Tweet of the Week #98: Saxophone Players Serenade Midnight Passengers Stranded at Shinjuku Station

Japanese trains are known worldwide for their punctuality, but Tokyo commuters would tell you another story. The major lines connecting the capital to its neighboring prefectures (Chiba, Saitama, Kanagawa) are often delayed by technical difficulties, weather, and sadly, human accidents—very often a soft way to refer to suicide by train.

One September evening, the last train of the Odakyu line, which leaves at half past midnight, got terribly delayed after an accident involving a possible human casualty. Lots of passengers on their way home, tired after a hard workday, ended up stranded on the Shinjuku Station platform with nothing to do but scroll on their phones. Their misfortune was shared by the station staff too, unable to clock out until the last train could depart with all the passengers safely on board.

An improvised concert to warm up the atmosphere

Waiting for a delayed train is no fun, but when you read the word 人身事故（じんしんじこ (an accident resulting in a casualty) on the announcement board, things get dark and you know you’re in to wait for at least an hour.

The mood on the platform would have turned grim if not for the spontaneity of two skilled saxophone players who felt they had a duty to warm up the atmosphere for everyone.

午前2時
人身事故で止まった小田急終電
ホームでうなだれる乗客のみなさん

サックス奏者の為すべきことは唯一つ pic.twitter.com/HTsz38rgDa

— 奥野祐樹 / Sax (@ojisax) September 13, 2020

午前2時（ごぜんにじ）

人身事故（じんしんじこ）で止（と）まった小田急（おだきゅう（））終電（しゅうでん）

ホームでうなだれる乗客（じょうきゃく）のみなさん

サックス奏者（そうしゃ）の為（な）すべきことは唯一つ（ただひとつ）

=

“2:00 AM

The last train on the Odakyu line is stopped because of a fatal accident. [Playing is] the only thing a saxophone player should do for passengers drooling on the platform.”

https://twitter.com/ojisax/status/1305265974220787713?s=20

終電ストップした新宿（しんじゅく）午前2時！！！温（あたた）かく見守（みまも）ってくれた、駅（えき）ホームのみなさんありがとうございました！！！そして何（なに）より駅員（えきいん）のみなさん、本当（ほんとう）にお疲（つか）れ様（さま）でした

楽器（がっき）持（も）って立（た）ったらそれはもうどこだってステージってわけハイ最高（さいこう）

=

“Shinjuku at 2 a.m., where the last train stopped! To everyone on the platform who warmly watched over us, thank you! And above all, thank you to all the train station staff. If you stand with your music instrument, everywhere becomes a stage.”

How to use the Japanese suffix べき to indicate an obligation

Japanese learners ought to know the mighty suffix べき enough not to use it lightly.

Indeed, this Japanese suffix carries a very strong connotation of a duty-like obligation. You express how strongly you believe something should be done/someone should do something. べき is a degree stronger than the expression した方がいい (“it’s better to…”) and translates as “must/ought/need to do” (or “mustn’t/shouldn’t” in a negative sentence).

Use this formula to use the suffix properly: plain form (or dictionary form) verb + べき + だ/です.

Examples

サックス奏者（そうしゃ）の為（な）すべきことは唯一つ（ただひとつ = The only thing a saxophone player should do.

社会（しゃかい）は子供達（こどもたち）を守（まも）るべきです = Society should protect children.

人（ひと）を見た目（め）で判断（はんだん）すべきではない = We shouldn’t judge people based on appearances.

It’s worth noting that in a past sentence, the べき suffix will convey a strong regret for something that was done (or not done) because of the fallout it caused.

もっと注意（ちゅうい）すべきだった = We should have been more careful.

Vocabulary

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