Retreating from a bad marriage and an abusive husband, Mai finds refuge in Tokyo's trains, riding them every day. It's her base from which to explore not only the deprivations in her life but also those of her female friends and relatives. The author aptly uses her subway data as a metaphor for all that's wrong for women in Japanese society. Mai deals with a friend's suicide, while reaching out to homeless women. She also develops a keen anthropological eye for the subculture with its designer T-shirts, shopping malls, and two stuffed Panda bears at the Lost and Found. Having been a graduate student at Keio University, Wolbers knows her trains. Finally, in its most literal sense, she takes on the 'system' and wins."

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