You thought your commute was bad?

[Wildfire]

Photos reveal Tokyo subway commuters squeezed on to trains

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If you think your commute is a living hell, then spare a thought for these subway passengers in Tokyo.

Packed like sardines into sweaty, claustrophobic carriages, these passengers can barely breathe let alone move about freely.

The photographs are the work of Michael Wolf, a German-born artist who has been capturing the cramped conditions of Japanese capital's transport network for 15 years.

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Tokyo is world famous for its urban density and so the public transport nightmare is hardly surprising.

And despite being squeezed and stretched every day, it's the dignified way the commuters cope with the depressing daily grind that Wolf's pictures bring out.

He has just released a third volume of pictures in his portfolio 'Tokyo Compression' which has been published in a book by Peperoni Books and Asia One Books.

Standing on the platform as the doors snap shut, Wolf has been able to capture a whole range of expressions from his unwilling and trapped subjects.

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Some stare disconcertingly at the lens, others close their eyes to try and escape the brutal overcrowding, while others have their faces contorted against the steamy glass windows.

Wolf first experienced the Japanese subway network when reporting on the aftermath of the sarin nerve gas attack which killed 16 people and injured 6,000 in 1995.

His collection of images quickly grew into a portfolio first exhibited in 2008.

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[eatshitndie]

i like this kind of photo-journalism because it visually tells you stories of real people going about their daily lives and putting up with hardships and challenges. doesn't need too many words. let readers infer based on their circumstances, prejudices, and predicaments. will add to your points.

 

[Wildfire]

.... will add to your points.

:o

Thanks brother eat-shit-n-die ... really?

Thanks anyway ... really appreciate it!

Cheers

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

The photographer can come to Singapore soon to shoot the photos. Only a matter of time before this happens in Singapore.

 

[prancku]

The photographer can come to Singapore soon to shoot the photos. Only a matter of time before this happens in Singapore.

So what if Tokyo trains are so squeezed as such? Do we need to accept this same conditions for our trains in Singapore? Do we have the resources and land to support such a big population without its numerous attendant social problems?

Tokyo also have porn and condom vending machines on the streets, many many homeless living on the pavements, sky high property taxes, etc - do we need to ape them and become monkeys also?

 

[saratogas]

Those pictures tell us the reason why Japan has the lowest procreation rates... No one want to bring a life to suffer like that!!!

 

[singveld]

japs are cleanliness freak. Do that in singapore, with a MRT full of PRC and indian, paki banglad and sinkies, people will die!

 

[po2wq]

... If you think your commute is a living hell, then spare a thought for these subway passengers in Tokyo. ...

sinkies wil oredi kpkb loud-loud loong b4 it even reach dat stage ...

 

[Alamaking]

Nicely taken photos...

 

[QXD]

You do that to a bunch of lard-laden fat assed yanks and you'd end up with all manner of lawsuits covering emotional duress and sprained micro-penises.

 

[jiakhongleow]

I was in Tokyo in 1986 and has been like this for past 27 years. You have know which side of the door will open in your target station. You may have to switch station to get to the door that open in your target station and require some thinking. Cant even push your way through if you are at the wrong side.

Every day I get squeezed like in the picture and someday lucky get squeezed between 2 big Jap boobs, nice bumpy ride.

 

[konstandy]

Nicely taken photos...

u sure poto taken in mrt or not??

looks like taken inside shower but the ppl kana ass fuck from behing lay

 

[eatshitndie]

You do that to a bunch of lard-laden fat assed yanks and you'd end up with all manner of lawsuits covering emotional duress and sprained micro-penises.

at least the japs wash up in the morning and keep themselves clean. in packed u.s. subways, you can puke at the body odor. :o

 

[hairylee]

So what if Tokyo trains are so squeezed as such? Do we need to accept this same conditions for our trains in Singapore? Do we have the resources and land to support such a big population without its numerous attendant social problems?

Tokyo also have porn and condom vending machines on the streets, many many homeless living on the pavements, sky high property taxes, etc - do we need to ape them and become monkeys also?

Very good rebuttal.