As googlism informed me the other day, Tokyo is the city that never slows down. That in mind, any attempts at persuading the Japanese not to rush into commuter trains after the doors have already started to close, are basically futile. You may as well be telling the British not to drink tea or the French to give up wine.
Still, the Japan Railways company is tireless in their efforts to stop commuters from throwing themselves into the closing doors. This time, their desperation has led them to a unique campaign involving corny puns and anthropomorphous vegetables.
This poster managed to awkwardly fit the word for "tomato" into a typical warning not to rush into the train.
And the above sign highlights the phonetic appearance of the word "potato," in a phrase that would otherwise mean "lining up is the fastest way."
Not a vegetable but amusing all the same, this is kakekomanmosu-san, whose name is formed by combining the phrase "don't rush in" with the word "mammoth".
Although quite funny, I seriously doubt the effectiveness of this campaign. The crying tomato babies just don't measure up to the the potential wrath of a Japanese boss, should an employee arrive late for work.
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