Why Most Japanese Are Slim

Yesterday, my train was a whopping 25 minutes late.

Apparently a passenger required emergency medical attention thus causing massive delays.

I managed to wedge myself into a nice spot, which resulted in a somewhat painful lower back massage as people mashed into me.

But all that trauma was nothing compared to today's 40+ minute delay. I got onto the platform and there were people flooding it. Imagine the picture above, but add about 20 more people waiting on the platform in front of the door.

Turns out that at 6.16am, there was an accident involving a person (could be suicide, could be someone being caught in the doors and slightly dragged etc.) which delayed the trains.

But while I was ON my already squishy (understatement) and delayed train, someone further up the line needed emergency medical assistance (probably from being crushed and claustrophobic like I was getting). So more delays.

During delays (from 10 to 60 minutes), passengers can pick up a "late slip" from the station guards to take to work. Mine said that there was a 60 minute delay today.

Yeesh.

I was spat out at a station and found myself unable to get back onto the train due to its packed-ness. So I took a breather and waited for the next one, which was marginally better. Waiting gave me some time to check on the state of my two mandarins which I had packed. They were, thankfully, un-mashed. I moved them into a safer part of my backpack.

On the topic of rearranging one's mandarins, I was in SUCH awkward and uncomfortable positions that my bra ended up being shifted entirely out of place.