How Tokyo's Subway Keeps On-time, Clean, and Safe 

FYI: This was filmed mostly in February and a little bit in early March, much before Tokyo was put into a state of emergency. The family is all doing safe and well at home nowadays. EDIT Also hit that CC button for subtitles!

"What's the transportation like where you are from?" * cries *

I left my mobile phone in a taxi in Tokyo. The driver drove around till he found me to give it back. I love Japan and the people. So respectful.

Fun Fact: Japanese train stations, as seen in the video, have gates leading to the platform that open when your tram card or ticket is scanned. Usually the machines make a light beeping sound to validate the ticket, but childrens' tickets (they have tickets especially for young children) make a cute chick sound, like "tweet tweet tweet"! As a child I had fun riding the trains and hearing the tweeting sound as I passed the gates :D Edit: I believe 6:48 shows the tweeting sound!

7:33 "You're always expected to think about how your actions affect others." The world should learn from this.

Everyone keeps saying, “What’s the transportation system like where you’re from?” But they forget to realize that the most important piece of a clean and reliable subway is the PASSENGERS. You can’t fix the subway without fixing the people first.

Suzuki-san didn't even consider the possibility that someone could harm a kid, so he thought it was about trains!

毎日、当たり前のように乗ってるけど、当たり前じゃないんだなーって改めて思わせてくれる。日本のいい所はこれからも続いてほしいな。

Having lived in Tokyo for 4 years, I found their transportation system to be the best anywhere. Returning to NYC and experiencing the dirty, mismanaged and inept transportation system again was a real let down. I had gotten used to clean, efficient on time trains

“Why is it okay for small children to ride trains alone?” “Why isn’t it safe for the kids to ride trains by themselves?😅” That....just speaks everything about Japan 🇯🇵

Japanese Train guy is insulting the whole world calmly in a good way 😂

I love how every job in Japan is treated with dignity..

“Are there scary people out there? That broke my heart. Japan is too pure for this world.

On our very last day in Tokyo last year while we were on our way to the airport to go home, in the rush to swap over trains with our big cases we ended up leaving the backpack with our passports and bording passes on the first train and by the time we relised we had already been on the 2nd train for nearly half an hour! we quickly got off and went to the information desk in a total near tears panic and were met by some of the most kind and helpfull people ive ever met who were able to track down the train we had been on and get our bag back in less than half an hour. Public transport in Japan is for sure some of the best in the world!

Japan has a way making of things look so honorable.

Been to Japan and Tokyo several times. The whole transport system is extremely efficient, ultra clean and very easy to use. We went to buy a ticket at the many ticket machines and were just working out how much when a staff member behind the ticket machines opened a little door and asked if we were ok. We had only been standing looking for less than a minute. I have always found Japan to be the most polite, cleanest and efficient country I have visited.

The finger pointing that Japanese staff anywhere does, is actually important. It forces your attention to what you are trying to examine, and makes you aware of what you're mentally processing. Because let's face it, while many of us do a decent job at cursory or visual checks, we can get complacent when we think our eyes get the job done 100% of the time, and then we realise we missed something important

" workers can issue themselves a late slip if there train is late " In Sydney if your train is late or delayed NSW Rail "You should have left earlier then"

When I was in Japan in Sept 2019, my friend and I got lost trying to find the Shinkansen to Kyoto in Tokyo Station. This Japanese man tapped me on the shoulder and asked if I needed help. I said yes and he looked my ticket, and hurried us to the correct station. With his help, we got on the bullet train literally seconds before the doors closed. 👍🏿

The Tokyo area has the best public transport system from any place I've been. Clean, on time and most importantly, people actually behave.

Was in Japan in 2018 and each and every station (actually every single location visited) was so clean: in two weeks, I never saw litter on the ground or anywhere, the toilets were impeccable, there wasn't a bad smell, no vermin anywhere; not to mention every single person was well-mannered, generous, kind, quiet, but friendly. Lost my wallet on a train platform and it had been handed into lost and found, came back and collected it, every single thing was inside. Truly a paradise.

God, that poor guy would have breakdown if he had to experience the NYC subway system

"Why do you want to go to Japan" I like trains

That conductor seems very kind gentle and respectable.

When i visited japan i was amazed of how much train station were like airports in terms of busyness and cleanliness. The Japanese culture really is something else we could learn a lot from them

"What's the transportation system like where you're from ?" Me : *Start crying*

"So how security take care of drunk people in your city?" Me: Security??

6:59 Suzuki-san calmly and politely roasting the rest of us BTW those animations were just so precious! Easy to understand even if you don't speak Japanese.

I visited Tokyo before Covid, and the three things that stood out to me, was how polite everyone was especially to a tourist, how clean everything was, and how efficient their public transit is. It makes me want to live in Tokyo so much

"What's the transportation like where you are from?" Survival of the fittest

Hey, just FYI, ホーム, in the context of trains, does not mean “home,” it’s short for プラットホーム, “platform.” It’s a Japanese-style shortening of an English word, like エアコン for “air conditioner.” The doors in the video are “platform doors,” not “home doors.” Love the video, glad you’re doing ok right now.

A bit of an embarrassing story: Back in 2022, I visited Japan and left my backpack with my passport, about 1,000 USD, and some other personal belongings. You see, trains in Singapore do not have the overhead compartments like Japanese trains do and I had left my backpack above this one time so I forgot about it 😂 I immediately went to the control station and got help, they didn't understand English but had some sort of aid and translating device; THIS IS THE BEST PART THOUGH, a young Japanese female stranger must have noticed my frantic nature and came over to help translate (she was Japanese but proficient in English) which greatly sped up the search process. My bag was found by another station master soon enough and I made my way there. I am very happy and lucky to have met such friendly and helpful people in Japan!

I’m a Japanese and living in Tokyo for over 20 years, and I’ve taken all of this for granted. But once again look at it , I realised that so many people have been working hard and supporting me in ways that I can’t see. I almost cried😭 I’m proud to be born in Japan 🇯🇵 🥰

The thing I love about Japanese day to day life is that every single job, as small as it is, is done with honor and pride, always trying to prefect their craft and doing it with joy

7:08 "are there scary people out there?" me: *laughs like a crackling witch in NY subway

Japan operates one of the, if not the cleanest, safest and most efficient public train system in the world. Much of this is due to Japan's highly homogenous and polite culture. Items left on trains have a very high probability of being found and returned to their owners.

I am a filipino and our government entrusted our nation's most ambitious project in the history to Japan. And that project is building an underground subway in Metro Manila. By watching this, I got more excited for the outcome of that project. Salute to every Japanese people.

The train where I live is where you go to get stabbed, robbed or yelled at. Sometimes all three!

>Whats the transportation system like where you're from? You don't wanna know...

i was in the Air Force living and working in japan for 14 years at Yakota Ab in Fussa, Tokyo. I really miss the politeness and professional structure from the Japanese citizen and especially their govt. If you ever get lost as a foreigner in their subway system, don't worry the attendants at the info kiosk which are clearly labeled speak English and they are very helpful. I have nothing but excellent things to say about japan.

I love how the Japanese people take their job seriously & take pride in their work. We have a lot to learn from them. Watching your videos inspire to go to Japan.

Japan trains system: clean, safe and on time My country: "uno reverse card" *it is what it is*

Japan is so precious. It’s people are precious. How diligent he is working is admirable.

日本人の私にとっても、感動的な動画でした。私達が普段から何気なく使っている鉄道やバスは、沢山の人達の努力と工夫の積み重ね、そして思いやりによって成り立っているのだなと感じます。働いている沢山の方々に感謝！！

I have been to Japan many times, it never fail to amaze me how engaged the workers are and the safety factors included. The barriers are brilliant.

"I'm actually surprised why it's not happening in other countries. are there scary people out there? bcs trains are basically safe travel vehicles" *_*heart beat intensifies, sweating simutanously, sudden coldness*_*

"What's the transportation system like where you're from?" --Your Trains have doors?

What amazes me is how EVERYTHING is so clean and organized, not just the train system. The attention to details is mindblowing. Especially how workers view their jobs, to truly serve their customers to the max. So polite and welcoming! I've yet to visit Japan, but I can already tell I will love it there. It's like being in an anime watching these videos. I know they have their own issues (people working themselves to death and so on), but we sure have much to learn from them.

The section about children riding alone and how they are taught to be considerate and helpful was really heartwarming from an American standpoint. Here we barely let kids play in their own neighborhoods and people are frequently inconsiderate, sometimes to the point of being blatantly rude and selfish. Something as simple as not taking up the entire grocery aisle while people are trying to get by is a common frustration here.

"What's the transportation system like where you're from?" Survival of the fittest. 🇵🇭

9:17 haha, in Paris when you realise you dropped an item like 5s later, it's already been re sold by the robber 😂

The people of Japan have a lot to be proud of with their transport. The amount of effort and skill that goes into creating this is amazing.

Always nice to see how efficient Japan works. You sure can get jealous, seeing the "Deutsche Bahn" operating in here in Germany - always late or whole trains getting cancelled. Must be nice using such a great, reliable system!

"What's your transportation like where you are from?" me: "Pretty good, my feet are usually on-time."

me: sees people cleaning a bus me: what is this sorcery our buses have dirt older than I am T_T

The bus footage was amazing, because I work as a bus technician in germany. So it was very fascinating to see how they work. Greate video.

That they can leave the controls for the safety equipment sitting out in the open really shows you the marvels of a trusting and cooperative people and culture.

Wow, the bus stuff was just as cool and interesting as the train stuff.

“What’s the transportation system like where you’re from?” Me, a Pilipino: laughs in tricycle, trisikad, and jeepney congested roads Jokes aside, when he said “If they think it’s surprising to see kids ride by themselves, I’m actually surprised why it’s not happening in other countries.”, I felt that. As a kid, I didn’t experience going to school alone. I thank my parents for keeping me safe but it still stuck on to me till this day and lack independence. I’m fine going out alone (only for short distances though) but I still feel uneasy even when there’s no danger evident around the area

I lived in Japan for 7 years. Once I’ve lost my wallet on a subway in Sapporo and lingered in the station, when I heard an anouncement over the speakers saying “the person who lost ¥10000 ($100) should come at lost & found to collect them” ! ( I had to describe my wallet). This was back in 1987. My son lost his mobile repeatedly and each time the police contacted us to let us know it can be picked up at the local police station, this was in 2003. My husband forgot his belt in a big department store after trying on some trousers. The salesperson run down 5 levels to find my husband and return his belt. There’s no place like Japan in the whole world, I miss it so much! ❤️

I love how much pride they take in their work. It certainly helps when everyone is cooperating with good etiquette!

It impresses me more that the trains and stations are so clean. No stickers, no graffiti, no cigarette bums and most noticeable: no bubble gum stains at the floors. Japan might not be a perfect country (none is actually), but their people care about their environment more than others.

Meanwhile in Boston: - train arrives at the station half an hour late - Doors get stuck halfway open - 50/50 chance your train will catch fire at some point - you slip on garbage that has been piled up in the station for a month

Just came back from a trip to Japan earlier this month and I'm absolutely astonished by the train system. It really puts America to shame in more ways than one and I'm highly envious of the Japanese for having such a system. Makes me want to move there at some point lol

I was fortunate to live in Tokyo as an ex pat kid and I road buses trains and subway to get to and from school daily. It is an incredible transportation system in an incredible country.

The Japanese take so much pride in the work they do.

it always amaze me and i always think that we should learn from other countries culture (in this case japan) because here (i live in france) public transport is so bad, it's dirty, the staff are unwelcoming and you would never allow a children to ride a train alone. And most importantly the etiquette, i mean here people just don't care about other, they put their music at full blast, they're yelling to call a friend. i think this video illustrate why some people wants to live in japan. The etiquette, the politness, the manner, the respect

i feel like everyone is working at their best. much respect!

the universal design, as a disabled person is... Beautiful to me. What we should all be seeing everywhere.

I swear Japan is 200 years ahead of the rest of the world

Japan is a unique planet by itself.

Wow. Was not expecting that high quality montage at the end of the interview. Glad I watched till the end.

This is amazing! Like this is something that rivals certain television programs. Great work to all involved!

When I was in Japan 2 years ago, I started a line right in front of nothing without even knowing it. I was just thinking about stuff, looking around and after a few minutes, 5 or 6 people were standing behind me in a straight line even though I wasn't standing anywhere close where a train door would be opening. I was just the only one there so they accepted me as their line leader. It was so nice and embarrasing at the same time :D

“Are there scary people out there?” My dude, you have no idea.

I accidentally left my bag on the Shinkansen during one of my rides this last August. 15 minutes LATER, I got it back exactly how it was at the lost-and-found office! Amazing! I LOVE JAPAN!

I have been going to Japan almost every year for the past 16 years or so. Sadly, due to COVID I haven't been able to return this year and I miss it so much. Watching this video brought back so many fond memories of the place. I remember one trip I had bought some chocolates but left them behind at Haneda airport at the bus terminus. They managed to find them and sent them out on the next bus over to Narita, just before my departure. How great is the Japanese culture. A stark contrast to the "me culture" of most western nations.

“What’s like the transportation system like?” **cries in NYC**

Japanese has strong cultures : discipline is their DNA, perfection is their daily breakfast. Love Japan from Indonesia 🇮🇩 ❤️ 🇯🇵

When I visited Japan for the first time, I had never used any kind of subway or train because I live in an area where they don't exist. I found navigating the subway systems and riding the trains to be very easy and navigable. Since I was a tourist, I chose to avoid riding during rush hour, but other times were very convenient and enjoyable.

That's awesome that they clean each component of the busses and trains. My grandfather was a craftsman that built machine components and he would say how just dirt and grime alone left unchecked can cause the most damage to any mechanism, even a rather simple one.

Much better subway system than the one in New York City. So clean and efficient.

Japan: "Always think about how your actions affect others." Rest of world: "Umm... I'm hungry. "

Being used to the grittiness of the NYC subway and then seeing these pristine and clean stations and trains is absolutely amazing. The efficiency is mind blowing

I love how cleanliness and manners are so highly valued in Japan. It would be great if all other countries were the same. ❤️

"What's the transportation system like where you're from?" Well, Germany here. According to the official pages of the various public transport companies, also always on-time, clean, courteous and precise. But the reality looks quite, quite different......

"What's the transportation like where you are from?" Wait, you guys have transportation?

the Japanese are a proud people also they dont have a black or brown issue like we have in the west. So order is maintained

Not only the subway but the entire rail system is on time n spotless.👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

Tokyo Subway: A well-dressed elegant watchman says: "Thank you for riding. This is the final stop :D" Mexico City Metro: Instead here, a overweight poorly dressed taco-smelling security guard: "Move on! This is the final stop. Get out of here quickly"

"What's the transportationn system like where you're from" A lot of options, but you'll still get late everytime. One of the things I love when I went to Japan was how reliable the transportation system was. We were never late for our itinerary... Except that one time I was in Akiba...

Went to tokyo in 2017, my friend and me were traveling from tokyo to kyoto at that time. We were going to the bus station, but we lost our ways. Then 2 nihonjin came and accompanied us to the bus station, they even helped us to bring our belongings. Japan is very nice place to live or to travel.

thank you for this video, greetings from Italy

When I was in Japan, me and my parents where looking at a map to go back to our hotel. Then one kind man asked us if we need help and showed us a train we needed to go to. That is why I love Japan they are very kind, I wanna go there at least once more💛

I remember riding the system in New York back in the 90s and just being stressed out as a kid because of all the news reports of violence back then. Not sure if it's better now or not in New York, but the only stress I experience with the system in Japan is navigating through the large crowds in the Tokyo area. The density of the crowds can be intimidating, but the thought of being mugged or attacked never crosses my mind. Most of the time, the only ones who don't follow manners are foreigners. Most probably aren't aware what they're doing is wrong, though.

I'm so impressed at the immense human touch on such high-tech trains.

Even the bus garage is so damn clean.

It has been an absolute delight to see people with pride in their work. It is incredible how clean everything is too. A great shame Transport for London do not have the same approach to serving the public.

Something I like is when train is taking off, I seen them bow all the time at each training leaving for safe travels. I was surprised when I first went to Japan seeing young children. I brought this question up to a resident who was able to speak English and they said that at a young age, it teaches them independence and confidence. Such an amazing country and that is why since then my family and I travel every other year.

Its wierd that Britain invented trains and we are not even close to having Tokyo's standard here.