So often a train ride involves the following:
- reading the advertisements above the luggage rack and doors
- reading the advertisements hanging from the ceiling
- reading someones magazine, newspaper or text message over their shoulder
- trying to keep my balance
- wondering if my stop is coming up
- thinking about some of the smells I detect on certain mornings, depending on who is standing next to me
- etc.
This morning I recalled that when I first arrived in Tokyo, Jing and I would often walk from our closest station, Kanamecho, to Ikebukuro. It only takes about 10 minutes. But these days, since we have train passes, we tend to jump on the subway which takes 2 minutes. There are plenty of interesting shops and things to see in that 10 minute walk, however, and we got to know the neighborhood pretty well during that first week (we found ourselves walking to Ikebukuro daily to buy plenty of odds and ends).
So, when I find myself just so absorbed in reading advertisements on the train (granted, this is good Japanese reading practice), or looking at my watch wondering how many more stops before I transfer, I need to remind myself that outside of that carriage I am racing past someones local bookstore, a dry-cleaners, countless restaurants, real estate agents, ramen noodle stands and residences; all of this becomes a blur during the oft repeated morning commute.
I need to remind myself once in a while to see the bigger picture and take a look out the window (given I'm not on the subway, but above ground of course).
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