I am writing to address the three online comments written on Aug. 23 in response to the Aug. 19 editorial "Wanted: better escalator manners."
First, let me explain that a few years back, I spent six months working in this city with a serious back injury. It reduced my agility to that of a 90-year-old man, for reasons much too complicated to explain here. I was in constant, excruciating pain, and it was more comfortable for me to stand on the right of the escalator, leaning to the right.
I was punched in the back, hit on the shoulders, and intentionally bumped into. People tried to walk through me, and I was verbally abused. I came to realize just how selfish and inconsiderate many Tokyo people are.
It is all about the promotion of good manners and consideration for other people. What right do some people think they have to dictate to others where to stand on an escalator just so they can walk? If they want to walk, use the stairs, which are usually empty, anyway.
Escalators are for the elderly, mothers with children, people with large bags and suitcases and the injured. It is not a staircase, it is a step to stand on. Stairs are for the healthy. You all need to walk a mile in another man's shoes.
The opinions expressed in this letter to the editor are the writer's own and do not necessarily reflect the policies of The Japan Times.