Comments on: Why Japan’s Rail Workers Can’t Stop Pointing at Things https://www.isegoria.net/2017/04/why-japans-rail-workers-cant-stop-pointing-at-things/ From the ancient Greek for equality in freedom of speech; an eclectic mix of thoughts, large and small Thu, 28 May 2026 23:08:55 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.6.1 By: Tim https://www.isegoria.net/2017/04/why-japans-rail-workers-cant-stop-pointing-at-things/comment-page-1/#comment-2548759 Tim Tue, 04 Apr 2017 02:23:25 +0000 http://www.isegoria.net/?p=41723#comment-2548759 A friend of mine worked at a Japanese plant in the US. Employees were required to use hand signals to cross an aisle-way. Look left/point left…Look right/point right…Look ahead/point ahead before proceeding. Evidently the Japanese are pushing shisa kanko to the factory floor. We had a laugh since we didn’t know why such a ritual. We understood it was for safety, but to the American mind it is way over the top for crossing the ‘street.’

]]> By: Graham https://www.isegoria.net/2017/04/why-japans-rail-workers-cant-stop-pointing-at-things/comment-page-1/#comment-2548555 Graham Mon, 03 Apr 2017 13:43:19 +0000 http://www.isegoria.net/?p=41723#comment-2548555 Interesting, and with the emphases on ritual and physicality so associated with Japanese methods, at least in Western assumptions of them.

It would seem to share some of its basic concepts with other methods of ensuring completeness, compliance, or attention, such as running a checklist out loud, or call-and-response approaches to teamwork.

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