Sa Sa Le Le

At least, that's how I read it...


I had business in Goshogawara today. It was a bad day for it. You would think that most people would be at work at 10:00 am on a Monday, BUT most of those who were working seemed to be moving snow

The road right in front of the Goshogawara City Hall


or working on construction projects. Yes, it's a dumb time of year for that, but the fiscal year ends in March, so the road department has to use their budget up quick. Everyone else was out driving around, or trying to. SO.. I had lots of time to contemplate this sign in a store while I waited for traffic to inch on a bit. And, I read it as "Sa Sa Le Le". Well, isn't it?
I have often marvelled at the "awful" things Japanese ad men do to English, and longed to get ahold of them and correct their "errors". But, then I realized something that should have been obvious- those signs weren't written for Anglophones like me- they are for Japanese consumers. And, Japanese consumers know what is being said- in this case, "Sale".
The genius of this country is in the curiousity and creativity of many of it's citizens. They adopt and adapt things readily: change has been one of the country's main features since the Meiji era began. But somehow, though things are always changing, it's always still Japan.