Foreign tourists on Shinkansen bullet train break suitcase etiquette, angering local passengers

If you’re travelling in Japan, you need to be aware of this rule.

Japan is known for prioritising good manners, and no place is that on greater display than on the nation’s trains. This is where you’ll find “manners posters” and signs alerting everyone to the proper etiquette for maintaining harmony while travelling, and in such an overcrowded and stressful environment anyone who doesn’t abide by the rules is likely to irritate other passengers.

That’s what happened on a Shinkansen this month, when one local passenger let off steam online after seeing a foreign tourist misusing the oversized luggage space onboard. This space, located behind the last row of seats on reserved carriages on the Tokkaido, Sanyo, and Kyushu Shinkansen Lines, was set up by respective operators Central Japan Railway Company (JR Tokai), West Japan Railway Company (JR West), and JR Kyushu in May 2020.

▼ The oversized luggage section.

As the setup shows, the luggage space impinges on the comfort of the people sitting in front of it, as they may be unable to recline their seats. That’s why the space must be reserved at the same time as buying a ticket, because the owner of the bag will be assigned one of the seats in this back row.

However, one local passenger who followed the rules and reserved a spot for their oversized luggage was appalled to find that when they boarded, the space was already full, with three suitcases squeezed into the area. Worst of all, the suitcase that was up against their seat was an extremely large one owned by an overseas tourist, so not only were they unable to store their suitcase, they were unable to recline their seat during the journey.

With no crew member on the carriage, this passenger had to ride the train in this state until their destination, leaving them disgruntled at both the service and the owner of the suitcase who rudely flaunted the rules. After venting about the situation on Twitter, it became clear that this wasn’t an isolated incident, with other people sharing similar experiences.

▼ This report shows some of the instances shared online.

As the above video shows, signs in the oversized luggage section clearly say “Reservation required” in both Japanese and English. There are also frequent onboard announcements in English to remind foreign travellers that use of the oversized luggage space is by reservation only and to request that passengers inform staff if they come across luggage that shouldn’t be in the area.

According to the current system, anyone who boards the train and wants to use the oversized luggage space without prior reservation can do so, if there is space available, by paying 1,000 yen (US$6.77) to a staff member on board. This is a safeguard for any passengers who may not be aware of the new system and only realise they need more space after boarding. However, staff are aware of when and if the space is available, so when a suitcase is there when it shouldn’t be, it’s a clear sign that someone is abusing the service.

With so many incidents of travellers flaunting the luggage rules, railway operators may have to rethink the system or put new safeguards in place to ensure everyone has a safe and enjoyable journey. It always helps to be aware of the rules and stick by them, though, so next time you spot an empty space in the oversized luggage section on the Shinkansen, remember it’s not yours to use if you haven’t paid for it. A small act like this can help keep the peace while travelling…and stop any fight scenes from the movie Bullet Train actually occurring in real life.

Source: FNN via Yahoo! News Japan  
Top image: Pakutaso
Insert image: JR Tokai
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