The Seven Minute Miracle vol.1

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※This article was published at

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Hi, I’m Maru-chan.  I love trains so much!

I saw a group of people lined up with bags at the Tokyo Station Shinkansen Platform.  They’re all wearing uniforms, so they’re probably employees... but what are they doing?

The Japanese shinkansen are famous for the cleanliness of the seats and bathrooms.  Thousands of people use the trains every day, so it’s inevitable that the train cars would have trash and food.  Thus, every time the train stops at Tokyo Station, the interior gets cleaned.

BUT!! When Shinkansen arrive at Tokyo Station, they only stop for 10 minutes, until they turn depart again… that means there’s only about 7 minutes for cleaning!  In 7 minutes, one person must ready an entire train car (approx. 100 seats).  Readying a train car not only means cleaning, but it also means flipping the seat direction, changing the sear covers, wiping down the handrails – not one seat can be overlooked!

This super-efficient and speedy cleaning is called “the 7-minute miracle,” and has garnered attention from many countries around the world.

When the team finishes cleaning, they line up along the train platform and bow in uniform.  Passengers are often struck by this and burst into applause.

The Japanese have high standards of quality of service… but the numbers of claims among the 50 million seats that are cleaned every year are a mere 5!

When you visit Tokyo Station, be sure to witness this level of service and the Japanese “omotenashi.”