Escalator Experiences in Japan

Posted on May 15, 2007 by scm

In Tokyo, because many people are busy and in a rush, the people try to accomodate this fact. For example, on the escalator, people will usually stand on the left side, leaving the right side free. They do this in order to let people who are in rush walk up the escalator freely without being blocked. I only found this out because my girlfriend pushed to me to the left side. I think this is only in Tokyo since the city is so busy. Does anyone know if this is true in other Japanese cities?

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0 Responses to Escalator Experiences in Japan

  1. YokoOnishi's avatar YokoOnishi says:
    May 15, 2007 at 1:08 pm

    hi You seems have enjoyed your trip in Japan.
    In kansai area including osaka we stand on the right side.

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  2. YokoKelley's avatar YokoKelley says:
    May 16, 2007 at 8:10 pm

    I first witnessed this custom of leaving one side of the escalator free for people in a great hurry in the UK 34 years ago.

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  3. scm's avatar MelHaraguchi says:
    May 16, 2007 at 10:28 pm

    Thanks everybody for your feedback! Yes, I had a lot of fun on my trip. It’s just interesting for me to observe different customs in Japan. Although I am Japanese I was brought up with a American way of thinking. In Hawaii, everyone is so relaxed, and sometimes we do things on a slower pace. So we don’t usually leave either the right or left side open.

    Oh, did the UK first start this custom? That’s interesting! I wonder if Japan learned this from the UK?

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  4. YokoKelley's avatar YokoKelley says:
    May 17, 2007 at 1:05 pm

    I am unsure if the custom started in the UK, but it certainly appears that way, and I am pretty sure that Japan imported the custom from the UK, along with another English custom of “queueng.”

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  5. scm's avatar MelHaraguchi says:
    May 19, 2007 at 9:46 am

    Thanks for the information Yoko! Maybe I’ll try to start this trend in Hawaii. But I doubt people will be receptive to it in Hawaii. Too many different conflicting cultures here in Hawaii. Not anything bad but just different way of thinking.

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