Using mobile phones on trains

[Bealzbob 0]

While watching a TV show (Top Gear again) where they were racing across Japan (one in a car and 2 others in public transport), I noticed that other passengers on the trains were acting quite angrily to the presenters talking on their mobile (cell) phones. To the point where they approached the presenters and asked them to stop what they were doing!

I was amazed that, in the land synonymous with technological advancement, there would be such a reaction to what is, over here, an everyday thing and imo quite a necessary thing.

What IS the story with using mobile phones on Japanese public transport? Is it a no-no? And if so why the hell IS it a no-no? Surely people need to conduct business while they are travelling to and from locations and it's unreasonable to expect all life to stop while sitting on a train?

I'd be very interested to know from someone who lives over there exactly what is the story and what is the history behind the move towards silence (if indeed it exists).

[Fay 1,677]

Great thing in Japan, I really enjoy it, to be honest :-).

Switch out the audio, don't use the mobile and you won't annoy the other passengers. They should establish this here too and my mornings and evenings would be more stress-free. No listening to 1000 different handy melodies, no more conversations like "Hi honey ....I'm in the train ..... 20 minutes ..... yes salad would be fine ....."

And in the 10 % of cases where it's really necessary to use the mobile, I guess there are special parts in the train, where it's possible.

[Bealzbob 0]

Are people in Japan really that stressed and precious that they object that much to someone being on their mobile. Have to say I find that to be an affront to civil liberty to be frank.

[Asojima 2,870]

I find that to be an affront to civil liberty to be frank.

If Frank had ever ridden a Japanese train during rush hour, he would deeply understand the need for a heavily enforced etiquette code to preserve the national sanity.

[Bealzbob 0]

(On the banzuke...) :-)

[Kaikitsune Makoto 203]

Are people in Japan really that stressed and precious that they object that much to someone being on their mobile. Have to say I find that to be an affront to civil liberty to be frank.

Maybe that is missing the point actually. Japan like Finland is full of mobile phones and their usage is very wide spread. I doubt Japanese object someone being on their mobile in general but trains just happen to be places where custom is that no disturbance by talking in one's mobile phone. They do have places in trains where usage of mobile phone is allowed and Japanese use those. In Finland no such restrictions in trains really and I have to say Japanese way is much better and nicer. Japanese fiddle with their phones a LOT in subways and trains, play the games, watch news, send SMS-messages and emails but that is non-disturbing activity. I have watched live sumo in Yamanote on a mobile! That was cool.

[Jonosuke 28]

When you spend your daily trails in a crowded environment, it's expected that you observe social mores, your manners like a graceful conduct is expected in a certain sport.

To talk loudly in a public place where others cannot escape from hearing your rampant talk, it's rather conducive to observe the right of others not to be disturbed by your incessant chatting.

On the other hand now that the people are only using e-mail regardless of where they are, it's creating another problem, i.e. people have become too hesitant to call others in fear they may be intruding by calling them directly.

According to a latest study there, most kids younger than 18 years old say they hardly use the "phone" feature of their cell phone and use only e-mail to contact others or listen to music or update their blog or bulletin board. In fact the sale of PCs is going down because most people use their cell phone for communication and don't feel the need for one.

[Kotoviki 16]

What Jonosuke says is so true. As a teacher I frequently have asked my students in both high school and university exactly how much they "use" their mobile phones and what they do with them. The average student of both ages tell me they make one or two phone calls at most each day but that they use email as much as 300-500 messages per day.

As far as using them to talk on the train I think I am often more annoyed by people sitting on the train talking loudly. Whether they be silly school girls screeching about something or boys talking in deep loud voices or middle aged chatty women. I think that is no different than talking on a phone really. I think that if everyone had better manners that you could do either talking or mobile phone talking without annoying anyone.

I use my mobile phone on the trains sometimes but I cover the mouthpiece and barely speak over a whisper, some people look annoyed at me but flat out no lie I can't refuse to take an incoming call from Tochinoshin when I'm on the train and he always seems to call at just that time. (Second prize...)

However my ringer is off and it never rings out loud. I keep my phone in my hand and have it on manner/vibrate mode because I also use it to set my alarm to wake me up in case I by chance get a seat and fall asleep! (Second prize...)

On the other hand it is annoying when phones are ringing and often those people are asleep and they can't even hear them.. (On the banzuke...)

Near the "priority seats" which are for old people, handicapped, pregnant women, etc.. you are supposed to turn off your phone completely as those seats could possibly have people with pacemakers in them. Of course my neighbor is a train driver and he just laughs at that because most of the old people sitting in those seats are using mobile phones to text or look at something themselves. And he said to me "I thought these days phones were safe for people with pacemakers anyway, but a rule is a rule.."

On long distance or special express reserved seat trains there are places to use your mobile phone which makes sense as those people have paid extra to ride in a reserved reclining seat, they want to relax or sleep before their next big meeting. That makes sense and I would never use a phone without going to the designated area on those trains!! (Shaking head...)

I think that there wouldn't need to be a "rule" not to talk on the phones if there were better manners by a large majority of people (sorry to say they are usually the young ones). A group of screeching high school girls or a man talking in whispers to his office about something important.. obviously the latter is better!

I can speak about the manners of the younger generation as an expert because I have high school students and university ones who will answer their phone in the class and talk on it during my lectures. I tell them if they want to talk they get up and go out of the classroom for the university ones. HS aren't even supposed to have their mobiles on in the class but it is often impossible to get them to stop talking or to stop accepting emails in most schools. I would seriously like to buy a mobile signal blocker and put it on my lecture stand during the day but I hear they are illegal! :-)

Well Bealzbob that is the book edition answer to your question!

PS I also take international calls while I'm on the train because I can't afford to call people back in that case! (On the banzuke...)

[Bealzbob 0]

Thanks all for the responses. I suppose the 'rule' was brought in because of a general lack of manners by the person using the phone i.e. talking too loudly. If everyone answered their phones conscientously then there probably wouldn't be a problem. As 'ilovetochinoshin' says, it is just as ill-mannered for people to be loud to someone else on the train with them as it is to be loud on a phone.

Anyhoo, cheers all.

[Otokonoyama 2,735]

I once saw one passenger go off on another about cell phone use on the subway. There were signs clearly posted to be considerate of others. A man in a suit took a call, and was promptly berated by an older, very agitated man claiming that cell phones interfered with his pacemaker, and demanded that the businessman turn off his phone immediately. The guy in the suit complied. The carriage was whisper quiet until the next stop, where the businessman got of the train.

[sekihiryu 51]

While watching a TV show (Top Gear again) where they were racing across Japan (one in a car and 2 others in public transport), I noticed that other passengers on the trains were acting quite angrily to the presenters talking on their mobile (cell) phones. To the point where they approached the presenters and asked them to stop what they were doing!

I was amazed that, in the land synonymous with technological advancement, there would be such a reaction to what is, over here, an everyday thing and imo quite a necessary thing.

What IS the story with using mobile phones on Japanese public transport? Is it a no-no? And if so why the hell IS it a no-no? Surely people need to conduct business while they are travelling to and from locations and it's unreasonable to expect all life to stop while sitting on a train?

well actually I am going to open a can of worms.......I saw the episode too and I have seen the same thing happen many times. They were admonished mainly because they are foreigners, if it had been a Japanese person talking on the cell phone then most likely they would have turned a blind eye, but it was a foreigner and one being filmed no less. Nothing like the brave empowering feeling of telling off an uncouth foreigner to mind their manners.

Shame the brave passengers who told the top gear guys to be quiet weren't on the train from Toyama to Osaka where a woman was sexually assaulted in the carriage and then raped in the train toilet, despite her cries and passengers noting something was seriously miss no one did anything, one thing telling off a mannerless gaijin but.....

For me old ladies are the worst passengers ( just past loud high school kids) , they sit their chattering loudly and incessantly, I get up and move away from them.

Middle aged and elderly passengers using cell phones are just as bad, they yell into their phones after fumbling for a minute to find they loud ringing phones, which is never on manner mode. I have seen dozens of them on trains - does anyone say anything to them ? nope.

The most hellish time to be on train though is when a school group of primary school students get on: 100 screaming and yahooing kids -save me!

I like riding rush hours trains the best, they are crowded but they are dead quiet (except sometimes for idiots with headphones that leak sound), its awesome, no talking just people packed in minding their own business. Glad I don't live in Tokyo though, rush hour trains there must be pure hell.

Late morning and afternoon trains with the obaasans are the most painful.

Is it a no-no?

if you are a foreigner yes, if you are not then go ahead just do it quietly.

On Limited express trains, many people go to the spaces between carriages which is logical and polite but regular commuter train there is no such luxury.

people have become too hesitant to call others in fear they may be intruding by calling them directly.

no I don't call much as it is so bloody expensive! if calls on cell phones were much cheaper ( to EVERY cell phone -not just cheap plans to phones on certain carriers) then I and I suspect many others would use the phone feature a lot more.

FWIW I spend about 20 hours a week on 6 trains lines at all times of the day commuting, so I have seen plenty.

[Jakusotsu 5,815]

Wait a minute......mobile phones?? Are you telling me there are telephones you can carry around and even use on a train? :-D

Man, I need to go out more often...

[Sasanishiki 57]

Wait a minute......mobile phones?? Are you telling me there are telephones you can carry around and even use on a train? (Neener, neener...)

Man, I need to go out more often...

Actually on the shinkansen (bullet trains) there are also public phones that you can use. Reception is not always that great and sometimes you can;t use it because the service has dropped out.

[Bealzbob 0]

Nishi, coming over here with his Japanese ways (First prize...) Maybe you're all just too highly strung (Applauding...)

[Jakusotsu 5,815]

Nishi, coming over here with his Japanese ways (First prize...) Maybe you're all just too highly strung (Applauding...)

I wonder what Ratpack would have to say about this...

[Bealzbob 0]

Being banned, not much (First prize...) That was an amusing thread though Jak, cheers (Applauding...)

[aderechelsea 124]

Wait a minute......mobile phones?? Are you telling me there are telephones you can carry around and even use on a train? (Applauding...)

Man, I need to go out more often...

i know what you're saying mate !!! :-O ... i hate these "decices of the devil" ... i'll probably never buy one .

in Greece they use the damn things everywhere and it bothers me to death. In Argentina for example it was a great thing that they had to turn them to silent on the train and public buildings. (First prize...)

i also enjoyed the "silence" in the Japanese trains. It was greatly appreciated when you travel there from a mobile-obsessed country

[Gusoyama 95]

wow. On trains in Boston, people are constantly on their phones. Most are very polite about it, speaking in normal tones, but once in a while you get the "HELLO...YEAH...NO..." guys. When they do that, I often put my phone up to my ear and start in with "HELLO...NO, I CAN'T HEAR YOU, THERES A GUY HERE THAT IS TALKING REALLY LOUDLY ON HIS CELL PHONE. I'LL CALL YOU BACK LATER". Its gotten a few chuckles in the past.

[Mark Buckton 1]

well actually I am going to open a can of worms.......I saw the episode too and I have seen the same thing happen many times. They were admonished mainly because they are foreigners, if it had been a Japanese person talking on the cell phone then most likely they would have turned a blind eye, but it was a foreigner and one being filmed no less. Nothing like the brave empowering feeling of telling off an uncouth foreigner to mind their manners.

Is it a no-no?

if you are a foreigner yes, if you are not then go ahead just do it quietly.

FWIW I spend about 20 hours a week on 6 trains lines at all times of the day commuting, so I have seen plenty.

Sounds like one of the 'hate' times in the love/hate relationship. Why the 'victimy' feel throughout your post?

I have used my mobile on a train several times when I wanted to - never a packed train and always after moving away from others. Used it yesterday on the shinkansen - no woes, and I often use the time sat or stood on longer journeys to catch up on e-mails (always on vibrate - enjoy it more that way!!!) I would otherwise not have time to answer, and have never once been told to refrain from doing so.

That said, I do not do so in the areas designated as 'no mobile phones' etc on the trains.

You are right that old women can be annoying on the train but so can noisy gaijin thinking no-one can understand their English, noisy kids, kids walking with satchels and not caring who they knock, businessmen sat with legs open taking two seats. Those with noisy earphones. Do you tell any of these to behave?

We both use trains quite a lot seki - perhaps 5 days a week myself - around Tokyo on the Hanzomon / Ginza and Hibiya Lines aswell as JR, and even Keisei odd times into deepest, darkest Chiba if Ichikawa can be called that?