Big Traffic in Little Tokyo

Do you ever feel like drivers in Michigan don’t know what they’re doing? Well you got it easy. Japan has traffic up the Ying-Yang. Compared to Tokyo, Michigan’s traffic is one of the best around. Subways, highways, sidewalks they are all crowded. Highways because of cars. Subways because of people getting on and off the train. Sidewalks because of people walking. All of this traffic is is because people like that don’t know how to be organized. That’s how I see it anyway. Would you want to visit a place with this little space? I know I wouldn’t want to.

POPULATION

In big cities like Tokyo, the capital of Japan, it is a very dense area filled with people rushing to work and other places such as malls and markets. On May 1, 2014 about 13.35 million people were calculated in living Tokyo. Transportation must be very hard for these people. Japanese use trains for transportation, and since there are many people, some people’s jobs is to shove people inside the trains. If I was ever in that situation I would feel so troublesome in being crushed or mashed into someone or a door.After the ride  when the door opens I could finally breath again without the pain of inhaling a person's STANKY odors.
   

The pollution of China

When you go to a city in China, such as Beijing or Hebei, you hear noises everywhere... You hear people talking, cars going by, and  sense delicious smells of rice and meat. However, you cannot but notice something strange.  You cannot see very well because of the fog. After a long day outside you start coughing and get a sore throat. You are astonished after you realize that it was just the incredible amount of pollution . And not only the air is polluted, but water as well. As you see in this picture many fish have died because of the incredible amount of pollution. Why so much pollution here? Since hundreds million of people live there, there is more people polluting than in a small town. As the population grows, so does the pollution. It affects the people that live there, animals and plants.

As you can see causing more pollution will cause more harmful disturbances. What do you think we can do to stop polluting the environment, especially in highly populated areas?

Markets in Seoul :)

Ever been to Seoul, South Korea? My guess is not. I am here to inform you about the truth about the population in Seoul. Not everywhere in Seoul is as busy as described. Most places that I have visited aren't actually aren't that busy, but that isn't very interesting, is it? So, let’s talk about where it really gets busy, street markets. There are street markets all over Seoul, and there are people all over the markets. I have been to many markets, but one of the busiest would have to be the Namdaemun. At the market, I always see busy streets,and since it is so busy, I always feel sweaty bodies brushing up against mine, gross! Namdaemun always has a ton of people. Namdaemun has everything from food, to clothing, to random knick-knacks. I also see new, interesting food. The food from the market brings an overwhelming amount of spices, and Korean food goodness. Have you ever been to a similar market?

How?

From the morning rush hour video, most people could figure out that the population density is very high. To be exact, in Japan, there are 336 people per square kilometer. If you did not watch the video, it showed an insanely high amount of people trying to fit into one train in Japan during the morning rush. I found this specific video interesting because I’ve never seen people jamming into a train like that.. I also found the video of the wave pool in Tokyo interesting because, having been in a wave pool before, it’s supposed to be fun, but it couldn’t possibly be fun to be in a wave pool full of hundreds of people and have no room. What do you think about Japan and its population?

Shenzhen, China

I just recently moved from my quiet neighborhood in Helena, Montana, to the crowded streets of Shenzhen, China. The opportunity this promotion presents for my dads career made it not merely an option, but more a necessity. And let me say, this was not an easy change. Not only was it difficult adjusting to the new school and language, but just the change in population was insane! After, just walking back to my family’s condo from the school was a struggle! People everywhere, seeming as if all needing to get to wherever they’re going right then. It’s almost uncomfortable, having everyone constantly bumping into you and rudely pushing you out of your way. The park not far from our condo, is less loud but still crowded. On weekend nights, trying to go out is always harder than anticipated, and seems to get worse each night. People yet again everywhere, bright lights flashing in almost every direction, and loud noises coming from both the road and the large crowds of people around you. It’s always so insane here and hectic, the kind that gives me migraines like no other. Now I will say, not everything here is bad; there is something about the occasionally beautiful lights and the knowledge of knowing that there’s always somewhere out there doing something that is in the oddest way comforting. Almost like home. Sound like somewhere you'd enjoy calling "home"?

TOKYO!

Did you know that Tokyo is well known for many things we do here in the United States? Tokyo is one of the most known places for their neon lights and constant action. Tokyo is very well known for their karaoke and sports team. Sports is a very big deal in Tokyo, they  host many national sports such as tennis tournaments, swim meets, marathons, rugby union and sevens rugby games,football, and American football exhibition games. Tokyo has the largest broadcast and studios. It is mostly the setting of Japanese movies, television shows, and animated series. So, knowing this background information on Tokyo would you like to live/visit there one day?

I don't fit!

Ever been in a train as crammed as the one in the video? Do you want to? I don't think you'd like it, but if you ever want to try, go to Japan during rush hour! The weekday rush hours peak between 8am and 9pm in the morning, and after 5pm in the evening. Rush hours are most extreme in Tokyo, but can also be pretty heavy in Japans other major cities. There are no business rush hours on weekendss and on public holidays, so then is a good time to travel. When would you ride on one pf the trains in Japan?

Road Rage to the Extreme

“ Hhonk, honk!” Have you ever been in a really bad traffic jam?  Lots of angry people just trying to get home? Has it made you late for something? Well when you are in a large jam you might want to be thankful that you aren't in Japan. Japan has traffic jams everyday. Some of which can last for weeks. But for every problem there is a solution. And the solution for Japan’s nasty traffic jams are street carts. Locals are very smart and can get you to pay them easily. They will drive around on the side of the road with food and a nice place to go to the bathroom. Of course you can’t say no to the scent of fresh made food. Would you be intrigued by the roaming carts or would you swallow down the hunger yourself?

The Struggle is Real

“WHOOSH.” Another train flies past. The crowd around me begins growing restless as the minutes tick by. I look up at the large clock hanging on the wall. Just as the second hand ticks by the 12, I hear the distant rumbling sound of an oncoming train. The gigantic crowd around me seemed to hear it too, and people begin to push and shove their way forward. One skinny college student with dyed blonde hair elbows me in the stomach as she forces her way through the dense sea of people. A tall business man carrying a dark briefcase almost knocks me over as he worked his way to the front. Just as I’m regaining my balance, a fat lady hits me with her over sized handbag as she shoulders her way past me, causing me to almost fall flat on my face yet again.

“SCREEEEECH.” Finally the train squeaks to a stop in front of us. As soon as the doors start opening, everyone begins doing whatever they can to get closer to the doors. I’m forcefully shoved again and again a countless number of times. After what seems like hours of being jostled about in the horde of people, I manage to reach the doors. Just when I’m about to get on, the doors begin to close, but luckily some workers quickly help push me onto the overcrowded train.

On the train, I begin to feel extremely claustrophobic. One old lady has on way too much perfume, and I overwhelmed by the stench of it. Another lady’s long hair keeps getting in my face, causing my nose to itch like crazy. A teenage boy next to me has his music on way too loud, and I start to get a headache. Then as I try to get more comfortable, the man next to me coughs and sprays me with his spit. I cringe in disgust and reach into my bag to grab some tissues. I then accidentally elbow the lady to my left, and she spills all of her lukewarm coffee right on my new sweater. Groaning in frustration, I use my tissues to clean up as much as I can. I could already tell that this was going to be a very long trip.

As you can see, train rides in densely populated cities such as Tokyo aren't pleasant. Could you ever imagine being on a crowded train with strangers just millimeters away from you?

Smothered Tokyo

Did you know that if you lived in Japan then you would be one of the 336 people per kilometer? Japan is one of the most densely populated countries in the world. If you see a picture of densely populated areas in Japan then you will never want to go their. What would even be worse is if you actually live in Tokyo Japan. Every step you took you would be right next to someone or be smothered on someone. I know I wouldn't want to be smothered on someone. Would you ever want to live in Tokyo Japan, because I know I wouldn't.

Too Much in Too Little

I’m sure most of us have been to Disney World and we know how crowded that can be. What would you think about being crammed into one of those Japanese trains? There are already too many people at the station. You can hear the screaming of the train whistle  before its seen. When the train doors open you see enough people in there that if you had your way no more would enter. Someone starts pushing against your back, you would trip if it weren't  for the other guy in front you. It feels as if the amount of people around you are multiplying. Not to mention the amount and strength of the thousands of smells around you. In the middle of train car you would do anything to get out of there. Can you imagine it?

Flipping People off in a Traffic Jams

Spring Break 2015...  Schools out.  Vacation days.  Warmer weather.  People from Michigan, Wisconsin, Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois all head south.  There are traffic jams.  People get ticked off.  My friend's dad flipped off the whole state of Georgia.  Now multiply that by a huge number and you have Beijing traffic jams.

In 2010 during a traffic jam in Beijing people were stuck in for 12 days.  It was 62 miles long.  Imagine that.  It would smell like B.O., gasoline and diesel fuel.  You would hear a lot of car horns and cussing.  A Beijing traffic jam would be crowded as an Apple store when they release a new Iphone.

Check out this video of a 10km Beijing traffic jam.  It looks a pile of ant trying to get a piece of food.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iKhsPO6yYko

Would you like being swallowed up by cars in Beijing traffic?  How do people in Beijing deal with traffic.  Are they more patient than Americans?

Fastest trains but, not enough space

If you were on a train in Tokyo you would feel compressed, cramped and maybe even annoyed. When the train station employees push passengers into the train it makes them feel miserable and frustrated. I personally would get irritated when I am constantly pushed by someone while traveling. Most of the passengers probably are delightful people that have a great personality but in the train, you feel like punching them in the face because you are so crammed. I had experienced this on a train in India. Have you ever faced this situation or how would you feel if you were to be in that situation?

MOVE!!! GET OUT THE WAY!!!

Imagine waking up and going to work by train in Tokyo. The compartment that you are in has about 100 other sweaty people going to work too. The smell is of sweat and there is no fresh air because there are is a bunch of other people taking it up. Also you were literally pushed onto the brimming train. This is what it is like for the average person in Tokyo. Almost every person that has a job has to deal with this or horrible road traffic. They are pushed hastily and heartily onto a packed train. Even though it is hard being on such a packed train it is either that for 20 minutes or hours in traffic. Which would you choose?

      

Black Friday everyday in Tokyo....

Remember that horrific shopping trip you went on on Black Friday? It had people pushing, shoving, and everyone was rushing to get where and what they wanted. Imagine if life were like that EVERYDAY! That’s what it is like in Tokyo! Imagine that! I remember when I went Black Friday shopping in 2014, and waiting in line for one item took about half an hour! The population in Tokyo is about 13.35 million people, and they’re in the top 20 most populated cities, so it probably takes half an hour to get what they want daily. Possibly longer!

Let’s say I’m an adult, and I live in Tokyo.

I wake up in the morning, get ready for work, and eat breakfast. I realize I have to get going! I reach the subway, and it’s packed! The workers are already shoving people in. I run up to the subway, and the workers start powerfully forcing me in. Once everyone is barely in, the workers have to close the doors. As I’m awkwardly waiting, I try to reach for my phone that is ringing. I try to grab it with all my might, but it’s impossible. Once the subway stops, the doors open, and I realize I’m probably going to get trampled, so I start sprinting before people get the chance to jerk me out.

That’s most likely everyday life in Tokyo. So next time you and I decide to complain about your house, car, or even school being too small, think about the HUMONGOUS city that isn’t big enough for it’s population! What if you had to take the subway to work/school every single day?

Trains are Dangerous!

Have you been on a train? How much space did you have? Chances are that you had a whole seat to your self. In places of extreme population density people have to share their 1 cubic millimeter of space with about 12 others. There are so many people, you have to be PUSHED onto your train. Not like shoved but, actually crammed in. Think about being in a train. Then imagine yourself in a train with so many people no one can get in. Finally, imagine someone pushing people into the train. Its pretty dangerous. You could get your toes crushed, arms broken, someone might push you down and you could be trampled by everyone trying to make it to work. Imagine if one of them farted. The stench of broken down food would pass through not only your cart, but all of the others. Most of us know that as teen agers we sweat A LOT. Think about all those people on the trains, and now think of them as sweaty. The vile and horrendous smells could overwhelm you and make you pass out. Do you want to ride one of these trains?

The Reality

You're getting pushed into a train in the crowded city of Tokyo at 5:30 in the morning. The man on your right smells like a cat threw up an egg, while the woman on your left gets her lipstick all over your new white shirt. The agony! You just want to yell out in desperation, but you can't. The people around you are experiencing the same pain as you, and aren't panicking like a child. How do they do it? How can they withstand such an unspeakably awful train ride? You're almost there, yet you don't know if you can make it. The same thoughts race through your head everyday. America, America, America. But you can't. America costs money, and you have a job, not a decent one, but a job, and that gets you by. Besides, your family is in Tokyo, your life is in Tokyo. If this isn't reality, then what is?

Crowded Beijing

Beijing is one of the biggest cities in the world. And it is also Beijing is also one of the most crowded cities in the world. The population density in Beijing is 11,500 people per square kilometer. What would it be like to just go outside? If someone had a car, how long would it take to drive to work? A lot of people where we live get mad when they get stuck at a red light for two minutes. How long would it take to do that in Beijing? At stores and restaurants there would be a long line or wait for everything. I don’t think I would like to live in such a crowded place. Would you?

Tokyo Disneyland

One of the busiest places that I've ever been to is Disney World. I've been there many times but this past spring break was definitely the busiest I've seen it. Even the lines for the aged and dreadful rides were up to two hours long! After doing a little research on Disney, I found that Disney World has a park in Tokyo, Japan. Tokyo Disneyland has loads rides similar to those in Orlando Disney World like Splash Mountain which makes you as cold as an ice cube (I’m working on similes), Big Thunder Mountain which makes you scream as loud as a tiger’s roar, The Haunted Mansion which makes you as scared as a little girl that just saw a “ghost”, my favorite Space Mountain which makes you just as excited as getting a pizza on a Friday night, and even more! I think that I would enjoy very much going to Tokyo Disneyland. Do you?

Trains, Tramples, and Jail

I am Lily, I was a normal thirteen year old girl. Annoying siblings, unfair parents, and the usual lunch room theatricals. The only thing that separated my friends and I from everyone else was that we lived in Japan with a population of 126,999,808 people and the fact that I just got out of jail. This is my story....

It's 5:30 am, my alarm screams out it's horrible battle cry. I crawl out of bed, shuffle to the shower and try to deflect any mirrors so I don't have to look at my funky bed head. When I am ready I go downstairs, I grab an apple and head across the street to meet my best friend Ellie. Together we walk through the bustling streets all the way to train.  "We are running late today, " Ellie says checking the time!"

" Yeah! Let's go!" Ellie and I start running, we got to the train station and found out ourselves at the end of the line. We know what happens to those last people, it never ends well. Ellie and I whispered nervously together as more people start to board the train. "The doors should have closed by now" Ellie nods nervously. As if on cue, the workers start shoving us into the train in a violent fashion. I yell for them to stop, I can't fit, but they won't conclude! They congest me in with one final push. My nose is bleeding, my hair is stuck in the the door and I can hardly breathe. It was an incommodious 20 minute ride to school. When the doors finally squeak open, Ellie and I fly out. I run out of the way of the mob of people but Ellie isn't so lucky. Ellie was tramped by the crowd dashing out of the packed train, after the crowd passed I ran to the side of my best friend lying on the sidewalk drenched in blood, I call the ambulance  and our parents. I sat there helpless and sobbing while my best friend was bleeding out. Three minutes late Ellie was pulled out on the stretcher, the doctors wouldn't let me go with her. I sat down, everyone in line was watching me. One of the workers on the train came up to me, "you need to leave miss, people need to get one the train." I didn't move. "Ma'am, please move."

"No," I said quietly.

"I'm sorry about your friend but it is time for you to leave." The man demanded.

"I'm not letting anyone else on this death trap! It isn't fair! It's all your fault!" I started crying, kicking and punching. The people in the cluster stared at me in disbelief. The anger overtook my body, this shouldn't have happened. The next thing I knew I was in the back of the police car balling my eyes out.

I am better now. I ended up in jail for two months, I am attending therapy sessions, and my best friend just has a few broken limbs and internal bleeding in her abdomen, but she went into surgery quickly. Prison wasn't too bad, everyone thought my story was cool, everyone but me that is. Ellie will live and be okay. My life will go back to normal. But I'm going to tell you right now that I'm done with Japan. Once Ellie is better we are all moving away from Japan until the population gets under control. What would have you done if you were in my situation?

Shoving Hour?

East Asia is a place where at certain times, there can be major crowding of people. One major crowding that occurs are the train stations in major cities, like Tokyo, during rush hour. The usual morning rush hours are from 8am to 9am. During these intense hours it must feel very difficult and painful. The people practically get shoved into the trains as one big blob. Imagine going through that each day, just trying to get to work. I don’t think it’d be very comforting at all. As you are being pushed into the train, you might hear people also being shoved into the doors next to you. You also might listen to the engine of the train preparing to go to the next stop, where more people are going to be pushed on. Yay… My biggest wonder is how they would get off of the train. I’d imagine that it would take a long time to wait for your turn to leave. The people would also have to be very patient because if not, it’d practically be impossible to get off. How would you feel if you had to take the train to work every day in Tokyo?

These places have a lot of people. No matter what we do there will always be place where there are more people than others. imagine yourself in one of those trains in the video. All the people pushing you around, getting squished against all the other people, and not being able to control your own body. There is only one way you could get me on that train and that would be by force Which it looks like that's what their doing.

  Most of the people don't like being on the trains and getting pushed around. The whole lot of them don't have much of a choice though. The traffic in cars would be even worse. Would you live there?