Japanese Bump

Shitaya Jinja Festival 2012

I have been puzzling over the problem of bumping in Japan for years. 

 

Why is it that Japanese in stations in Tokyo can bounce off each other like Pachinko balls?  This is a culture famous for not touching. Shaking hands is still a novelty, yet on trains, in stations, even on crowded streets people think nothing of bumping into person after person as they progress along.  If you bumped into someone in New York, which can be every bit as crouded as Tokyo, it would run into strong talk or perhaps even blood.

 Why?  It is religion.

Ueno Station May 12, 2012

If you have ever attended a Tokyo matsuri, a Shinto religious festival, you will notice that an integral part of the thing is bumping and bouncing off each other. Not only do people think nothing of it, it is a central to the activity. It is part of the feeling, part of the fun. No excuses made, no surprises, or dirty looks, 200 people hauling a heavy mikoshi down a narrow alley requires, encourages, even embraces bumping. Even passers-by, innocent bystanders, expect bumping.