You Can't Not Look at the Signs in Japan

One of the most foreign and interesting aspects of Japan to me is the signage.  In the city, in every direction there are displays that demand your attention.  Because not everything is in English, and if is something important you're looking for (directions, station names, etc.) can be fairly subtle, I found myself hyper-attentive to all of the interesting signage.

In addition to being fascinating to decipher, I also found the juxtaposition of the fun, cartoon-meets-game aspects with the overall serious politeness of the culture highly engrossing.  Here are a few standouts.

First thing off the plane, this greeted me as I sought relief.

Cubic subway attendant in Osaka. The real ones were much more round.

Boss coffee and music at sunset is so good it makes Tommy Lee cry.

I'm not sure what this is, but I'm sure recycling is fun!

Dandy House! We looked this up, and I'm pretty sure it was, of all things, a hair salon.

Next time I'm in Kobe, I'm getting some Powder, Snow, Milk, or all three.

I think this is a warning sign for dangerous hogs nearby.  Atop Mt. Maya, in Kobe.

For such a clean place, I was surprised how much graffiti was apparently a problem (not that I saw any). 

Coolest sign for a lounge.

No drones at the Golden Pavilion!  Makes me think this must have been a problem before.

"Please put phones on 'manner mode' and refrain from speaking on phones."  On the subways everywhere.

I don't know what Goo is, but I need some.

The Japanese are very frank.

Friendly otter telling you about his feeding time and talk at the Osaka Aquarium.

A nice little ex-pat bar in Kobe.  Sign in the elevator.  All good bars are small and above street level.

I'm not sure.  Boy band?

Giant robot sculpture advertisement on the subway.  Nothing strange about that.

Of course they do!