渋谷駅まで１５分
しぶやえきまで１５ふん
To Shibuya station, 15 minutes.
Monday, 1 December 2008
Swing Set
注意、天気の良い日は熱くなっております。
ちゅうい、てんきのよいひはあつくなっております。
Warning, on days with good weather, this will become hot.
Some signs are useful and some are just funny. This sign was on a large, arty swing set in the park behind Tokyo Midtown. You would think that if you were designing play equipment, you would make sure said equipment didn't become blisteringly hot on sunny days, you know, when kids are likely to play on them.
Post Box
郵便
ゆうびん
Post / mail
This double crossed 'T' symbol is the postal symbol. 'T' for The Postal Service, I suppose.
Edit: Tokyo5 has kindly explained in the comments that "it's not a 'T'. It's 「〒」...it's from the katakana character 「テ」('te') for 「テガミ」 (tegami...which means 'postal letter')." Thanks, Tokyo5.
Shop Information
店舗・ご案内
てんぽ・ごあんない
Store information
Buildings are usually filled with a conglomeration of unrelated businesses, and if they are bars or restaurants they usually try to have a list at the front detailing their premises. In department stores also, when they have a floor of eating establishments, there is usually information explaining the different restaurants and their food.
My wife hates going to the department store restaurants because they invariable have only five or six choices which are the same in every department store. The usual suspects include soba, udon, tenpura, sushi, Italian, Chinese and a restaurant which seems to serve pizza and parfaits. We usually end up going to the pizza and parfait one, and getting a cornflake filled parfait. I think the cornflakes are meant to be a cheap replacement for more ice cream. I hate those cornflakes.
Car Park 2
空、 １０分 １００円
から、 じゅっぷん ひゃくえん
Empty / vacancy, 100 Yen per 10 minutes.
Contrary to the last post, this kanji can be on its own, and is its own word. Parking is expensive in Tokyo.
Car Park
満（車）
まん（しゃ）
Full (parking lot)
They are using just the one character to show this car park to be full. However, you wouldn't see this kanji on its own usually, it's part of the word 満車 （まんしゃ）. So it's an abbreviation.
Height Limit
高さ制限２．０ｍ以下
たかさせいげんにメートルいか
Height limit 2.0 metres or less.
I saw this above someone's garage door.
Restaurant Sign
準備中
じゅんびちゅう
In preparation (not open for business)
Mostly this is out the front of restaurants, either mid-morning or mid-afternoon, while they are preparing the dishes for the next meal.
Free Taxi
空車
くうしゃ
Empty taxi
This is the one to look for when you need a taxi. I find it really difficult to see usually, because it's behind the windshield and sometimes a bit glarey. It's often just as easy to see if there is a person in the back seat or not.
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