Interlude: Ginza Station and Women’s Only Cars
by otaking on Sep.21, 2009, under Interlude
Ginza Station Entrance, originally uploaded by demosthenesofathens. This station entrance was next to a little store that sold the yummiest mochi evar.
One of the first things I noticed when I was in Tokyo was the lines for ‘women-only’ subway cars, for rush hour trains, particularly at busy stations like Ginza, Shinjuku, or Shibuya.
Thanks to anime (and soft-porn midnight movies on WOWOW) I’d always been aware of the train groping (or ‘chikan’) problem in Japan, but I had no idea how bad it’s gotten. Apparently there are more than a hundred webpages devoted to train groping techniques (apparently hunting packs is preferable to working solo) and upskirt photos taken by cell phone.
The problem has gotten so bad that Time.com reports:
This week the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department decided to make another run at the problem by launching Groping Prevention Week, a five-day program designed to spark greater public awareness of the threat and give police a chance to sharpen their ability to identify and investigate occurrences. “We’re taking intensive measures to crack down,” says a police spokeswoman. “Our intent is to repress groping incidents and raise awareness in society through cooperation with railway companies.”
Unfortunately, this being Japan, most groping incidents go unreported, since people who take trains at rush hour are usually in a hurry to get to work or school, and because a groping incident made public tends to tarnish the reputation of both the perpetrator and the victim.
I glanced at the women lined up for the women’s only car — students chatting, trendy young women playing on DSs and PSPs, OLs arranging their neatly-pressed outfits. Was it so difficult to treat them with respect in a crowded subway car?
Then again, Japan is a highly-stratified, repressive society, and all that repression finds bizarre, fetishistic outlets. It must be a lot more attractive looking at it as an outsider.
An outsider who apparently gets laid a lot more than these train perverts.
Like
September 21st, 2009 on 11:57 pm
… I only find groping fun if it’s guys groping other guys… okei you didn’t read that. Forget you read it. *runs away* XD
On a serious note, groping is sexual harassment.
September 22nd, 2009 on 3:54 am
… and now my brain has supplied the horrific image of an all male grope-friendly train. -_- I blame you, Sese.
September 22nd, 2009 on 10:18 am
ehe ^^;; sorry *hides now*
September 22nd, 2009 on 11:32 am
I can only hope, for the sake of aesthetics, that it’s a bishie-only grope-friendly car.
September 23rd, 2009 on 12:02 am
How would that work? You have some fangirls with tasers at the door, and there’s a sign next to it with a picture of Gackt, written beneath it “You must be at least this pretty to ride the bishie car.”
September 22nd, 2009 on 11:22 am
It very much is. What’s the point of groping someone who doesn’t want to be groped?
September 22nd, 2009 on 4:28 pm
Do they really treat women no more than that? It’s a pity they all have to endure this.
OMG! That’d be the biggest horror anyone will see. Maybe I’ll jump out of the train even if it’s running.
September 23rd, 2009 on 9:01 pm
Haha rather jumping why dont just whack the groper?
September 23rd, 2009 on 9:39 pm
That could work although these gropers might have a sense of brotherhood and avenge that groper by either groping me or thrash me, preferably the latter.
September 25th, 2009 on 2:29 am
well if you have a nice package and a nice ass… good luck to you bro! Pray that you get groped by a hot looking girl than a hot looking guy XD