5/17/2005

“Don’t take up too much room with your newspaper!” it says at the top. Both in Japanese and in English. And then, Elmo emphasizes again, just in case: “Fold your newspaper!”, with an exclamation mark again, this time in English first, then in Japanese. I am not sure if the use of English is because non-Japanese are perceived as metro hogs or if it is the Sesame Street effect but nevertheless this poster found in the Tokyo Metro network makes sure everyone understands that space is scarce and respect of others makes life easier for everyone.

I have never been disturbed by somebody’s newspaper in the train in Tokyo. Noise yes, smell a lot, and people who get in while you try to get out too, of course, but never someone who was taking too much space with a newspaper. The thing is, more often than not, it would be impractical for someone with a newspaper to read it without folding it, considering the usual crowd in trains pretty much all the time.

So, is it only me or is it a new trend? Should I go into conspiracy theories about how the government tries to make people believe things and forget about others by using colorful happy characters? Well, I am just glad there is more bilingual information around.