Comment by yakshaving_jgt

3 days ago

This is how trains work in Bangkok also, and Thai culture is very different from Japanese culture.

This is just how trains work in that place. It’s not deeper than that.

Same in the UK. Isn’t waiting for others to get off before you get on just basic courtesy? There are definitely individuals who don’t do this, but most do. Same in lifts.

Other than that, I completely agree that people in Japan seem to care and take their jobs more seriously than elsewhere. Though my Japanese friends would probably tell me that it’s not because they deeply care — really they’re just terrified of standing out. Still, perhaps the resulting society is worth it! High trust is great.

  • It's not even the basic courtesy, it's basic reason. The inside of the train is smaller than the outside (which is a station) so it's easier to maneuver your way if you first let people out and then go inside than it is in the case when you first go inside and then try to let people to go out. The same is true with elevators.

Not sure what train you got in Thailand, you were perhaps lucky. Usually it is the opposite. As a westerner working in BKK this drives me mad that they do not wait. They will only wait if there is no gap to try push in on.

  • I’m talking about the skytrain, where they paint arrows on the ground to tell you where to stand to await boarding.