In Tokyo, the average commute for suburbanites who work in the city is 90 mins each way and increasing. No wonder sleeping on the train is a national pass time.
In the Japanese summer this means travelling long distances through the busiest stations in the world in more than 30C heat and 90% humidity. It is hellish. Unpleasent as they are, the trains become a comparative oasis; you may be standing with your face jammed into the sweaty armpit of a drunken salary man and someone nearby always farts, but at least the air con is on.
Strangely, there is one event on a packed Japanese commuter train that eases the tension and never fails to bring a smile to the faces of even the most ornery travellers: if the train moves off suddenly and knocks you off you feet, a dozen hands will reach out to steady you and, if necessary, set you back upright. Meanwhile, all those who saw you fall but couldn’t reach to help smile down on you with amused sympathy and a look in their eyes that says ‘we’ve all been there’.
