Tokyo has one of the most detailed and efficient train systems in the world. A person would be hard-pressed to find a place in Tokyo which cannot be easily reached by train. The trains are very clean, well kept, and most importantly, on time. Sadly, however, a ride on a train in Tokyo is also one of the most depressing experiences in the city.

When I was just making trips to Tokyo I did not notice the ice cold vibe of the train system. Now that I live in Tokyo, the daily cold shoulder the trains offer is like a brick to the face. Too often whenever I step foot on a train in Tokyo, I feel like I am either attending a funeral or being rushed off to a hot war zone. Most people maintain such a grim expression on their faces that if the train made a stop at hell station, the devil would opt to wait for the next one.

My daily commute to and from work is never made any more pleasant by the atmosphere on the train. In the mornings, the trains are filled with men dressed in the most bland colors one could choose for a suit. They all look like they are off to serve a wicked corporate master who long ago claimed their soul. There is not one inch of happiness in these people. I cannot tell which they hate most; themselves or the job they are about to slave away at for countless hours. They have the ability to even lower the lighting on the train. The trains in Tokyo have very bright lights but if I stand up and look at all the people somehow the lights seem to dim. Everything inside the train seems to take on a blue&gray tint. It is like I have walked into a David Lynch movie. Any second I expect one of the salary men to look me right in the eye and say, “I am the devil. I have come for your soul.”

The evening commute gets a little better, but only on the Yamanote line. The Yamanote line does come alive with colors and sound in the evening hours. Still, there is this strange feeling that I just cannot shake. Some people talk but for the most part a silence as if the Emperor just died overpowers the senses. On trains in Tokyo it can get so silent in fact that you can hear the light snoring sounds of people sleeping. It is a common sight to get on the train and see nothing but people dead silent with their heads down trying to avoid having any contact with other humans. While sometimes a gang of loud school girls or a small group of happy drunks break the silence, usually a sad bunch of people rides inside of a speeding hunk of metal without saving a word to each other.

In Tokyo, people work their asses off from sunup to sundown so I expect there are a lot of tired people riding the train just trying to reach the comfort of their homes. Although, I refuse to accept this as an excuse to get on the train and behave as if the world and everything in it is dark and ugly. The vibe on trains in Tokyo must to be a factor to the high suicide rate. It is bad enough that many people are overworked and underpaid. After a long work day they have to get on a train that sends a message to them saying, “You’re right. The world sucks, people are mean and cold, and your life sucks as well. Why don’t you just get off the train and toss yourself in front of the next one that comes by.”

Maybe it would be good for Tokyo if people lightened up a little on the train. Smile at each other once in a while. Say “hello” or ask how the person beside you is feeling today. Give your seat up to the old lady struggling to stay standing up. Do something other than have a grim look on your face and a screw-you attitude whenever anyone looks at you. Please! This dark train attitude is only making people more depressed than they already feel each and everyday. Maybe the free-hugs people should get on the train and start hugging people. Just start hugging people while saying an “I love you” to everyone. Hell, it might actually work.

Anyway, train behavior in Tokyo can be pretty depressing sometimes. This still does not stop me from loving living in Tokyo. I would just like to see the train experience be a bit more of a happy one.

It comes as no surprise that Tokyo is a city of extremes. Being one of the largest cities in the world, Tokyo can be gentle as a baby’s behind or as a wild as a bobcat. If Tokyo were a woman, I would have to spend years putting much effort into understanding her odd nature. This city has the unique ability to change its overall vibe like day and night; literally!

During the day time Tokyo is one of the mellowest places in the world; as far as international jewel cities are concerned. While the city basically stays in a constant state of semi-chaos, there is a calmness which befalls it providing an unspoken and strictly followed social order. As I am not born of Japanese blood it is hard for me to understand how a tightly-ordered social structure has developed though the many years of Tokyo`s history. Yet, the Japanese have a natural sense of order which is not found in America.

The morning rush in Tokyo is a thing of legend and a perfect example of `order out of chaos` which is the hallmark of the daytime hours. Between the hours of 5:30 and 9:00 am on a weekday, do not travel on the trains in Tokyo unless you have a good reason. It is during this time in which a mass of people make their way to work. A sea of humanity packs the trains to way over capacity. You would be hard-pressed to find another city in the world in which the train conductors push and shove people into the trains just to be able to close the doors. The people are sandwiched into the trains like a can of sardines. In a lot of places in the world this kind of transportation situation would be grounds for a mad rush in the morning requiring a heavy police presence just to maintain the peace. In Tokyo the morning rush is an ordered and calm experience despite the overwhelming amount of people using the train system.

All rules, both legal and social, are followed to a point during the day time. It is very rare to see someone get so-called out of line with the norm. The city operates like a well-oiled machine. A beast of a machine cranking out human production rolls down the highway of progress seemingly without a hitch. Almost everyone stops and waits for the crosswalk stop light; no matter how narrow the street. Excuse me, thank you, and bowing is done all day long in what appears to be the most polite society in the world.

Although, when the five o`clock bell sounds in most parts of the city, an alter ego surfaces to reveal a 180-degree shift in flow and attitude.

When most people start to get off work, Tokyo changes. The bastard child of a high-pressure and ordered society comes out to play. You can almost feel this change in the air. The city speaks to its residents tempting all with her pleasures and hidden delights. If you listen closely there is soft voice in the air saying, `You have worked hard enough my children. Come and enjoy the fruits of your labor.` There is a break down of social order in a way. Many things which would be considered rude during the day become totally acceptable during the night hours. You can be just about as loud and drunk as you choose as long as you do not get violent or make too much trouble. Many of the excuse me and thank you policies are thrown out the window in favor of wild times and drunken excess.

Yes, Tokyo is a city with a split personality. It can be a huge shock for some people making their first trip to the land of the rising sun. The best advice to handle the duality of Tokyo is to simply go with the flow at times. Try to keep your head straight and remember do not let these two very different personalities take you under.

A big issue that is rarely addressed in Tokyo, as well as all of Japan, is looking at how much we drink. Anyone who spends any amount of time in Tokyo will notice that there are a hell of a lot of bars here. You can get a drink at any time day or night in Tokyo. It is very easy to have a stiff shot of Jack at four in the morning; I know because I have done this. It would seem that getting drunk is a way of life in Tokyo.

There are very few social rules concerning drinking in Tokyo. I have heard and personally had enough experiences with drinking in Tokyo to get a very clear picture of the attitude towards staggering drunks. The Japanese tend to be friendly and helpful to slobbering drunks most of the time. Now, there are times when some people go way over the line to the point in which not even the Japanese can forgive; but you have to get pretty drunk to reach that point. For the most part being drunk off your ass is viewed as funny rather than disrespectful. Most people in Tokyo have been one of the `last train` people who are only one more drink away from being unable to stagger onto the train. The train workers, in most cases, will help you out if you cannot handle the task of getting into the train on your own power. Even the police take a light heartened attitude towards those of us who have had one too many. Why does a culture, which at times is as straight laced at they come, have a deep acceptance of drunken hijinks?

The answer to this question could be found in the fact that the culture is so straight laced and thick upper lipped. Drinking is one of the very few accepted ways of letting off steam in Japan. Many people in Tokyo work their balls off sometimes to the point of near insanity. With a very hectic lifestyle, a high pressure social order, and sometimes very long work hours it is no wonder that Tokyo people are some of the biggest drunks in the world. I, like many people in the land of the raising sun, have a love of a good drink. I can also admit that I have been a little too drunk a few times. Although, I have never gotten to the point of loosing total control of myself. This cannot be said of everyone. Most people have got the one story of witnessing someone who got totally out of hand and did something that will go down in Tokyo drinking legend.

Work hard and drink seems to be the battle call of Tokyo city. During the day it is a mostly well ordered and square place as you could find in the world. Most people are all dressed up in business wear and serious as a hand grenades.The great exodus of people marching to work from six to nine a.m. is like an army of working class drones right out of 1984. No one showing any hint of drunken madness, just a sea of ties and blank faces. One would think that such a hoard of uptight working people would never resort to daily mass drinking and merry making. This show of order and conservative behavior is just a front induced by a culture which demands focus and conformity in ones daily life. The social and cultural pressures placed on people on a daily basis can be overwhelming at times.

Once five o`clock rolls around and the sun starts to set a very different atmosphere takes hold of the city. When the sun sets Tokyo becomes a play ground of sorts for both young and old alike. It is time to get drunk, laid, and cut business deals in a nightlife with a very different set of rules apart from the day time hours. What is forbidden behavior during the day can at times become all well and fine during the night. I have said many times that in the Tokyo nightlife if you turn over enough rocks you will find exactly what you want.

So, does Tokyo drink too much? Well when compared to some cities in the world yes. Although, within the aspects of Japan the level of drinking in Tokyo is only a reflection of the alter ego of a tightly ordered social structure.