Da Bu Di, Da Bu Da

As a student and a freelancer, one of the few truly Japanese things I rarely have a chance to experience is the morning rush. The pain, sweat and stress it causes is nevertheless perfectly understandable even without a direct experience - my friends and my media describe it too me vividly enough.

It gets even worse when the trains are late. And they are quite often, for there is always someone who falsely presumes that committing suicide via jumping on a train is short, painless or romantic.

A classic case of a vicious circle - the depressed person jumps, causes train delay and subsequent depression to more people. Some of who, presumably, will eventually jump.

Thank God we have someone with a plan for action.

East Japan Railway (JR East) is installing blue mood-lighting in its stations in a bid to stop people committing suicide on the tracks of a busy Tokyo line (...)

“Blue is said to make people’s minds more serene. The blue lighting is in part an effort to prevent suicides, while it is also aimed at reducing misdemeanors such as graffiti and littering,” he said.

In the first half of the year, police recorded 17,076 suicides, up 768 or 4.7% from the same period last year, according to the National Police Agency, which said one third of suicides were linked to financial problems.

From

//Polish summary: Niebieski to uniwersalny kolor szczescia i nadziei. Nowe niebieskie swiatla na japonskich peronach uczynia Japonczykow bardziej szczesliwymi i mniej sklonnymi do podejmowania radykalnych krokow w przod. Jakoby. //

Foreign Tourists Have Trained You Well, Young Bear

So in the Sapporo Beer Museum, there is a bear. A mascot.

Of course there is - in Japan every city, every company, every social campaign has a mascot. A Smiling Tiger (on a poster) to remind you that you should stand up from your seat only AFTER the bus stops. Mr. Panda With a Microphone, the patron of karaoke. And millions others. These modern kami look usually friendly and more often than not hilarious.

Now, the bear's name is Poro. From Sap'poro, you know. The bear walks around the factory, waving to visitors, taking pictures with them. Happy pictures with the whole family, where the bear holds his paw on the youngest's head, or waves cheerfully.

Yours truly approaches the bear. "Hello Poro", I say and point at my camera. "Picture?".

Poro does not have to be asked twice. Thumbs up, he's ready. He takes a pose....wait, Poro? What are you doing?... This is... Oh, ok, I guess I'll just go with it..

Polskie streszczenie: Misiu w w fabryce piwa w Sapporo. Misiu jest niegrzeczny.