Smart Commuting

I'm sure many of you feel a lot of stress from over-crowded trains during your commuting time. Did you know that all of these negative feelings related to commuting can be completely and easily avoided? Well, tonight, I'm going to show you how!

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Imagine hundreds of sleepy, irritated people, rushing to get to work, pushing and shoving each other to get on and off a train that is already “packed like sardines” (鮨詰め電車). It sounds like a nightmare, doesn’t it? But for many of us, this isn’t just a bad dream, it is our daily reality!

Can I get everyone to raise their hands if their morning train is overcrowded? Wow that’s more people than I imagined!

Hi everyone, my name is Yukari, and like me, I’m sure many of you feel a lot of stress from over-crowded trains during your commuting time. Did you know that all of these negative feelings related to commuting can be completely and easily avoided? Well, tonight, I’m going to show you how!

First take a closer look at the problem itself, and find out just how serious it is!

According to Wiki, all trains can be given something known as a “crowding level”. What does this mean? Crowding level is a term that indicates the degree to which a train is too full of people, or in other words, exactly how crowded a train is.

For example, a crowding level of 100% is defined as the situation when all seats are comfortably filled with passengers. A level of 200% is when passengers cannot move, and experience strong physical pressure from surrounding passengers. As I mentioned earlier, in English, this situation is known as being “packed like sardines”. It sounds like torture, doesn’t it?

Imagine hundreds of sleepy, irritated people, rushing to get to work, pushing and shoving each other to get on and off a train that is already "packed like sardines"! It sounds like a nightmare, doesn't it?

By the way, the “crowding level” of my train, the Denentoshi line, is 198% and was ranked the worst 7th among the crowded trains in Japan. Some of you who raised your hands earlier are probably using even more crowded trains to commute to work every day!

So what causes this situation? I think the problem of crowded trains is caused by two things: the railway companies themselves, and…you and me , the passengers!

But since forcing the big railway companies to change their policies would be a very difficult and time-consuming task, I would like to focus on the passenger’s actions.

Actually, I have witnessed a lot of problematic behavior from passengers which causes this problem to escalate. For example, when the doors of a train are closing, some people force their way into an already over-crowded train by pushing and shoving [body language], and consequently, the train is delayed.

Also, in crowded trains, everybody is forced to have an unnatural, unstable, and uncomfortable posture. That’s why many of us suffer from physical and psychological problems, like a sore back and legs, and mental stress.

If we continue this kind of stressful commuting on a daily basis, we’ll become more tired, and less productive before and/or after work. We might even go crazy!

So have to stop this not-so-smart commuting immediately! But how can we make a change?

Don’t worry, because we — can — control — how — we — commute! We can take simple and effective actions that will have an immediate and positive impact on this problem!

My plan for a solution is called “Smart Commuting”, and it outlines three concrete actions that we can start doing right now to make our commuting experience less stressful.

First, the biggest change that I recommend is: let’s change our commuting time to a slightly earlier time. For example, on my train it is almost impossible to stand up after 8AM! As for getting a seat? Forgot about it! But before 7AM, my normally overcrowded train has a lots and lots of space! I can even sit down comfortably and read a book!

Although this is a really effective action, I realize that it might be difficult for some people, because they can’t imagine getting up earlier than the already do! You’ll be be glad to know that getting up even just 30 min. earlier can go a long way to making your commuting experience more pleasant. So why not give it a try!

My second important change is very very simple. I recommend for us to change the “door” or the “car” of the train that we use.

While commuting, I noticed that for some reason, most people remain concentrated on a particular door or a car, and that some doors and cars are not as crowded. So why don’t we take advantage of this chance? All it takes is a few short steps to the right or the left to make a huge difference, and improve our situation dramatically!

My third change involves changing trains! If your train seems just too crowded and you think it might be difficult to take, why not try your luck with the next train? So when everybody around you is pushing forward, just take a deep breath, step back, and try to relax until the next train arrives. You might be pleasantly surprised to find it less crowded!

Well, don’t you want to turn your commuting nightmare into a sweet dream? Don’t you want to have a more stress-free and productive life? And don’t you want to feel more relaxed every morning, instead of stressed?

Now it’s your turn to take control of your commuting by trying one or all of the actions in my “Smart Commuting” plan!

Thank you for your attention! And I’d appreciate any comments or questions you might have.

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Mayflower英語教室

週末は英語漬け！

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