“And the rails go on forever,
In a silver trail to the setting sun,
You can follow them anywhere you want to go.”
–Al Stewart
Al Stewart, the Scottish folk-rock singer-songwriter most famous for the 1970s classic hit song “Year of the Cat,” was fascinated by trains. They feature prominently in several of his songs, serving as a metaphor for the journey of life. My own experience of train travel was far less romantic. In my younger days I commuted from eastern Long Island to New York City by train and I remember them as crowded, dirty, noisy, smelly things that rarely, if ever, arrived on time. In my opinion, the only thing they had going for them was that they were marginally better than spending three hours stuck in rush hour traffic.
A recent trip to Japan has completely changed my perception of train travel. The rail system in Japan is astounding! For one thing, they are always on time. If the schedule board above the platform says the train will arrive at 11:02, the train will arrive precisely at 11:02. When something unforeseen causes an occasional delay, the schedule board will announce the exact reason for the delay, how long it will be, and offer alternative trains to your destination.
The first thing you will notice when boarding a Japanese train is the cleanliness. The Japanese people take great pride in their rail system. No one is sticking their used chewing gum under the seat or discarding their empty coffee cups or food wrappers on the floor. If they drop a scrap of paper, they pick it up. As a result, the trains are immaculate. This applies not only to the elegant and famous Shinkansen Bullet Trains, but also to the Tokyo Metro (Tokyo’s subway system), that carries over 6 million passengers every day.
Courtesy to their fellow travelers is another hallmark of the Japanese culture and rail system. Passengers sit quietly, reading a book, looking at their phones, or listening to something through their earbuds. Respect for their elders is also clearly in evidence on the Japanese train system. No matter how crowded the train may be, a young person will always get up and offer their seat to an elderly passenger. Being seniors ourselves, we experienced this numerous times during our time in Japan.
You will also quickly notice how quiet it is on the train. There is little conversation, and no loud conversations. Loud, unruly behavior will clearly identify you as a tourist, so don’t do it. Be respectful of the Japanese culture and they will embrace you.
If you are going to spend more than a few days in Japan, we strongly encourage you to purchase a Japan RailPass. This pass will allow you to travel all over Japan on the Shinkansen Bullet Trains, Rapid and Local trains, JR Bus and Ferry services, and Airport Transfers. They are available in numerous packages (7, 14, and 21 day passes), and offer regional options if you are going to be staying in one area of Japan only. We used ours to travel between Yokohama, Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, and Nara. We loved it! After our first couple of days, we became adept at deciphering the train schedules and were able to find our way around the major cities without assistance. The other great feature of the JR RailPass is that it allows you to prepay for all your internal travel in Japan, so you don’t end up with a load of unanticipated travel bills.
One of the most memorable experiences during our Japan trip happened on the Tokyo Metro. We spoke no Japanese when we arrived, other than a few phrases we picked up from a session we attended on the cruise. We were also warned that the Japanese people spoke little to no English. While this turned out to be true, their helpfulness of the Japanese people was amazing.
One day, we were completely lost in a Metro station, unable to find our way to the next connection. We stopped a young Japanese woman and asked for help. She spoke very little English and was on her way home after a long day at work, but she went out of her way to make sure we got to where we needed to be. She spent probably half an hour leading us through a maze of underground passages until we arrived at the platform we needed. We do not remember, or probably never knew her name, but whoever you are, you have our eternal gratitude. While this was above and beyond, it was indicative of the way we were treated throughout our trip. The helpful, friendly attitude of the Japanese people is something we will carry in our hearts forever.