Japan – Oshiya or ‘Pusher’ at the Japanese railway station

In some railway stations in Japan, oshiyas or “pushers” are employed to squeeze people onto the overcrowded tube/underground/subway/train carriages. They also perform the job of a “puller,” pulling off any passengers who try to get on the train too late or when the train is eventually too full.

See them in action here…

And again in this video..

On a a post in www.railforums.co.uk there is a poster that thinks that some of these videos might be a bit old and in fact the problem isn’t as bad as it is made out to be.

I think they still have those guys pushing people on to trains but the problem is far less widespread now.

Here are some links to some more videos

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b0A9-oUoMug

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=axwMxUBL_ws

This video gives you an idea of how busy it is in Shinagawa station at rush hour

[Via Asian Offbeat]