00:01 John Daub: Hey everybody, welcome to Tokyo Station. The hallways of the subway stations are where you're going to find a lot of these PSA posters, public service announcements, information. You get to see Japanese culture in it, and it's really fascinating to just stop and take a look at some of the posters. So I thought I would do that with you today.

00:22 John Daub: This one here, recruiting firefighters, showing how cool they are. All the things that you could do, and they use manga style to do that. Oh, look how cool you are. You're a firefighter. That's one of the coolest things that you could do. It's like every kid's dream come true. They promote that and do a lot of festivals to get kids interested in firefighting and become a part of it. This one shows all the soba places on the subway line, all the different kinds of soba. That's really fascinating. We're going to walk through this station. There's just a ton of them here.

00:51 John Daub: A place to try soba, a magazine they're promoting. Here's one on public safety. They've used cartoon anime style with characters. This has to do with walking with your mobile phone. Instead of just pictures, they use characters like an ox or something, and a kappa, one of the mythological creatures. The ox just walks right through all these poor people with his smartphone. We're seeing more and more people doing that these days because they're paying attention to their phones and not where they're walking. I've seen a lot of accidents, people walking into other people. They've added it in English: "Using your mobile phone while walking is dangerous." Of course, it's true.

01:55 John Daub: Here's one on station stuff. I thought this was interesting, just looking at the artwork, how colorful it is. Again, the fire department with public service announcements about carrying bottles of gasoline, being careful not to ram into gasoline pumps, aerosol cans—don't put that in the trash because it can cause fire. And then, of course, you have these anime or manga lines. It's so well done. People stop and take a look at it. You have to appreciate the artwork they put into it.

02:32 John Daub: These two talk about what to do in case of an earthquake. What do you do when there's an earthquake? It tells you some stuff: listen to the staff and they'll guide you out. So even the Japanese know this. Just be careful when you're riding the subway with your bags and personal belongings. I always learn about events happening in Tokyo from these posters, like the World Athletics Championships. There was a Deaf Olympics too—I didn't know about that. Here they're recruiting police officers for the Tokyo Police Department, which is pretty cool. That guy looks really cool out there on Tokyo Bay, like one of those motorcycle riders. You'll see wanted posters for criminals as well inside here. It's an uncomfortable laugh because I don't want to encounter any of them.

03:25 John Daub: I like this too. They've been promoting to foreign tourists walking through here, showing the beauties of Japanese public baths, the sento (traditional public baths), which definitely need more people. You've got foreigners in these Japanese public baths. A lot of foreigners probably wouldn't be very comfortable, especially from North America where public nudity is kind of weird. But they show foreigners in the bath. This is also good for Japanese to see that there are going to be more foreigners in the bath because they need the business to stay open and make it normal. "Visitors, come discover Japan's bathing tradition." They have a one-day pass for Toei, which allows you to go to all these places. I've worked with the Tokyo Sento Association before. There's a campaign going on as well. There's a QR code if you're interested.

04:26 John Daub: Oh, the Deaf Olympics—my friend will be there. That's so cool. I was just curious how the Deaf Olympics actually work. They probably thought of everything. I'm fascinated more by the Paralympics than the regular Olympics back in 2021. It's just really cool. All right, let's keep walking down the station. There's more at the end of the hallway. Again, you have Toei, the city of Tokyo's public transportation. They're really getting into using Pokémon and other creatures to promote things. Yeah, they're doing a pretty good job. This one is for a digital adventure campaign promoting Azabu Hills Gallery.

05:18 John Daub: This one is a video that I'm working on right now that I'll be releasing next month. We're going to be seeing more of these campaigns, and it starts right here inside the subway and train station. A lot of stations where you're supposed to stand on the escalators in Japan. I know it seems impolite to walk, but I didn't even know that myself. This is for mothers—you'll see this if a Japanese woman has this badge. Give up your seat for her because she has a baby. Kanai had one of these. They're talking about the Pasmo card. Maybe the Pasmo card is now back. There's a Sherlock Holmes railway detective program sponsored by Toei, the Tokyo Subway. That looks like a lot of fun. More information for baby cars—you know, strollers are called baby cars in Japan. You can't use the escalators with baby cars or strollers; you have to use the elevators.

06:44 John Daub: I think that has to do with chikan (train gropers). Let's walk to the end. There's more posters in another area of the station. It's so cool to stop and look at the artwork. You learn a lot about the culture from the posters on the wall. A lot of it is telling people to stop walking with their smartphones. Don't walk with your smartphone. I love the recruitment posters—they're a lot of fun. They have them for the Japan Self-Defense Forces, police, fire department, and they do a really good job.

08:04 John Daub: Tokyo's public toilets are also super clean. They have multi-purpose toilets for those in wheelchairs, which are just so great. Here's information on the coin lockers. A lot of foreign YouTubers think these are sleeping pods. You have to reserve them online. I'm streaming with my smartphone, but I'm not looking at the screen—there's a difference. This is Rakuten, which is like Amazon in Japan, a competitor. Kanai prefers Rakuten because she gets more points back, and some deals are better, especially for travel. Rakuten has these robots with an antenna that go right to your house and you pick it up. I've seen them stop at crosswalks with sensors waiting for cars. You can track it with your app.

09:33 John Daub: More public service announcements when services are suspended or delayed. You can see the NHK World site and JNTO (Japan National Tourism Organization) travel site—these you should bookmark. JNTO in particular if there's a natural disaster. They recommend alternative routes when situations happen so people can get home. Make sure you charge your IC card because it causes traffic jams. I love the characters: be a good turtle. Don't rush—the turtle and the hare story. Go nice and slow and relaxed. The "Let's Enjoy Tokyo" campaign has been pretty effective from Tokyo subway and metro. Smart turtles, not a dumb bunny.

11:02 John Daub: There is crime here. We don't have 911 in Japan; we have 119—it's just in reverse. For police emergency, dial 110 from any phone booth. That's one reason phone booths still exist, for emergencies if cell towers go out. You'll see wanted posters. There's been an increase in fighting, maybe with foreign tourists. Any kind of assault is a crime, and it doesn't matter if you started it—if you punch back, it's a problem. Don't punch back; you can defend yourself but don't assault. I've had friends who got in trouble for punching back. Here's a situation where someone has jumped—they cover it up. They discourage jumping in front of trains. It's sensitive, but the families of jumpers get charged for the costs, so maybe that makes people consider the impact on their family. A Japanese friend told me that.

13:12 John Daub: Some more posters from the police department. You'll see this mascot for the Tokyo Police Department—does anybody know his name? Whenever police stuff is here, you know it's police business. This is for volunteering, CPR—there's a lot of courses to learn CPR. AEDs are all over, but there's a push to get citizens to learn how to use them because they're worthless otherwise.

14:14 John Daub: Let's walk closer. They have them on manners now. "Minna de minna ni imana" (let's all be kind to everyone). Stay in line when waiting to board for smooth and comfortable boarding. Follow what the locals do: they go on the left and right of the opening door, leave the middle open so people can get out, then funnel in. It works so well—that's why trains are on time. Are those the Suica penguins? This is for coupons for local festivals. You get a lot of festival posters here. Here's one on Suica and Pasmo cards. Suica is now only available with your name on it for commuters.

16:21 John Daub: You can see the JR, Higashi Nihon, Tobu, Keio, Keisei, monorail, Yurikamome, Chiba monorail—which everyone calls the upside-down train. There's talk the Suica card is going to become obsolete in about five years—probably all smartphones or no physical card needed. This is the Gurutto Pass—something people should consider in Tokyo because it gets you around all public transportation, includes JR, and some attractions are free.

17:39 John Daub: Super Mr. Crazy Man, could you do more videos for handicapped people, people with disabilities? Yeah, I can do that. I try to highlight accessibility in live streams, advantages or disadvantages. Rugby's become really big in Japan since the Rugby World Cup in 2019—the Japan team did well, and now Japanese watch it more. Coin lockers have increased in stations. Here's a place to store keys—anybody can use it. If you forgot your key, your wife can put it in the box in the station, and you pick it up with a code. All these lock boxes take Pasmo, Suica cards—you can check your balance.

19:55 John Daub: This one I've noticed popping up: PUDO stations (pickup and drop off). Same with packages—Amazon puts stuff there, so you pick up anywhere in the city. Last but not least, prohibited items on the subway: no explosives, compressed gas, matches, fireworks, acids, flammable poisons, detergents, toxic things. Knives, scissors, tools, sharp objects are okay if properly packed. Don't take out a pocket knife, and wrap butcher knives—that's the law. Hot liquids need a top, like coffee with a lid. No chloroform, roofies—common sense, but nice they list it. "Top" means lids.

21:54 John Daub: A lot in Japanese, but Google Translate works well. Aiken, I see Aiken is here. I tried to install your bicycle contraption—it's hard. Next time you come, maybe I'll bring the bicycle and we can put it together. It's been two years, but nice to see you. David Kimura, thank you. I will not go home empty-handed. There's a Monet exhibit going on. Use Google Translate on posters, but read between the lines.

23:03 John Daub: If you have issues, use the interphone—it calls the station staff. For accidents, drunk people falling on tracks, etc. Do stuff at vending machines instead of waiting in line. Everything in English: "Is everything all right? Be careful of that post." Your voice can help visually impaired people. There's tactile pavement in stations—step on it to tell turns or go straight. Single dots mean stop, turn left or right. Don't walk there; stay clear of people with walking sticks. If someone visually impaired is about to hit a post, use your voice: "Be careful." Be kind: "Would you like some help? You go first." Reinforcing manners like giving up seats for pregnant people or mothers with kids. I'm young enough to stand. Staff and customers: "How can I help you?"

25:37 John Daub: These are other train lines: Chuo Line, Hibiya Line, Yurakucho, Fukutoshin Line. If you haven't already, this is fun just walking around. I updated the thumbnail for this one.

26:06 John Daub: This is one of the most important heartwarming stories—in the digital age, we forget analog services. There's this guy, Sasahara-san, who climbs five or six days a week, over a thousand steps one way to pick up mail. He'd deliver to a handful of residents and come down every day for years. I climbed up, saw the post box, and knew I had to do the story. I changed the thumbnail to make it clearer—take a look, leave a comment. Got comments from U.S. Postal workers that warmed my heart. We appreciate all mail carriers. A piece of paper with an address and stamp can go around the world. We need good postmen—thank you for everything. This episode is for you too. Get another on January 28th. Until then, have a good day, everybody. I'll bring you another live stream tomorrow around Tokyo. Might get out of the city soon, take Leo for snow. Matane. Thanks, Iken. Use Google Translate on posters—we'll sort it next time. Awesome. Thank you.