A closer look
Japanese railway companies will issue official delay certificates to passengers if a train departs or arrives just a few seconds off schedule, which commuters then hand to their bosses to prove they aren't entirely to blame for being late; in 2017, the Tsukuba Express management famously released a deeply groveling public apology because one of their trains departed exactly 20 seconds early, an act they treated with the solemnity of a national tragedy, highlighting that while the rest of the world accepts public transit systems that routinely catch fire or simply vanish from the schedule altogether, Japan operates on a level of precision that makes Swiss watchmakers look sloppy, making it truly magical to visit a country where the transportation infrastructure actually respects your mortal lifespan
