“We are being dragged deeper into the real world, which I define as the world that contains trains. Nothing can be more quintessentially representative of twentieth-century civilization than the steam train. It roars along, packed tight with hundreds of people in one box, merciless in its progress, and all those hundreds crammed in there must travel at the same speed, stop at the same places, and submit to a baptismal submersion in the same swirling steam. Some say that people ride in a train, but I would say they are thrust into it; some speak of “going” by train but it seems to me they are transported by it.
Whenever I see one of those fierce trains hurtling along, treating all on board indiscriminately as so much freight, and mentally balance the individuals crammed in there against the train’s utter disregard for their individuality-I can only say, Watch out, this could be nasty if you’re not careful. Modern civilization in fact reeks of such dangers. The steam train hurtling blindly into the darkness ahead is simply one of them.”
Natsume Sōseki, “Kusamakura”, 1906.
A Bird's Eye View of Fashion, Food, Travel, Culture, Beverage and Curiosity 