Oshiya

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Oshiya (押し屋?), or "pusher", is an informal Japanese term for a worker who stands on the platform of a railway station during the morning and evening rush hours, and pushes people onto the train. When oshiyas were first brought in at Shinjuku station, they were called "passenger organization staff" (旅客整理係 ryokaku seiri gakari?), and were largely made up of students working part-time. The job of oshiya is sometimes done by station staff, and sometimes by part-time workers. In many cases, oshiyas stand on the platform of the station by the tracks, guiding the passengers and performing safety checks. On lines such as the Keio Inokashira Line, where passengers tend to gather in certain carriages, which can become as crowded as during the rush hour, station staff work to redistribute them, while also acting as oshiyas.

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[edit] Derivation of the Japanese word

The term oshiya (押し屋?) is derived from the verb "osu" (押す?), meaning "push", and the suffix "-ya" (屋?), indicating "store" or "line of work", as in "yakiniku-ya" (焼肉屋?), meaning "yakiniku restaurant" or "yakiniku restaurant owner".

[edit] Steps in the work of oshiyas

  1. Before the train enters the platform, they perform safety checks.
  2. When the train arrives, watching the passengers get on and off the train.
  3. Just before the train departs, they guide passengers who cannot find the space to get onto the train to a door where there is more room.
  4. When the doors close, they check that no passengers or items of baggage are stuck in the doors.
  5. If any passengers are trapped, they go to push them.
  6. When they have finished their area, they go to help in another area. At this point, if the straps of a bag, particularly a rucksack, are trapped, as the doors do not open immediately, it may be difficult for the owner of the bag to get off the train. Oshiyas watch especially carefully for this. They also do the work of a "puller-off" (剥ぎ取り屋 hagi-tori-ya?), pulling off passengers who try to get on too late, or when the train is too full.
  7. After the doors have closed, they hold up a flag, one hand, or a lamp, to signal to the conductor. The guard gives the driver the signal to depart.

It becomes difficult to shut the doors when the number of passengers is over 200% of the capacity, but oshiyas are often stationed on platforms when trains are at around 120% capacity, as they also help to organize passengers. If the train is not crowded, but there are many passengers waiting on the platform, as with the first train of the day, or the pattern of platforms from which trains will depart is complicated or has changed, station staff are often sent to the platform to work as "platform organization staff" (ホーム整理員 homu seiri-in?), rather than oshiyas.

[edit] Announcements

To deal with passengers effectively, one of the oshiyas makes public announcements. These announcements have the effect of (1) preventing delays and (2) reducing the number of passengers failing to board the train. Examples of these announcements are given below.

Announcement before the train arrives, asking passengers to spread out along the platform
"This is a customer announcement. The next express train is extremely crowded. Customers with time to spare should use the local train, which will be slightly less crowded. The carriages at the front of the train are less crowded. Please use the front of the train first."
Announcement when the train arrives, asking passengers to board smoothly
"The train is now arriving. Please walk inside the white lines. ... Thank you for waiting. The train now at platform 2 is the express, bound for [name of destination]. The train which has arrived is extremely crowded. Please stand well clear of the doors, to allow customers off the train. The last carriage is a women-only carriage. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation."
Announcement when the train doors have opened, asking passengers to spread out
"Good morning. The train has arrived at [name of station], [name of station]. Change here for the [name of line] line. Please board in order from the front of the lines, from doors where all customers have disembarked. The train now at platform to is the express, bound for [name of destination]. After leaving this station, the next stop is [name of next station]. The train will not stop at [name of other station]. ... Passengers at the ends of the lines should look to the left and right, and move to other doors if those are slightly less crowded."
Announcement when the departure bell rings
"Please do not try to board a departing train; please wait for the next train. The express train is about to depart. Please push away from the doors firmly, to keep yourself and your baggage inside. We will now close the doors. Please mind the closing doors."
Announcement after the train has departed
"The train is moving. Please walk inside the yellow lines. ... We thank customers who waited on the platform for this train to depart for their cooperation. The next train is a local train, bound for [name of destination]."

These announcements are also made at stations in certain suburban areas on crowded lines of major private railways. These announcements are those made when there is plenty of time to spare, and actual announcements are often more powerful and made at a higher speed. In many cases, the departure bell begins ringing the moment the doors open, so that the procedure must immediately move to step 4 above.

[edit] Problems for oshiyas

  • In winter, as people wear thick clothes, each person takes up a large area, making it very difficult to push them.
  • In April, not only are there large numbers of passengers, but new university graduates and school leavers who are not used to crowded trains sometimes obstruct people to getting on and off trains, causing problems for oshiyas.
  • The dignity of passengers
Recently, out of consideration for the dignity of passengers, oshiyas often do not push people or items of baggage onto the train with their hands directly if there is only a minor obstruction to the door. Instead, they force the door open by pushing it, so that the passenger can get on fully or pull the baggage onto the train, and then close the door so that it shuts properly.

[edit] Sources

Much of this article was translated from the equivalent article in the Japanese Wikipedia, as referenced on October 5, 2006.

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