic quiets down enough for me to start feeling confident about going places by train again, both in the Tokyo area and throughout Japan. [1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30239441 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30239441
  - nottorp 5y ago
    > In the ongoing discussion of working at home vs. office [1], many people have named commuting as a negative aspect of working in an office. Because most of them are driving.
    - thfuran 5y ago
      Likely through heavy city traffic, which is the worst kind of driving.
      - fomine3 5y ago
        It's also not comfortable to ride 200% congestion rate train everyday.
        scelerat 5y ago
        That's only some stretches of some interior lines; by no means every mile of every line.
        ryan_lane 5y ago
        And if your commute is very long, you're most likely getting on when it's not crowded and will have a seat.
        fomine3 5y ago
        True, but possibly it's everyday for people who use it for commute in the morning. It's avoidable by choosing where to live but sometimes it's hard to move from bought house, or move entire family. I wish remote work getting popular even after covid.

asiseeit123 5y ago

In other countries being punctual and reliable is not necessary to have

ekianjo 5y ago

> it was simply necessary to have. Of course, you can't transport dozens of millions of people everyday if you start being unreliable. The whole system would collapse if a train is 10 minutes late because it would block dozens of trains behind it.

tkgally 5y ago
> The whole system would collapse if a train is 10 minutes late... Short-term collapses do happen fairly regularly. For fifteen years, until COVID, I commuted every day between Yokohama and Tokyo. In the morning, I went from Yokohama to Shibuya on the Toyoko Line (a non-JR private line); most evenings, I returned home through Shinagawa on JR. I remember many mornings when the trains to Shibuya were delayed by ten or twenty minutes or longer; like other lines into Tokyo, the trains ran at full capacity and at maximum closeness to each other during morning rush hour, and the slightest problem could cause a backup. (Evening rush hour is more spread out, and I experienced fewer delays then.) Anyone who rides Tokyo trains regularly has similar stories. But it is true that, overall, Japanese trains, including the trains in the Tokyo area, are reliable and even pleasant to ride. In the ongoing discussion of working at home vs. office [1], many people have named commuting as a negative aspect of working in an office. I actually didn’t mind my commute—the walk to and from the stations was good exercise, the bustle of stations like Shibuya and Shinagawa was stimulating, and the train rides gave me time to think, read, and listen to music. While I am now happy to be working at home, I hope the pandemic quiets down enough for me to start feeling confident about going places by train again, both in the Tokyo area and throughout Japan. [1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30239441 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30239441
- nottorp 5y ago
  > In the ongoing discussion of working at home vs. office [1], many people have named commuting as a negative aspect of working in an office. Because most of them are driving.
  - thfuran 5y ago
    Likely through heavy city traffic, which is the worst kind of driving.
    - fomine3 5y ago
      It's also not comfortable to ride 200% congestion rate train everyday.
      - scelerat 5y ago
        That's only some stretches of some interior lines; by no means every mile of every line.
        ryan_lane 5y ago
        And if your commute is very long, you're most likely getting on when it's not crowded and will have a seat.
        fomine3 5y ago
        True, but possibly it's everyday for people who use it for commute in the morning. It's avoidable by choosing where to live but sometimes it's hard to move from bought house, or move entire family. I wish remote work getting popular even after covid.