A few days ago, a friend and I were rushing to catch our usual train. When we reached the platform, she shushed me as someone made an announcement (in Japanese of course) over the speakers. Afterwards, she tells me casually, "the train is late. Somebody committed suicide." I froze for a moment with my eyes wide open and my mouth hanging. I can't even point out which one shocked me the most-- the fact that such an incident is still announced to the public... Or the reaction (or lack of) of the general public to this kind of announcement. I already know how common suicide cases are in Japan, but this one struck a different chord.
My friend told me that this is a common reason for delayed trains and advised to listen to announcements in the future. The term for it is "jinshinjiko" or if translated directly, "human body accident". It's a euphemism, though everyone understands that it means suicide. If it's a failed suicide or if someone dropped something accidentally on the tracks, a different announcement would be made.
My mind was blown.
