Pro tip can help anyone with bulky luggage on Japan’s fastest trains.

While the life of a professional musician sounds glamorous, there are certain aspects of that life that are not so thrilling. Take the exceedingly practical and mundane task, for example, of transporting your instrument of choice to and from various performance venues.

Japanese Twitter user @jidaisho_yu is one such musician who is well accustomed to that chore and for whom it’s particularly challenging, as he is a double bass player for Japanese productions of the musical Les Misérables and a member of the Panda Wind Orchestra, based in Tokyo’s Ueno district. Lugging a double bass around is no easy feat, but during a recent ride on the Shinkansen (bullet train), the train conductor shared a simple piece of wisdom with him that will make his life easier moving forward:

“When I ride the Shinkansen with my contrabass I always lean it against the door like this, so I’m nervous every time the train reaches a station because I never know which door is going to open. Today, however, the conductor gave me this wonderful memo. I’ve fallen in love.”

From top to bottom, the memo reads as follows:

Kyoto: left
Nagoya: right
Shin-Yokohama: left
Shinagawa: right

Based on the major stations listed above, @jidaisho_yu was presumably riding a stretch of the Tokaido Shinkansen from Kyoto to Tokyo, using the Shinkansen’s fastest express, the Nozomi. Now, instead of having to stress until the last minute as passengers are lining up in the entry/exit space before each stop, he can simply switch sides immediately after each stop to stay out of the way of the opening doors at the next one, keeping his luggage upright without without blocking the entrance/exit for other travelers.

Other net users shared in his happiness about learning this simple but helpful tip:

“Such a kind conductor and happy story!”
“He gets extra points for using that official Shinkansen paper.”
“We’ve caught a glimpse of what it means to be a pro at your work.”
“On the Yamagata Shinkansen [northern Tohoku] there’s a place to store your skis, so please use that if you ever ride it.”
“They make the announcement about which doors will open a few minutes before each stop, but this way he can know ahead of time.”

@jidaisho_yu’s original post blew up in popularity on the Japanese internet, so it’s apparent that the general public appreciated the knowledge as well. Anything that can make travel in a crowded space even a little less stressful is appreciated, right?

Source: Twitter/@jidaisho_yu via Hachima Kiko
Featured image: Twitter/@jidaisho_yu
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