Japanese Subway and Train (Yu Jin Yi)

One of the most difficult things about adjusting to the life in Japan was the
subway and train system. The train system in Japan differs a lot from that of Korea in
mainly three aspects; 1) whether one can “transfer” from one line to another, 2) the
existence of express trains, and 3) the rules and social norms inside and out of the train.
The train map of Tokyo is very complicated. JR Yamanote-sen, a counterpart
of Seoul’s 2nd subway line, runs through the central Tokyo in a big circle—and lots of
long or short subway/train lines pass through it. Especially to a foreigner like myself,
figuring out the giant train map in a first glance is close to impossible, so I usually look
at the simplified version of the map or ask the station officer for the directions. What’s
more? Each line is managed by different companies (unlike how two big companies are
in charge of the line different subway lines in Seoul) that there is no “transfer” policy
like that in Korea. So in Korea one would have to pay the additional fee only when
transferring to a different line, whereas in Japan one would have to pay from the basic
charge to transfer.
Another interesting feature of Japanese train system is that there are express
trains and local trains. Local train would stop at every single train stations (like most of
the lines in Seoul) whereas the express one would stop at certain stations and pass by
some stations in between. So when taking a train in Japan, one should always check the
time table at the platform to see if the next train’s going to be local or express. It’s quite
confusing at first, but once you get used to it the system is convenient. You can save
your time by taking the express instead of stopping at every single station—which is so
Japanese. Recently Seoul’s subway line 9 also adopted the express train policy. I hope
the policy works out efficiently.
Aside from these procedural matters, there are more subtle “train manners” that
are different from Korea’s. In Korea, though it’s not something to be appreciated,
talking on the phone when on the subway is not illegal—but it is in Japan. It’s banned,
according to my friend, because the electromagnetic waves from the cellular phones are
fatal to the elderly and the infirm. Moreover, when it rains, almost everyone fold the
umbrella and tie it with the lace attached on it—unlike how in Korea people leave the
umbrella lose within the train car. Also, Japanese people wait in lines outside of the train
until everyone within the car get off. It makes it easier for the passengers to get off of
the train, which is something Korea should also do, in my opinion.
As the saying goes, Japan is close but distant country after all. Some things are
really similar to that in Korea, but we have various disparities—among them things to
learn from.