This picture was taken in the restroom at the Kintetsu Utsube Line gate at Yokkaichi station. The Utsube line is one of the local lines between Yokkaichi and its surrounding areas. Since I live in Minami Hinaga （南日永） I use the Utsube（内部） line to get to Yokkaichi （四日市） and from there I can use the Kintetsu （近鉄） railway to go anywhere in the Kansai （関西） area, usually to Nagoya （名古屋） or Osaka（大阪）.I found this sign a bit odd and I'll tell you why after the translation:
便用後（びんようご）- 'binyougo' is 'for service after' 便用 is the Kanji for 'for service' and 後 is 'after' often used in 後で （あとで）'atode' meaning 'later'.
は- is the subject marking particle.
水洗（すいせん）- 'suisen' is the noun for 'flushing'.
ボタン - 'botan' this borrowed word from English written in Katakana is 'button'.
を- 'wo' is the linking particle from the noun to the verb.
押して（おして）- 'oshite' is the verb for 'push'.
水を流してください（みずをながしてください） - 'mizu wo nagashite kudasai' is literally 'Please pour water', as I see it flushing water doesn't really 'pour' but more so 'shoots' or 'flows'. Since the act of flushing is to 'renew with clean water' I am going to translate this as 'flow' as it best correlates with the idea of 'cycling' the water.
Translation: "For service after, please push flushing button to flow water."
The reason this is odd, just like many signs in Japan, is because it's telling us something that should be common sense（常識） or instinctively intuitive that after taking a piss you should flush the toilet.
Although, the Wikipedia page about the trian line informs us that it was originally built in 1912 and rerouted to the current Yokkaichi station location in 1974; Kintetsu Yokkaichi looks to have been renovated since, while the Utsube line side looks as if it's never been changed since 1974 with the exception of adding electronic ticket machines and gates for commuter convenience. How can I make such a claim? Well, anyone who knows anything about Japan or has been to Japan knows that the Japanese love to install the latest in technological advancements into to every corner they can find. Concerning toilets, just about everywhere you go has sensor toilets with just a wave of the hand will flush the containing contents.
So what about this sign?
Maybe in a world where technology has overtaken our lives you forget that there are small places hiding about where you still have to push a button to get the job done and a simple reminder hanging on the wall will do just that.
So what about this sign?
Maybe in a world where technology has overtaken our lives you forget that there are small places hiding about where you still have to push a button to get the job done and a simple reminder hanging on the wall will do just that.
Stay tuned for more friends,
そろそろ、しつれいします。
ジョシュア
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