A recent article in the media in Japan about the attitudes and behavior of able-bodied passengers toward reserved seating on trains reminded me of one of the few negative experiences I have endured as a disabled foreigner in Japan, and it pertains to the tricky art of acquiring use of the ¡°priority seats.¡±
For the uninitiated, priority seats are those put aside for the disabled, elderly, pregnant and the young ¡ª usually a couple of benches at the end of each carriage. People often do give up a seat to those in need, save for the odd salaryman, who either pretends to be asleep or, on occasion, is drinking a can of beer.
If the latter is the case, the said salaryman is sometimes met by death stares from his fellow natives that seem to say, ¡°Stop letting the side down.¡± It is quite heartening, actually, to see such concern for the collective self-image. The article pointed out that able-bodied passengers in Tokyo will often sit, at least until a person in need arrives, whereas people in Sapporo would often stand, even if the appropriate person in need never arrives.
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