Nate Jensen, from PinkNihon.com, examines the impact on businesses in Tokyo after the Tohoku earthquake with particular attention to the handcrafted limited service signs displayed in storefronts.
Last year, Jensen independently published The Japanese-English Guide to Sex, Kink and Naughtiness; perhaps one of the most comprehensive books bridging sexual terms between the Japanese and English languages.
I was on the 21st floor of a building in Tokyo at 3pm when the big Tohoku quake hit Japan a couple of weeks ago. That experience was like none other and shook me up quite a bit. Public transportation was in disarray from the quake and I ended up having to make a 5 hour trek across Tokyo to get home.
As I wandered across Tokyo, I started taking photos with my iPhone of the damage and other interesting cultural elements. During the next couple of weeks that followed, I took my DSLR with me most of the time I would be out-of-doors. One of the interesting patterns in the photos I collected included a variety of signs from shops, restaurants and other establishments explaining revised operating hours and limited menus.
After a day or two of the March 11th quake, makeshift signs started to appear all over the place. In addition to the more obvious informational signs created, there were other signs encouraging the survivors of the Tohoku Region to hang in there. Other handmade signs would say things to the effect of “this shop’s electric sign is turned off to conserve power for the Tohoku region, but we are still in business.”
Food availability, along with the JIT infrastructure, were interrupted as a result of shifting goods, supplies and available shipping resources to the North. When supplies became limited and sushi restaurants, McDonalds, convenience stores, karaoke parlors and even on vending machines started to display makeshift signs, it was clear the situation was not business-as-usual in Tokyo.
Despite these setbacks resulting from the most unfortunate Tohoku disaster, these makeshift signs around Tokyo perhaps attest to the resilience of the Kanto people as well as those coping with the more drastic situation further North in the Tohoku region. Gambare, Nippon!
A notice from the Yamazaki Bread company posted on an empty bread shelf
Limited availability of efforts to cooperate in helping [people affected by] the quake. Along with the brownouts and instabilities of infrastructure, ingredients are limited and the “Spring Bread Festival” campaign is suspended as a result. Apologies for any inconveniences. Point stickers that have been collected already can still be used, so please save those until a later date.
A sign in a sushi store shop front
We’re cheering for the places affected by the quake. You need to make sure Number 1 has enough power as a result. Let’s cheer everyone on from Tokyo with heart and soul by eating our inexpensive and delicious sushi.
Big Echo: Karaoke place in Akasaka
Top sign: unnecessary lights are not turned on to conserve energy as a result of the quake. Bottom sign: some menu items may not be available as a result of the quake.
McDonald’s in Shibuya
Closed from 5:30pm on the 17th.
Q-Front in Shibuya
Limited store hours as a result of the quake.
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