Body Techniques in a Train

Publicity and deviation in urban traffic during the prewar period

Abstract

This paper aims to analyze the behavior of commuters in trains in Tokyo before World War II and reveal the different forms of publicity in urban traffic by referring to resources such as the laws, customs and novels that existed at the time.
From 1900 to 1920, the train was an arena of crowd riots that were rebelling against the rise in the train fare; consequently, various norms pertaining to train travel were constituted. The purpose of these norms was to restrain the behavior of commuters by controlling their five senses and enabling them to use their eyes relatively, for example, they were able to read books and bills in a train, which is something that many commuters do. In this paper, this situation in a train has been referred to as the "order of eyes." Although this order of eyes was stringent, the commuters devised a way to playfully steal glances at each other. Such behavior established a subtle and unrecognized, albeit definite, boundary between the publicity (or correctitude) that must be maintained in urban traffic and the deviation (or vulgarity) that inevitably stems from the excessive proximity of commuters in a train. In this manner, the Metropolitan Railway ensured that the commuters not only passively accepted the rigid regulations but also positively dealt with the excessive proximity in trains.