Being a student at an American university in Tokyo, I often have the opportunity to talk with foreign students who are living in Japan for the first time. These conversations frequently include the oft-heard complaints about commuting via the capital's extensive rail system.
Anyone who has lived here for even a short period has heard these laments, and perhaps felt the same way: "The trains are too crowded," "People shouldn't stand in front of the doors," "I hate being squished" and so on.
Reading Baye McNeil's Oct. 17, 2018, article about the "empty seat" on a crowded train reminded me of my own experiences with rail travel on my first visit to Japan 11 years ago. Conscious of the concept of the "ugly American" international traveler, I was determined to adhere to Japanese norms as much as possible, which included train etiquette. I abandoned my concept of personal space, I was quiet (or at least used my "train voice"), I put my phone on silent mode and I was more courteous than I'd ever been. All that changed one fateful day in 2011.