Left to right

[damn name]

Anyone know the year writing changed from right-to-left to left-to-right? Was it in the 1950's? Was it a mandated change that took place on a certain date, like changing traffic direction on Okinawa after the reversion in the 1970's?

Just curious about it, if anyone knows off hand.

[Greji]

Anyone know the year writing changed from right-to-left to left-to-right? Was it in the 1950's? Was it a mandated change that took place on a certain date, like changing traffic direction on Okinawa after the reversion in the 1970's?

Just curious about it, if anyone knows off hand.

I recall that when it was made there was a period announced. I believe it was six months after the reversion, but don't hold me to that. As I remember the reversion occurred in May of 1971 and there was to be a short period for the change over of driving. It was obviously a bigger job then they thought. Not only did they have to move all the signs, they had to change them into Japanese. All traffic signs were in English prior to that. Even the stop signs were the US octagonal red stop sign.

At any rate, somewhere from within the fog comes the number 7777, which I think was the actual date that driving began on the left side of the road. July 7, 1977, some five years after the actual revision. Some much for short periods.

I will stand by any corrections you find for this, because there have been many, many pints and shots downed since then, so I am just lucky to remember that Okinawa was once US territory, let alone where it is located (I think it is just south of Coligny's bunker, but I'm not sure.)

[cstaylor]

... and here I thought this thread was going to be about escalator manners between eastern and western Japan.

[damn name]

Thanks, but I understand about the driving transition in Okinawa. After the preparations, the changeover occurred at midnight one night.

My question was about writing. Japanese was written right-to-left (when written horizontal) until some time after the war. I was wondering if someone knows about that.

[Mike Oxlong]

Not any more than is what is already on Wikipedia...

[damn name]

Thanks for the link. I, like perhaps many of you, think there was probably some government mandate about the change, but it could have been something that just evolved.

So many signs, placards and inscriptions from the war were r-t-l. I was looking at some historical cutaway and explosion drawings of Japanese aircraft and every label was r-t-l.

[Doctor Stop]

Technically Japanese was, and never was, written right to left. It can be written top to bottom, right to left, which has the side effect of making some titles, signs, etc. appear to be written right to left when there's nothing below the first column.

That's my understanding of it.

[damn name]

Sorry, but you're mistaken. Single phrases were written right to left up until some time after the war, including shop names, station signs and markings on aircraft and ships. Commemorative markings on plates and cups were right to left.

[Mike Oxlong]

According to what was on Wikipedia, signs and whatnot were considered a special case of writing in columns, with each column one character long, in the traditional top-down right-to-left mold.

[damn name]

You can see right to left signs even on the Carnation drama on TV right now. I'll try to find some photo examples.

Added: Also WWII battle flag inscriptions were right to left if not vertical.

[Yokohammer]

[Mike Oxlong]

[damn name]

OK. The logic of explaining it that way is strange to me, but all logic in Japan is backwards anyway. So, I guess it fits?

[cstaylor]

[Yokohammer]

[Doctor Stop]

[damn name]

The trucks and ship names type things are a little different. That would be on the right side only to show the beginning of the words toward the direction the vehicle or vessel is moving - reading from front to rear.