A phony Pikachu (Chinese of course), a drinking straw, and an invitation to have a good time—Saaaa, such are the simple pleasures of living in the mysterious Orient.
Embiggen.
Yeah, yeah, I know this photo has been floating around on the Internet since at least last December, but it was “too good a time” to pass up posting here.
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Please peruse previous Pikachu pulchritude of Pokémon we’ve posted:
• Pokémon Pikachu pucker (3Yen / 2011-Jan.)
• Pikachu fiend (3Yen / 2009-Nov.)
• Hulk Hogan pops Pokemon (3Yen / 2006-Aug.)
• Bride of Pokemon (3Yen / 2005-July)
• POKEMON causes cancer! (3Yen / 2005-Jan.)
• Sexy Pikachu girls (3Yen / 2009-Apr.)
..
With the demise last month of Tokyo’s favorite long suffering train manners guy shown above (3Yen / 2013Apr01), the Metro posters such as this month’s shown below have not been very much fun to follow…
In the aftermath of the mega-earthquake/tsunami disaster of 3/11 (March 11, 2011), it’s the Fukushima nuclear meltdown continues to cause, 
by far the largest discharge of radioactivity into the ocean ever seen*.
However, at least few Japanese like the street artist, 281_Anti-Nuke, are keeping up the fight against the radioactive Forces of Darkness.
281_Anti nuke — Documentary Trailer from Uchujin on Vimeo.
m0Ar!~
Please, let’s now have a moment of silence.
I am deeply saddened to say that a long-time contributer to the 3Yen, the Tokyo Metro Manners Man, who has been featured for years in posters promoting better subway behavior, has disappeared and is presumed lost after taking a train spotting vacation.
Over the years, the 3Yen has featured the trials and tribulations of the long-suffering Metro Manners Man as shown below.
Shown below is the first poster of the Tokyo Metro’s new manners campaign featuring this year’s catchy slogan, “MANNER FART*,” which is similar to the old slogan of Tokyo Gas Company, “MY CITY, MY GAS” (3Yen / 2008-09-24).
*Note: The original Metro poster reads 
(Manner heart) but 
(Manner fart) sounds more euphonious doesn’t it?
For some strange reason, the word “Goon” —meaning a stupid person or a bully or thug hired to terrorize or eliminate opponents—keeps popping up in Japan in the oddest places. Stranger yet, “Goon” in Japanese-English has positive and fun connotations such as this advertisement I stumbled across today for Coleman travel gear…
Of course, The “GOON” in this Coleman advertisement is just an artifact of the way Japanese is written. That is, like many other languages in Asian and the Middle East, the Japanese language has not invented spaces* between words.
So, “GO ON A TRIP” and “GOON A TRIP” is the same in Japanese eyes. (>_< ")
“GOON” is also the name of a favorite brand of disposable diapers in Japan as mentioned the previous report: GOON Big! (3Yen / 2009-10-02) →
And as added fun, “goon” is also the way to pronounce the Japanese word for ‘military’ as soon in this old, 1944, US War Department, Japanese Phrase Book. ↓
books.google.com (free ebook)
Today I had an epiphany.
I must have seen this small sign in front of Tokyo houses thousands of times.
Somehow, only today did I realize what it meant:
NO SALARYMEN.
Embiggen to the full-sized, 800×536px, photo.
Picture taken in Tokyo’s upscale Denenchofu district, March 23rd.
“Blownies“—now with green tea antioxidants!
Via photozou.jp
Japanese green tea Blownies are a great way to prevent St. Patrick’s Day hangovers.
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See more fun photos of Saint Paddy’s Day in Japan below in the Comments section…
Right now in the last throes of winter, the air in Japan is extremely dry if you get my “drift.”
Click to view the original non-parody poster.
Check out the 3Yen’s many other non-dandruff related train manners posters for the Tokyo Metro here.
Ah, Tokyo Station’s advisory screens for the Shinkansen/Bullet Trains are so informative (sent in last night by long-time reader “MARKed TRAIL”).
I suppose “bears” are better excuse for a train delay than the dread “Obstacle Thing.”
The next time you’re on the Tokyo Metro subway and you see the logo on the right, you can catch MANTA rays—the free Wifi of the new “MANTA” (Metro Amusement Network Trinity App) service. This is a good deal because in Japan, WiFi is seldom free and always a nuisance to find.
According to the wonders of goofy Google Translate of the MANTA developer, NTT Broadband Platform Inc., Metro station information, subway timetables, station maps will offer via mobile device apps for the particular service area you are in without the hassle of searching. The WiFi and apps will offer the day’s video news and “entertainment information” as well as information on avoiding crowded areas and which train cars to board for the best access.
In case you were wondering about it being ominously called a “Trinity App,” learn more information on how this new mobile app with free Wi-Fi access will be used to “track and provide changes to passenger habits” at the report at Computerword (Feb. 13, 2013): Tokyo Metro, which runs the underground trains in the city, will test how riders react to a new mobile portal.
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