- 14 Mar 2002
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If you have ever wondered why Japanese train drivers, conductors and stationmasters all point fingers and call on trains and platforms, here's why. On first encounter I found this procedure quite irritating, but it makes all sense now. :
Question: Dear Alice, Until recently I lived in Tokyo and commuted on the JR Chuo Sobu Line from Kameido Station. I made it a practice to ride in the last compartment of the train so that I could enjoy the spectacle of the driver making those sincere hand gestures at every station. I've seen the same thing on other train and subway lines, so I'm sure there is a very good reason they do this. But what the heck is it?
Answer: I posed that question to Kazumi Tabata of the Japan Industrial Safety and Health Association, who showed me research conducted in 1994 by the Railway Technical Research Institute. Workers asked to complete a simple task made 2.38 errors per 100 actions when no special steps were taken to prevent errors. When told to add just calling or just pointing, their error rate dropped significantly. But the greatest reduction in error — to just 0.38 mistakes per 100 actions — was achieved when workers used both steps together. The combination of pointing and calling reduced mistakes by almost 85 per cent.
Source: JR gestures | The Japan Times
The Amazing Psychology of Japanese Train Stations - CityLab
WHY IN JAPAN TRAIN DRIVERS AND STATION AGENTS POINT ALL WITH THEIR FINGER? - beBee Producer
Question: Dear Alice, Until recently I lived in Tokyo and commuted on the JR Chuo Sobu Line from Kameido Station. I made it a practice to ride in the last compartment of the train so that I could enjoy the spectacle of the driver making those sincere hand gestures at every station. I've seen the same thing on other train and subway lines, so I'm sure there is a very good reason they do this. But what the heck is it?
Answer: I posed that question to Kazumi Tabata of the Japan Industrial Safety and Health Association, who showed me research conducted in 1994 by the Railway Technical Research Institute. Workers asked to complete a simple task made 2.38 errors per 100 actions when no special steps were taken to prevent errors. When told to add just calling or just pointing, their error rate dropped significantly. But the greatest reduction in error — to just 0.38 mistakes per 100 actions — was achieved when workers used both steps together. The combination of pointing and calling reduced mistakes by almost 85 per cent.
Source: JR gestures | The Japan Times
The Amazing Psychology of Japanese Train Stations - CityLab
WHY IN JAPAN TRAIN DRIVERS AND STATION AGENTS POINT ALL WITH THEIR FINGER? - beBee Producer