"I Got Scolded on the Train!—A History of Railway Etiquette as a 'Microcosm of Society'"

2024/10/18

Packed in like "objects" and forced to board and disembark in an orderly fashion on crowded trains—I believe many people living in large cities have their own ways and tricks to reduce that stress. I wonder how the Keio University alumni and Keio students reading this short piece feel. This book depicts the persistence and change of railway norms over a century, considered the "common ground"—while containing discrepancies—among such diverse people. And it is also the history and present of Japanese society's self-image.

Recently, when I appeared at a talk event for this book, someone mentioned that people standing by the doors are a nuisance. I sometimes stand there myself, so for a moment I thought, "What?" But they explained it's because many people now wear their backpacks on their fronts and operate their smartphones in front of those backpacks. Come to think of it, they certainly block the entrances and exits more than before. I wonder if this, too, will become a new norm. Railway norms are sometimes set for the convenience of railway operators, and sometimes an individual's sense of discomfort is gradually shared, formalized, and becomes established. It is likely through the accumulation of such fine-tuning that train etiquette has become so detailed. Some might say, "It's because people obsess over such trivialities that modern Japan is..." but I would be happy if this book serves as an opportunity to think about the present and future of normative consciousness in a globalizing Japanese society.

This book was published after a series of coincidences led to a request being made to an unknown person like myself. Those coincidences occur on the "common ground" of a vast number of people—remaining strangers—experiencing commuting by train. There are many unpleasant things on trains, and one is often fed up with fussy etiquette. However, what if we think of it as a technique for coexistence that rises and falls amidst the jostling of "anonymous strangers," including myself? I can't help but wonder if there is some meaning in the fact that this book was published under such a common name—like "Everyman" (Eburi Man) in Hitomi Yamaguchi's novel? However, there is a specific proper noun I must mention. It is Professor Hideo Hama, who taught in the Major in Sociology at the Faculty of Letters from 1999 to 2019. I was a student in the first year of his seminar, and I learned "sociology on the train" from him. As one of the truly many students he sent out into the world, I would like to dedicate this book to Professor Hama.

"I Got Scolded on the Train!—A History of Railway Etiquette as a 'Microcosm of Society'"

Daisuke Tanaka

Kobunsha Shinsho

344 pages, 1,100 yen (tax included)

*Affiliations and titles are as of the time of publication.