Member-only story
Recently, I was on a subway in Tokyo and many people wanted to take the escalator. Another person and I arrived from different directions, and I naturally stopped and stepped back to let him go first. I paused and then suddenly smiled because it was so easy and natural to take a step back and let someone else go first.
Normally, I would have been the one to take a step forward. On the streets of Beijing, I always try to be “fast”, so when we both reach the entrance to a building or when standing in line, if possible, I would take a step forward to end the status of being in the “queue of people” as soon as possible. This behavior is not consistent with my expectations of me, but it has become a habit.
There are many other changes like this. For example, one day, I saw a vending machine selling cigarettes and realized that for over a month, I hadn’t been bothered by the smell of smoke.
Another example is that I hardly ever take the subway in Beijing. It is loud, crowded, occasionally dirty, and often has strong odors, and I would frequently encounter “rudeness”. So, I usually take a taxi, which also has the occasional strong odor. To avoid traffic jams, I would try to avoid rush hours, so I often leave early. In contrast, in Tokyo, I rely heavily on the subway.
