How to Ride a Tokyo Train Like a Local
Tokyo trains carry millions of people every day. They run on time because everyone follows the same simple rules. Most of these rules are not written on any sign. People learn them by watching others. Before you ride, get a Suica or Pasmo card at the station. Tap it on the gate to enter. The card also works on buses and in many shops, so it is good to keep one with you.
At the platform, look for the marks on the floor. Each mark shows where a train door will open. Stand in line behind the mark and wait your turn. When the train stops, do not push forward. Let everyone get off first. Then walk in. If the train is full, take your bag off your shoulder and hold it in front of you. This makes more space for other people. Never try to run for a closing door. The doors close fast and can hurt you. There is always another train in two or three minutes.
Inside the train, keep quiet. Do not talk on the phone. If you must look at your phone, set it to silent mode. Many people are reading or sleeping after a long day. Near the doors at each end of the car, you will see priority seats. These seats are for older people, pregnant women, and people with small children or injuries. If you sit there and someone needs the seat, stand up and offer it. Try not to eat or drink in a busy car. Most riders save snacks for the platform or for long trips on the bullet train.
When your stop is near, move toward the door before the train arrives at the station. Look at the screen above the doors to see which side will open. After you step off, do not stop right in front of the door. Walk a few steps away, then look at signs for your exit. Stairs and escalators are often crowded. On an escalator in Tokyo, stand on the left side and leave the right side open for people in a hurry. If you remember just these few habits, you will ride like a local.
Vocabulary
- platform
- the long flat area at a station where you wait for a train — We waited on the platform for ten minutes before our train came.
- priority
- the right to come first, or to be more important than other things — Children and older people have priority when getting on the bus.
- pregnant
- having a baby growing inside the body — My sister is pregnant with her second child.
- injuries
- harm to a part of the body, such as a cut or a broken bone — He got two injuries during the football match last week.
- escalators
- moving sets of stairs that take people up or down between floors — The shopping centre has escalators on every floor.
- in a hurry
- to need to do something fast because there is little time — I cannot stop and talk now because I am in a hurry.
- habits
- things you do often, almost without thinking about them — Reading before bed is one of my best habits.