Standing still on an escalator has become a paid profession in Japan’s city of Nagoya – part of a quirky but earnest campaign to reduce accidents and instil order ahead of an expected surge in visitors for the 2026 Asian Games.
The unconventional job is part of Nagoya’s campaign to promote a local ordinance that went into effect in 2023 that banned people from walking up escalators in train stations, retail facilities and office buildings throughout the city.
Despite an aggressive poster campaign and announcements to advertise the new rule, according to TV Asahi, not enough people are getting the message that escalator users need to stand still for the duration of their journey and there are concerns that people are again going to be injured.
The ordinance was introduced after 125 people sustained injuries in accidents on escalators in 2021, while the city also expects to see an influx of visitors during the 2026 Asian Games, scheduled to run from September 19 to October 4.
Escalator etiquette in Japan has traditionally required that users stand to one side – although, confusingly, the convention in Tokyo and eastern Japan is to stand to the left but in Osaka and the west it is to the right – to allow the impatient or those in a hurry to walk up the free side of the escalator.
When the Nagoya city council passed the new law, it decided not to impose punishments on anyone who fails to follow the regulations, meaning that there are still plenty of people who choose to keep walking once they are on an escalator.
