Stressed in Korea? Get your Blood Pressure Checked at the Seoul Metro!

Today was my last day in Korea, and while taking the 3 hour long trip from my campus to the center of Seoul I was thinking that there could impossibly be anything worth experiencing on this trip that I have gone through so many times. But I couldn't have been more mistaken. When I got onto the blue line at Hoegi station I quickly realized that the interior looked quite different from what I had seen before in Korea. The usual row of seats had been placed, and instead there were a section where travelers could get a medical checkup and health advices from a doctor.

Some of the travelers even got their blood pressure measured while on the metro. I was thinking that this might have been one effect of the so-called "aging society" that also Korea is experiencing right now. Getting their blood pressure measured on the metro might also be a good solution for tired businessmen who spend the most of their days and evenings at the working place. Must be pretty stressful.

One of the the guys giving health advices to the travelers started talking to me, and he told me that he was going to work until 10 pm that evening. Oh, the East Asian working system! The word karōshi says it all (過労死/かろうし/과로사- death by exhaustion).

You can even get some healthy food on the metro these days it seems...

This did indeed turn out to be a memorable trip with the metro! Who knows what I'll experience next.. Anyway, new adventures in Japan are waiting for me ;) ciao!

About Anette
Anette came to Japan as an exchange student in 2010, met the love of her life and got stuck. From her base in Tokyo she writes about her experiences as a full-time worker in Tokyo and about her travels in Japan and abroad. She's a free-spirited adventurer who enjoys both the great outdoors and her urban lifestyle.