With the end of the year party season reaching its peak, many people were seen falling asleep on the train home. Some people missed their last train and were left with nowhere to go. ■Furious Dash "Shibuya Track and Field" kicks off!? Shibuya, Tokyo, was crowded with many people on the night of the peak of the end of the year party season. Drinking on the street was banned around Shibuya Station from October this year. However, people continue to drink on the street in the city. After midnight, people rush to the station at high speed to catch the last train. Then, the station shutters are mercilessly closed. Immediately after that, a woman staggers towards the shutters. A woman who missed the last train: "I was drinking, at the end of the year party, today." "(Q. Did you want to catch the last train?) I wanted to catch it. I was just a little late." ■"Station of Despair" "Bonds of Oversleeping" in the cold However, even if they had made it to the last train, there were people who could not make it home. Person who overslept: "We kind of overslept. Maybe we were a little too excited." 43 stations north of Shibuya. About an hour and a half by train, Minami-Kurihashi Station in Saitama Prefecture is the "end-of-the-road station." It's just after midnight, and the thermometer in my hand reads 2.5°C. There are no shops or accommodations open late in the area. Taxi driver: "(Q. Is there nothing around?) There's absolutely nothing. There's practically nothing. It's like a station of despair." The last train out of the station arrived around 1am. Outside the station, there were people with nowhere to go. It was hard to catch a taxi. Group of five who overslept: "(Q. Did you miss your train today?) Yes." "We totally fell asleep on the train. That's bad." When I spoke to them, I learned that all five of the people who had been chatting had overslept, and that this was the first time they'd met. When I asked them what the nearest station to their homes was... The group of five who overslept: "Higashi Urawa" "Koshigaya" "Koshigaya" "Sugito Takanodai is the closest" "I'm in Funabashi" The man who was the furthest was supposed to go to Minami-Funabashi Station in Chiba Prefecture from Jimbocho, where the drinking party was held, but he overslept and couldn't transfer, so he ended up in Minami-Kurihashi. The group of five who overslept: "This is my first time here, but what is this place?" "This is my first time here too." "I don't understand." After waiting for a taxi for more than 30 minutes, there it was... The group of five who overslept: "Ah! A taxi!" "Here it comes!" "For that direction, if it's up to about four people, you can ride including the passenger seat." "Koshigaya-Higashi Urawa. Maybe Funabashi can go as far as Koshigaya." "So, shall we get closer, four of us?" We confirmed our destination and shared the car. We headed home. However, only four people can ride in a taxi. The man who was left behind... The person who overslept: "It's okay. It's fine. I'm already used to it." He said, but then he and the man who was waiting behind him... Man: "Where are you going?" Person who overslept: "Kasukabe, right?" Man: "Kasukabe. Then I'll just go home on the way back." Person who overslept: "(Q. Together?) We're going!" A bond was born after oversleeping. The two of them shared a car and went home. ■ Begging the staff: "Please give me a lift." The man sighs deeply. Man who overslept: "Wow, it's going to cost more than 10,000 yen from here." On the way back from the year-end party, he was supposed to get off at Sengendai Station, but ended up at Minami-Kurihashi Station, nine stations away. Man who overslept: "Can you give that person a lift?" The man asks the staff member who is doing an interview to give him a lift. Man who overslept: "Please give me a lift. Please give me a lift! Oh, what should I do, please give me a lift. A taxi... What? Isn't he coming by car?" Staff member: "He's not coming by car." Man who overslept: "Come by car, you're kidding. It's my fault for joking..." In the end, the man waits for a taxi. About 30 minutes later, I was able to get home safely. ■Waking up to Takao "Seriously, where am I?" On the 21st, Takao Station in Hachioji, Tokyo, was bitterly cold. It is 21 stations west of Shinjuku and takes about an hour. The last train heading up the line departs. After a while, people with nowhere to go were seen wandering around the station. Overslept person: "I guess they drank in Tokyo and overslept. Of course, you can't take a taxi from Takao, so it costs quite a bit." A man who lives in the city center. Taking a taxi from Takao Station costs about 20,000 to 30,000 yen. Even if it's just to get home, it's a painful expense. Overslept person: "I have no choice but to wait until the first train." Meanwhile, there is a long line at the taxi stand. Overslept person: "I want to call a taxi and get in, but there's a line." "Is this the only place? Here. It's so long..." He was stunned by the line of people waiting for a taxi. He said he was supposed to get off at Hachioji Station, but overslept. Person who overslept: "I woke up and I was in Takao." "I was like, where am I?" "It's a station I've never seen before." "Where is it, seriously?" "I'll walk home. I'll try my best." "(Q: How long will it take?) It'll probably take about an hour. I'll try my best." With that, he gave up waiting in line for a taxi and walked home. Person who overslept: "Pathetic. I'm a loser..." ■Only two stations left... 1am "Where am I?!" About an hour from Tokyo Station. Kozu Station in Kanagawa Prefecture, more than 70km away. The last train arrives late. Some passengers call out to him, but the man is still asleep. He falls on the train. An announcement on the train station: "All trains from this station for the day have finished." The last train leaves and the station shutters close. The man sits down in front of the station. Man who overslept: (Q. Where did you come from?) Um, let's see... where was I? Kita-Ageo. I had a year-end party and got really drunk. I think I had about four or five cups of sake. It takes about two hours to get from Kita-Ageo Station in Saitama Prefecture to Kozu Station in Kanagawa Prefecture. I was supposed to get off at Hiratsuka, but... Man who overslept: (Q. Did you wake up in Kozu?) I think I fell asleep after he said, 'Next stop: Hiratsuka.' "(Q. How many times already?) Maybe three times." This man... Man who overslept: (Q. Where were you going today?) I had a reunion in Yokohama with some friends from high school. The man attended a class reunion that was being held for the first time in six years. Afterwards, they went to an after-party in Tsujido. Man who overslept: "I remember saying goodbye to my senior in Tsujido and getting on the train." It's only two stops from Tsujido to Hiratsuka, where he lives. However... Man who overslept: "I sat down, slept, and woke up and I was like this. Where am I?" Even though he overslept, the man still seemed to be having fun. Why? Man who overslept: "Well, I overslept on a day when I was having fun drinking, so it was just a mishap in the midst of all the fun." About an hour after calling his family to come and pick him up, the car finally arrived to pick him up. Man who overslept: "(Q. Please be careful on your way home) Thank you very much. Excuse me." ■ Man who won't wake up, his friend brings him a bottle of water... In Shibuya, after the last train had passed, people were making a lot of noise drinking on the street. There was also a scene where a drunk person who couldn't move was taken away in an ambulance. It was 2:30 a.m. and there was a line of over 100 people waiting for a taxi. There were not enough taxis to keep up. As the night went on, the number of people sleeping on the street increased. A man fell asleep next to a police box. Next to him was the entrance to the station with its shutters closed. He somehow managed to get here, but he seemed to have run out of strength. Cameraman: "That's a person." He was sleeping as if he was kneeling, but staggered towards the station. Program staff: "Maybe it's because it's cold, but he's curled up in a gymnastics position. He collapsed. Brother, are you OK?" As the staff called out... Friend: "Oh, my friend, my friend." Staff: "Oh, I'm sorry, I'm sorry." Friend: "No, thank you." The friend came running and took out a plastic bottle. He poured water over his head, which was a little rough, but he seemed to get up somehow. ■Bump on the step The car that crashed into While some people stepped out onto the road to catch a taxi, the reporting team came across a gentleman wandering around Shibuya. The man had his feet on the road and his hands up. He couldn't get a taxi and stumbled off somewhere. Thirty minutes later, around 1:30 a.m., they found the man squatting near the station. He sat at the entrance to the subway and dozed off. When I called out to him... Man: "(Q. Can you go home?) Yes." "(Q. Please be careful on your way home.) Thank you." "(Q. I'm unsteady, are you okay?) Yes." It was just after 2am. The man was still looking for a taxi. He walked to the front of the station while talking on the phone. Then, the next moment, he slipped over a step and fell. He missed the step and crashed into a parked car. He walked unsteadily down the road while talking on the phone, but the car he had crashed into was the one he had ordered. The man wandered around Shibuya for over an hour, before finally getting into his car and leaving. (From "Hatori Shinichi Morning Show" broadcast on December 23, 2024) [TV Asahi News] https://news.tv-asahi.co.jp