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Will Japan (Finally) Start Standing on Both Sides of The Escalator?
The city of Nagoya and the 2025 Osaka Expo may be instrumental in reversing a habit that the 1970 Osaka Expo helped popularize.
By Jay Allen
For years, cities across Japan have tried to get people out of a bad habit: leaving one side of the escalator open for people in a hurry. It’s been an uphill climb. Even when surrounded by messages to change their behavior, most people ignore the new signs and default to old habits. However, recent experiences in Nagoya and at Osaka Expo provide hope that, one day, all of Japan may ride in two uniform lines up both sides of the escalator.
The quandary of which side to leave open
For decades, there’s been a convention in Japanese cities: one side of the escalator is reserved for people standing, while the other side is reserved for people running like bats out of hell.
The question is: which side is which?
The vexing answer is that it depends on where you are in Japan. For 80% of the country, if you stand on the left side of the escalator, you’re doing it right. I mean, left, I mean…you get what I mean.
However, there are a few prefectures where standing on the right is the rule. Many of these are in the Kansai or…
