Strap Hanging

People in Tokyo hold themselves up in many ways. With as much variety and casual inattention as with everything else in this overgrown city, Tokyoites have perfected one essential, central survival skill -- strap holding on crowded trains.

The standard hold is the "two-handed deliver-me-lord." Common as a sparrow, this interweaving of fingers around the plastic handle is of only passing interest to the specialist. The internal suffering is obvious, but the expressivity extends no farther than an occasional individualized flicking motion and predictable swaying. Still, it's the standard by which all others are measured. The thumbs often unfold to massage acupressure points between the eyes.

The other, more spectacular, two-handed hold is the "post-bacchanalian stabilizer." One hand on the anchoring cross bar and one hand on the strap allows for maximum weave, bounce, and windmilling. Particularly impressive at year-end party season, adepts can twist up to 180 degrees. The more dangerous "double strap hang" allows for even greater degrees of rotation. Be very careful, though, of low-hanging, leaning-over poses. This can signal vomitus.

The "lovelorn arm-around" involves the entire body. The arm, often up to the shoulder, wraps around the vertical bars located, like frames for temple guardians, at either side of the doors. Outcroppings of various body parts, especially chest, belly, or hips, facilitate relaxing into a comfortable, bar-supported lean. Clasping hands around the bar is an alternative, while the full-body support allows for dreamy cell-phone re-checking and occasional sighing.

The "double-jointed gibbon hang" is an especially delicate and lovely hold. The long pull of the four straight fingers forms a perfect set of lines drawing the eyes up toward the ceiling advertisements pinned above like snapshots of heaven. The thumb, as if no longer opposable, tucks behind the fingery tableau to add mystery to elegance. This hold is especially common among female commuters.

While on the issue of gender, the only significant difference in technique between males and females of the commuting species is that women typically use fewer strap techniques because they simply have better balance. Even in high heels. Women who grip, however, make greater use of the adjoining tips of their fingers to enhance a lighter, kneading pressure, while men employ the full palm wrapped firmly around the entire handle. The reasons for this difference in gripping strategy should be obvious.

The "caffeine tap" is an unceasing drum or roll of the fingers on the plastic handle often accompanied by humming or a bass line leaking from the earphones of the strap holder. Similar in youthful exuberance is the "fingernail display hold." The exterior cuticles, often painted magnificently, are framed by the handle, where they wiggle in the air for attention, frequently from the owner herself. The fingers often release the handle to allow for preening dyed hair and fiddling with accessories.

A cousin of the "caffeine tap," the "white knuckler" derives from unknown origins of tightly wrapped psychological intensity. All wrinkles, indeed all blood, is pushed out of the finger. Often the knucklebones seem ready to pop right out of the skin. This grip is often taut enough to remain entirely immobile for hours. Rare, but noteworthy is the "anti-bacterial cringe." This seasonal grip, most often seen in summer, involves a handkerchief, usually light-blue with flower patterns, which is wrapped around the handle. The hand is then placed on top of this protective cloth. The winter version simply employs gloves.

Of delicate demeanor is the "intellectual grasp." More common in the early morning hours, the fingers curl under the strap with the thumb in front, wedging a small pocket-size book just above eye level. Several variations for magazines and newspapers require advanced origami training, but the basics still apply.

Of special pathological interest is the "chikan re-channeling." This is basically an erotic massage of the strap. The hand rubs, fondles, twists, plucks, strokes and caresses the cold, plastic handle in a series of close-eyed gestures. From time to time, the hand opens up wide and full with nostril-flaring release. After a moment of respite, the hand may then begin again squeezing gently.

The "silver bar, angular pull-up" is favored by those who may be among the fittest, but not among the tallest. Here, the angle of lean takes precedence. The exact trigonometric ratios between bar, arm, torso and knees of seated passengers can be intricate. The knees of beginners tend to whack the knees of sitting commuters (even when they don't deserve it).

The "elbow pillow" is one of the most comic of commuting strapholds. Masters focus on leaning fully and heavily into the little crook which nature provides as solution to fatigue, drink and boredom. The neck muscles loosen, while the hip and knee joints unlock at random, spasmodic intervals. With practice, though, anyone can learn to just drift right into deep-elbow REM sleep, staying there station after station. Often to the end of the line. Drooling and tears are common additions.

Less comic is the "chain-gang manacle," which involves two steps: first, the hand goes through the handle past the wrist; then, the fingers ball up into a fist, locking the arm firmly in place. While a rapid stop can twist the handcuffed appendage painfully, this hold clearly captures the incarcerating nature of commuting itself.