Twenty minutes from the Yamanote line, the loop of track that surrounds the heart of Tokyo, I would board the packed train and wedge my way to the end of the car. At the next stop a mass of people would disembark to catch the express, and usually the person sitting directly in front of me was one of them. I would quickly fill their empty seat. Lucky as I was, I more often remember the view while standing, the gradual appearance of fences and signage, bicyclists speeding alongside the train as we slowly approached the station.