The Last Train Home

Mmh, just an observation I made the other night. I was out with some friends, having a few drinks with some people I haven't met in a long, long time on the occasion of one of them being back over here on a visit from Montreal. It was so lovely to see them again, catch up, have a few beers... So when the one pub closed at eleven we went around the corner in search of one with a longer license. Which we found in the form of a Wetherspoons, yes, I know, which has a license until twelve, enough time for another drink or two and then still catch a train home. London's tubes and overground stop around midnight, but unlike some other major cities such as Tokyo London has at least a nightbus service, so I wasn't too worried. Still, we managed to get the last tube up North-East, while they were closing off the entrances and passages behind us. Kind of a weird feeling, being shut into an underground system, much like being shut into a cave. 

Anyway, so we hopped on the train, which was almost empty. An empty tube in London is something I have not really seen before, I must say. Yes, there are times when it is easier to get a seat, but apart from us there were maybe a handful of people on the entire train. Ah well, ok, maybe two handfuls, but the principle still stands. And it just made me realise how different some cities' dynamics are. London, being overcrowded at almost any other time of the day seems to scare off the last few customers on the tube, maybe because in this grey zone, when you are not sure if you can still make the train all the way down three floors under ground, it is just easier or just more relaxing to opt for the bus in the first place, which you know will run all night. 

Whichever the reason, I found the experience quite fascinating. The main reason being that the last city I was depending on last trains quite a lot, more so than in London since they do not have any night service at all, as in none, zilch, zero, nothing to get you home but a taxi, a bicycle or your feet, was Osaka. Same time of the evening, as in around midnight, the last train would leave, and if you weren't on it, well, let's say night-time karaoke and then a long extended coffee in Royal Host has been a frequent occurrence. But these trains, my, how different an experience they are from the tube. The last train in Osaka is the drunk train. Not that the handful of people on the last tube aren't also drunk, I know we were, in various degrees. But the last train back home to Kadoma from Yodoyabashi was a sight for sore eyes. In the sense that sometimes you wished they were sore and you didn't have to witness this. The funnier things involve drunk suited businessmen sleeping all over the place, benches on the platform, in the train on the seats, or simply somewhere on the floor. And - the train is usually crowded. As a good Japanese you know your timetable. No grey zone, you know exactly how long it takes you to get to that train. And many take advantage of that. So while the trains around 10pm may be fairly empty, the last train at 12:20 is crammed. And being squashed closely to a bunch of really drunk people, well, it's not the nicest of experiences. Even if you are a head higher up, the smell still reaches you. Blessed be the custom of having a bath after you get home in the evening. 

Well, these are just two last train home experiences. I can not for the life of me remember what it was like in Hamburg when I was living there, nor in Kuala Lumpur, since there I more regularly missed the last train if I had to get it, thanks to the loose definition of a timetable of the bus services. My saviour there usually was my friend who took it upon herself to save me from evil people at night, and instead lead me to the best food places on earth, and I love her forever for that. But that leads us away from the trains, so I will just leave you right here for the night, on whichever train you see fit.