My college senior works as a part time train pusher in Musashikoganei Station near Mitaka and Tachikawa city, Tokyo.

I myself seriously considered being a part time train pusher. The salary is not bad at 1000 yen to 1200 yen per hour with two hour shift every day from 7 am to 9 am (Note: it depends on the company as well as the train station).

The senior explained. As a rail enthusiast, he wanted to be a full time employee for some major rail company in Japan. He learned that his home station was recruiting several part time station staff to deal with the notorious Chuo line rush hour.

Yesss!! Chuo line, the notorious Orange monster who is never on time and at least 3 times a week, the service is suspended.

After he was formally hired, despite being promised he will receive some kind of training, he was sent straight to the chaotic platform next morning to join the team. Sad. There, he would experience what I see as the wildest experience ever in his entire college career.

Just days after his first job, some sort of signal problem delayed the train for 10 minutes. The platform was in chaos with angry people whose ever piling up being squashed in the small platform. The diagram was severally disrupted and he needed to grasp all the information about the trains changing services.

By the way, they come every 90 seconds (max) on the same platform, each having different stop patterns and destinations which he had to memorize all the detailed information on each of those trains.

The above image is an old diagram at Tokyo Station. Dont worry, the number of trains have increased since then.

There are enormous pressure to these jobs as he only have 10 to 15 seconds to push in all the people in before the next train arrive 90 seconds later. In fact such failure are the main cause this Orange monster to cease function. By his third week, he now knows which passenger would cause delay, like that boy in green who always wrestles with the train door or the guy in bold who always fights with other passengers, often females.

However, there are some genuine reason why the Chuo line is called the Orange Monster. Delays are the norm during the rush hour. However, Orange-kun goes several steps further. They are involved in some form of accidents almost every single day!!

On a typical Monday, my senior was once again at work. However, at around 8 am, right after the train started moving, it performed an emergency break. People at the platform stared at the station crew all at once with eyes saying “Ur Serious????” Where he received a message from the transceiver “A passenger made contact with the train at Hino Station. Cleaning operation underway. Estimated Service resumption time unknown. I repeat…-” Not again…. It was yet another suicide. This time, a schoolgirl, last week was a salary man. At least twice a month, the Orange Monster politely runs over someone entering the rail ether intentionally or accidentally, causing serious service disruptions. Often the body of the victim are reduced into what people call “fresh served tuna” which people have to clean up stuck inside the wheels.

Clean them up before the police holds down the scene comrades!! (Rumors say that some stations force part time collage kids to clean up these mess which are illegal as only authorized personal are allowed in the tracks. )

Luckily that day, they were able to do so before the cops came. When the cops arrive, they may hold the entire scene for several hours, which trains cannot operate during that time. Imagine the chaos caused by that?

However, luck did not last long as this happened.

This dude who was a drunken college student, entered the commercial train track in Kunitachi station during weekday morning rush hour. The staff attempted to apprehend him but was too late. While taking procedures to obtain legal authorization to enter the train track, the dude was already several hundred meters into the train track.

All the service was stopped within the Chuo rapid service at a particularly bad timing. Millions of passengers trapped in the train station started searching for alternative routes, disrupting service around the metropolitan area. (Hell I couldn't go to school on time that day.) According to a rumor the service disruption even affected the Tokaido Shinkancen which affected service as far as Osaka. Mind! Blowing!

As for the senior, he was okay as he left the job 5 minutes early. His comrades were obviously not as lucky as him. Even after the service resumed an hour later they had to deal with stuff like this stock footage, but ten times worse.

Sorry guys.

By the way, part time station crew jobs are particularly popular among college students who are train nerds like myself. Trains are awesome!. I like trains. Also, Japanese nerds are often closed and have weird cultures. Although not as dirty as anime Otaku, train Otakus are very…., you know… controversial. They love inappropriate memes and often use them in morning announcements. Surprising fact is that most people dont even pay attentions to them so they are free to contaminate the platform with announcements with dirty meme jokes nobody understands but themselves and other otaku. Next time you take the train, pay attention to the announcement, you may hear what you're not supposed to.

You know, before listening to his stories, I though it would be fun and cool to become a station pusher. 2 to 3 hours each weekday makes me earn extra 50-65k yen each month for my allowances which also makes me wake up early. Healthy indeed.

However, after hearing stories from my college senior, I got a job as a campus cleaner instead.

Oh, and I quit that job too a while ago and now am unemployed again…

I have been on packed trains more times than I like to recall. The worst is that peak train when the crowds just never seem to end. And you need to get on. So I step in slowly, get my foot planted, reach up and grab the inside top of the open door, and ….. pull myself into the train. Trying to get the crowd to simultaneoulsy make room for me by having them squeeze together of their own accord. By this method, I have the least about of body connection with my fellow passengers.

Sometimes this works.

But on the most packed of trains, in the winter when everyone has on a heavy and thick coat, there is just no way to find room on that fully packed metal tin tube.

On those days, the pusher with the white gloves appears. And it is a relief to let someone else do the “dirty deed” of forcing your way into an already unreal circumstance.

No one really enjoys being packed in the train. No one really wants to be pushed. We are ALL upset that we have to endure this. So we abhor anyone who fails to follow expected protocol.

People with backpacks on their back are just miserable miscreants. No one will say anything to you, but you will get looks of daggers as your backpack pulses within millimeters of the person just behind you. The person in the uncomfortable contorted pose trying to avoid all those daggers of zippers and plastic straps that seem to attack the face of the passenger you are ignoring because you can’t see them. Then you turn around to see if your bag is bumping into anyone and of course you can’t tell, because when you turn, your bag turns and nearly hits the person standing next to the one you were just attacking with your bag.

The people who don’t know where to put their hands and end up with hands near private parts…. Its’ just creepy. Man or woman. If you are holding a bag and you can’t get your hand out of the way, no grabbing please. Just stay absolutely still.

The girl who pushes her bum into my crotch feels somewhat sexy. But now I’m afraid my member might decide to strengthen up and push back. So I try to turn to realign our bodies so that the crush is on my thigh instead.

The packed train is NOT FUN.

And so, having someone else do the pushing so that you can be relieved of the responsibility of throwing yourself into the pulsing mass of warm bodies all trying to avoid touching each other… well… it is quite frankly a rather strange relief.

It is like when you you have a crick in your neck….you try to massage it yourself…but it feels better if someone else does it for you. Or if you arrive a nice restaurant, and the valet parks your car so you don’t have to drive around the block looking for the last spot…

Somethings that are distasteful are just a little bit more pleasant when someone else can do them for you.

So, if the train is truly terribly packed, I won’t get on. Many other people feel the same way. And so the platform just piles up with more people. The train pusher guys help clear the platform by finding a place for everyone. No matter how tight it gets. And so I thank them.

For those who feel creeped out by the process, don’t go during rush hour.

And for the tourists who go to “experience” the event. Just stop please. We have enough cramped quarters with just the regular “must ride” crowd. We certainly don’t need your warm body and your loud expressions of surprise and wonder and talking out-loud about how amazing, terrible, etc. this packed train is. Thank you for making it more packed during a time when we have to ride and you don’t.

You mean 押し屋 (おしや　O-shi-ya). They shove people into jammed commute trains, making 1500 Yen (12 dollars) an hour + transportation expenses. Good pay for teenagers or undergraduates. They just push and push every weekday!

It is a job only available in certain satellite municipalities around urban areas. The number of trains is not catching up with the population.

It is a structural mess. Travelers can avoid them, for they occur under certain mechanisms from 6 to 9 in the morning.

Roppongi Station on the Oedo Line is the deepest in Japan, more than 30 meters below ground level, but most of the stations on the Ginza Line are at lower elevations than this station.

To get on the subway at Roppongi Station on the Oedo Line, you must ride this long escalator three times. It is so deep that it takes more than three minutes to reach the platform after passing through the gate.

This platform, however, is about 0 meters above sea level. This is because Roppongi's ground level is 30 meters above sea level.

On the other hand, the Ginza Line is the oldest subway in Japan, with stations from Asakusa to Ginza located 2m to 4m underground. However, the elevation of the platform is 2m to 4m below sea level, since the elevation of the area is almost 0m above sea level.

That is why many of the stations on the Ginza Line, which can be reached quickly, are deeper underground than Roppongi Station, which seems to be deep underground.

I'm not sure which rail infrastructure in Tokyo you are referring to by G train, are you talking about the Ginza line? At any rate, I will assume that you are referring to the Ginza line.

The Ginza Line is certainly a subway that can be crowded. However, it is also known as a line where congestion is not so much of a problem.

Tokyo Metro publishes congestion information by line, station, and time of day on its website.

What this shows is that the areas near Iriya Station on the Hibiya Line, near Nishi-Nippori Station on the Chiyoda Line, and near Monzennakacho Station on the Tozai Line can be very crowded.

The Yurakucho Line, Namboku Line, and Marunouchi Line are known for having other stations with severe congestion in the congestion ranking, but the Ginza Line stations are not included in the top 25 in the ranking by station.

This is due to the fact that the Ginza Line is not perceived as such a convenient commuter line. The “convenient commuter lines” referred to here are those lines where trains from the suburbs directly connect to the subway. The Ginza Line is the oldest subway line in Japan, and because it was built without considering connections to other railroads, it is complete with subway-only operations.

On the other hand, most of the aforementioned congested routes are designed to connect from the suburbs. In addition, redevelopment of some lines has led to the construction of many residential high-rise condominiums, causing nearby residents to concentrate on those lines without alternatives.

The Ginza Line was originally built to serve the most prosperous areas of Tokyo. For this reason, the line is always fairly crowded throughout the daytime, but there are no concentrated times when people ride the line, and the line is unlikely to be left unloaded during rush hour, which you assume is a common occurrence.

I'm french, my wife half japanese born and raised here then france then japan etc; It's my second time here since last year (been living here in 2007/8) and spoke a lot to "gaijins" (foreigners) here for 2 years or 20 years, expats or married locally, working within foreign or really japanese companies: here is my analysis:

They don't want you to "become" Japanese at all: forget about trying to speak as good japanese as they do (and write: anyway it's such a long job, better avoid it ;D unless exceptional needs of course). Japanese society, in its whole and within companies, still are like a century ago, are "clans", "families", where the boss is a "father" and you disturb them trying to become a member of it: you simply are a "gaijin" and each person has a role in the society and shall not try to play another role. It's the Confucius vision of the society, with respect to elders, hierarchy, etc. (though they appreciate you can speak some japanese, they are disturbed you can understand everything they could say...about you; also, it would be a biased relationship as they hardly understand your english!)

More, working within a pure Japanese company means a totally different managing style from the one we appreciate in the western world, and even more in the US or Internet age: they are "vertical" while we love "horizontal", mean any request/idea/suggestion have to go through the WHOLE vertical hierarchy layers from the bottom to the real top management, which decide, then goes back to you through these endless layers of mid management. It takes a long long time to get any answer and there's NO flexibility at all: tried to ask a mix of orange and lemon juice when both where available at same price (but not the mix), never could get it in any Tokyo bar... ("not in the menu", point, basta, go elsewhere you bizarre Gaijin!...). That drives any foreigner nuts, even my own "half japanese" wife which resigned from Hitachi.

If you're a woman, forget it too: the society is really,very macho, and there NO place for an executive woman. Point. Go find a place in a foreign company (which, happily, allows you to go home at decent times, 6 or 8pm, considering that, yes, you can have kids to raise AND be an efficient worker; and consider normal you actually TAKE your holidays while japanese do NOT use them, feared to be "useless" if the company succeed to run without you during these 4 days off...)

So: Japanese are macho, psycho-rigid (unbending), xenophobics (and racists, sorry, let's call a cat a cat). And you don't want to work with them "from inside".

From outside, it's another story, as tells Maureen below, and yes, they are very, VERY kind to anyone and take care of you, when you're just visiting you, like noone else.

But where you have "values" which drive your "rules" (of living in society, working together with colleagues, suppliers, clients...), they don"t: they have "rules" they respect immensely, but where there's no clear rule, they'll be very disappointed (and disappointing): they can be the worst customer, screaming to you (and you HAVE to excuse yourself during hours... it's a local tradition, which hurts you self-esteem they don't have -or are not authorized to have-): for instance you're supposed to walk left side in sidewalks in Tokyo (right side in Osaka, and each city has its own convention, don't ask why, "simplicity" is NOT a Japanese concept); but when it is to cross the street on zebras, it becomes a mess, then back to the other side of the sidewalk, eveyone go back to the left side. Simply because "on sidewalk you walk left" but it has not been said "on zebras too". And the same apply in the Metro, when you see men running and hurting a pregnant mom and its 1 year baby, to jump inside the wagon before her: there's no "values" to drive this behaviour, so what?

About work, again:

Forget about simplicity, and productivity: they trust "hard work", perfectionism, not efficiency (and they actually know it's killing their exports... but simply can't fight against this very cultural mindset which used to be a strength in the 70's!):

where you use emails, or even better, ERP, entreprise social networks, chat, and any other Web age productivity tool, they still rely heavily to the... fax! (my wife company -and all other companies...- pay a bunch of workforce to receive tons of customers and suppliers invoice and purchase orders faxes, put that in SAP ERP, print the answer, send it again by fax... Tell me about productivity!): read this, very, very instructive!:

Japan’s Tech Troubles

Way to solve a problem:

When you, as a westerner, and even more, a Frenchy, like to take a step back from a problem, think before the whole picture, imagine the best smartest laziest therefore most economical solution, they'll ask you "what the hell are you doing, start working!" : they just work any solution, test them all, find the best, done. They will work all night, week-end included, to find the 99,99% best solution. Never heard of Pareto law? :-( Tell me about efficiency...

Meetings:

They MUST attend any meeting, hours, just before they have to be there, because the chief is in, even if they have nothing to say, nothing to hear: so they are allowed (really!) to sleep (and do, often!). Pure waste of time.

Because they know there is no closing time today and can work the whole night, they don't bother about "I've got to finish this in 15min.": they think "cool, I have still the whole day and night to do it" so don't run. ("Sprints" web dev concept someone?)

If they don't understand exactly what the boss requested for next week, in a meeting, they can make like 3 "what did he meant?" hypothesis, work (hard, again) on the 3, then show #1 at next meeting, receive a "no, I didn't ask that", show off #2 delivery, if not the #3, etc.: they didn't dare disturbing the boss to get more accurate inputs, so...

Long term:

You will never be able to "enter the game" if they are not sure you're here for the very long term: coming for 3 years, if they know it, will be a barrier: they don't want to invest (so much time...) in a partnership or hiring unless it's for life, or so. (which is good for a normal japanese salary man... but not to their flexibility!)

Etc.

Its all about working hard and perfectionism. Which was good when the man-hour cost was low -like in China now- in the 70's, very hurting the economy now!

They know it actually, see the 2020 Olympic Games challenge (buildings, international services for visitors, etc.), and don't know how to address it, how to change.

(But that's any civilization problem and challenge, such as in France too, or the whole world with our industrial civilization running to our death, but well, who cares today?... It's human, so I don't blame them, we're all the same...)

PS: of course, there are a LOT of fantastic things being here (and I'm here...) anyway! Mostly for a Japanese, because, again, being so far away from the rest of the world during thousand years never made this society adapt itself for foreigners. It's great to have a Japanese supplier, which will... work hard and perfectly for you. But not to be IN a Japanese company, as it's not made for you. (actually, not for a normal Japanese "salary man" either, as 62% of them are unhappy with their life, big % of suicides, etc. So not, it's NOT a "culture is different, you simply are not the same" point of view, please!

Come here, find a partner (sales man), start your own company, work alone (or with pals), and let your local partner interact with his fellow customers and suppliers: you'll be very happy working (and mostly living) here, but your very own way!

What it feels like to be one of them:

You will feel very undignified, sometimes humiliated, and will likely lose a lot of self-respect because if you're a temp worker, you'd be treated like a disposable worker who can lose your job with just a few minutes' notice because it's a buyer's market.

During the go-go days of the bubble economy, young Japanese used to look at working as a "Freeter" (temporary worker) as a kind of freedom, a way to get away/postponing the inevitable as a salaryman. Those were the days when temp workers were in short supplies, and it was hip to be a freeter. But not anymore. These days, temp workers can be both young--people who never managed to gain full-time employment in the first place either because you were chasing a dream, etc,--and older, most notably those who are 40 and older, who have lost their full-time jobs during the prolonged economic downturn. (Even with lots of experience, a worker's worth in Japan will quickly devalue once he hits age 40 because most companies don't think they can teach "an old dog new tricks." Not to mention many companies value loyalty and prefer workers who can follow a company's culture very closely. Hence they have a high preference for younger workers. )

What it's like to be a younger Temp Worker:

Temporary day workers, dubbed the "working poor," have a tough go. Usually registered with several outsourcing companies, they often can change jobs everyday and don't know what job to go to until they get a phone call in the morning. Sometimes, their phones don't ring at all. It is not unusual for a promised job to be canceled at the last minute.

According to facts and details, (http://factsanddetails.com/japan/cat24/sub156/item907.html ) non-regular workers in Japan accounted for 38.7 percent of Japan's total workforce and part-time workers made up 22.9 percent of all workers as of October 2010. Regular workers accounted for 61.3 percent of Japan's total workforce

The article also says the working poor include 4 million people between 15 and 34 who work part time or in temporary employment. The minimum wage for a month's work in Tokyo is about $1,000---which many temporary workers don't get---is lower than the $1,400 they get on welfare.

A lot of jobs at convenience stores in Japan are filled by young temp workers.

What it's like to be an older Temp Worker:

If it's bad to be a young temp worker, then being an older one is much worse because you have the heavy burden of having to support a family. To make matters worse, the kind of respect you expect from younger people (Japan being such a hierarchical society, such expectation is very normal) would not be forthcoming because when you're sent to work as a temp worker at an office, you'd be treated like dirt by the full-time staff there even if some of them are your our children's age.

As a temp worker in his fifties quoted by a very recent Asahi Shimbun Weekly (増殖する「中高年派遣」34万人の悲鳴　法改正を逆手にとった「派遣切り」も 〈AERA〉｜dot.ドット), at a business office where he works as a temp, he is routinely greeted by the cocky young full-time staffers there as "Hey you." They never bother to learn his name. Or they would mumble, "that old fart is useless."

A college graduate, the man once worked for a large cram school as a full-time worker, but lost his job when it went belly up almost a decade ago. He registered with an outsourcing firm about three years ago, and has been sent to work for a variety of companies as a day worker, including office work, packing and stuffing supplies at storage rooms, or as a mover for moving companies. Being an older temp worker means you can never complain no matter how disrespectful people are or how grilling the work is because they can take away your job just like that. And unlike younger workers, finding another job as an older worker is just so much harder. That's why this older worker pretends not to hear when the young leader at the moving company shouts: "You're too slow! Can't you move faster?"

According to the article, there are about 340,000 middle age temp workers in Japan (age 45 to 64) as of 2014--that's an increase of more than two-fold since 2004. A typical take home pay for an older temp worker is about 150,000 yen after tax, which is roughly about half of what a full-time worker might get (varies a bit depending on your age, etc.), and then you don't get any of the benefits a full-timer would receive.

I don't know how you can raise a family on that kind of salary in expensive Japan. It's a tough life!

“What is it like to ride the subway in Tokyo?”

It is a fascinating experience, with many positives and negatives to take in.

I ride the Tokyo subway 5 days a week to get to work (and back home) - have done for many years - and overall I love it. It is generally efficient, clean and well run. Trains come every few minutes, staff are on hand on the platform and at most exits to assist passengers, and there are toilets at each station that are usually clean and well maintained (considering some are old, and that millions

Small positive things you may notice:

1. Newer carriages are bright and modern, with high resolution digital displays in every carriage. These show network information, announcements, commercials, time between stations for the whole line, which side doors will open etc.
2. Stations post carriage maps. These show you which carriage you should ride depending on your destination. In other words, if you want exit X at station Y, then carriage Z will be most convenient for you.
3. All stations have a lot of exit information displayed prominently (it can still be confusing though because there is a lot of it.)
4. Announcements are frequent (in Japanese).
5. Information boards update constantly, often with destinations in multiple languages.
6. Every station now has a shortened code letter and number for convenience.
7. Every platform has symbols or numbers where the doors will stop indicating things like where to stand, the carriage number, and so on. It makes life a bit more efficient (which is necessary, given the number of people using the system.) Depending on the line, it may also point out that the carriage uses “Mild air conditioning”.
8. In general people let others off before getting on.
9. The subway map is a multi-coloured thing of mesmerising chaos
   [3]
   (must…look…away…before…too…late…)
10. Pre-paid transportation cards (like Pasmo and Suica work across the stations for hassle free entry and exit.

If you like peace and quiet (I do) then the fact that in Tokyo people stay silent on the subway is another plus.

On the other hand, there are problems too. Here are a few.

Expensive (as others have mentioned.)

If you like everything to be very new, some parts of the subway are old or aging. Not all lines are gleaming and new, which can come as a shock if you are coming to Tokyo expecting everything to be high-tech. (The subway dates back to 1915 in parts

Sadly, suicide is a real problem in Japan, and it affects the subway system almost every week due to incidents on the line(s). Despite what people may have heard, trains can often be late. This is one reason. A whole line can be stopped, which also affects other lines too. (Please note: I am simply stating that this is a cause of delay, not that this is “Inconvenient” and therefore not a terrible tragedy.)

“Chikan” (perverts/ gropers) are a well known issue.

Overcrowding at rush hour is an issue. This is one of the famous images of the Tokyo subway, as well as the “Pushers” with their white gloves who help to pack people on. (By the way “pushers” are rarer now. Staff will be more likely to work with the doors to make sure they can close rather than try to actually push or herd people on.) I am now used to it, but being physically squeezed against complete strangers and only centimeters away from each other’s faces can be a very unsettling experience (depending on your culture and previous experience!).

Disabled access can be difficult. I think that due to an old network (in parts), station design that relies of steps, escalators and narrow tunnels etc. wheelchair access may be limited. (However, as should be the norm) almost every day I see station staff assisting disabled customers with their wheelchairs, or operating special lifts to get around staircases, or laying out small ramps to help with train access. More and more lifts have also been added to allow direct access to the platforms, and ticket gates usually always have one extra wide gate. Things could definitely be improved, but effort is made to assist. (NOTE: as this is not something that directly impacts me, I don’t feel that I have personal experience to draw on, and I hope others may comment to add information on their experience).

Those not following “the rules” really make life difficult for everyone. By which I mean, in a system as crowded as this, every problem is made worse when someone doesn’t go with the flow.

e.g. Specific announcements are made to ask people standing by the doors to get off the train to allow everyone off smoothly, then get back on. Annoyingly, people often covet that little pocket and cling to it for dear life. When you have people doing that on either side of the doors, then the door space is a third smaller, making it harder for everyone getting on and off.

e.g. a variation of the person above is the one who stands in the middle of the carriage and plants themselves there like a limpet

e.g. Keeping your rucksack on your back rather than putting it on the overhead rack or on your chest (where you can hold it close and reduce the volume of space it takes) means…hitting others in the face when you turn around, taking up more space in general, and overall making more of a nuisance than is necessary.

e.g. Manspreading. Just don’t.

These things may all be common to other subway systems to greater or lesser degrees, but these come to mind for me when thinking about the original question “What is it like to ride the subway system in Tokyo”.

Footnotes

As a lone tourist I had my difficulties. Had to duck my head to fit through the subway door. At that time the fares were not shown with Romaji name of the station, so I had to look up the Kanji and remember what it looked like. But I got there.

I went to Nikko on a very nice train but discovered that I had misread the advert and the price was ‘way too high. The stewardess was cute and helpful but the passengers were boring old guys like, umm, me, except richer. So, on the return I was able to take a regular commuter train. Bumpier ride, drafty, and instead of an obsequeous stewardess there were packs of schoolgirls pointing at the foreigner and giggling. I liked that better even though they wouldn’t admit to knowing any English. Upon alighting at Ueno Station I promptly got lost in the rain.

It’s what you make of it.

Like any job, there are positive & negative aspects.

The shift work can be a killer, but many drivers choose to join a mafia (syndicated shift changeovers), so they work only certain shifts. I work permanent late shifts, which keeps my body clock in sync.

You will work different shifts most days, as well as weekends & some bank holidays. On the other side of the coin, you get days off during the week when people are at work.

You enjoy free travel on the Underground & buses as well as a free uniform.

As for the job itself, depending on which line you choose to work on, the job can be quite repetitive, and therefore not for everyone. You need to be able to enjoy your own company, as you will spend a lot of time on your own.

If you work on a manual line (such as the Bakerloo or Piccadilly Lines), then you will be concentrating all day long. This takes a lot of self discipline & practice, as it’s easy to become distracted. That’s when you make mistakes.

As a driver, you work with a wide range of people, friendships are formed & many of these last a lifetime. Among train drivers, there’s a comradery the likes of which I’ve never experienced before.

The initial training is extensive and you do need to keep your knowledge up. If a train stalls between stations, it’s down to the driver to get it moving again…..with experience, you learn how to keep a level head & think things through. It can be a pressurised job at times, and things don’t always go to plan……..you learn not to make arrangements to meet people straight after work because something may happen and you end up missing appointments.

The pay & rewards are brilliant though, and as am employer, LU certainly offers a lot of benefits to employees, such as discounts in certain stores. There are reward schemes in place, which recognise employees who go the extra mile, as well as those who have completed long service (25 years & 40 years).

LU also ask for employees views once a year via a survey, so we can give feedback about the job we do & our employer.

LU have employed me for nearly 30 years & I can’t imagine working for anyone else or doing any other job.

It totally depends on

1. Line
2. Where the train is running
3. Time

It can be like this:

or this:

I think I answered a similar question once, but I think it’s also good to say it once again.

So, most people would say that they don’t operate for 24 hours because of the lack of demand. Although this may certainly be one of the reasons why, this is actually not the main reason.

The real reason is because of highly thorough train and rail inspections taking place every night. Some of these inspection tasks can only be done at night due to the lack of surface noise in Tokyo. Article 89 of the Transport Ministry’s Ordinance No. 151 (enacted in 2001) also states that there should be regular, periodic inspections and monitoring of trains and main lines in order to ensure safety as well as the structural and functional integrity of the vehicles and tracks.

During the nightly inspections, Japanese train companies use three special types of vehicles. The vehicles are:

• Electric Inspection Carriage
• Rail Grinding Carriage
• Electric Locomotive E5000 Model

The Electric Inspection Carriage (vehicle on the right of the photo) is used to inspect the height, voltage and conditions of the overhead electric lines for the pentagraphs. The Electric Locomotive (centre) is used to tow train lines into inspection units for maintenance. The Rail Grinding Carriage is used to to detect and smooth out abrasions made by trains on the tracks as well as replace displaced gravel underneath the tracks.

Another important task that can only be done at night is the subway tunnel acoustic inspection. This always takes place at night because of the lack of car noise from the surface. In this stage of the inspection, work crews in the subway inspect the tunnel infrastructure by basically chipping at various parts of the walls and ceilings and listening for abnormal sounds. These abnormal sounds indicate possible structural flaws and, once detected, are noted in chalk at the site and on the workers’ notes for future repairs. They also use other various types of equipment to ensure that the tunnels can still function even during earthquakes.

I’ve spent considerable time in Seoul, and visited Tokyo for a while, and I used each’s subway systems for the vast majority of my journeys.

From my experience, Seoul has the superior subway system; the carriages are very large, as well as air-conditioned - the seats are heated in the winter, too. The system is far easier to navigate compared to Tokyo, too. It also has far greater reach across the city and its metropolitan area. It’s also much cheaper!

The stations are spacious and rarely feel overcrowded (apart from popular areas or rush-hour), and many have miniature malls/markets built inside. Some are connected directly to malls.

Tokyo’s system feels smaller, and older, but it’s still great!

Karen Ma covered the topic very well and I will add some thoughts on the topic.

There are two types of temporary workers - those working for an outsourcing company and those who are an outsourcing company themselves, in other word freelancers. Usually temporary workers get a salary which is seriously higher than the salary of a regular worker and while the outsourcing company takes most of the salary away (it can be easily 3/4 of the whole sum), you get it all being a "freelance" worker. On the other hand, you have to pay the taxes which are higher, since you employ yourself, have to take care of health insurance and pension funding. In the end if a "freelancer" temporary worker is a high performer, healthy, young and can get few contracts they end up with a considerably larger salary.

For the second type, or rather the first, because this type of temporary employment is more common, when a worker is under a outsourcing company the things are much more grim. First of all, salary raises usually do not happen or even if they do they are laughable. Second, while by the law everyone is supposed to get their holidays those working under outsourcing companies rarely get any and even if they do, it affects their salary. Third, if a company have some bonuses for their workers - is it free coffee, company travel or simply a drinking party, the outsourced workers are usually not getting any of these. Except maybe the coffee. Also, a company usually can't keep a temporary worker for more than 5 years without making them an employee. And the worst thing is that it is hard to find a normal, non-temporary job if you are over 40 and worked as a temporary worker all the time. Most companies hiring new people usually look at older past temporary workers with a great suspicion, "because there is a reason they worked like that all the time". Indeed, this is often true, but not always.

And fianlly, to give a positive side of it I have to mention that temporary workers have somewhat more freedom on when come to work and when not. The only thing affected is their salary. For some people who have issues with working every day this is a solution. The second positive side is, paradoxically, work security. If a company is having a layoff a temporary worker will likely be laid off first, but normally they are not going to lose their job, as the outsourcing company is supposed to move the worker to another contract.

This person is a station attendant and assists the passengers, particularly in rush hour. Sometimes that requires pushing a person’s bag into the train so the doors can shut. Rarely, if ever, that person may assist, by pushing, a passenger fully into the train. But that’s rare.

More common is that they may deal with an argument or fight, or help sick passengers. They also assist people with wheelchairs to board. Lastly, I’ve seen them rescue people from the tracks: I saw a drunk guy fall on the tracks in evening rush hour. The attendant hit the emergency stop and with another attendant climbed down and rescued the guy. The whole incident delayed the train only 15 minutes.

How much they make depends on seniority, I assume. They probably get 3–4M yen as starting pay, but probably have a company dormitory, so no rent. I respect these people and appreciate that they’re around because stuff happens.

As mentioned in other answers, I think it has to do with the profit of the cab company.

Also, in recent years, the service hours tend to be shortened.

However, there are actually periods of time when the subway and other trains run almost 24 hours a day.

That is the year-end and New Year holidays.

This has to do with the lifestyle of Japanese people.

Many Japanese go to Buddhist temples to ring the "New Year's Bell" on the last night of the year.

At the beginning of the year, they go to Shinto shrines for Hatsumode (New Year's visit).

Since these activities involve traveling late at night or after dawn, the railroads run all night long during this period.

Another exception is the Oedo Line, a subway operated by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, which operated 24 hours a day as soon as it was restored after the Great East Japan Earthquake (March 11, 2011).

At that time, the transportation system was stopped and many people had difficulty returning home. Many people had to walk a considerable distance to get home. (I heard that bicycles and shoes sold well.)

I was also in Shinjuku at the time. I was also in Shinjuku at the time, and the Oedo subway line moving at midnight was so crowded that I couldn't get on it at all, but I think there were many people who were saved.

The Tokyo subway system is renowned for its exceptional organization, punctuality, efficiency, and unique handling due to a combination of factors:

1. *Cultural emphasis on punctuality*: Japan's culture values respect for time and others, ensuring that trains run to the minute.

2. *Integrated network*: Multiple lines and operators are carefully integrated, minimizing transfers and optimizing routes.

3. *Advanced technology*: State-of-the-art signaling systems, automated fare collection, and real-time information ensure smooth operations.

4. *Precise scheduling*: Trains run at exact intervals, with schedules planned to the minute, and delays are rare.

5. *Meticulous maintenance*: Regular maintenance and inspections prevent breakdowns and ensure safety.

6. *Passenger etiquette*: Riders follow unwritten rules, such as giving up seats to those in need and not eating on trains, maintaining a smooth and respectful environment.

7. *Operator competition*: Multiple private operators compete, driving innovation and efficiency.

8. *Government support*: The government invests in infrastructure and provides subsidies, enabling operators to focus on service quality.

9. *Staff training*: Employees undergo rigorous training, emphasizing customer service and operational precision.

10. *Continuous improvement*: The system evolves through user feedback, innovation, and adaptation to changing demands.

These factors combined create a unique and exceptional public transportation system in Tokyo, setting a global standard for efficiency and effectiveness.

What are you working? With a Computer? All you see the whole day is your computer screen... How do you keep yourself motivated?

However, I'm not a subway driver and the things which are keeping the subway driver motivated are totally supicious to me, I can't imagine to be tube driver (but want to try).
What I can tell you is that many think my work as a mechanician is very numb. But you know what? I enjoy it! Just cause you don't see the pleasure of a work doesn't mean that there is no pleasure. So, my answer, especially to your last paragraph; they probably don't need to keep themselves artificially motivated.

Also I wouldn't particularly interpret the witty announcements as an act of the driver to motivate himself (sure, that too), but more as a sign of motivation and a good mood.

I hope there will be a subway driver answering this question, but you should have formulated the last paragraph more like "As a subway driver, what do you like at your job?". Would be very much better.

The subway system in Tokyo, known as the Tokyo Metro, is often considered one of the most efficient, clean, and punctual systems in the world. It is known for its extensive coverage, with over 300 stations and multiple lines connecting all major areas of the city. The trains are typically crowded during peak hours, but they run frequently and are known for their reliability.

On the other hand, the subway system in New York City, known as the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), is one of the oldest and busiest systems in the world. It also has an extensive network, with over 400 stations, serving all five boroughs of New York City. However, it is often criticized for its aging infrastructure, frequent delays, and occasional disruptions.

In terms of cleanliness, Tokyos subway system is generally much cleaner than New York Citys. The stations and trains in Tokyo are regularly maintained and well-kept, while the New York City subway often faces issues with cleanliness, including trash and occasional graffiti.

Both systems have their own unique features. Tokyos subway system has clear and helpful signage in English and Japanese, making it easier for tourists to navigate. It also has designated women-only cars during certain hours. The New York City subway, on the other hand, has a distinct character and is often seen as an integral part of the citys culture.

Overall, while both Tokyo and New York City have extensive subway systems, Tokyos subway is often considered more efficient, cleaner, and punctual than New York Citys.