終電
Abbreviation (japanese love abbreviations!) for the japanese word "saishuu densha" which means the
last train. Usually the last trains run between the hours of 11:30PM and 12:30AM.
(saishuu = the very last) (densha = train)
A part of the almost daily traditional routine of the hardworking salaryman, or kyuuryou dorobou in my case, is to ride the last train home. Is it because they spent the whole evening working in the office? NOOOO! Take a smell and you will see that they are all stinking drunk! And they were lucky enough to have:
- not passed out in or around the izakaya
- not passed out in or around the train station
- Accomplished the amazing feat of getting on the shuuden
Riding the "last train" is truly a wonderful part of japanese culture and carries a great honor. However, riding the last train without being under the influence of alcohol is not considered to be a "true" act of shuuden. That just shows you are just working too hard.
I cannot count how many times I have been able to take part in this traditional ritual since hitting legal drinking age. I am well learned in shuuden because of my studies in classic lines such as Odakyu, Yamanote, Denentoshi, Yokohama, Toyoko, Keihan, Keiyou, and Chuo. And have studied in the temples of Tokyo, Shibuya, Shinjuku, and Yokohama. I have even gone as far as to study in Umeda and Shinsaibashi.
So, what happens when you miss the "last train"? Experience tells me, in no particular order:
- Go drink till morning (and possibly practice the art of hashigo)
- Sleep in, at, or around the izakaya
- Sleep in, at, or around the train station
- Go to a love hotel (in the case of nanpa!) or capsule hotel
- Taxi riding time. (the most I ever spent was about $120 from Roppongi to Kawasaki)
- Put on your walking shoes
- Call someone who has a car
- Drop by that old friends apartment to see how he/she is doing.
The word shuuden is written in kanji. It is written in Japanese fonts at the top of this writeup so you might experience mojibake.