This might be better than discount Easter candy and basketball put together: Every April since 1974, Tokyo has gotten a new transit safety mascot. And this year, it’s an adorable lion reminding you not to hold up the subway with your cake habit, because scary clown bunnies are watching:
Here’s Gizmodo with some context:
New posters appear monthly on the trains, often with themes coordinated to the holidays. The art adds a cheerful vibe to the subway cars, but they’re also slyly effective, providing an entertaining way to encourage polite behavior without hitting passengers over the head with a boring list of rules and regulations.
Hey, London has poetry; Japan has cuteness. Whatever keeps the subway safe. Here are some more aww-worthy — if confusing — posters from recent years, with my alternative translations (I’m fluent in squee!):
That one translates to “Don’t touch pregnant ladies’ bellies. RUDE.”
This one means don’t kick a baby in the face, especially if it’s dressed up as a bear.
That one translates to “Don’t miss your stop because you’re taking a selfie.” Pretty sure, at least. Basically, just don’t be a dick when you ride public transportation and it’s all good.
