Today the train I switch to on the outskirts of Tokyo was just slightly more crowded than usual. I was smashed into the people sitting down, and someone's briefcase was wedged into my ass. But overall, I'd say this shows a typical commute. Fill out the survey/link to me/gimme money to watch the Chumbucket extended version. (Really, the only difference is it's longer.)
Formats available: MPEG-4 Video (protected) (.m4v), Flash Video (.flv)
This video was originally shared on blip.tv by richpav with a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike license.
16 responses so far ↓
1 Carl
// Mar 8, 2007 at 10:10 pm
That looks like quite the comfortable spot.
2 Darren
// Mar 9, 2007 at 12:02 am
Man I love going on the train system in Tokyo its a great experience, my best train experience is the Shinkansen, I loved going between Tokyo and Kyoto.
The good thing about being a gajin is everyone seems to be scared to stand close to you, like you have some kind of disease.
Daz
3 Darren
// Mar 9, 2007 at 12:03 am
^ ^ "The good thing about being a gajin is everyone seems to be scared to stand close to you, like you have some kind of disease" I meant on the train lol.
4 Bill Chapman
// Mar 9, 2007 at 2:53 am
It is good you are taller than most of the others on the train. Otherwise, we would only have seen coats!
Speaking of coats, what is the avg temp there? It is in the sixties (F) in Mississippi. The coeds are already wearing shorts!
Your commute is too claustrophobic for me. I get into my six-seater pick-em-up truck, turn on the radio program I want to hear, and drive by my lonesome the six minutes to my parking place at work.
Sometimes, I take the back roads (dirt/gravel), especially, if I am in the mood to see a cow or horse in the pasture. When I get home, there are often four or five deer in my yard, coming from the woods behind our five-acre lot.
Oh, that was a crowded train!
-Bill
5 Charlie Laird
// Mar 9, 2007 at 4:12 am
Wow you tower of those folks lol.
I'm amazed at how quiet the ride seemed compared to the subways here in US. If it were like that here, I don't think I'd mind taking the subway as much.
Then again I'd have a problem being smooshed in with all those people like a Sardine Can.
6 Rich Pav
// Mar 9, 2007 at 8:32 am
@Darren: Foreigners who are really foreign give off a kind of an aura of "There's no telling what I might do." I might be a whole lot taller, but I guess I don't act any differently from anyone else on the train so people very, very rarely freak out if I sit next to them, or avoid sitting next to me. And even if they do, it's not my problem.
7 Rich Pav
// Mar 9, 2007 at 8:38 am
@Bill, it's still cold enough to have wear gloves when I ride my bike to the train station. But not a hat.
The train ride isn't claustrophobic because you mentally shut out all the people surrounding you. And come to think of it, that's what foreigners DON'T do that makes people uncomfortable. I just realized that.
BTW, in the extened version of my bike ride to work that goes from my front door to the train, I stopped off at a public toilet because you suggested it. It's in the chumbucket because it's a little too long and overlaps what I already put out.
8 Carl
// Mar 9, 2007 at 1:53 pm
You should start taking requests on video's Rich, how about it?
9 bill chapman
// Mar 9, 2007 at 1:55 pm
i filled out the survey, but didn't get a pointer to the chumbucket and still can't find the toilet.
-bill
10 Rich Pav
// Mar 9, 2007 at 2:11 pm
@Carl: Please do request stuff to video. I've always wanted this to be a two-way interaction kind of thing.
11 Socko
// Mar 9, 2007 at 9:49 pm
Awesome video! I have wanted to film my commute to work, but have been afraid of being starred at. Why? I am 6'4" and everyone stares at me anyways. I just don't have the balls to do it…glad you did. Now the world can really see what it's like!
12 missb
// Mar 10, 2007 at 5:23 am
Whoa…that's really cramped! Not all that dissimilar from a rush-hour subway ride in NYC which is one of the many reasons I prefer to work nights: reverse commute? Empty trains.
Ahh…breathing room.
13 Rich Pav
// Mar 10, 2007 at 7:09 am
@Missb: I wondered if NYC subways got that crowded. I figured no, because if they did there would be too many crimes committed to make it even possible.
14 mike
// Mar 10, 2007 at 3:47 pm
the shots of you and your hands were pretty funny XD great video. I was surprised how you just keep getting pushed back farther and father into the train.
15 Erik
// Mar 15, 2007 at 4:52 am
One of my favorite pictures of my trip to Tokyo was this one: http://www.flickr.com/photos/senorklein/38420743/in/set-847275/
where This old guy didn't even bat an eye at coming and sitting between a bunch of smelly (after a 10 hour flight) americans. I love the sounds of your video. It totally takes me back there.
I had the Shibuya JR sound as my phone ringtone for a while cause it always made me think of the trip.
16 iVideoBlast.com - online video on-demand (VOD) designed to entertain and educate
// Sep 5, 2007 at 1:30 am
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