The people of Japan reeled in shock last week upon hearing of an inexcusable occurrence. One of their sacrosanct commuter trains departed from a station 20 seconds early, yes, 20 seconds! Such a humiliation for a country who believes in “no hidden surprises” had executives doing hoops to apologise to the public for such a grave error. In fact, being on time every time, is the first step towards building trust and reliability in Japan. This is true both in business as well as personal relationships.
Train schedules are much more relaxed in European countries. Amtrak in the US has its mishaps, often not stopping in time (but maybe still on-time) and running down bystanders at the station or just as devastating, cars that overturn on tight curves by not slowing to the speed limit. Never in Japan though! And in Canada we say, “It will be here when it comes.” It seems while China is busy laying new tracks to increase routes, Canada has been busy getting rid of them. The sole rail service to Churchill in northern Manitoba was indefinitely interrupted by washouts that to this day has prevented goods reaching the remote community except by expensive air travel. No one has a plan to resolve this crisis!
I rode Via Rail only a handful of times. Once to Montreal in the nineties, with a gift certificate for two from our company golf tournament for the train ride and two nights’ accommodation in an upscale hotel. No, it wasn’t for a golf drive closest to the hole or the longest putt, it was a random draw from the president’s worn-looking hat. About the train, I recall little. About the hotel room, I have the ‘memories’!
Japanese train-travel is so thorough that applying make-up on it is unacceptable. If observed by other commuters, they whisper “Mittomonai” or “ugly to see”.
In Germany, arrivals are within 15 minutes 90 percent of the time. In the US, a train is allowed 10 minutes’ leeway for journeys up to 250 miles – but 30 minutes for longer ones. I can’t picture a Japanese traveller having to deal with such slackness in timing without some sense of superiority!
Imagine if you can, an entire country committed to such a degree of predictability like Japan is, then reflect on our own country and even our community. Around here if meetings did start on time, some would be late and others within cell phone range would consider themselves as good as present. When we apply for community funding we generally have two or three months to prepare the application. It is submitted, not weeks or days early, but on the very last day. Last year, one was within three hours of missing the deadline. Then, there was the one guy who arranged a monthly lunch and forgot about it himself! Could we ever become so well-ordered as the Japanese? Like chapters in a book – we can’t change what has been written but I suppose we could with a real effort, write a better ending!
It is said, “If you’re not living on the edge, you’re taking up too much space.” Deadlines are like a credit card limit – permitting time to be frittered away and potential money to be spent. Deadlines can work however, as critical thinking is elevated by adding that constraint. When a deadline is a fixed one, whether for a special event or a big project, magical things happen — like prioritizing the assignments and timelines like a fine-tuned orchestra composed of many instruments. It has been suggested that deadlines be created to establish consequences and rewards! Maybe too much like a carrot and stick approach for this part of the Valley?
In India, arriving late for scheduled appointments is an acceptable practice, the converse in Japan of course. But there could be circumstances where one person could deliberately make the other wait, straining the relationship! It reminds us of the see-saw negotiations between Chairman Kim and President Trump; both have volcanic tempers which erupt at a moment’s notice, then become serenely calm as still waters, only once more to act out with schoolyard bickerings. People in Japan, on the other hand, arrive for meetings at least five minutes before a scheduled appointment and if they do bicker, it’s so subtle, it isn’t noticeable!
Personally, I’m baffled by this Japanese ethos with perfect planning. I prefer deadlines too, but achieving just in the nick of time, permits soaking up the trauma to enhance the relief when it’s over. Isn’t an accomplishment sweeter when it’s polished by hardships!
