-
Japanese subway ad about depressed teens should probably be in a different place
投稿日 2021年1月29日 22:00:48 (ニュース)
-
続・お知らせ。海外セレブゴシップ&ニュース
-
お知らせ
-
We spot the legendary dekotora Aki Kannon, dedicated to actress and singer Aki Yashiro
-
New Pokémon GU collaboration dresses all the family, including babies for the first time
-
How do European Cup Noodles taste to a Japanese palate?
-
We’ve been doing it wrong – Japanese genius shows us how we should all be making sandwiches【Pics】
-
The future is now with full face sunglasses
-
Natto-infused ramen is a thing — we tried it, we love it【Taste test】
-
Jellyfish and Halloween in perfect harmony at Sumida Aquarium event
-
Japanese toilet paper collection opens our minds as we open our butts
-
Aomori police on the lookout for man shouting unsolicited advice at kids about dating and ramen
-
Former Arashi members Sho Sakurai and Masaki Aiba get married… Wait, that didn’t come out right
-
Creator of Japan’s longest-running manga, Golgo 13, passes away, leaves fans one last gift
-
Crazy cheap cosplay at Daiso? How to transform into Dragon Ball’s Vegeta at the discount shop
-
7 Halloween-themed afternoon teas you won’t want to miss this year
-
Krispy Kreme Japan creates doughnut burgers that are a meal and two desserts all in one【Photos】
-
Get in the damn drift car, Shinji? Evangelion Tomika toy brings D1 machine home in miniature form
-
Demon Slayer Nichiren Blades ready for new duty: Slicing through your sweets as dessert knives
-
Man in Japan arrested for breaking into ex-girlfriend’s apartment to steal her Nintendo Switch
-
The Japanese Internet chooses the top too-sexy-for-their-own-good male voices in anime
-
First-ever Studio Ghibli x Russell Athletic range pays homage to My Neighbour Totoro
-
Super Nintendo World at Universal Studios Japan announces first expansion with new Donkey Kong area
-
Cup Noodle pouch satisfies our never-ending need for instant ramen
-
Retro Japanese train is our new favourite office space
-
How do Japanese fans feel about Netflix’s live-action Cowboy Bebop opening sequence?
-
We try Uniqlo coffee at first-ever cafe inside Ginza flagship store
-
The number of elderly people in Japan this year has yet again smashed multiple records
-
Mr. Sato broadens his home drinking horizons at Kaldi【Japan’s Best Home Senbero】
-
We try Japanese Twitter’s newest trend the Penguin Egg, end up hatching something very disturbing
-
Takoyaki makers surprisingly good at grilling meat for yakiniku too
Sponsored Link
Cram school’s message would be ordinarily be inspiring, but takes on an inadvertently dark, potentially dangerous atmosphere.
The “Daigaku” part of Nagoya Daigaku Station’s name means “university,” and both Nagoya University and Nanzan Universities have campuses within walking distance. In addition to the school’s current students, the subway station is also used by high schoolers hoping to attend the institutions and coming to take entrance exams or tour the campus.
So it’s no surprise that a lot of the ads found inside the station are of an educational nature. For example, here’s one from cram school chain Kawai Juku that says “We’re here to help you become a Nagoya U student.”
地下鉄名古屋大学駅に貼ってあったポスターだけど、南山大とか受ける人もいると思うんだけど(´・_・`) pic.twitter.com/LMqhpUD7Cu
— ともりん (@milford369) February 26, 2014
Because of how difficult entrance exams are, preparing for them is a long process, with many students attending cram school lessons throughout their final year of high school. Cram schools ideally want to not only fill their students’ heads with knowledge, but also keep their spirits and energy levels up, as demonstrated by another Kawai Juku poster that reads “Take a look around the testing room. In spring [when the school year starts], you’ll have lots of friends.”
名古屋大学駅での予備校の広告。心温まる内容です。でもやっぱり予備校の名前入りが引っかかってしまう(^^;) #名古屋大学駅 #地下鉄構内の広告 #河合塾 pic.twitter.com/4YTX94ufT9
— 鳥原久資/小さな会社のSDGs伝道師 (@toriharahisashi) February 24, 2018
Even the most optimistic teens, though, will eventually experience some measure of self-doubt, and midwinter, in the final days before students take their entrance exams, is the most stressful of all. Cram school chain Yoyogi Seminar wanted to display empathy with an ad that shows it knows this is a tough time for many of its students while also reminding them of the importance of perseverance, and to be fair, the words it chose, in and of themselves, are encouraging and inspiring:
“When you think ‘I can’t go on,’ if you take just one step forward, that’s where your goal is.”
Sponsored Link
Nice, right? It acknowledges that studying is hard, but also holds out the promise of hope that all that hard work might be about to pay off. When things start to feel overwhelming, sometimes it helps to just concentrate on the next baby step.
Unfortunately, that sentiment got kind of lost because of where in the station the ad was placed: on a platform pillar, right by the train tracks, as shown in this tweet from Japanese Twitter user @tsugumi_none.
これ駅のホームに貼るもんじゃない pic.twitter.com/PhB6WpNLAo
— チョッパリは不名誉ですかそうですか (@tsugumi_none) January 25, 2021
With jumping in front of a train being one of the more common ethos of suicide in Japan, and educational pressure a common contributor to teen depression, suggesting that the end of stress and other negative feelings might be just a step away takes on a darker meaning if “step” is interpreted literally in this location, and other Twitter users were quick to agree with @tsugumi_none’s opinion that this isn’t the right place for this ad.
“I just can’t imagine what they were thinking putting that poster up there.”
“The phrasing is eloquent, but this isn’t the place for it.”
“They really should think carefully about where they put this.”
“Looks like the just slapped it up there without giving it much thought.”
In Yoyogi Seminar’s defense, the ad doesn’t look to be specifically tailored to this particular station, and odds are the same design is also used in other locations where it couldn’t be construed as anything other than a kindhearted message about not giving up. And thankfully, it at least appears that the poster is oriented such that if you’re standing in front of it and reading its encouragement to “take one step forward” you’d actually be moving towards the center of the platform, and away from the tracks.
In any case, it’s obvious that neither Yoyogi Seminar or Nagoya Daigaku Station wants depressed teens to kill themselves, and it’s a near certainty that no one involved with the poster’s design or placement realized its potentially unfortunate implication at the time it went up. But since hindsight is 20/20, in order to help people remember they have things to look forward to in the future, even if they don’t yet know what those things are going to be, it’d probably be best to relocate the poster.
If you or someone you know is in Japan and having suicidal thoughts, there are people here to help. Click here for more info.
Source: Twitter/@tsugumi_none via Hachima Kiko
Top image: Wikipedia/Kzaral~commonswiki
● Want to hear about SoraNews24’s latest articles as soon as they’re published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!
Source: SORA NEWS24
Sponsored Link
最新情報