Stepping Out of My Norm

Today, Andrew and I set out for Ueno Park (also home to the Tokyo Zoological Gardens). We walked to Shinjuku Station from our hotel, a pretty, 10-minute walk, then fought our way to a train. I was feeling brave today, and I stepped out of my comfort zone and boarded a different train than our normal ride to Ueno.

I am definitely a creature of habit, and when I find a way that works for me, it is very hard to deviate (bet none of you knew that, huh? haha).The Chuo Rapid Line was a much faster ride (like an interstate from Duluth to Marietta, instead of going out of the way and taking I285 all the way around), but very "localized" in that English was few and far between on signs and maps.

On most of the trains we take, stops are actually spoken in English as well. Nonetheless, we made it in one piece.

We traveled on the JR train system, which is why we were following the JR this way signs through Shinjuku Station (the busiest train station in the world!).It's interesting how different our cultures are in many ways. But one that strikes me most times I board a subway or JR train is that men are not so courteous to women as they would be in the US.

This is not to say they are rude. Only that they would keep their seat instead of offering it to an elderly or pregnant woman. Typically I will offer my seat to any of these people I may see, and on the reverse side, I've been offered a seat for Andrew numerous times by elderly women. Never once by a male of any age.