Tokyo’s Seven-minutes Miracle

Just before the Shinkansen train arrives at Tokyo station, a group of staff stand beautifully in line on a platform.

They wear uniforms and have cleaning tools in their bags.

They bow deeply to the passengers.

As soon as the last passenger gets off the train, they go into each car and begin cleaning.

Their speedy and skillful work amazes people.

It looks like a show.

The train stays at the platform for 12 minutes.

Excluding the time it takes passengers to get on/off the train, only seven minutes remain.

During this short time, the staff do the following in the order shown.

1. collect big pieces of garbage;

2. collect garbage from the pockets of the back of the seats;

3. turn the seats around;

4. wipe the tables, and windows when it is necessary;

5. check whether any garbage has been left on the seats;

6. open the curtains of the windows;

7. sweep the floors;

8. check whether any baggage has been left on the overhead racks; and

9. check that each seat is safely locked.

After completing their mission, they stand in line in the platform and bow deeply again.

“Never have I seen such an amazing performance!”

Everyone who sees the groups’ performance speaks highly of it.

Who are these people?

They are known as the Tessei, the cleaning staff of Shinkansen trains at Tokyo Station.

They clean about 20 trains a day in a team of 22.

Their speedy and skillful work catches the eye of foreigners as well as Japanese.

A world-famous television channel called their performance “Tokyo’s seven-minute miracle.”

One striking feature of the Tessei’s performance is its speed made possible by their unique cleaning procedures.

Japanese railways have a good reputation around the world for being punctual.

Even a 15-second delay of one Shinkansen train can influence other trains’ arrival and departure times.

The Tessei’s speedy work contributes greatly to the reputation of Japanese railways.

Another feature of the Tessei is their skillful performance.

Cleaning usually seems boring, but the Tessei’s amazing performance is exciting to watch.

People call it the “Shinkansen Theater.” as it is performed both in the cars and on the platform.

Hearing the reputation of the Tessei, many visitors come from abroad to observe their performance.

They consider the possibility of introducing the same system into their own countries.

However, they often find it difficult to do so.

What are the factors behind the Tessei’s success in Japan?

One of the factors may be related to the rather unique cleaning culture in Japan.

Many Japanese people think it only natural that they keep the places around them clean.

They believe such a habit of cleaning is a virtue.

For example, people clean the public roads in front of their houses.

After concerts or soccer games, they are also likely to take their garbage back home with them.

At school, students clean the classrooms and toilets by themselves.

Such cleaning customs are rarely seen in other countries.

In the blogs of foreign visitors to Japan, you often see comments such as "What a clean country Japan is! Everywhere in the cities and towns is clean."

In the trains as well, Japanese passengers tend to keep the areas around their seats clean.

It is likely that this Japanese culture of cleaning helps the Tessei do their job quickly.

Another factor in the Tessei’s success lies in the staff’s pride in their career.

At first, Tessei members saw their cleaning simply as a job.

However, believing that it can offer passengers a more comfortable trip, they now do their work with a sense of pride and responsibility.

This new attitude has changed the way they see their work and has improved their performance.

They want passengers to feel more comfortable and to enjoy riding on the trains.

Their passion brings new ideas one after another.

For example, some parts of their performance such as standing in line and bowing deeply were their own ideas.

Another example is the baby care room at Tokyo Station.

It was the idea of Tessei members to set one up there, because they often saw mothers having difficulty finding a place to nurse their children.

The staff’s pride in their work as well as Japanese culture helps produce the Tessei’s miraculous performance.

When you start working in the future, what kind of miracles will you perform?