Do people use public transportation to commute to work in Seattle? (living in, vs.)

[tada]

These days it seems like everyone's assuming way too much about me, like what I don't know about Japan. So that's my natural response... I apologize.

[toughguy]

Originally Posted by tada

You all really don't take me for much. Everyone here seems to assume I don't know jack squat about Tokyo's people, weather, and other aspects. You compare Tokyo's rainy season to Seattle's summer and conclude that Tokyo has worse weather overall...

I'm aware that there are "pushers". I've actually been on the trains (how many of you can attest to that, other than allforcats?), and they smell much better than Seattle's buses, and people text instead of talking on cell phones. Not to mention, they come every 3-4 minutes, instead of every 15-30 minutes. People there stamp their feet and get mad if trains are even 1 minute late. People in Seattle accept that the buses will be 5, 10, or 15 minutes late.

Tada, it just seems that some of the things that you complain about in Seattle are much, much more pronounced in Tokyo.

Seattle freeze- It is a fundamental Japanese trait to be non-confrontational and shy/reserved. Making eye contact is a cardinal sin in Tokyo.

Depression - Japan is infamous for it's high depression rate and sky high suicide rate. It's the highest in the world in fact, and there really aren't any competitors.

Jobs - Good luck finding a job in the ultra competitive Tokyo job market, especially as a gaijin. If you had a tough time in Seattle, give up all hope in Tokyo.

If you want to escape those things, Tokyo seems like a bizarre choice.

[tada]

Originally Posted by toughguy

Seattle freeze- It is a fundamental Japanese trait to be non-confrontational and shy/reserved. Making eye contact is a cardinal sin in Tokyo.

Depression - Japan is infamous for it's high depression rate and sky high suicide rate. It's the highest in the world in fact, and there really aren't any competitors.

Jobs - Good luck finding a job in the ultra competitive Tokyo job market, especially as a gaijin. If you had a tough time in Seattle, give up all hope in Tokyo.

If you want to escape those things, Tokyo seems like a bizarre choice.

Seattle freeze - I actually don't care much about this at all, it's a very minor concern. I already have friends and cousins over there too.

Depression - Unlike Seattle, not surrounded by a gray dome, and I have read story after story about how peoples' mood and personality have improved drastically after moving out of Seattle. It's the weather here I hate, not depressed people I hate, so this point is invalid anyway. On a side note, Japan has the 10th highest suicide rate in the world, not the highest. You're losing credibility, fast.

Jobs - When I was searching for a job here, I didn't have a degree, and honestly applied a bit late for a summer job. Now I will have a BS, and I'm going to job fairs, and frantically searching the internet, and seeking out advice.

You are only focusing on the negatives. EVERY place has its negatives. I'm not going to Tokyo to "escape" from Seattle, I'm going there because I love it there. You call me depressing when it's you focusing on only negatives.

Give it up people, you're not going to convince me of anything. This is exactly what I meant when I said "people assume way too much about me". Thank you for proving my point.

[toughguy]

Originally Posted by tada

Seattle freeze - I actually don't care much about this at all, it's a very minor concern. I already have friends and cousins over there too.

Depression - Unlike Seattle, not surrounded by a gray dome, and I have read story after story about how peoples' mood and personality have improved drastically after moving out of Seattle. It's the weather here I hate, not depressed people I hate, so this point is invalid anyway. On a side note, Japan has the 10th highest suicide rate in the world, not the highest. You're losing credibility, fast.

Jobs - When I was searching for a job here, I didn't have a degree, and honestly applied a bit late for a summer job. Now I will have a BS, and I'm going to job fairs, and frantically searching the internet, and seeking out advice.

You are only focusing on the negatives. EVERY place has its negatives. I'm not going to Tokyo to "escape" from Seattle, I'm going there because I love it there. You call me depressing when it's you focusing on only negatives.

Give it up people, you're not going to convince me of anything. This is exactly what I meant when I said "people assume way too much about me". Thank you for proving my point.

I think you have me all wrong. You are very vocal in your criticisms of Seattle, and I was just trying to compare the two cities to show that the grass might not necessarily be greener in Japan. I am not assuming anything about you, but now I am starting to think that you have the social skills of an otaku.

I think Tokyo is a fantastic city myself, and have heard great things about it from my ex roommate, who lived there for 6 months. I would love to try living there short term to experience the sheer urbanity and excitement of THE prototypical mega city. I understand that your main complaint is the weather here, and Tokyo would be an improvement in that regard, at least for your personal preference. So get off the martyr complex.

[toughguy]

One Japanese suicide every 15 minutes | World news | The Observer

[tada]

Originally Posted by toughguy

I think you have me all wrong. You are very vocal in your criticisms of Seattle, and I was just trying to compare the two cities to show that the grass might not necessarily be greener in Japan. I am not assuming anything about you, but now I am starting to think that you have the social skills of an otaku.

I have AS (it's a form of autism), so by nature I'm a social retard. Thanks in advance for derailing the thread and probably getting our posts deleted.

Back to the topic at hand, my second-most prominent complaint about Seattle is the traffic, which is a nonissue in Japan because their public transport is superior in every way to Seattle's. I was going to post this earlier, but... better late than never. Seems like all of these issues are abundant in Seattle public transport.

http://www.craigslist.org/about/best/van/723232278.html

[allforcats]

Tokyo, as a populated urban center, is many centuries old. Seattle, as a populated urban center, is less than one century old.

The Japanese government long ago chose Tokyo as the commercial, financial, political and business center of the nation, thus lavishly pouring money for centuries, especially since the start of the Meiji Jidai in 1868, on all the aspects of infrastructure needed to support the constantly-growing population which supports all those interests.

Seattle is a different "universe", serves entirely different purposes in the "vision" of its nation, and has never been showered with national money in the slightest, compared with Tokyo. Tokyo is an acknowledged, operating national capital; Seattle is not and thus must struggle for federal infrastructure dollars and local infrastructure dollars just like all the other zillions of municipalities throughout the country.

Apples and oranges, no?

Oh - I forgot -- Population Seattle: 600,000. Population Tokyo: 12,000,000.
They kind of require different levels of services, eh?

[Freebird2007]

my take on Seattle buses......coming from Boston....


1) buses here are much cleaner. buses were always breaking down in Boston and would often have parts hanging off the side of the bus

2) bus drivers here are nicer....trust me on this one.

3) I ride the commuter bus so most of the people that ride are fairly clean whether it be here or Boston

4) buses here don't seem as crammed as the ones inBoston. Have you ever had 40 people standing during a 1 hour commute in rush hour traffic? I see people standing...but never bunched up against each other like in Boston.

5) at least the heater/ac works on the buses here. the ones in Boston never worked and the overheating buses amid Boston's hot muggy weather made it unbearable

6) the buses here are for the most part on time.

my only complaint......lack of buses. At least in Boston the buses ran every 7 minutes during rush hour. its 1 bus ever hour here for commuter.

[allforcats]

Originally Posted by Freebird2007

its 1 bus ever hour here for commuter.

Freebird, from my long NYC experience, I agree completely with everything you said about Boston busses versus Seattle busses.

But 1 bus every hour here for commuters is true if you live far away -- and, of course, is a direct result of how much population lives where you live and goes where you go, right? My commuter bus (from about 5:50AM to about 8:45AM) runs every 30 minutes. And there are others, in more heavily populated locations closer to downtown Seattle, that run every 20 minutes.

How often the "commuter" busses run depends really on the density of population wanting to go to downtown Seattle at "commuter" times.

[Freebird2007]

Originally Posted by allforcats

Freebird, from my long NYC experience, I agree completely with everything you said about Boston busses versus Seattle busses.

But 1 bus every hour here for commuters is true if you live far away -- and, of course, is a direct result of how much population lives where you live and goes where you go, right? My commuter bus (from about 5:50AM to about 8:45AM) runs every 30 minutes. And there are others, in more heavily populated locations closer to downtown Seattle, that run every 20 minutes.

How often the "commuter" busses run depends really on the density of population wanting to go to downtown Seattle at "commuter" times.

sorry, typo....I meant everY HALF hour


I am coming from Lynnwood/Mukilteo




I forgot to mention we get screwed on half days because apparently only one bus leaves downtown seattle anytime before the afternoon rush still, thats not great for rush hour traffic.