I felt like one of the natives today. By that I mean that I took a round-trip commute from Yokosuka to Yokota and back without referring to my rail map. I have it down pat; Yokosuka, Yokohama, Hachioji, Haijima, and finally Fussa. Then the reverse to bring me home; two hours twenty minutes each way, more or less, usually more. I even took a short nap on the train like I see so many do.
I will miss the commuter train service. It offers such an efficient way of moving thousands of people from point A to point B. The trains are very clean. Passengers sit quietly for long stretches and they respect everyone's space. Many sit and just stare at the floor, lost in their thoughts. More than half in the car snooze. Some read. I think that many have earphones permanently embedded in the sides of their heads to listen to music 24/7. Few, if any, carry conversations with anyone unless its on their cellphones. Many, as soon as they step into the car, flip out their cell phone and begin texting, if they weren't already doing so as they stood on the platform waiting. The teenagers text just a fast as their American counterparts.
All are neat and well-dressed. Americans would do well to emulate their attention to personal attire. If it were not so intrusive I would snap a photo of every man, woman, young boy, young girl, and child that impressed me with their attire. By now I would have thousands of photos. This is a good-looking bunch.
I felt like one of the natives today. By that I mean that I took a round-trip commute from Yokosuka to Yokota and back without referring to my rail map. I have it down pat; Yokosuka, Yokohama, Hachioji, Haijima, and finally Fussa. Then the reverse to bring me home; two hours twenty minutes each way, more or less, usually more. I even took a short nap on the train like I see so many do.
I will miss the commuter train service. It offers such an efficient way of moving thousands of people from point A to point B. The trains are very clean. Passengers sit quietly for long stretches and they respect everyone's space. Many sit and just stare at the floor, lost in their thoughts. More than half in the car snooze. Some read. I think that many have earphones permanently embedded in the sides of their heads to listen to music 24/7. Few, if any, carry conversations with anyone unless its on their cellphones. Many, as soon as they step into the car, flip out their cell phone and begin texting, if they weren't already doing so as they stood on the platform waiting. The teenagers text just a fast as their American counterparts.
