July 14, 2009 “manner posters” in Tokyo

Those of you who have attended our seminars recently may have heard us talk about the Japanese expression kuuki wo yomu (read the air) as one of the ways to describe the Japanese indirect communication style.  If you live in Japan for long enough, and have your antennae up, you start to realise there are unspoken ways about how you behave in public spaces. For example, going outside to talk on your mobile phone, even in Starbucks!  Many Japanese have been complaining recently that the younger generation are oblivious to these unspoken rules – accusing them of kuuki wo yomenai, or KY for short. So the Tokyo Metro subway system have commissioned some very eye catching, direct posters to remind travellers that they should put on their make up or fall about drunk at home rather than on the train.