The "Please Do It Again" better manners campaign on the Tokyo subway this month has our hero conspicuously turning off his mobile phone in front of an admiring mother and kid.
Previous posters in the "Please Do It Again" series have included a young man giving up his seat to a man on crutches.
The initial "Do It At Home" campaign featured a young woman applying her make up on the trains and talking on her mobile phone. Other targets have been drunks sprawled over the seats, young people taking up too much room and a commuter shaking an umbrella over fellow travelers on the stairs.
The man behind the striking manga-like designs is Bunpei Yorifuji, an admirer of the American pop-artist Edward Hopper and ukiyo-e master Hokusai.
Yorifuji bases his monthly designs on common complaints made to Tokyo Metro's Customer Relations Center (Tel: 03-3941-2030).
Tokyo Metro has been running its "manner poster" campaign since 1974.
The man responsible for the striking manga-like designs is 35-year-old Bunpei Yorifuji, a fan of American artist Edward Hopper and ukiyo-e master Hokusai. Yorifuji bases his monthly designs on common complaints made to Tokyo Metro's Customer Relations Center (Tel: 03-3941-2030).
Two mainstays of the campaign are a disgruntled man and woman - the pair with large opaque glasses - who represent the average law-abiding Tokyo commuter. Yorifuji refers to them as a married couple: "The glasses obfuscate the emotion and better reflect the discomfort," he adds.
Yorifuji's work is now so popular it is the subject of spoofs such as the one below from hitotoki.
Tokyo Metro has been running its "manner poster" campaign since 1974.
I use the Tokyo Metro most days to commute to work. It is quick, efficient, safe and very cheap.
The lowest fare between stations on the Tokyo subway system is 160 yen (approx. 1.60 USD) compared with a whopping 4 GBP (6.40 USD) or 1.60 GBP (2.60 USD with an Oyster Card) on the London Underground and 2.25 USD on the New York subway.
The basic pricing structure on the Tokyo Metro is: 160 yen (Child 80 yen) 1-6 km; 190 yen (Child 100 yen) 7-11 km; 230 yen (Child 120 yen) 12-19 km; 270 yen (Child 140 yen) 20-27 km; 300 yen (Child 150 yen) 28-40 km
If you plan on being in Tokyo for a day it is worthwhile purchasing a 710 yen one-day open ticket valid for all Tokyo Metro lines. Buy your ticket from one of the automatic vending machines in every station. A Common One-day Ticket for Tokyo Metro & Toei Subway is 1,000 yen.
The Tokyo Metro Open Ticket available only at Narita Airport is aimed at tourists coming to Japan and costs 600 yen for one day of unlimited rides on Tokyo Metro lines (not the Toei system) or 980 yen for two days. This is excellent value. If you are changing from Tokyo Metro to Toei put your card in the slot, choose your destination and pay the extra with coins or a note.
The Keikyu Haneda/Subway Pass available at Haneda Airport (used mainly for domestic flights) offers a one-way ticket on the Keikyu Line from Haneda Airport Station to Sengakuji Station, plus one day of unlimited travel on all Tokyo Metro and Toei Subway lines. This costs 1,300 yen.
