So many people to do such a simple job. Many people think that Japan is super crazy high-tech and efficient, but it really isn’t. Japan seems to do most things by working harder and longer and not necessarily more efficiently.

In the JR train stations near where I’m staying, it’s taking four people to install red and white reflective stickers to make it easier to see where the emergency train stop buttons are located on the train platform.

One guy to flag, I’m not sure why, but it seems to be a rule that there must be a flagger anytime work is being done around trains, even if there’s no risk of actually being hit by a train.

One guy to actually do the work and install the sticker.

One guy to supervise, like supervisors everywhere, he just stood there and watched the worker installing the stickers.

One guy to inspect, once the sticker was was stuck, he came over to check that the work was done correctly. He actually had a ruler and was measuring the sticker placement.

Hard at work in a JR train station