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Singer GACKT took to his own X account to criticize people who walk up and down escalators, scolding them with “Are you still walking?? If you’re in that much of a hurry, use the stairs.” In response, 5ch’s Entertainment/Sports Breaking News+ board erupted with pushback — arguments that tight transfer windows leave people no choice but to walk, that the custom of leaving one side open is itself what makes one line so much longer, and even claims that, under building codes, no building could legally exist with escalators but no stairs — reigniting the old standoff between the “walking camp” and the “standing-still camp.”
GACKT Scolds Escalator-Walking Adults: “Are You Still Walking?? If You’re That Much in a Hurry, Use the Stairs” – GguttoNews
Published: November 14, 2026 Updated: November 14, 2026
Singer GACKT updated his own X (formerly Twitter) account on the 14th, sharing his personal take on walking on escalators.
Source: ggtnews.net / Read the original article here
What people said
Why not just wake up 10 minutes earlier?
A lot of people say "just leave home earlier," but it's totally normal to have plenty of buffer time only for a train delay to make it razor-tight
Then leave even earlier
Just pack in two abreast — the line only gets long because everyone insists on riding one at a time
Nah, there's no building with an escalator but no staircase anywhere. Look hard enough and you'll always find one
Under the Building Standards Act and the Fire Service Act,
a building like that legally cannot exist
Don't go sprinting up tight spots, just use the stairs — bunching up at the escalator entrance wastes everyone's time anyway
It just means they're people who plan ahead with time to spare
but with how twisted you are, I guess that's how you'd read it
Like those insanely long subway escalators, right!
And honestly, you're one to talk, Mr. Spindle and G&R yourself
Didn't you learn "leave yourself plenty of time" back in elementary school?
Nope, never
At a station I just use the stairs
It's not like a department store where escalators and elevators are basically the main way around
They should set the speed to match how fast people walk on them
Sure, people would be falling over left and right at the exit, but that's on them
That's a recipe for a domino-effect pile-up and a class-action lawsuit
Taking turns, one side each, is the optimal solution
And in reality, that's basically how it works everywhere in the world
If you're sprinting up the escalator, sure, I get that
But just "walking" up it makes no sense, does it?
If you're going to walk up an escalator,
running up the actual stairs is many times faster anyway
It's faster AND easier than the stairs, come on
If so, he should be saying this to Singaporeans, who normally keep the right side open anyway…
Why doesn't anyone go stand there?
There are stations where the escalator is right in the middle of the platform and the stairs are way out at both ends. Can take like 3 minutes just to reach the stairs.
That's one huge station lol
Is the platform 500 meters long or something?
Like the Chuo Line platform at Tokyo Station — just finding the stairs takes an hour
It's maybe about 100 meters to the stairs. Normally that'd take about a minute, but weaving around people and giving way, it ends up more like 3 minutes.
Oh, so this is about rush-hour crowding?
Then just ride the escalator without walking, like the rules say
Escalators actually stop automatically if there's too much vibration
I've seen it happen — the escalator at Sapporo's Odori subway station just shut down
Background and Key Points of This Debate
Since the late 2010s, Japanese railway operators and some local governments have run campaigns urging riders to “stand in two lines instead of walking,” in response to falls and injuries caused by walking on escalators. Cities like Nagoya and prefectures like Saitama have even passed ordinances banning walking on escalators, but with no penalties attached, enforcement has been limited, and the custom of leaving one side open remains widespread to this day. The thread split along a familiar fault line: those who view walking as a breach of etiquette versus those who weigh in the realities of tight transfer windows and other reasons to be in a hurry — with the latter camp also pointing out the inefficiency of a queue forming on only one side. Worth noting: GACKT himself is mentioned in the thread as currently living in Singapore, where escalator-side customs and pedestrian volume can differ by country and region, though the thread doesn’t dig deeply into that point. The claim that “no building exists with only escalators and no stairs” also came up, but that reflects one poster’s opinion — this article does not attempt to verify its accuracy.
*This article is compiled as an excerpt and summary of the 5ch (Entertainment/Sports Breaking News+) thread “GACKT Scolds Escalator-Walking Adults: “Are You Still Walking?? If You’re That Much in a Hurry, Use the Stairs”.”
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