Warning! Leering Demon Hand Zone!

Lest you think that people in the US are uniquely alarmist about threats to Chiiiiillllllldrruuuun, a picture from last summer's trip to Japan:

i-928d8ca8672589fb4c779e36c7919ccb-sm_warning_hand.jpg

I have absolutely no idea what that says, but it sure is lurid.

More like this

Not that it really matters, but:

"Not allowed! Suspicious people, Degenerates!!"

Then (from right to left, and becoming very awkward for a straight translation):

"Community, look after the community children!!"

The small red text on the left:

"We are looking after the community children. Criminals are not allowed!!"

The bottom text seems to suggest this is a neighbourhood watch kind of poster, aimed at the residents. Pretty overwrought. Could I guess this was in a fairly rural or semi-rural area? It has that small-town claustrophobic feeling to it.

Well, if you'd ask my wife who is from nearby Osaka she'd think describing Kyoto as a claustrophobic small town would be perfectly appropriate. :)

But yes, it has the feeling of a very local (and rather amateurish - look at the illustration) thing; a neighbourhood watch on that block or something like it.

Apparently you were about to enter a dungeon from the original Legend of Zelda on NES

I love Japanese signage. :) I saw a very similar sign once in a residential district maybe 20 minutes out of Tokyo. However the sign that I saw had a Spy vs. Spy lookalike kidnapping a boy and girl, not a giant devil hand.

Didn't take a picture of that one, but I do have a couple pictures of something that's apparently "this water will eat your children":

http://www.flickr.com/photos/colinmcmillen/491494925/in/set-72157600198…
http://www.flickr.com/photos/colinmcmillen/491675694/in/set-72157600198…

I love Japanese signage. :) I saw a very similar sign once in a residential district maybe 20 minutes out of Tokyo. However the sign that I saw had a Spy vs. Spy lookalike kidnapping a boy and girl, not a giant devil hand.

Didn't take a picture of that one, but I do have a couple pictures of something that's apparently "this water will eat your children":

http://www.flickr.com/photos/colinmcmillen/491494925/in/set-72157600198…
http://www.flickr.com/photos/colinmcmillen/491675694/in/set-72157600198…

Doh, sorry for double post. The first attempt gave me a "500 Internal Server Error" message, so I tried again. Apparently I didn't need to.

I love that poster! Japan has the best signs.