Tokyo’s Shinjuku Station is the Guinness World Record holder for busiest transport hub in the world, with an average of 3.64 million people passing through the station, which has 36 platforms and over 200 exits, each and every day. And it’s never busier than during the morning rush hour, with commuters from all over Tokyo and its neighbouring prefectures pouring through the station on their way to work. No wonder the trains are so crowded!
Since Ashley, our “Japan Wish” competition winner is currently in town soaking up as much Japanese culture as she can, we thought it would be great if she could experience the rush hour crush for herself and share her thoughts with her fellow RocketNews24 readers.
Check out the video we took of Ashley being squished like a sardine and see for yourselves how she rates the experience!
We had Ashley hop on one of the tightly packed trains while we dashed to meet her at the other end. While she was slightly nervous about what was to come – after all, Japan’s rush hour trains are famous for being hellishly tight – Ashley was nonetheless prepared to do battle with the hordes of commuters!
Ashley squeezed herself onto the train, instinctively adopting the time-honoured “shuffle on backwards while avoiding eye contact” method. Sometimes it’s hard to shove yourself face-first into a crowded carriage, mostly because of all the resentful eyes upon you. It’s better to back your way on, making sure not to get your nose trapped in the closing doors.
▼ Here she is before getting on the train – all smiles!
▼ And… after we met her at the other end!
Check out the full video including Ashley’s thoughts on the experience below!
As you can see, Ashley found the experience more than a little bit shocking, and it’s probably not something she’d like to endure every day! Nonetheless, crowded trains are, for better or worse, a part of Japanese city culture, and now Ashley has experienced it for herself she’s gained an even deeper understanding of the country and its society!
Don’t forget to keep checking the site for more updates on Ashley’s trip! You can easily locate all the articles covering Ashley’s trip under the tag “Japan Wish“.
Photos & video © RocketNews24