Cute Tokyo Metro posters remind commuters to behave
Passengers might think twice before blaring music, sneezing on strangers, or falling asleep drunk on the subway with these charming posters spotted in Japan.
Many commuters loathe riding on public transportation because of the rude and rowdy behavior of other passengers who treat the confined spaces as their own private living rooms. Blaring music too loudly through headphones, talking loudly on cell phones, eating smelly foods, and falling asleep on the shoulders of strangers have become common occurrences on every train, bus, and subway in the United States.
Commuter etiquette is something of an art form in Japan, however, if anything can be deduced from these delightful posters designed for the Tokyo Metro.
Each poster, a different design published every month since April 2013 and ending in March 2014, depicts a behavioral faux pas that we've all witnessed on public transportation, such as playing music too loudly via headphones or attempting to squeeze through the closing doors of a train.
The heart design in the posters represents "compassion and concern," according to the English translation on the Tokyo Metro Web site.
Many of the commuter problems shown in the posters depict behaviors we all see so often that we're used to them -- people staring at their iPads, getting smacked in the face by giants backpack, or eating food next to other passengers.
Some actions seem almost humorous in poster form. "Don't be a drunk salary man falling asleep on others" looks like a movie poster designed by Saul Bass for a romantic comedy, whereas "Don't run over the Achilles' heels of old ladies with your roller suitcase on the subway platform" is begging to become an Internet meme.
Some of the posters coincide with weather conditions, as with the June rainy season of Japan and its corresponding poster reminding people not to let their wet umbrellas drip on other passengers, especially annoyed little kids.
The beauty of these posters is that you don't need to be fluent in Japanese to understand each message. Though, for some horror fans, the poster reminding passengers to wear masks over their mouths if sick looks more like an ominous message of a zombie plague where unibrow children are the only survivors. But maybe that's just me.
(Via Fast Company)