How about a TRAIN ride? Anyone???

Our 'little' station, Sobudai-mae

Our newest adventure... the train!

In the United States we rely on cars to get us most places, unless we live in large cities where buses and subways are used. 

The 'dot' is the last stop.
The name in blue is where you are.
The arrow is the next stop.

The majority of Japanese commute on trains, every day. It is just simplier. In fact, less than 40% of Japanese own cars. The trains and too good and too cheap to justify the cost of car ownership. 

We wanted to explore  bit and see what the trains were all about. We figured today would be a good day since Matt is off for Memorial Day, but the Japanese are still working. 

(The trains get VERY crowded during rush hours and on weekends. We wanted to learn the system without the stress of crowds.) 

Oh, that's where that goes!

  The only way to really conquer the train is to completely go for it.

  I have to admit it I was nervous the first time. 

  We have to get two adults, and four kids to another town without any    

  English, or any help. Umm, did the blood pressure raise a little?  

  Nah. But, I was nervous a bit. 

  Figuring out how to buy a ticket, where to put it in the turnstile and  

  deciphering which train to take can be overwhelming.  Matt was all 

  about diving into the experience, so I let him lead the way =)

I did learn enought to do it again on my own. (I can always find the shopping.)

Here is the train map. Nervous yet?

The RULES:

 *  No talking on your cell phone. PERIOD. In fact, your phones have to be on "Manners Mode", or silent. 

  *  There is also almost NO talking!  You can talk to your closet neigh in a tiny voice, but anymore than that is considered very rude.

  *  You give up your seat to elders or women with small children. 

The RESULTS:

  *  The trains are basically silent. There is no talking or noise. No music, no loud stories or rude commuters. 

  *  The trains are also spotless. Not one speck of dirt, or trash to be seen. 

  *  A lot of people use the train to nap. (I mean sitting up.) They ride the trains their whole lives, almost everyday. They see it as a time to relax and recharge, quietly. 

The arrows on the ground direct pedestrian traffic. Brilliant.

We had heard that children ride the trains alone. We were pleasantly surprised to find this true. We some a ton of kids. Some in groups, some on their own. All of them using their cards, riding the trains, knowing their ways. It was pretty cool.

Yes, they are being goofy! We found the shopping and were stared at everywhere we went =)
Our family is quite a show, apparently. 

The pricing of a ticket depends on how far you're traveling but the type of train has no affect. 

From our stop, Sobudai-Mae station, to Machida it costs 380 yen round trip. This comes out to be about 4 dollars for one person. Not too bad, even for a family our size. It ended up costing us less than $24 to travel. 

It was certainly worth that amount to gain some confidence in ourselves, and in the train system. 

It was a great adventure!

Conquering the trains came with a prize: ice cream at 7-11!

Living the Dream,

Aggie Amy