I posted this picture on fb from my iPhone (from the Harajuku train station platform in Tokyo), and it attracted a number of comments. It's direct simplicity and charm grabbed my attention immediately -- a very effective esthetic for a warning sign. No slashed-red-circle, or postured olympic stick figures. A delicate, evocative siloutte, instead. I love the balance of it -- the train-master's kindly lean, the counterbalance of the retrieval device. The classic style of the ribboned hat, and the girl's pigtails - very Japanese and universal at once. And her posture... bent knees and arms that capture her distress perfectly. I can't think of a more charming piece of signage.
I had another quintessential cultural moment (entirely unrelated) at the Coffee Factory in Tsukuba last weekend. This is the place where they hand-sort their coffee beans to assure the quality they offer their customers. The level of latte art is also the highest in my personal experience. They occasionally do the cutesy stuff (more girls in pigtails, or kitties), but what I like is the elegant swirled-tree figures that are poured, not drawn.
The previous weekend I had made my pilgrimage and, while paying, had dropped a coin that rolled under a counter. Of course, they apologized for my clumsiness, but I waved it away and bowed and left smiling. This week, 8 days later, paying for my latte, there was a plastic bag waiting for me with a note written on it, with a 100 yen coin in it. I laughed and smiled and bowed my way out. The honesty is gratifying, but the care is what knocks me out.
