Coming out fresh from Haneda Airport, one of the first things to hit me in Japan was the atmosphere in trains. This was last year in March, and it was my first time in Japan.
Yet it was that specific air that has managed to make an impression on me till now, almost 2 years later. I suppose it isn’t really anything to shout about, but being an avid train-user back when I was in Malaysia, I couldn’t help making comparisons between the two.
Here are a couple of things about Japanese and Malaysian commuters that have caught my attention:
Queuing up
- Japanese: This one is pretty much a no-brainer, because we all know how famous the Japanese are for being orderly. Wherever you go in Japan, you will always see people queuing, and this is especially true at train stations and restaurants. At train stations, there are even lines on the floor, indicating where to queue so that when the train arrives, you can access it right away. FYI, not once has anyone cut me in line. Everyone waits for people to get out before waiting for their turn to get in.
- Malaysians: In Malaysia (or rather, Kuala Lumpur, as that is where most trains are), it is almost the direct opposite. At times, queues seem to merely be there for decorative reasons. This is because once the trains arrive, somehow, people who were at the back of the line would sometimes magically appear at the front and in the trains. I’m not sure what how they get there, but I’m pretty sure they’re lost.
Smartphone use
Both Malaysia and Japan are the same in this regard, where both commuters are heavy smartphone-users. There are, however, some differences:
- Japanese: The Japanese, I’ve noticed, are a lot more varied in their smartphone-use than we Malaysians are. Other than texting (in Japan, everyone uses LINE), they usually use their smartphones to play games, listen to music, read manga and occasionally, watch dramas. Texting and gaming are especially popular among them.
- Malaysians: We Malaysians are social media addicts. When we’re commuting on the trains, we’re always on Whatsapp, Facebook and Instagram. If we’re not playing with social media, then we’re listening to music or watching TV shows, videos or movies.
Noise
- Japanese: One of my favourite things about Japanese trains is how quiet the commuters are. This is largely due to the rules that have been set in place in all trains. Talking on the phone is strictly prohibited, and all phones should be put on Silent (or Manner Mode, in Japan). So long as you don’t talk on the phone, you are allowed to speak, but in lowered voices. This is so you wouldn’t disturb other passengers, as many Japanese sleep on the train.
- Malaysians: Things are a lot more relaxed in Malaysia. In contrast to Japan, you can sometimes hear phones beeping, chatter and of course, phone conversations. Usually, though, most people have enough common sense not to be too loud, but you can at times get people who yell at the top of their voices. Most commonly old aunties and uncles who are excited about something on the phone.
* Bonus cultural note: While it is okay to start up conversations with strangers in Malaysia, it isn’t in Japan.
Sleeping
- Japanese: The fact that so many people regularly sleep on the trains was enough of a surprise for me, but the real shocker is how they can sleep standing up and somehow be aware of their stop whilst asleep. It still amazes me when they sleepily jolt themselves awake precisely at the correct stop, then shuffle out of the train. Don’t even get me started on the Sleeping While Standing Up phenomenon.
- Malaysians: Barely anyone sleeps on the train, for fear of getting their stuff stolen.
Reading
- Japanese: Another popular pastime among Japanese people is reading. I don’t mean just reading the news and other articles on the phone, but actual books. You can often see them with a book in their hands, usually manga (regardless of their age), novels or non-fiction.
- Malaysians: It is rare to see a Malaysian reading a book on the train. Most reading is done on their phones.
Putting on makeup
- Japanese: Putting on makeup on the train is seen as a major faux pas in Japan, but it happens quite frequently. This is largely due to how taking care of your appearance is seen as part of politeness, and thus, women are expected to wear makeup. As you can imagine, it isn’t exactly easy to fit putting on makeup into your schedule if you’re expected to work extremely long hours and wake up early to catch the train. Thus, many women take to their train commute to put on makeup; lipstick, powder, blush, eyelashes, the works.
- Malaysians: We don’t have rules against applying makeup on the trains, but we do feel self-conscious about doing it there. And so, we don’t. Plus, Malaysia doesn’t have high expectations about appearances like Japan does, so why should we? Of course, if it’s something simple like putting on lipstick, then we’re not shy about doing that.
Giving up seats
- Japanese: Interestingly enough, this doesn’t happen too often. If they do give up seats, it’s usually for the elderly. So if you’re a young Malaysian woman, don’t expect any of the men to offer their seat to you. *
- Malaysians: In Malaysia, a lot of people automatically give up their seats to the elderly, the pregnant and the disabled. There is also an unspoken rule that if there is a woman present, then men should offer their seat to her.
* I don’t see the disabled often and pregnant women even less so on the trains, so no comment for these particular groups.
Space between commuters
- Japanese: If the train isn’t packed to the brim, then it is considered polite to allow some space between commuters. So if the Japanese person sitting next to you on the train suddenly moves a spot away when the seat next to them opens up, they’re not being rude, they’re being considerate. I’m so used to it now that I do it too, and even feel a little weirded out when the Japanese person next to me doesn’t move away.
- Malaysians: For Malaysians. we have no strict rules about where to sit. If we wanna keep sitting at that same spot even if the seat next to us opens up, we’ll keep sitting there. Heck, if we abruptly move away from someone, they might think they offended us somehow.
Making way for other commuters
- Japanese: This is my absolute favourite thing about Japanese trains. Japanese people always try to make as much use of space as possible, so if lots of people want to get on the train, they will make room for other people. They’ll quietly arrange themselves on the train, move to the back, and fill up all the seats. No space is wasted. And if you need to get out of that dense crowd and onto the platform? No problem. They will automatically arrange themselves and make way for you, even letting themselves out of the train so you can go out.
- Malaysians: As a person who wants to go home as early as possible, it frustrates me when I see a “packed” train but know that it isn’t packed. How do I know? Because everyone is crowding the entrance, and not filling up the seats and the spaces at the side. I’ve missed stops and trains before because people refuse to give way. People are also hesitant to get off the train to let people out, because the moment they do, other Malaysians might rush in and not let them on. Getting in and off Malaysian trains is stressful in and of itself.
The smell
- Japanese: Japanese trains are clean, but if you happen to ride them late at night, you might be recipient to the smell of alcohol and occasionally, vomit and pee. Courtesy of their heavy drinking culture after work.
- Malaysians: If you smell anything, it’s most likely BO or food. Malaysia doesn’t have a heavy drinking culture like the above.
This got long, but what can I say? There really is a lot to say about train etiquette in both countries. 🙂 Both have their own pros and cons, and quirks that make them inherently Japanese or Malaysian.
Which one do you prefer?
