Don't Say I Didn't Warn Ya'...

I'm in the throws of one of my twice/thrice annual 'Japan, You Bother Me' phases, but it's nothing that being on a four day weekend with guitars, beer, and snow can't cure (I hope!). I've referred to this in the past, the moment when I suddenly run out of tolerance and all the things I find quirky and cool about living in this wonderful country suddenly piss me off to no end. This inevitably means that I have a return to western civilization in the near future, and my mind has unconsciously decided that it's going to be done with Japan ahead of time.

That said, Japan is putting up a fight and trying to remind me that despite my mind's protestations, I really do love this country's idiosyncrasies (among its other assets).

Case in point: At long last (I will not rant!!) they've begun fixing the leaky roof above our offices at school. In preparation they erected a whole mess of scaffolding so the construction crew (I'm not entirely sure what the hell they are actually doing) can get up to the roof, though I see a lot of them taking the elevator up and then climbing through windows. The point being that here in Japan, where there is construction, there is ample signage alerting the public to the dangers of said construction. Japanese signs are always cool, even when you can't read them (like me), because they usually have funny pictures.

At ground level there is a caged off entrance to the scaffolding, and it is here, in a series of signs that I find highly amusing, that Japan's rigid, rule/law governed society, meets head on with its over the top polite approach to everything (this is a country where restaurant servers often apologize for bringing you the food you ordered).

And so, in an effort to prevent society from entering the construction zone, we get this progression:

First, the politeness. We apologize for the hideous fact that this construction zone exists, and for any inconvenience it may cause you. It will be gone in a while. We are so very, very, very, very, very, very, very, sorry.



Then, the pleading. You can't go in!! It's DANGEROUS in there!!



And then it hits the fan. Construction man is frowning.



I wish I'd taken a wider shot to give some context, because these three signs are basically right next to each other. Notice how the first sign has a very long and formal explanation/apology, the second is a bit shorter, and the third is a very terse statement akin to 'Do not enter.'

They go the extra mile here to avoid ruffling feathers, which is a wonderful thing. But i can be a strange bird every now and then.