On the Street: Stop Signs

Sometimes stop signs are printed on the sidewalk.




This sign tells pedestrians to stop. It can be read by all ages. First, the graphics tell what to do. In addition, the Japanese word tomare is printed in hiragana above the footprints. Even young children can read words written in hiragana.



This one tells bike riders to stop. Tomare is written in hiragana above the bicycle.

In my area, these signs are sometimes found on smaller cross streets where there is no traffic light. Sometimes there is a sign painted on the street telling motorists to stop.

People ride their bicycles on the sidewalks here. When I first came to Japan I was given some really good advice. I was told to walk in a straight line and not to make any sudden moves. Also, to look back when I change "lanes" on the sidewalk. Bike riders see you from a distance. They will pass you if you're in their way. If you jump out of your "lane", they will hit you. Bikers are supposed to ding their bells as they come up behind you, but often they don't.

Note that there are yellow raised lines on this street. Not all streets have them. They are for blind people to use to walk down the street. Note, too, that the yellow strips closest to the crosswalk (the white stripes in the street) have raised dots. They tell the blind person to stop.