Saturday, October 10, 2009

No Smoking Sign in Japan

Although Japan sadly has one of the highest smoking rates in the world (2nd tier, about a high smoking rate (50-59%, based on WHO report), they pride themselves on being very courteous about their smoking. Here is a sign which reminds people not to smoke while walking in public. How I wish they would have had this behavior in Hong Kong when I was there. I often found myself dodging clouds of smoke there.

That said, while most people don't smoke while walking, they do stand in designated smoking areas outside buildings and in public places. The number of smokers in these areas can vary from just a few, to 5-10, to 30+ (like the one outside Shibya station). You can just imagine the potency of walking anywhere near those areas.
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