February 23, 2008

Trains in Japan in winter

Feb%202008%20Akabane%20station%20train.JPG


It was a freezing cold winter Tuesday morning when I woke up and stared out at of my bedroom window to see a scene of pure white snow. This was my first experience of snow since I came to Japan and I was extremely excited. Feeling as if it was Christmas all over again, I rushed outside forgetting I had to get ready for school. After calming down a little I started eating breakfast and thought about the train that I had to catch for school. Because it was snowing, the trains would probably be delayed, packed and uncomfortable. I like Japanese winters but from what I’ve heard, the trains are terrible.


While I was walking towards the station I had a feeling that my train was going to be delayed. Most of the ground was covered in snow and the parts which weren’t covered were frozen. Sure enough when I got to the station at 7:40am, the loud speaker announced that the 7:24am train was coming in another ten minutes.


Ten minutes later when the train arrived I had to make the biggest decision of my life! This was to either get on the train, or wait for the next one. The problem was that this train was packed and had the most people I had ever seen on a train before. On every one-square-meter of floor there were at least 10 people. This was because the trains were delayed and people who would catch three different trains were all on this one train.


I had no choice…if I didn’t get on this train, I would probably be late for school. This was not a good decision as it was the most uncomfortable train ride ever. After a vicious wrestling match with a rather large woman, I somehow managed to secure myself a comfortable spot in the corner of the carriage. Listening to my ipod I waited patiently for the call for my stop…I was counting down the stations…7…6…5…, when a huge man dressed in black suddenly appeared in front of me. He smelled terribly of cigarettes. My hands were in my pockets and because there were so many people on the train, I couldn’t move my hands to block my nose. 4 stations, 3…2…1...


Getting off the train was like another round of the wrestling match. I was pushed, tugged and hit at least 5 times, but as I walked out of the station I thought about the ride. It was a good experience, sort of funny even. I was able to go to school with a smile on my face =)


By Ryosuke Yano

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about Seiritsu

Seiritsu Gakuen is a private co-educational high school created in 1925 and it is located in Tokyo, Japan.

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