I’ve been enjoying the last quiet weekend before the chaos of Comic-Con descends on us all, after which time I head back to Japan. One thing I like to do is play tourist in my own hometown, picking up coupon books intended for visitors and going on sightseeing trips like the bike-and-kayak tours they have in La Jolla, which really give me an appreciation for my own city that most San Diego locals never get. I realized I’d never ridden the San Diego Trolley, so I decided to take the train over to Old Town to do some sightseeing, though it was mostly of margaritas (funny how that tends to happen). On the train ride back, the trolley stopped for a few minutes, and my Japan-honed train riding instincts made me concerned. In Japan, when the trains stops suddenly it nearly always means there’s been a 人身事故 jinshin jiko or “human injury accident,” which is a polite way of referring to a person who decided to check out of the rest of their life by jumping in front of a train, usually during rush hour on Tokyo’s busy Chuo line. Happily, the train had only stopped because of a traffic signal and got moving again after a few moments.
A train stopping in Japan is cause for concern.
