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I've heard people say that, but I find it hard to believe. I think I'd go nuts. And sure, they don't take 10 minutes to pass, but the busy lines (like the Seibu line I mentioned) are running at least 2-3 trains every 10 minutes, so they might as well be continuous.

The houses built next to the crossing points, in particular, have always boggled my mind. BING BING BING BING BING....

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I noticed when I visited Japan that the crossing chimes quieten once the barriers have fully lowered.

Just another example of Japanese attention to detail and human oriented design.

Not where I am standing right now!

(I mean, maybe you’re right in some places, but it’s certainly not everywhere. Ironically, I happened to be standing next to a completely empty crossing, gates down, bonging away, while reading your comment.)

The nearest crossings where I live indeed stop the chimes when the barriers have been lowered. This doesn't actually make much of a difference really, because the train arrives only a few seconds after, and, because it's a local line, there are never more than three cars in the train so it passes very quickly.

Not that I'm bothered by the chimes at all. And grandson loves them.

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