Even signs that forbid things are cute in Japan. Many times signs explain their message in a graphical way using cartoon characters. The pigeon in the sign says:
Stop please!
I don’t need food!
You can find more strange and funny Japanese signs in this category.
This strange restaurant built on top of a tree can be found in Okinawa not far from Naha airport along highway 58.
The tree is a Gajumaru (also known in India as Banyan), which is a species of the genus Ficus. The Gajumaru/Banyan is a tree that you can typically find in Asian tropical areas, and they can also be seen in Hawaii. If you watched Lost you surely saw them many times as they are used by the characters in the series to hide from the smoke monster. Gajumarus are also known because Robinson Crusoe built his house in one.
My ass trying to climb a Gajumaru.
According to the mythology of Okinawa, the Kijimuna (small elf-like creatures) live in Gajumarus. Legend has it that the Kijimuna can only be seen by kids that have a pure heart. If you go to Okinawa you will see signs with Kijimuna images in many places, mostly in forest areas where there are gajumarus. However they are not so abundant as the Shisa.
A video (not mine) in which you can appreciate the size of the trunk of a gajumaru tree.
The other day I was taking one of my aimless strolls around Setagaya, a residential area in Tokyo with many green areas. I like to get lost around the alleys of the neighbourhood in which Akira Kurosawa lived, and I always enjoy finding new places in town.
I went into a random coffee shop to rest a bit. Just right after entering, I noticed a Pulp Fiction poster and, not far from it, hidden in some shelves I found one of my books just behind a Gremlin.
“Why do you have this book here?” – I asked the waiter.
“Lately there are many foreigners around here” – he answered.
