Originally Posted By Mr X Anyone coming to Japan..here's a fun way to learn your way around Tokyo (on the main circular "Yamanote" train line, anyway). <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VU1lNOU8WeU&feature=related" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...=related</a>
Originally Posted By Mr X And, since every station has it's own unique "tune", here's a way to familiarize yourself with those as well (you'll have to practice reading your Hiragana first though, if you want to figure out the station names lol). <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jbTS0t9NuJ0&feature=related" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...=related</a>
Originally Posted By Mr X A real life example of those little jingles that accompany each station (and get stuck in your head for the rest of the day lol)... <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tAGgbAH6jok" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...gbAH6jok</a>
Originally Posted By Mr X And, of COURSE, to tie this whole thread into TOKYO DISNEY RESORT (would I dare not!? )... The current departure music at MAIHAMA station, the J.R. "home" of the Tokyo Disney Resort. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QEKrMz0CW_I&feature=related" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...=related</a> Along with the more typically used tune... <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4gIpfgPrrGQ&feature=related" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...=related</a>
Originally Posted By Anatole69 Those songs were just one of the many details that made me feel like I had walked onto the set of a science fiction film. For some reason I seem to recall hearing them when I was taking the train from Kobe to Himeji... though maybe I am remembering wrong. Nice links. - Anatole
Originally Posted By Mr X And the other 25th anniversary tune used at Maihama station for a limited time, (along with a recap of the first one)... <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jvP2P_f9250&feature=related" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...=related</a>
Originally Posted By Mr X ***Those songs were just one of the many details that made me feel like I had walked onto the set of a science fiction film.*** LOL. Yup, when you're in Japan, you're DEFINITELY not "in Kansas anymore" ***For some reason I seem to recall hearing them when I was taking the train from Kobe to Himeji... though maybe I am remembering wrong.*** I believe it's a J.R. (Japan Railways) trademark. So, not only in Tokyo but whenever you're taking a J.R. train there will be melodies unique to the stations. If you ride a Tokyo Metro train though, or other company..no tunes. **Nice links. ** Glad you liked them.
Originally Posted By Mr X ***Looks like I busted up your thread flow there. lol. - Anatole*** No worries. I was done with that last one anyway. (anyone else is welcome to add more fun stuff though, if they want)
Originally Posted By MagicalNezumi Most jingles used at JR stations are not necessarily unique. For example, Minami-Urawa Station (Saitama) uses "Moon River", Takadanobaba Station (Tokyo) uses the theme song from the anime "Atom Boy" and Ebisu Station's (Tokyo) jingle is from the film "The Third Man." -- MagicalNezumi
Originally Posted By Mr X Sorry, I should have said "unique to that station" (though, perhaps even that isn't true, I haven't been to every station lol)
Originally Posted By MagicalNezumi The jingles are unique in that no other platform on Yamanote Line has the same jingle. However, some Yamanote Line jingles can be also heard on other JR Stations/Lines in the Kanto area. For example, the jingle at Gotanda St. (Yamanote Line) named "Cielo Estrellado" can also be heard at Nakano St. (Chuo Line), Omiya St. (Utsunomiya Line) and Soga St. (Keiyo Line). (smiles) -- MagicalNezumi
Originally Posted By gurgitoy2 It's just a great little detail. It helps to identify different stations if you remember the tune they use. Although how often do they change them? I guess it's obvious which one is the TDR stop though, LOL! Still, here in NYC, we could only dream of a little detail like this...but to be perfectly honest, I'd rather they spent the money on infrastructure...our subway system is terrible!
Originally Posted By Mr X Well, at least it runs 24 hours. The Tokyo system shuts down WAY too early (forcing people into either staying out all night, getting a room, or paying hundreds of bucks for a taxi out to the suburbs)!
Originally Posted By MagicalNezumi ^^ True that Mr. X. I've had shell out 1500yen to stay all night at an internet cafe. (hehehe) -- MagicalNezumi
Originally Posted By Malin *** The Tokyo system shuts down WAY too early *** What sort of time are we talking about here ?
Originally Posted By Mr X The last trains run somewhere between 12:15 to 1:15 ish. If you need to make any connections, you're screwed (wrap it up at 11:30, pretty much). Trains aside, I was pretty amazed at how 24 hour the city of Hong Kong manages to be with all their cheap and available street transportation at all hours. There is NOTHING like that in Tokyo (buses shut down entirely hours before the trains do), so if you are out late at night you are virtually stranded. There are no options save for a $100+ taxi ride.
Originally Posted By Mr X On the other hand, the "bright side", or shall we say, the "early to rise" side (VERY Japan to say the least), if you have a 5:30am business meeting Tokyo can accommodate your public transportation needs like no other metropolis. *yawn*
Originally Posted By Mr X I had a recent, very interesting conversation with a Japanese businessman about this train situation, and he offered some interesting insights. Rather than for any legitimate operational reasons, he suggested that the trains are set up this way in order to preserve Japanese society from collapse. The way he put it, many Japanese office workers on all levels literally work from first train to last, Monday through Friday and often weekends too (there's a reason the Japanese actually have a word for "death by overwork", karoshi). According to him, the ONLY acceptable way to get yourself out of the office (or the bar or restaurant where business continues on through the night) is to claim "kindly forgive my incredibly selfish excuse, but I simply MUST leave now in order to catch the last train". Keep in mind, no matter how late you work the night before (not to mention how much sake and beer you have imbibed on a work-related matter), you are EXPECTED to be on that first train the next morning (PARTICULARLY now with the deep recession). So, according to my friend, if they ran trains all night long, or even later than they do now, tons more Japanese office workers would literally drop dead from working too much! (still, it sucks for us party folk who just want to hang out til 1 or 2 am sometimes!)
Originally Posted By SuperDry <<< Rather than for any legitimate operational reasons, he suggested that the trains are set up this way in order to preserve Japanese society from collapse. >>> I have heard this explanation before as well. <<< the Japanese actually have a word for "death by overwork", karoshi). >>> Where I worked a long time ago, we had a a Japanese woman on our team that worked on translating our software in to Japanese. There was some particular crunch time in the project where all the translators were working ridiculously long hours. There was one night where she got something like only 30 minutes of sleep, "but it was a good 30 minutes" (which of course is a very Japanese attitude to take in such a situation). I told her "Be careful of koroshi!" Her eyes got really large, and she said "koroshi?!?!" and kind of looked around nervously. I said, "Yea, death by overwork, right?" "No, that's karoshi - koroshi is murder!" My mistake.
