I’m often asked about how one can avoid the crowded trains in metropolitan areas of Japan.
People may have heard that people are packed like sardines in a train and yes, it happens a lot and some, especially coming to Japan with children, worry about this.
For travelers who want to avoid this, there are several options and that is to avoid the times people are going to work (or school), coming home from work (or school), nights and most importantly, do not travel during a major Japanese holiday.
So, for work hours the rush is 7 am to 9 am and 5 pm to 8 pm.
But really, what I end up doing is leaving around 6:30 a.m.-7:30 a.m. to a location. If I miss that time or wake up late, then I’m leaving at 9:00 a.m.
As for nights, while the 5 pm to 8 pm are rush hours, if you are a social person that likes to stay out, the trains are just as crowded at 10:30-11:30 pm. Especially on Friday and Saturday night.
So, if you are parents with young children and are coming to a major metropolitan city in Japan, and are worried about crowded trains, you will want to do your traveling between 9-5.
Also, if you are scared of germs or sensitive to smells, or If you are claustrophobic, then definitely ride during these rush hours and avoid rush hours.
As for Japanese holidays, click here.
Also know that if you are traveling during Cherry Blossom time (March-April), so are many travelers.
And if you are traveling from the last week of April to first week of May (Golden Week) or December 23rd to New Year’s, it’s even more crowded.
If you are planning to ride the shinkansen, just know that if you travel during this time, getting a seat is difficult if you haven’t gotten it in advance. Chances are you and others will be standing for hours to get to a destination. I wouldn’t recommend it!
And it’s also the time most Japanese I know worry about… Around the Tokyo Olympics 2020. It will be hot, humid and crowded! Trains may be crowded for long hours during this time.
So, what advice do I have if you are going in a crowded train?
- If you have backpack, take it off and either put it on your front (you’ll see a lot of other people doing this) or keep it by your feet to save space. Do not wear it on your back because you may end up hitting other people with it.
- If it’s a short travel, stay closest to the door or a handrail. I try to stay right near the entrance and maintain that position but more than likely is what’s going to happen is that you will be pushed towards the center and packed like a sardine.
- Scared of getting sick and catching germs… Wear a mask!
- Just go with the flow. Expect to be shoulder to shoulder or someones back directly in front of you.
- Just know the most popular stations is where you will experience the heaviest crowds. So in Tokyo: Shinjuku, Shibuya, Harajuku, Tokyo, Ueno, you will see a lot of people coming or going to these stations.
- If you are arriving to Japan or leaving Japan with big luggage during rush hour, go to the very back or the very front of the train.
- If you notice that it’s super crowded, if you can wait for the next train to come minutes later, definitely wait until the next train.
So, a good way to know how long your going to be packed in a train. Look at the following Yamanote Line train schedule. If you are riding from Harajuku Station, typically I notice a lot of people will get off at Shinjuku Station to catch another train or metro back home. So, looking at the photo above, that’s about 4 minutes away. You can endure those four minutes.
Quite often the case, I have to go from Ikebukuro to Shinjuku or Shibuya during rush hour on the Yamanote Line. It’s packed and I look and see, well…I’ll have to endure 9 or 16 minutes of this. Let’s do it!
But really, if you are going to Tokyo, you’ll have to endure the packed trains if you want to go during those rush hour times. There really is no way around it, all lines are packed, you just have to endure it.
