An exchange took place between a group of foreign visitors to Japan and a Japanese writer over the Japanese boarding practice of lining up inside the safety line on a Shinkansen platform. The Japanese person said, “Shouldn't you follow Japanese rules?” and the events leading up to the ensuing protest are described.
At a Shinkansen platform, the writer was standing and waiting inside the safety line when an unfamiliar woman, among other things, tapped the writer on the shoulder and appeared angry. They may have thought that the writer had cut in based on where the writer was standing. The writer explained how they were lined up and the Japanese boarding rules, and said that because it was a reserved-seat carriage, fairness in who got to sit in the seats first would be maintained. The other party did not change her position and replied that people should follow Japanese rules while staying in Japan.
The writer also discussed differences between how public transportation is operated in Japan and overseas. The explanation was that in Europe, the precise location of the doors is not known until the train arrives, and passengers generally head toward the doors as soon as it arrives. In Japan, by contrast, people have a custom of lining up at the boarding positions marked on the floor, which can make Japanese rules difficult for foreign visitors to understand. The writer concluded that these differences are not a matter of manners, but stem from differences in how public spaces are used in each place.