For a location that's used by thousands of people daily, it's amazing how clean it is. Thank you for showing us all of the hard work needed to keeping it this way.
I actually worked with JEA for a few years in their effort to learn simple English so they could offer kind help to international visitors in the stations. They all really have big hearts for the visitors to the stations.
The state of the Toilets were unbelievable. Never seen a "Public Toilet" in a "Major Train Station" that clean. Where I came from is worse than a murder scene
Another great thing in Japan is that there is no stigma attached to being a cleaning staff, unlike in many other countries where it is often considered unskilled labor and paid poorly by employers and looked down upon by the general public, in Japan cleaners are given respect and are paid a fair salary.
I wouldn't go as far as to say there is "no stigma" but maybe less? Seldom will a salarywoman date down to a janitor. Also if there was no stigma then why is one of the factors of the staggering suicide rate is failing an exam that would get them a certain job? Japan is clean because of two things : the homogeny and the culture. Littering is stigmatized (which is great!). Not many garbages around but culturally people take their trash home! We can take a lesson from them. 😉
As a NYer, I can so appreciate this. I think that Japanese people take extra pride in doing their jobs. Also, you have to give credit to the Japanese people for caring about their surrounding and not making a mess. I wish as NYers everyone would care 50% of how these people do. NY Transit have workers who don't care and we have people who throw out their garbage anywhere even if there is a garbage can a few steps away. That is why we constantly have fire on the rails because of trash.
Although as a guy who grew up in NYC I have seen the New York Subway cleaning crew do deep cleans of stations late at night, with power water blasters and all. They do their best. It’s the disgusting passengers and some mentally insane psychs and/& homeless that make the system look bad.
So true. I knew cleanliness was something that is very common in Japan, especially in their train stations. Now seeing how it's done, it amazes me even more than usual. I'm also a New Yorker, born and raised, and I hate seeing dirty tracks, platforms, streets, and the bathrooms, I won't even start. You know how it is anyway since you also live in the same city. If more New Yorkers were like this and actually follow the advice of the MTA ads of keeping our stations clean, and just overall keep our city clean, then our city would look a lot a lot nicer and pleasant, among other major things that seriously need to change.
I'm Japanese, living in the states for many years. Last trip to Tokyo, I used a bathroom in Tokyo Station. This cleaning lady was wiping the floor with her hands, on her knees, making public toilet's floor spotless. I was so moved, thanked her for her great work. She seemed surprised at first, but then smiled and thanked me for thanking her. 😳 As Horino-san said in the video, we do believe there is god in every little thing that exists. We naturally respect things and nature because of this belief, I think. I still remember that every June, on the opening day of the school swimming pool (many schools in Japan have swimming pool on site), Shinto priest came to pray to the god of water for the safety and no accidents, by giving sake and grains of rice. I thought it was like that everywhere in the world as a kid. 😆
I will never forget one of these guys picked up one of our baby's toy that accidentally fell on the train tracks. They didn't scoff at us or treated the situation as petty, instead they took it seriously and were so methodical in timing in between train arrivals, then they used a long rod to pick up the toy. So professional and efficient, mad respect to these Japanese workers!
@@onlyinjapan I couldn’t agree more. Thank you, John for bringing these hardworking Japanese people into the much deserved limelight. And thank you for bringing us with you on your walking tours on a daily basis on the “GO” channel. Much love from the Philippines, Man!
@Emoji ini dia si anonim yang muncul buat jadi party pooper dan sengaja ngerusak hari semua orang. Berasa berkuasa soalnya dia berlindung di balik anonimitasnya. Dasar Sosiopat semoga lo gak akan sembuh. Atau cuma bot yang gak punya jiwa
I love all the extra safety measures they do, it’s how all jobs should be. It is the opposite of extreme, this is how you respect labour properly. All of these people are why the rest of the entire japanese society can rely on trains and focus on their jobs. They are pivotal to the success of japanese public transit!
@Julian Martov it’s not slavery, it’s quite simple, Japanese people respect themselves, they don’t want to embarrass themselves, burping loudly, throwing an empty drink can wherever it lands, clearing up after themselves, on a bus or train for example. Because they respect themselves & value the opinion of others they can respect their own family, they can respect others, neighbours, workmates, public service staff and property that isn’t theirs. Why not behave in a civilised manner? What is there to gain from leaving your coffee cup & sandwich wrapper on the train instead of in the bin? How would you feel if you sat in a mess? Why should you have to move someone else’s mess? Why should you leave mess for others to clean? Don’t say because you want to, as that shows a person who failed to mature & thinks like a moody teenager who hates the world. I pity you if you think people working together & being responsible citizens is being a slave. I’m sure you’ve heard of slavery, to say people being decent citizens is completely ridiculous. Have you heard of modern slavery? That’s far, far more than a few rules & courtesy to others. That’s what petulant teenagers might say when their bedroom is a mess or they are asked to contribute to keeping the house clean & family life going smoothly. If they’re asked to put washing in the machine or clean their room…with a dramatic sigh, a huff & a puff then loudly declare that they aren’t a slave. Alas, most adults have matured and moved on from immature tantrums
This was very evident to me 25 years ago when I first visited Japan. The public restrooms in Narita airport were immaculate, you could eat off the floor clean. It's too bad other countries don't have the moral obligation to be as hygienic as the Japanese. Kudos to them and their culture.
Everything is done with military precision to ensure that the passengers have a good experience and the workers have a safe working environment. The fact that the workers take so much pride in what would be regarded as a menial job in other countries is a credit to the Japanese work ethic. You do your job proudly, correctly, efficiently and safely whether you're the CEO or the janitor. More countries should adopt these principles.
Japanese tourists must be appalled when they visit but they are so nice we never know. The organization, discipline and dedication you showed in this video is amazing ! Much respect to Japan.
Ah! You’re one of those Americans who think the world revolves around you and that all comments referred to the United States. My guess is that you meant to say that Japanese tourist must be appalled when they visit a foreign country, but they are so nice the host country would never know
@@AlphaGeekgirl We have the same guess about what Op meant. But why would you conclude that op is American who thinks the world revolves around him just because of the comment? I'm not American and I also think Japanese might get appalled if they visit my country.
It starts with every person not being poorly educated by their parents and throwing garbage everywhere. They know public space is everybody space and should be kept clean by everybody.
Japan is a model for the world, the people, their culture, hardwork. Great video loved watching and learning. Love you Japan my respect for you increased so much
It is a fact, that JR and its fellow companies have introduced ticket machines with audio guide and Braille for more than 25 years already, while other (also high standard) countries still try to invent such a thing to ease the way for less able people/customers.
For some people, such works may be small, but they are very important for society to function. The staff has my respect. Thanks for the informative video. 😊
Facility Management is probably the most important job far more important than a doctors, or a surgeons job. Sadly the gratitude of the job isn't always nice at least not here in Sweden.
When I worked for the State Park system in California USA people would deliberately leave a mess because they thought it was my job to clean up after them which it was because they would not. They had no respect for nature or the buildings and would leave crud and discussting words and images. Americans as a whole have no culture of respect for anything or even each other. I have the greatest respect for the Japanese people that keep their culture and history alive.
I’ve long admired Japan’s lifestyle of cleanliness and order. This was an interesting look into how they accomplish that on a large scale. I’ve never had the opportunity to visit Japan but who knows, maybe one day. 🥰❤️
If you do visit Japan, carry some hand sanitizer or your own soap dispenser. Many public washrooms don't provide soap, so there is no way people can wash their hands properly afterwards.
The Japanese people are very duty bound, concientious, and respectful! Also very disciplined as to how their trains run on time to the minute and their fine work ethic. Enjoyed this video very much! Thank You!
This video was fascinating. If people ask me what I _love_ about Japan, probably the first thing I mention is how _clean_ the train station restrooms are (even in smaller stations, not just in major ones like UENO) and how there is _always_ toilet paper. It just says something very positive about a culture that these amenities, which are obviously used and needed by people every day, are kept in immaculate working order.
Its amazingly surprising how clean the place is normally. No job is supposed to be called unskilled labour. It requires a lot of skill to finish the slightest of any work perfectly. A big salute to the japanese public and the technology too in helping maintain cleanliness at all levels
Makes me miss Japan even more. This is work ethic / dedication on a different level. Really good production John. Keep up the good work! Hopefully i will be back at Ueno this summer!
it may look good to you on the outside, but wait til you get on the inside. working for japanese companies is not an easy feat. with customer demands being very high, companies will sometimes do whatever it takes to satisfy those expectations, even at the cost of their or their staffs health and well being.
Because their culture is based on an Imperial System. Good news. The Strictness of the culture ends up with more suicides in the end. At least it's not the Communist Culture of China which has lead to the most corrupt government ever. No one can trust anyone including their family and friends in China. Nothing like learning about other cultures.
@@RabbitsInBlack Did you know Japan's suicide rate had been decreasing 10 consecutive years until the pandemic ( 2019) and it still lower than that of US in 2022 and not so different from other western countries.
One thing I notice in these videos of Japan and how the people work or go about things is that japanese people are serious in whatever they do and so respectful. Really a model on how people should be.
I strongly believe Japan has struck the best balance of individual freedom and respect for structure / discipline. You see a culture of continuous process / task improvement that respects the past but is not crippled by it. When you treat ANY job with importance / professionalism, no job is menial. Thanks as always John.
Japanese citizens are so dedicated towards well being of their people and their mother land.What do they eat to become such super dedicated Humanbeing.God bless them.
I like that Japan's train management companies actually schedule properly to not only have their trains run on time, but they schedule departure times for their cleaners to do a thorough job, it really shows a good corporate ethic on quality of service.
I wish many (not all) of the people in the Uk had just half of motivation and pride that the Japanese workers put into their work. Such a huge difference.
Firstly as someone who worked in McDonald, cleaning and other things I can honestly tell u that some members of the Public are very filthy. They leave all kinds the things in the toilets. And are just generally do it deliberately, I am not talking about the kids, adults are the filthy ones.
having the lookouts there even when there are no trains scheduled to arrive is not extreme at all, it shows caring and compassion for their coworkers, safety is always first
Never been to Japan but have much respect for the people of Japan. Not surprised they keep their places so clean. Wish everyone would just do the right thing and clean up after themselves. Thanks for sharing.
One small note: The hard work does **not** go unnoticed. It's something that stood out to me on my first trip to Japan and still amazes me every visit, and one that shocks every single person I've taken to Japan. Maybe it goes unnoticed by locals that have always considered it normal, but for the rest of the world, it's exemplary.
The actions of these staff members shows respect and safety are paramount. Which automatically translates to a pleasant journey for passengers. This is the way!!
15:30 I used to clean a primary school 3 times per week and I was very thorough with the toilets and washrooms especially. I wiped down all surfaces with disinfectant and disposable towel, never running towels from a germ-high area over touch points like seats or flush handles, etc. I also disinfected all touch points like door handles, tap handles, button for the hand dryer, etc. I took pride in leaving it looking clean and being germ free even though it extended my time from 2.5hrs to 3hrs some days. Some days I'd spend a little extra time doing something that wasn't part of the standard cleaning, just to keep the place above average. I reasoned, that if my nephews and nieces went to school there I'd want it to be germ free and thoroughly clean, so that's how I treated it. The school principal was always very vocal about how happy she was with the job and she never talked down to me. She even told me the school inspector had visited and hoped to meet me just to tell me I was a doing a great job. Also, when they had some construction done over summer period (school closed) the principal insisted that their cleaner (me) was the only one she trusted to clean the school before the term began. (I'd started dong the job to cover for a friend who had some health issues, and made sure not to do a bad job, since I was representing him, but he couldn't resume, so he handed it over to me. Thankfully because I think I'd raised the bar a bit....without meaning to. But the bar became mine to meet, so that was ok LOL) It pays to take pride in your work; Some people view cleaning toilets as demeaning work, but that doesn't mean it's not valuable work. 🙂
It's amazing how clean they make the place look and how seriously they're taking their jobs. I do think for something like cleaning near or the train tracks itself, security is a must. Anything can happen and they have to be ready for it. Anyways, they look like they're enjoying their work too so that's great. It's hard to find work you'd enjoy after all.
I work in a shop at a train station. I wish the people who are responsible for cleaning the station were that dedicated. We shop employees have to use the public bathrooms (there are closed off stalls inside of the restroom we can use, but they get cleaned even less). This week there was no running tap water in the public bathroom for 5 days and no one did a thing, or even wrote a note, until I called the facility management. They just don't care.
What love and dedication these guys have for their job…total respect to them all..I hope the passengers appreciate their hard work… 😁🥰😁 watching from UK 🇬🇧
Remarkable. Love their respect for their space, themselves, their coworkers, and their jobs. Also love that other Japanese also respect their work and do not just trash all the space around them. So different from the US where so many people are arrogant about their position and their space, such that they throw trash everywhere and expect someone lesser to clean it for them. Japanese respect for each other is amazing.
The amount of decipline they carry is beyond astonishing!! Even the smallest job they do it so diligently, respect for what they do is something they carry proudly!
The Japanese take their job very serious, no matter how trivial it may seem to westeners. They perform it diligently and with pride. Their sense of social responsibility is astounding.
This was so impressive!!!! And I feel that it’s not overdone to ensure the safety of the workers in that way!!! Life is precious and it’s great to see a company making the effort to appreciate that in such an excellent manner!!! Really enjoyed this video. Thanks!!!!!
In an answer to your question, is it too much? Not at all. I wish more people around the world took things this seriously and played their part. Stunning
I love the attention to detail. When I visited Japan I loved it. It is like heaven for someone with OCD. Look at everything. Blinds in the airport all adjusted to the same height. Tiles cut on a wall end with full out half tiles.
I love how Japanese people work with pride and diligence, it really shows in everything they do! Other than that I have to comment on the insane time lapse in the beginning, very well done! Can you make similar ones in Ikebukuro or Shinjuku station? 😬 Thank you, always a joy watching your videos!
You can never be too cautious when it comes to safety. Respect to the Japanese people for their work ethics. Every little detail zeroed in. No job is less important. Every thing is interconnected with each other. Kudos to this maintenance team!
This is why I say. Staff who clean toilets should be one of the highest paid employees not just praised. If we pay them more than a living wage, maybe one day we can have clean bathrooms in the USA too.
I travelled extensively around the world, but Japan is very high on my list. First time I went to Japan was summer. We were totally impressed with everything in Japan. We plan to visit Japan again in every sesion...spring, autumn and winter.
This is surprisingly fascinating! Looks like very serious business. I think the safety precautions are spot on. I wish every company worried about its employee safety this much. I love the sped-up walkthrough of the station. It must have taken a long time. I’m going to go clean my toilet, now. Hope to not have to ask for a spare square any time soon! 😆
@@onlyinjapan 😂 its true though Japanese people have the latest style of toilets and they also have a fantastic way of making sure their garbage is exactly what the cities require and I'm guessing that's why Japan is so clean and clever as well 😁
I have real pride when I clean anything and it's so wonderful to see that same personal pride. Every job contributes to others and their approach and seriousness reflects that feeling.
If it was possible to make a giant version of that vomit vacuum, then NYC would need it to clean up the mess that is, its subway system To no one's surprise, Japan's stations are leagues ahead
I was always super impressed how swift the team managed to clean the shinkansen every time! Thanks for sharing with us the story behind all their efforts to ensure we have safe and clean rides on the trains. Deep respect for them!
This is how it supposed to be, professionalism work ethic and safety is always a first priority! Great job Japan this is an example of excellent at the work places, it should be a roll model for everyone to follow
I would be so much happier if the USA held a similar attitude that just one accident is worth preventing. Instead our culture values risk management 😢 I’ll have to look into moving to Japan💚
This is surprisingly interesting. Also, I love that the seating rows in the train flip around (I don’t have problems either way but a few people I know get sick when not facing the direction the train is going). The entire station is so clean and everyone seems to be very diligent about their jobs
Ueno is my "home" station, it is where I stay whenever I am in Tokyo. The station has good connections, is not too big that you can get lost, and the area around it is great like the park and Ameyoko. I am very happy seeing it, I really miss Japan. Thanks for the staff for their great work, and to you for documenting it
It really is a good area, a lot of personality to the neighborhood and good places to eat and relax - the park and Zoo! I’m really glad you enjoyed it :)
This is fascinating to see how thorough these crews clean in plain sight and behind the scenes. The work being done is important and much needed. I really liked the safety aspect of how the crewmembers work together as a team. This work is part of the overall legendary efficiency of the Japanese train system. I can't wait to visit Japan again someday. Thanks for your terrific video, John!
Amazing! Their attention to safety is second to none. Cleanliness and safety is priority number one. For a busy city , this really takes dedication to their jobs.
Pride in ALL types of work is so amazing and wonderful to see! EVERY job is important in our society and you can see how seriously they take their roles ❤️
