Pointing and Calling.
While on the train from Nagoya to Takayama and also today from Kyoto to Nara I had a chance to observe Japanese train drivers at work. More entertaining than the pretty view you get from sitting in the front row of the first carriage are the gestures of the guy operating the beast.
Throughout the journey, in about 20-30 seconds frequencies, the driver made abrupt, energetic gestures, pointing forward at something on the tracks and occasionally at a print-out or the display in front of him. While I couldn’t hear him, I saw that his gestures were accompanied by what seemed like some sort of instructions or commands he gave himself.
I loved watching him. He was 100% focused. The pointing gestures had a touch of military drills. He was clearly in charge and took every second of his job seriously. Though, admittedly, it looked a little silly to a stranger like me. (See what I’m talking about?)
So, what was he doing? Some research reveals that the technique of “Pointing and Calling” is a widely used method in Japan to lower the error rate in industrial processes. The idea is to point at important signals and messages and then repeat them out loud to stay alert. According to some studies this helps reduce mistakes by up to 85%.
When I was younger, I was allowed to join a family-friend for a day at work - he is a train driver in Germany. The control panel had several large, red buttons placed at various spots in the driver’s cabin. An annoying beeping sound would go off roughly every 30 seconds that could only be silenced by pressing one of those buttons. If it wasn’t pressed within 5 seconds or so, the emergency brakes would kick in and the whole train would come to an abrupt halt.
Apparently the Japanese pointing and calling method wasn’t accepted in the West, because people felt silly talking to themselves and pointing at the obvious. So, they went for a deafening beep. Sure, the beeping prevents fatigue-related accidents more reliably, but I definitely prefer the gestures, if only for the joy of watching them. :)
(Also happening on bullet trains).
