Second opinion needed

oh dear, this is what happens when you rely on google translate to do all your english translations, instead of actually asking a native speaker or Japanese with good english skills. enough of this abreviated english BS . Japanese need to learn to speak english/english not Japanese/english. it helps when native speakers can understand what your saying and not just other Japanese

Wha- ??

wtfjapan: Agreed, though this is not nearly as bad as some of the Japanese English you get when they don't bother to check what they print. In this case, if you know the usual mistakes, it's pretty easy to know what they want to say without knowing the Japanese (that of course helps, but if the goal is to make yourself understood in English then it's beside the point) -- the whole "of" thing is a translation problem. In any case, this isn't really that big of a deal, although Shin-Yokohama Station is pretty busy in terms of traffic, and likely a large number of foreigners will see it (and chuckle, then forget about it).

I've seen worse! I remember the old immigration building in Tokyo had big signs everywhere stating 're-ently department'. And, if you go to shinjuku station and look at all the blue directional signs you will see that 'entrance' is spelled wrong on maybe 50 signs. It's just laziness that creates these terrible translations and spelling errors.

@Disillusioned I hear you brother. It's laziness and stupidity. Moreover, the Japanese original text is not much chop either. So much for being an inclusive society, I reckon half the population (especially the elderly) would be hard-pressed to make any sense of this in either language.

I've seen worse. There was a sign in Wales which said "No entry for heavy goods vehicles" in English, and underneath, in Welsh " I'm not in the office right now; please send any work to be translated".

Now that's careless....

my favorite was the "ACID MILK" trucks that you see around. sounds like something imported from China

Some city offices in Japan sell the rights to name public toilets, and Amenity Co. bought the rights to name this one and others.

Amenity is a public toilet maintenance company and names the lavatories it buys " トイレ診断士の厠堂" (toilet 'hall' of the toilet diagnosis expert" with the company logo and trademark below. The word "厠堂" is read "kawaya-do," with "kawaya an old word for "toilet" and "do" meaning "hall" or "[stately] building"

In return for putting its name on the structures, Amenity has to pay a naming rights fee to the city government, and also has to keep the facility clean and in working order, and even has to patrol the area from time to time. The company has also installed new/modern faucets, hand driers and other items. The company uses this as a kind of showcase facility to advertise its services, and therefore has a vested interest in keeping it clean.

Here is a PDF from this company talking about this particular toilet. It has some before and after photos showing upgrades the company has made: http://www.do-amenity.co.jp/kawaya-ban/pdf/kawaya-ban2012-01.pdf

The best (worst?) I've seen was at the Tohoku Shinkansen Station in Ueno just after the that line had been opened. I went into the men's room and at first all looked OK. The first half-dozen or so stalls were marked 「和式」 and "Japanese Style." But the last one was marked 「洋式」 and "Western Style Camber Pot." OUCH! I knew that "Habukari" was an Edo Era or earlier word for toilet. back in the daysof old Japan the non-flush toilets were attached to houses by a short hallway. When I got back home, I looked up "Habukri" in my replica copy of Hepburn's original "Japanese-English Dictionary" (dated in the late i1860's or so?) and, sure eough, the English translation for "Habukari" was "Western Style Chamber Pot." Evidently some English teacher back in the 1860's or so had used this translation when teaching English to his students and the word was continued down through the nth generation. So, correct or not, I had a very good laugh. In case you don't know what a Chamber Pot might be,it was a (usually creamic) bowl about 15 or 16 inches across with a lid. It was kept under the bed in the "bed chamber" in the days of outdoor toilets without electricity or heat and were very convenient at night--at least compared to walking 50 feet or so in the dark, sitting down with the spiders (and cold if it was winter). I remember still seeing a few around in rural Kansas in the 1940's.

I thought it was a new type of toilet that used what I, um, deposited, to diagnose whether have any diseases.

Japanese squat toilets in the 21st century: curse or choice?

I think it is pretty funny... the should leave this sign as it is as entertainment for visitors.

Japanese need to learn to speak english/english not Japanese/english.

Well to be fair, Japanese don't NEED to learn "English/English". But if they want to be understood by English speakers, they SHOULD learn "English/English". They also should learn the difference between homophones like "your" and "you're" but we are not helping them learn when we get them wrong, too.

To this day on the Keisei Line at Nippori there is a sign saying where the "Lear Car" will be.

Well to be fair, Japanese don't NEED to learn "English/English". so your saying that learning japanese/english is fine because Japanese can still understand them, whats the frigin point they may as well just speak japanese and stop wasting there time trying to learn. yes they NEED to learn english/english if they wish to communicate properly outside Japan. the SHOULD and NEED is becoming more emphasized as Asian rivals like Korea, Singapore, China are leaving Japan behind when it comes to communicating effectively in English

I was in Japan in November and took this exact same picture. It should be near the McDonalds on the corner.

Well to be fair, Japanese don't NEED to learn "English/English".

Well, to be fair, I don't need to take dietary supplements, like muliti-vitamins, fish oil and glucosamine.

I'll just live longer and healthier if I do....

What, that you'll "live longer and healthier" if you just keep throwing money at snake oil salesmen? No I got the point perfectly. Just because the mindless herd swallows the latest advertising pitch does not mean anything in the advertising pitch actually is TRUE.

As for the OTHER point you made... The NEED to learn English as a foreign language vs. the NEED to consume supplements. I agree, they're both not NEEDED except in certain circumstances. They would normally be classified as a "want" rather than a "need".

Fadamor

You wrote: Well to be fair, Japanese don't NEED to learn "English/English".

The point, was, yes, they do. If they want to live better.

But there are always a number of people who do speak English in pretty much any country. Even Japan.

...and that number is usually no more than a thousandth of a percentile of the total number of people you'll encounter in that country. I stand by my statement. When I was in Japan, I went on an "English" bus tour to Mt. Fuji. Our "English speaking" tour guide regaled us with stories such as, "Fuji... have... five lakes" accompanied by visual aids so we could get the gist of what he was saying. When I was in Tver, Russia, these two Russians at an outdoor cafe spent a half-hour showing off their English prowess, of which the only thing I garnered was that they hadn't actually used it at all since public school. If you park yourself in downtown Beijing, Tokyo, or Moscow, I'm sure you'll have an easier time finding an English-speaking local. Anywhere else in the country... "Gomennasai. Eigo ga wakarimasen." "Iizvinichye, punimaiyo nyet pa-angliski ."