Snapshots │ Japan │ Priority seats │ 1

On most trains in Japan, there are priority, or reserved, seats for passengers who are likely to need a seat more than others, such as the elderly, people with injuries or reduced mobility, and expectant mothers. The seats are in a different colour from the normal seats. In most cases, passengers are requested to switch off the mobile / cell phones near these seats.

In most people’s minds, these seats are primarily for the elderly, which can lead to fascinating scenes, even to someone who has not studied anthropology. The definition of the elderly largely depends on self-perception. Some people above the age of 60 or even 70 do not want to be considered old. Such people do not want to sit, and do not wish to be seen to sit, on the priority seats, and decline seats offered by other passengers.