Getting ready for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics means big building projects, but it also means taking care of the little things, such as the signs and symbols that will guide visitors around the area.
Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry has taken on that task, with a review of the 70 or so “public symbols” used on maps and signs, some of which will be brand new.
One of the first revised symbols is catching some flak, though, the one illustrated above, which indicates “onsen,” the traditional Japanese hot spring bath. The ministry says visitors misread the old symbol, at left, as a place for hot food, and added three people in the water to clarify. Critics complained that the old symbol was good enough and that the new one looks like people being boiled alive.
For more information on the symbols being changed, from Japan Today, click HERE
Tokyo really can be a confusing city to navigate and it has little to do with symbols or written English translations, which they are getting better at. Just a couple issues I’ve seen. It’s hard to find a street address because it’s difficult to find smaller street names posted. And there are very few public trash cans.