Re: Random Japanese Signs

[Coligny]

Why would you keep left to make a U-turn ? To do like a motorbike right turn at an intersection ?

I can't tell if you're trying to be funny or if that's a serious question?

Underestinating the probability that you are involved in an exchange with a confused complete moron can lead to a misallocation of ammunitions, waste of firepower, and other ressources as well as exposing exploitable flaws in the workflow of your intelligence material collection and decision making process.

Translashiun (without the sad attempt at repetitive rythmic writing)

What the fuck ya mean with dem' U-turn ?

[Samurai_Jerk]

Why would you keep left to make a U-turn ? To do like a motorbike right turn at an intersection ?

I can't tell if you're trying to be funny or if that's a serious question?

Underestinating the probability that you are involved in an exchange with a confused complete moron can lead to a misallocation of ammunitions, waste of firepower, and other ressources as well as exposing exploitable flaws in the workflow of your intelligence material collection and decision making process.

Translashiun (without the sad attempt at repetitive rythmic writing)

What the fuck ya mean with dem' U-turn ?

Still can't tell.

[wagyl]

#2 - he thinks the sign is incapable of displaying kanji, it being made up of individual lights... in 2015.

He might be right if it is one of those types of signs. Or at least it might be incapable of rendering readable kanji.

If such is the case, may I suggest ひだりへ? Or if necessary ヒダリヘ?

[matsuki]

I thought I posted about this a few weeks ago....saw non-LED 「キープレフト」 signs coming back from Narita. While I do think most (young) Japanese understand the meaning, I agree with Wags that these are yet another unnecessary sign/distraction to add....and can't help but wonder how the authority thinks it's a good idea to use katakana foreign words for official traffic signage. Idiot marketing with Engrish is one thing but the Traffic Authority? We soooo need to try to create some "new" Engrish words and see how long it takes for them to bceome "Japanese."

[Coligny]

I thought I posted about this a few weeks ago....saw non-LED 「キープレフト」 signs coming back from Narita. While I do think most (young) Japanese understand the meaning, I agree with Wags that these are yet another unnecessary sign/distraction to add....and can't help but wonder how the authority thinks it's a good idea to use katakana foreign words for official traffic signage. Idiot marketing with Engrish is one thing but the Traffic Authority? We soooo need to try to create some "new" Engrish words and see how long it takes for them to bceome "Japanese."

レムル

Just sayin'

[matsuki]

I think ラックーン might work...

[Coligny]

Turtleshell Kelche Kitteh say's : Fuck y'all...

image.jpg

(And as her vet godmother always say...tanoki mitai...)

[Samurai_Jerk]

I thought I posted about this a few weeks ago....saw non-LED 「キープレフト」 signs coming back from Narita. While I do think most (young) Japanese understand the meaning, I agree with Wags that these are yet another unnecessary sign/distraction to add....and can't help but wonder how the authority thinks it's a good idea to use katakana foreign words for official traffic signage. Idiot marketing with Engrish is one thing but the Traffic Authority? We soooo need to try to create some "new" Engrish words and see how long it takes for them to bceome "Japanese."

ドンマイ

[yanpa]

オケイバイミー

[matsuki]

トーフーイーター

[Taro Toporific]

Is July's Tokyo Metro "manner" poster for:
1) Anti-cosplay on the trains, or
2) Prohibiting French aristocracy from using public transport?

metro-poster-july-2015_2.jpg

[Coligny]

No, I think it's against courtisane in public transports...

https://fr.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Courtisan
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Courtesan

(Tl/dr: courtisane: a hooker who can read. So -[whoever have the need to feel offended]-'s mom is safe)
(One day tokyometro will find your torpedoing handywork and sue your sorry ass...)

[wagyl]

(One day tokyometro will find your torpedoing handywork and sue your sorry ass...)

Whatever Taro's past crimes, I think he is safe this time http://www.metrocf.or.jp/manners/manner-poster.html

[matsuki]

I thought I posted about this a few weeks ago....saw non-LED 「キープレフト」 signs coming back from Narita. While I do think most (young) Japanese understand the meaning....

I was wrong....quick survey of the non-English speaking drivers I know and none of them knew what it meant.

[Samurai_Jerk]

I thought I posted about this a few weeks ago....saw non-LED 「キープレフト」 signs coming back from Narita. While I do think most (young) Japanese understand the meaning....

I was wrong....quick survey of the non-English speaking drivers I know and none of them knew what it meant.

Did you just ask, "What does Keepu Refto mean?" Or did you put it in context?

[matsuki]

In context...apparently they all associate キープ with saving/not spending or getting rid of etc. レフト some guessed but most had no idea what it meant....when I explained the meaning of the sign, it just led to more confusion. "Why would we want to stay to the left?" (The curve I saw the signs on had no reason to tell drivers to stay to the left...double down on the WTF factor. Keep left for the off ramp or something like that would be reasonable but just "Keep left?")

[Mike Oxlong]

I thought I posted about this a few weeks ago....saw non-LED 「キープレフト」 signs coming back from Narita. While I do think most (young) Japanese understand the meaning....

I was wrong....quick survey of the non-English speaking drivers I know and none of them knew what it meant.

Did you just ask, "What does Keepu Refto mean?" Or did you put it in context?

How much hand-holding do you think they need? Wait...never mind.

[Samurai_Jerk]

I thought I posted about this a few weeks ago....saw non-LED 「キープレフト」 signs coming back from Narita. While I do think most (young) Japanese understand the meaning....

I was wrong....quick survey of the non-English speaking drivers I know and none of them knew what it meant.

Did you just ask, "What does Keepu Refto mean?" Or did you put it in context?

How much hand-holding do you think they need? Wait...never mind.

I think that even with a fair number of native English speakers if you suddenly asked what "keep left" meant without context their reaction would be, "What the fuck are you talking about?"

Anyway, it sounds like those signs are a big failure either way. I'll start asking people and see what kind of results I get.

[wagyl]

Keep Left is perfectly understandable to this native English speaker from a place where they drive on the correct side of the road (as opposed to the right side of the road). The problem is that it is shorthand for "keep in the left lane unless overtaking" which is more finely nuanced than just "get to the left." In other words, it is a direction to not sit in the right hand lane if the left hand lane is free, to avoid blocking faster traffic. The wikipedia article Mr Jerk linked to was pretty careful in explaining it, but I doubt many who see キープレフト know all that information.

[matsuki]

but I doubt many who see キープレフト know all that information.

Definitely not if they can't figure out what the katakana means....why Japanese people?!

[Samurai_Jerk]

Keep Left is perfectly understandable to this native English speaker from a place where they drive on the correct side of the road (as opposed to the right side of the road). The problem is that it is shorthand for "keep in the left lane unless overtaking" which is more finely nuanced than just "get to the left." In other words, it is a direction to not sit in the right hand lane if the left hand lane is free, to avoid blocking faster traffic. The wikipedia article Mr Jerk linked to was pretty careful in explaining it, but I doubt many who see キープレフト know all that information.

In the *US a Keep Right sign means everyone keep right because lanes of traffic are going to merge. If it's in the sense you're talking about it says "Slower Traffic Keep Right." Slower traffic is supposed to keep right anyway.

keeparrowright.jpg

slower-traffic-keep-right-road-sign.png

* May vary by state

EDIT: Forgot about this one:

Keep_Right_Except_to_Pass.png

but I doubt many who see キープレフト know all that information.

Definitely not if they can't figure out what the katakana means....why Japanese people?!

Did you ask them to break down the etymology of the word or did you just ask what you're supposed to do when you see this sign on the highway?

[wagyl]

Slower traffic is supposed to keep right anyway.

Precisely. I think a blinking キープレフト will have much the same necessity, and effect, as a blinking 車間守れ.

[matsuki]

Good post SJ! I could be wrong but I swear the curve I was on when I saw the signs was only a single lane interchange so it made fuck all sense to me. I guess I see the logic in Wags explanation but as you posted, most of the time in the US, I only saw these signs when merging or when approaching an onramp/offramp and they didn't want idiots driving onto the highway via the offramp. (another annoying Japaneeeeze traffic sign debacle where they insist on posting up those red w/ white bar "Do Not Enter" signs confusingly visible to drivers at the entrance of on ramps)

but I doubt many who see キープレフト know all that information.

Definitely not if they can't figure out what the katakana means....why Japanese people?!

Did you ask them to break down the etymology of the word or did you just ask what you're supposed to do when you see this sign on the highway?

Asked what they thought it meant when they saw it on a highway, when they didn't know, I asked them if they knew what it meant at all. Then the individual words, then explained and asked if they thought it was a good idea. (nobody thought it was)

[Samurai_Jerk]

When I saw the original post with キープレフト I thought it meant lanes were merging not that slower traffic should keep left so my instinctual understanding and probably that of a lot of other Americans is different from Wagyl's.

[Taro Toporific]

Former FG "Caustic Saint" writes from Kanagawa:
"Because who wouldn’t love getting fresh bluebellies from their garden!"

blue-bellies.jpg

[chibaka]

Not exactly a sign.... but can't find a random T shirt thread..On sale in Sanki if interested

IMG_20150612_172942 (Medium).jpg

[chibaka]

Can't beat frannel eh? Ito Yokado special

IMG_20141104_154312 (Medium).jpg

[chibaka]

Pass it where exactly?........

IMG_20130515_082958_578 (Medium).jpg

[kurogane]

When I saw the original post with キープレフト I thought it meant lanes were merging not that slower traffic should keep left so my instinctual understanding and probably that of a lot of other Americans is different from Wagyl's.

My gut reaction was that it was that weird Safety Mind thing where they assumed that people coming thorugh Narita had been in Gaikoku and so needed reminding. Do I need to remind anybody on which side they drive in Gaikoku??? Any British airport has HUGE signs just like it in 24 languages. Which is a good idea. PS They all love that shit. It reaffirms just when they need reinforcement. I think they all pee just a little at the sight.

Wagyl's made the most sense, but there used to be a Japanese sign for that. 右線は追い越し専用 or some such. In the mountains north of where he lives. When they used to only have a passing lane every 15 kms. Probably something to do with 2020 and the need to make signs multilingual.

[chibaka]

Probably something to do with 2020 and the need to make signs multilingual.

Writing signs in katakana is considered multilingual? Whatever happened to universally understood signs like this? Hard to create in light bulbs maybe...

Japan_road_sign_311-F-L.svg (Small).png