Seventeen railway operators in greater Tokyo area set new standards in mobile phone "manners"

• New standard to our advice on using your mobile phone on board (in Japanese), Keio Railway News Release 29/8/03.
  (http://www.keio.co.jp/news/newsr/index030829v01.htm)

I think this is the reflection of how a society accepts a new way of communication. It is, surely, a lengthy process.

It is, fortunately or not, a worldwide problem. In 1996, when I was travelling on an IC train in Denmark, a red-faced old man was furious at a younger businessman who was loudly talking over a mobile in a first-class compartment with "Silence" sign. The old man eventually called the guard, who actually came through and warned the businessman but failed to stop him. The businessman even talked to me, who apparently looked like a traveller, about the reason why the train is stuck, which actually annoyed me even further. In UK ... well, being already in the 21st century probably made people used to it; I have seen nobody complaining "on the spot" about other people's use of mobiles. However, there are compartments with "No mobile" sign, which means there should have been many complaints.

One thing that surprised me here in the UK was ... the use of mobile phone on the train with hands-free devices! I am even scared by this, it just looks crazy in the first sight...