A little information… can be really frustrating

A common trend I see in this part of the world is a sprinkling of the English language. I don’t mean an English sign here, a Chinese one there, but the odd English word inserted into an ocean of Japanese. Like being in a subway station and the map might say ‘subway map’ but everything else will be in the local lingo – you know, it being a map and being located in a subway, that’s one thing I was already certain of.

Here’s another example…

It get’s you hooked in with ‘first of all’ and then what? Does it say first of all in Japanese too? Or are the locals required to understand this smattering of English?

Should I be concerned, is it a warning of potential consequences to my health if consumed? It is after all chili sauce.

While we’re on food, I visited a place called Trattoria Volontiers for dinner. Inside I was offered a drinks menu which was both English and Japanese – great! It seems to be the custom that you are first offered the drinks menu and only then given the food menu when you order a drink.

The food menu was back to exhibit A – each section was titles in English – Antipasto; Risotto etc. but then the dishes were only in Japanese. Having had an English drinks menu I enquired about the equivalent for food – no we don’t have one of those was the reply. The irony is the drinks menu was much bigger – just one page of food.

But is doesn’t end with food, transport is another area.

This is clearly telling me something interesting about the Shinkansen (bullet train), maybe a great deal about somewhere I might want to go, but the only English is right at the bottom.

It’s a warning about hazardous items – so you think we’re still reading at this point? Well ok, I am, but that’s simply to prove a point.

 

With this one, I’m on the fence – there does seem to be more Japanese than just ‘Don’t stay here’ so is it saying ‘this isn’t somewhere to stay overnight’ or something like ‘this is Godzilla’s favorite hang out, so probably a good idea to move on’.

Or maybe it’s all just a big joke to keep us ignorant foreigners frustrated…