“More than friends less than lovers” team shows us what it takes to look after thousands of commuters on the rails.

Have you ever wondered how Japanese trains seem to run like clockwork? Well, a lot of it is due to the training of staff who work for the railway company, and at Keio Electric Railway there’s a driver-and-conductor duo who are happy to show us how it’s done.

The two-man team recently starred in a new video uploaded to the railway company’s official YouTube account, and it’s been drawing attention not only for the behind-the-scenes look at how the trains are operated, but also for the sweet bond that exists between employees on either end of the train.

▼ At the back of the train is Mr Hosoo as conductor (left), and at the front is Mr Uemura in the driver’s seat (right).

The video lifts the curtain on their life on the rails, starting with a peek into their fortnightly schedule, which consists of both day and night shifts, where they might work from 6:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m., 8:00 a.m.-8:30 p.m. (with a three-hour break in between) or 1:00 p.m.-10 p.m. Sometimes they even stay overnight (“泊まり勤務”) and work different shifts over two days.

▼ Days off are marked as “休”

While their working hours may change week-to-week, the one thing that doesn’t change is their partnership, because at Keio, they like to have their drivers and conductors stick together as a duo. Mr Hosoo and Mr Uemura have been working every shift together for three years, and driver-conductor teams at the company have been known to last 10 years.

It’s impressive to learn about the partnership system, and Hosoo and Uemura make it look easy, smiling and laughing as they sign in and take breath alcohol tests before heading out to commandeer their first train for the day. While they might be jovial in the office, as soon as they take up their positions on their train, they perform tasks in a serious and professional manner, using hand and buzzer signals to communicate and ensure the safety of everyone on board.

When it’s time to break for lunch, the two take their meals together at the staff cafe, where they reveal that they spend time together outside of work too, even attending baseball games every now and then, despite supporting rival teams.

▼ Mr Hosoo describes their relationship as “ズブズブ” (“zubuzubu”) which means “inseparable”.

There can be a lot of downtime in between trains so staff are provided with a kitchen area, a computer room, rest spaces, nap rooms and even a bedroom and shared bath to keep them working in peak condition. The shifts can be long, so it helps to have a partner by your side going through the same thing, and judging by their friendship, this is a duo that will last the test of time.

▼ Take a look at the video below (don’t forget you can turn on subtitles and click auto-translate to understand what they’re saying in your chosen language).

It’s a very sweet video that serves as inspiration for all us in our own working relationships, and the sweetest moment of all comes towards the end of the video, when the driver is asked to convey what Mr Hosoo means to him. He doesn’t even have to think before he turns to the conductor and tells him, “You’re an irreplaceable partner“. After they laugh goodheartedly, he goes on to say more seriously, “I am indebted to you both professionally and privately so you’re someone I’d never want to lose.”

When Mr Hosoo is asked for his impressions, he jokingly says, “Tomodachi ijou koibito miman“, which means, “We’re more than friends but less than lovers“. While this might seem like a lighthearted take on the relationship, it’s actually an apt description for two people who spend so much time together, especially when the stakes are so high with the safety of so many lives in their hands every day.

It’s heartwarming to learn about the bond that exists between driver and conductor and witness firsthand how this relationship of mutual respect and trust forms a strong basis for safety and efficiency on one of Japan’s busiest railways. Here’s hoping their relationship continues well into the future, and we’ll all be keeping an eye out for them next time we board a Keio Line train.

Source: YouTube/京王電鉄公式チャンネル via Net Lab
Images: YouTube/京王電鉄公式チャンネル
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