The Soundest Train Sleeper

One thing that has always amazed me when riding trains here is how some people can completely pass out and sleep so sound that they actually snore. This is especially interesting to watch on the short run commuter trains. When I lived in Japan before, I had many discussions with friends about train sleeping. People would explain to me that because trains are quiet, warm in the winter, safe, fairly comfortable, and have a certain hum to them, they are conducive to sleeping. The Japanese also love to sleep on buses, planes, cars, ferries, and basically anything that moves.

One observation I have made is that while some people seem to sleep through every train stop, they somehow suddenly wake up and bolt for the door when their stop is reached. It is like an instinct. Their timing seems to be analogous to migratory birds knowing just when to move on when the season turns. I have often wondered if people missed stops or not. I have not found very many folks who would confess to missing their stop. Most people tell me that after riding the same train for so many days, weeks, months, years, they become very accustomed to the feel of the route. They know the bumps, turns, jolts, and screeches made at specific spots along the route and also have become accustomed to the amount of time it takes to get from one place to another. Their body learns the route. I can understand this. From my home station, whenever I get on the train at track 4, there is always a jarring when the train merges from track 4 to the main track. I always lean into the jar in advance so when it happens I am not thrown off balance. I often witness a lot of people that don’t anticipate the jarring and get thrown around.

Last Saturday I witnessed my first oblivious train sleeper. It was about 1:30 in the afternoon and I was heading home from a business trip. I was at my main transfer station waiting on the platform for the train to arrive. This train line ends at this station, so when the train arrives, everyone shuffles off, new people get on, and the train heads back in the direction it just came from. When I got on the train, I noticed a man in his 30’s sitting in the section normally reserved for passengers who are elderly, sick, handicapped, pregnant, or otherwise needing a guaranteed place to sit. He was holding what looked like an overnight bag and looked as if he were heading out on a trip or coming back from one. This guy was snoring soundly and completely unaware of the train’s arrival at the end of the line. A couple of elderly ladies boarded the train and were heading to that section and were discussing whether or not they should wake the guy up. One lady decided to give it a try. She gently tapped the guy on the shoulder with no result. She tapped him again, harder, but still with no result, so she gave up and sat down. Another elderly lady boarded the train and upon noticing the guy sleeping, was told by the previous ladies that he wouldn’t wake up. So, she decided to gently shake the guy. On the 2nd time, he mumbled something, but kept sleeping. She shook the guy again, harder, and he kind of woke up. She told him a couple of times it was the end of the line. He didn’t care. He said he wanted to keep sleeping. So, respecting his wishes, she left him alone and sat down.
After a few minutes, the train was full, the doors closed, and we left the station, headed in the direction the train (and the oblivious sleeper) just came from. I rode the train for about 12 minutes before getting off. The guy snored the whole time, completely unaware of his situation. Apparently he really needed the sleep. In all the years I have ridden on trains and buses in Japan, I have never seen anyone quite this tired. I have no idea what eventually happened to that guy, but at least he got his sleep.