On escalators up from train platforms, I've often seen people maintain left side standing, right side climbing, even if it means the right side is empty with a crowd still for the left.

Did hear in a department store a couple weeks ago for the first time, or at least the first time I've noticed, an employee asking people to form two standing only lines. This was from 1F to 2F with a large number of people. Further up, folks seemed to gravitate to the left side as the numbers thinned.

In my both my home and work stations, the "right" or walking side of the escalators are heavily used by commuters. I heard about JR East's recent campaign to change that, but I can't imagine it being implemented.

Department store and tourist-heavy escalators I can understand it working as many non-japanese don't know the local rule anyway.

I cant remember which is which but I know Osaka and Tokyo are opposite sides.

yup -- that's my memory as well (though I also can not remember)

In Osaka, you stand on the right; rest of Japan, it's the left. I always wondered if there is somewhere in between where you stand in the middle or if the shift is sudden. Doubt I will ever try to find out!

There are quite a few escalators dotted around Tokyo which are narrow enough for standing in the middle to be near mandatory (there’s just such an example in the area feeding into Shirokane-Takanawa station - elsewhere the “rods” of the Atomium in Brussels house similar escalators. Here’s a video, too cool to resist!)

Bump, as JR has stepped up their efforts as of late. Big posters by the escalator entrances in multiple languages informing of the "proper" use of the escalators, and even the occasional station attendee standing by thr escalators to enforce them.

There's probably a big expanse of inaka between them where few, if any, escalators exist.

Roppongi Hills is pushing this too. The signs are clear and yet people tend to stand on the left and assume people will walk on the right. I stand squarely in the middle as I do not really want to wipe the escalator with my dress every morning.

I see this as a good policy, slow to be implemented, but important. If people are in such a rush they can consider leaving 1 minute earlier. :)

Prior to the previous Tokyo Olympics, the city streets were often strewn with litter. An intensive campaign to raise awareness and clean the streets was undertaken. In only a few years, Tokyo became known as one of the cleanest metropoli in the world, and to this day Japanese are noted for cleaning up after themselves after public events, showing how engrained this changed way of thinking has become.

Where there's a will, there's a way. I will do my part, standing perfectly still holding the rail on the right hand side, smug in the knowledge of my correctness.

Hold on tight, I've seen angry salarymen push their way past folks (usually foreigners/tourists) to get on their regularly scheduled trains. During non-commute hours, when clueless tourists outnumber office workers, you'll probably be fine.

I've seen that too, actually quite often. I too think it's good idea to ban people from rushing up/down elevators for safety reasons, but it's going to be tough implementing it.

Japanese people can be downright aggressive in certain situations. People rush in like bull stampede to get in and secure seats on a shihatsu train (empty train leaving its first station) that my 2 kids and I were unable to sit together recently despite being at the front of the queue. When you're deplaning from a domestic flight, Japanese pax are so eager to get off the plane that majority of people already lined up in the aisle will not stop and let you out unless you force your way out.

This is when stress relief therapy comes in. More than once I have had to lay into some idiot who felt it best to shove me. I actually find it relieves stress to make such low life fly or otherwise reconsider their behavior. That said it is 100X worse in the US than here for sure.

That was before Premium Friday solved everything. Now everyone leaves the office around 3pm on the last Friday of the month to get spritually rejuvenated with things like belly dancing lessons and community sock hops.

Most people thought that Premium Friday would be a flop, but gold old Abe sure proved them wrong!