Set your watch by something other than Japan's trains
Posted: Sat, 14 Mar 2009, 16:15:00, GMT | 1390 views Share
I love reading about (and experiencing) Japan's high speed train network. Not only is it super fast, clean, has respectful passengers, but it's on time. Not close, not mostly where it should be when it should be - but perfect. To the second. The joke is that you can set your watch by the trains that go by - but it's funny only because it's not a joke. Every morning at precisely 0730, in a a little corner of the TV screen during the morning news comes on a lady who reads out loud "today's train service update: operating without delay." Almost the only times she says anything differently are times of earthquakes and other natural disasters.
But the country's privatized train company (East Japan Railway) has just been caught stealing water from a local river. The water it uses as part of its hydroelectric plant, which generates the electricity required to operate the massive train network. The drama is unfolding - if alternate electricity cannot be sourced quickly enough - the trains - sit down for this - might be forced to be late periodically. Who wants to bet that they'll still beat my District and Central line experiences? The London Times wrote a great article about the looming Japan Train Crisis today, where I blatently stole some of the information for above..
And speaking of fun foreign things related to ambitious countries, I typically watch with detached amusement when France (yes, the entire country) goes through its rounds of strikes. But I happen to be heading to Paris for a brief 24 hours - and will be arriving on this Thursday March 19. I am pleased to anticipate the overwhelming access to public and private services I will no doubt enounter - as March 19 is their next round of massive strikes across the country. The trade unions (representing public and private employees) are asking the government for a significant additional round of concessions in everything from increased salaries to lower taxes to greater job stability.
