Tokyo swim club friends

Notice the sign behind them. No photos or videos allowed. At Rainbow Festival.

Not a very sexy love hotel window display and sign

This must be one of the least sexy love hotel entrances. “Have a comfortable time” in fancy script, along with a dwarf, flower, astro-turf, and mini “outdoor-style” light fixture. Not the fantasy I was hoping for. In Shibuya.

Does this sign instruct citizens to throw their kids in front of moving vehicles?

Not only are the visuals ambiguous, at best. The words, meaning “community street,” suggest a sinister collective plot against the smaller people.

The best way to the top is on your knees, according to church sign

Useful advice from this church. Seems to echo something I remember from Jesus Christ Superstar musical. Eternal salvation, financial success, and the gratitude of strangers can all be achieved with this simple technique. That costs nothing. Wow!

Lights explosion and dogs as customer bait

I recently learned this odd Japanese phrase: kanban musume (看板娘), which literally means daughter and store sign. I think the modern term is “door bait.” Apparently it’s an Edo or earlier tradition for commercial establishments to place their attractive daughters outside the shop to lure customers.

This male host club uses three over-sized dogs, each with their own portable heater and blanket, to bring in the (mostly) female clients. The husband remarked that he hopes the white dog with a pink bow is male.

A nearby club is surprisingly visible from the sidewalk. Peering inside makes me feel like I am on acid.

Because, this is our hotel rule

Bad English makes hospitality seem down-right creepy. I sort of understand that the hotel would like guests to wear the supplied jacket with the yukata when outside the room. This large bilingual sign would be a lot friendlier without the last six words.

Parade and stage images from Tokyo Pride Parade

This was the 7th Tokyo Pride Parade, and unlike last year’s “festival” it included a walk through Shibuya and Meiji Jingu Mae. It was odd how the police and organizers allowed traffic between the floats, but it was fun to see the startled reactions of the Saturday shoppers.

Parade supporters lined up on this pedestrian bridge to cheer the marchers. It was cool to see seniors, women, foreigners, and a mix of all types of people.

The stage show was also fun. Great people watching, and some fun music and dancing, along with a transsexual politician. I love how everything was signed for the deaf.

Hi! Daddy sign

Something wonderfully magical about Hi!Daddy in this jaunty font. Exuberant, innocent, and very very gay (^_-)

Ladies lunch set

It’s common in Tokyo to see menus with Ladies’ Lunch (redi-su ranchi or レディースランチ). Italian, Indian, Japanese and other restaurants routinely offer this ladies’ choice.

Somehow I still get excited to see the sign, imagining all sorts of feminine indulgence. In reality, it just means a lunch menu set with one fewer course than the regular set menu, at a slightly lower price. And, yes, guys can order the “ladies set,” too, but maybe the owners hope men will want to order more.

Poem bar by American Express

A poetic sign for a small pub in Ni-chome, Shinjuku. Sponsored by American Express. Poetry, gays and booze.