Japan begins introducing English road signs ahead of Olympics

There are roughly 1.7 million stop signs and 1,000 slowdown signs in Japan, according to the National Police Agency.

Doesn't matter what language they put them in, until the cops start cracking down on the idiots who don't stop or don't slow down, it aint gonn a matter much.

And btw, what the hell is a "slow down" sign? I've seen plenty of "yield" signs, but slow down?

Slow down signs are common here too. More like an suggestion though.

Wrong fairly easy to understand and find properties once explained (google has it).

Plenty of road names in my area but no street numbers.

In my small city they just put up a lot of new signs in English and at least half of them have mistakes on them. For example "Lest" (for rest stop), "Katikan" (when it should be "Kachikan"), "Sharp Cerb" (for sharp curves) etc.

The city office has ALTs working in the same building as the road sign department but they never bother to ask them to check the English.

It ends up making my city look stupid. Some of my Japanese friends who know English pretty well notice the mistakes, too. It's embarrassing.

Sounds like a government push for support from sign makers. Are tourists actually driving?

Speedo otose are not real road signs but attached to lamp posts.

Many tourists drive but are happy with current J-Signs.

For Bertie:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_addressing_system

Aren't all traffic signs just suggestions? ;)

Appear to be here.

Look at the Bicycle Stop markings painted here none cares. Nor to the care that riding on pavements, etc is illegal now.

speed:

What the heck is kachikan? I don't think t or ch is the problem.

@Pukey2 What the heck is "t or ch"?

Anyone know who owns the sign manufacture... same guys how own the cement companies?

speed:

I may have come off as a bit rude although that wasn't my intention. I was just wondering what kachikan was　（価値観?)

It seems that gokai_wo_maneku was p*ssed off on your behalf. It would have helped if (s)he made an attempt to read what you wrote.

I often go to a nice Japanese garden and they have signs telling people where XXX lake is, or where certain flowers are. But instead of writing signs saying 'To XXX...' they have 'It goes to XXX...' They have English and Chinese pamphlets (which I would imagine are written correctly), so it seems odd they made this basic mistake. Obviously computer-translated in the 1990's.

The Chinese government is now getting strict about the awful translations in their country. Not surprised because some of the signs are embarrassing and loss of face is a no-no.

Are tourists actually driving?

Like yeah they are、and big time too! Rental cars all used to have the わ kana first, which indicated a rental vehicle, but they have run out of all the possible combinations for わ alone and now わ and れ　are used for rentals.

Road signs aren't the problem, Engrish is, along with multiple signs in the same location, that often times contradict one another.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_addressing_system

In theory but not in practice for the entire country. Too many places have no addresses whatsoever.

No addresses must be hell for mail and parcel deliveries.

SpeedToday  08:07 am JST

In my small city they just put up a lot of new signs in English and at least half of them have mistakes on them. For example "Lest" (for rest stop), "Katikan" (when it should be "Kachikan"), "Sharp Cerb" (for sharp curves) etc.

Lest Stop and Sharp Cerb are obviously errors. But isn't "Katickan" simply Kunrei shiki romaji while "Katchikan" is Hepburn romaji?

"Lest" (for rest stop), 

This is obviously an admonition: "Lest (you) stop (you may become fatigued and cause a traffic accident)".

Who wouldn't instantly understand this? (The sign, that is, not this ... )

Very few foreigners will be driving. The triangular stop sign is pretty much universally understood. Even if you haven't seen it before, it is pretty clear from context. The triangle sign is the warning sign. It clearly is not a "go faster sign.

A handful of drivers will now be able to read a sign that they would have understood anyway.

I don't know what this is going to cost, but if we assume 50,000 yen per sign, this seems like a lot of money down the drain.

With or without English signs, I'm sure most tourists will drive a hell of a lot better than the locals.

The idea is great But what about Signs on Food outlets in a few Languages like Spanish French German English Chinese Russian.

Oh ! heck.

How big will these signs need to be.

Gotcha of course those signs exist worldwide.Japan is doing well with english(romanised), chinese and korean.

never mind that most japanese equal romanised with being english not french, german, etc.

pacint,

Thanks for the Wikipedia link. I know the theory behind it. I've lived in Japan continuously since 1976. It just doesn't work. I've had taxi drivers in Tokyo ask me where "san chome" was and several times in Okinawa had phone calls from Fedex, Yamato and Sagawa asking me where my apartment building is. The rest of the planet has street names and house numbers. Visitors coming for the Olympics are going to expect this and instead find a highly confused system where sanchome is between rokuchome and nanachome and when you give a taxi driver an address, he hasn't a clue where it is or how to get there.

I don't think many of them are going to be driving, so road signs are not going to be much help, but they are going to be walking around the streets.

Never had a problem myself.

As for taxis usually ask for drop off at station, combini, etc.

Most lamp posts have idenyification plates.

Link i gave was a digest, way more detailed available.

Google can also pinpoint locations using the local system.

The irony is, it is only the foreigners that will stop and slow down at these signs. The locals have been ignoring them for decades and I doubt if English translations will make them adhere to the rules. In fact, I think they'll use it as an excuse. "Eigo wakarimassen!

Save the money, 99% of the Olympic visitors will not drive in Japan. On the other hand if new signs are needed I propose 130km/h on how highway 80 km/h outside villages including mountain roads.

For crying out load didn't the powers that be read my response to the English signage on a thread a few months back where I said it wud be easy & CHEAP to just add English STICKERS on existing signs, allowing much quicker & vastly cheaper installation, but as usual I was completely ignored!!

> enjoys FaceTiming me, if she can buy me something like a beer or bottle of Scotch. I swear she almost loves that iPhone more than me?

BUt hey at least you get a couple beers & the odd bottle of scotch, sounds like you are doing better than most other married guys on JT !!!

How many tourists bring their cars? This is another big brown-envelope boondoggle off the magic money tree, which my unborn grandkids will wind up paying for.

Sorry, GW your voice only matters here. None important reads JT nor cares if they even knew it exists.

Cars can be leased no need to bring your own.

The rest of the planet has street names and house numbers.

If, by "the rest of the planet", you mean Leamington Spa, you are probably correct.

Derek GrebeJuly 2  10:37 pm JST

How many tourists bring their cars?

Probably none. But I rent a car every time I'm in Japan. I even get a discount by showing my Hertz-One card from the U.S.