MomoのKokoro

Death isn't my favourite topic, but just being on the Yamanote line (the Japan Railways loop that goes to many hubs in Tokyo) can be a little sobering.

On Sunday, I was rushing to meet my friend and got on the Y, just to encounter a 10 minute delay. Through the verbal foliage of Japanese politeness, I managed to make out the fact that a "human accident" had occurred. In other words, a suicide.

Some random statistics I got online: about 3 such "accidents" occur on JR East lines every day. Employees are eager to volunteer to clean up the mess, because they get paid extra for such toil. The family of the suicide victim receives a bill from JR for cleaning up. I talked to some Japanese friends and they told me that such suicides usually happened on Mondays, and especially if the weather was cloudy or rainy. The Y is apparently a popular spot because of its wide tracks.

Flinging yourself in front of an oncoming train must be an extremely painful way to die. Not to mention incredibly messy. Not only is one's family affected, but also the bystanders who did not have enough time to react and had to watch everything happen.

What kind of life must that person have led, that such a way of dying became an acceptable option? What makes people give up? Is it right to give up? I think that it's fair to decide for yourself if you want to continue living or not, but it is unfair to subject those who love you to the pain of losing you so suddenly, and in such a manner. But people choose death for many reasons, and sometimes the process of living is indeed a challenge. To each his own? Or is there a greater responsibility involved in such matters?

Posted in: Tokyo on Friday, August 4, 2006 at