Please Do It at Home Commuter Campaigns

The Japanese like the Brits are now having to be reminded of good manners when commuting The Daily Telegraph recently reported. "Britain’s train passengers are routinely told to keep their feet off the seats and turn down their MP3 players, but Japanese commuters have never had to be reminded of such basic good manners. Until now, that is."

Thanks to Jon for pointing me to this story, specially as tonight’s the big office party night of the year, so expect to see quite a few people like the above on the London Underground.

Back to the article : "Five years ago, it would have been unthinkable for passengers on Japan’s crowded trains to witness a female office worker applying make-up on her way to work. But now, grooming in public is commonplace. Standards are falling so rapidly that Japan Railways has just launched a poster campaign urging women to "Please do it at home" - put their make-up on, that is."

Regular readers to this blog will know how I feel about putting make up on, on the Tube and I still can’t see how this is the height of bad manners. Guess I’d better not visit Japan then !

The article continues with Toshiko Marks, a professor of multicultural understanding at Shumei University having her say about standards dropping.

"I first saw a young woman applying her make-up on a train about five years ago but now it is an everyday sight. I even see people on trains eating food that has a strong smell, such as noodles, which means everyone has to put up with it."

Isn’t that the main difference between make up putting on and eating smelly food ? Most people in a carriage will have to endure or envy the smell of food. If you don’t like watching me put my make up on, which isn’t really that stomach churning, close your eyes, read a paper or an advert or don’t look at me.

Professor Marks continues with the implication that the posters are now part of a Nanny state. "Parents used to have time to teach their children respect - we could actually call it common sense - but mothers and fathers now both have to work and are too busy to nurture and raise children in the right way".

She concludes with something that’s also common in the UK : "People say they are frightened they will be attacked if they get involved in a situation. And that leads to another great Japanese tradition : pretending that if you can’t see anything, then nothing is happening."

Of all of the Please Do It at Home series, my favourite is the one above aimed at large ruck sack carriers.
Only time will tell, whether the cartoons will make any difference to behaviour in Japan. In the meantime I’ll look forward to next year’s iteration of the cartoon characters telling us how to behave on the Tube.