The Tokyo Metro is a crucial public-transportation system that is globally recognized for its cleanliness. The staff does routine cleanings to maintain its stations and trains for its nearly 6 million daily passengers. The Tokyo Metro has nine lines and 180 stations that need to be kept clean around the clock.
For more, visit:
https://www.tokyometro.jp
For more, visit:
https://www.tokyometro.jp
Category
🛠️
LifestyleTranscript
00:00 (train rumbling)
00:03 This is Takayuki,
00:05 a cleaning supervisor at the rail yard in Ayase.
00:08 He's worked for Tokyo Metro for almost 41 years,
00:11 and it's his job to make sure
00:13 the trains are cleaned thoroughly.
00:15 (speaking in foreign language)
00:27 The Tokyo Metro system is famous for being
00:30 one of the cleanest subway systems in the world.
00:32 It transports an average of about six million people daily,
00:37 and maintaining that reputation
00:39 takes both an extensive amount of operational organization
00:43 and a ton of manpower.
00:46 The cleaning staff's approach is straightforward,
00:48 but uncompromising.
00:49 Whatever Tokyo Metro's millions of daily passengers touch
00:53 must be cleaned.
00:55 Today, they're cleaning the train cars
00:57 at the Ayase Rail Yard, which they do every 15 days.
01:01 The cleaners take careful measures
01:04 to ensure each nook and cranny is cleaned.
01:06 Then, we'll head to the Ginza Ichome Station,
01:09 located in one of the busiest shopping areas
01:12 in Tokyo, Japan, where they clean the station top to bottom.
01:16 There are 41 trains on the Tokyo Metro Chiyoda Line.
01:21 The team cleans three to four trains a day.
01:23 Once a train comes into the rail yard,
01:26 cleaners start by picking up any trash they see.
01:29 It takes four workers to clean the exterior.
01:33 It's all done by hand,
01:35 and cleaners start by hosing it down with water
01:38 and then using brushes to scrub it with soap.
01:40 (speaking in foreign language)
01:44 (speaking in foreign language)
01:48 (speaking in foreign language)
02:17 If the stain does not come off with a brush and soap,
02:20 then they use a pad to scrub it off.
02:22 Next, they rinse off all the soap.
02:26 Meanwhile, other staffers clean the interior.
02:30 It takes 10 workers, and they start at the top of the car
02:34 and work their way down to the bottom.
02:36 (speaking in foreign language)
02:41 (speaking in foreign language)
02:45 The first step is to clean the area
03:05 where advertisements are placed.
03:08 Then they clean the luggage racks and then the wall area.
03:11 They use rags and dusters to clean each part.
03:14 (speaking in foreign language)
03:18 Cleaners then tackle the floors and start by mopping.
03:29 They also use sticks to clean crevices
03:31 near the entrance of each door.
03:33 Twice a year, they wax the floors of each train car.
03:39 They remove all the old wax with a polisher,
03:41 and then they let it dry.
03:43 Once it's dry, they apply two coats of wax.
03:47 It takes about an hour and a half
03:48 from the time the wax is removed
03:50 to the time the new wax dries.
03:52 (speaking in foreign language)
03:57 (speaking in foreign language)
04:01 Altogether, it takes workers a little over an hour
04:12 to clean the trains, inside and out.
04:15 Once the cleaning is complete,
04:16 Takayuki begins his inspection.
04:19 (speaking in foreign language)
04:23 (speaking in foreign language)
04:27 (speaking in foreign language)
04:31 (speaking in foreign language)
04:35 (speaking in foreign language)
05:03 Once Takayuki approves the cleaning,
05:05 the trains return to service,
05:07 ready to transport millions of passengers all over again.
05:11 Inside the Ginza Ichome Station,
05:15 Chikako and Kenji work to clean the station daily.
05:19 (speaking in foreign language)
05:24 (speaking in foreign language)
05:27 Kazuhiro has been working for Tokyo Metro since he was 18.
05:46 He got his train license at 20
05:48 and drove trains until he was 57.
05:51 He leads the team responsible for the cleaning
05:53 and security for this station and a few others.
05:56 There are nine Tokyo Metro train lines
05:59 and 180 stations that provide service
06:01 to the greater Tokyo area.
06:03 (speaking in foreign language)
06:08 (speaking in foreign language)
06:12 The escalator handrails are a high-touch surface
06:35 within the station, and Chikako takes extra care
06:38 to wipe the belt with wet washcloths.
06:40 She rides the escalators up and down
06:42 until they are all clean.
06:44 (speaking in foreign language)
06:49 (speaking in foreign language)
06:52 Chikako is also responsible
07:14 for the dirtiest job of the day,
07:16 cleaning the two restrooms in the Ginza Ichome Station.
07:19 The main cleanings happen once a day.
07:22 She has been doing this work for the past 10 years.
07:25 (speaking in foreign language)
07:29 (speaking in foreign language)
07:33 The first thing Chikako does
07:53 is check for any large pieces of trash.
07:56 If there are none, she sets up a fan
07:58 and leaves it on throughout the cleaning process.
08:01 Efficiency is one of the key parts of her job,
08:03 and the fan allows the bathroom to dry quickly
08:06 so as not to disrupt any customers who may need to use it.
08:09 (speaking in foreign language)
08:13 (speaking in foreign language)
08:17 Chikako sticks the ozone machine hose down the toilet
08:39 and turns it on.
08:41 Then she scrubs each toilet by hand
08:44 to make sure it's clean for the next customer.
08:46 She also cleans the walls.
08:50 It's important that she's using the right tools
08:52 for each space so as not to cross-contaminate areas.
08:56 She uses a red dust cloth to clean areas
08:59 from the knees down,
09:00 which is called the contamination zone,
09:03 and a green one for clean zones,
09:05 which are areas above the knees,
09:06 such as mirrors and sinks.
09:10 (speaking in foreign language)
09:14 (gentle music)
09:16 (speaking in foreign language)
09:25 (gentle music)
09:28 (speaking in foreign language)
09:41 (gentle music)
09:43 Chikako is also responsible for cleaning the barrier
10:02 between the platform and the train doors.
10:04 The top part is cleaned daily,
10:07 while the lower part is cleaned once a week.
10:10 The staff makes sure the station platforms
10:12 and walkways are clean for customers.
10:14 They do cleanings with brooms every day,
10:18 but they also use a machine
10:19 to clean the floors twice a month.
10:21 The machine works by sprinkling water onto the floor,
10:24 scrubbing with a brush,
10:26 and then collecting the dirty water with a squeegee.
10:28 This way, there is no water left behind
10:32 and no slippery floors.
10:34 (speaking in foreign language)
10:38 (gentle music)
10:41 Kenji also goes around daily with a shoulder vacuum
10:44 and manually vacuums up any trash and dust he comes across,
10:47 especially in hard-to-reach areas.
10:49 (speaking in foreign language)
10:55 (gentle music)
10:57 Japan has a long history with cleaning and cleanliness
11:12 that persists today.
11:14 (speaking in foreign language)
11:18 (gentle music)
11:21 (speaking in foreign language)
11:25 the train. (speaking in foreign language)
11:30 (gentle music)
11:33 (speaking in foreign language)
11:38 (speaking in foreign language)
11:58 (gentle music)
12:01 (speaking in foreign language)
12:05 (gentle music)
12:08 (upbeat music)