Only in Japan Moments – Train Edition

Japanese trains are known for being very punctual. This is indeed true for the Shinkansen trains and probably for most other trains unless it is rush hour.

I was really amazed when I rode the Shinkansen for the first couple of times since before I had moved to Japan I lived in Germany and the German ICE is almost never on time. Therefore I was used to calculating time on the train so that I would still be on time even if the train was late and spending hours at the train station because the train I was waiting for just didn’t arrive. I also got very familiar with the procedure of how to claim a refund for a delayed train.

In Japan on the other hand it is so easy. You can just take the time schedule for granted. Your train will leave on time and you will get to your destination on time. I have no idea if there is a procedure for claiming a refund if your Shinkansen is too late because it just never happened in the 10 years that I have been living in Japan.

The local trains in Tokyo during the rush hour or when there was an accident can tell a different story though. The very popular lines like Chuo Line or Yamanote Line have a very high frequency and there will be a new train arriving every 5 minutes or even faster. A slight delay of one train can cause a chain reaction and soon all trains of that line are delayed. Also sometimes trains have to wait for people that change trains from a different line so the delay of one line can also easily lead to delay of another line.

With so many people boarding the train during rush hour, delays are easily caused by items getting stuck, people getting sick from the crowded trains, or doors not closing because there are just too many people.

When I was still commuting to work by train the trains would be delayed about 50% of the time which more often than not would cause me to be late to work. However, Japan also has an efficient solution for that. When a train is late you can get proof of delay from the station booth. It is a small sheet of paper, with the station name and the date on it, that says that the train was delayed. You can just ask the person at the booth for one. When the delay is severe you can also see people handing these out to passengers as they leave the station.

The field for how much the train is delayed is usually not filled in and you can fill in the number of minutes yourself.

Some workplaces require you to submit these documents in order to not get a deduction from your salary if you arrive late because of a train delay.

Unfortunately, if the train is late almost every other day at some point most HR people will probably just stop accepting the proof of delay and tell to you to leave your house earlier.