The Great Escalator Divide

After years in Japan, I've stopped noticing it, but visitors always do:

• In Tokyo, people generally stand on the left and walk on the right.

• In Osaka, people generally stand on the right and walk on the left.

Now why would that be!

One popular explanation is that Osaka adopted right-side standing around the time of the 1970 World Expo, supposedly because international visitors were accustomed to keeping right.

Another theory goes back even further, linking it to Kansai customs from the days when samurai carried swords on the left side and passed each other by keeping to the right.

The more I read about it, the less certain anyone seems to be. What fascinates me is that despite decades of train commuters moving between Tokyo and Osaka, neither city has "won." Each continues doing it its own way.

It's one of those small everyday differences that says something bigger about regional identity in Japan.

So, if anyone knows the real reason behind the Tokyo/Osaka escalator split, please settle a long-running discussion between me and my husband! 😄