Men in suits and work coats sleep shoulder to shoulder on a packed train bound for Tokyo, 1964. Heads rest on folded arms and masks cover weary faces in this frozen moment of fatigue.
Captured by Swiss photographer Nicolas Bouvier, the image illustrates the quiet exhaustion of postwar Japanβs salarymen, many of whom faced long commutes and grueling hours during the countryβs economic miracle.
Did you know? By the 1960s, Japanβs Tokaido Line had become the busiest rail corridor in the world, moving millions daily between Osaka and Tokyo as urbanization reshaped modern life.
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