Road signs in Japan
In Japan, road signs (道路標識, dōro-hyōshiki) are standardized by the "Order on Road Sign, Road Line, and Road Surface Marking (道路標識、区画線及び道路標示に関する命令)" established in 1968 with origins from the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department's "Order on Standardization of Road Sign" of 1934 and the Home Ministry of Japan's "Order on Road Signs" of 1942.[1] The previous designs have been used since 1986 after several amendments of order.[2]
They are divided into "Principal Sign" (本標識, hon-hyōshiki) and "Supplemental Sign" (補助標識, hojo-hyōshiki).
Principal signs[]
Principal Signs (本標識, hon-hyōshiki) are categorized into 4 types; guide, warning, regulatory and instruction signs.
Guide signs[]
Guide signs (案内標識, an'nai-hyōshiki) indicates directions or distances of the road. Guide signs have dark green backgrounds and white text for expressways. In urban areas and on national highways, direction signs have dark blue backgrounds. The signs are normally written in Japanese and English. Since 2014, Vialog is used as the typeface for English words and Place name Transcriptions.
Expressway ramp ahead
Expressway exit ahead
Exits and distance (expressway)
Junction (expressway)
Expressway number (E1; Tomei)
Expressway shield (E4; Tōhoku)
Urban Expressway shield (C1; Shuto C1)
Intersection
Intersection
Distance of cities and areas
National highway shield (Route 20)
National highway shield
National highway shield
Prefectural highway shield (Fukuoka Route 758)
Prefectural highway shield
Prefectural highway shield (inter-city route)
Prefectural highway shield
Prefectural highway shield (inter-city route)
Street name
Detour
Detour
Mitigated limitation of height (expressway)
Mitigated limitation of weight
Warning signs[]
Warning signs (警戒標識, keikai-hyōshiki) warn drivers of dangers or situations that they must pay attention to. Their design, black pattern and border on yellow diamond (usually with 45 cm per a side), is based on the U.S. MUTCD (due to this nation being part of Major non-NATO ally).[4]
Crossroads
T-intersection with road on the right
T-intersection
T-intersection with road on the left
Y-intersection
Roundabout
Curve turn to the right
Curve turn to the left
Sharp turn to the right
Sharp turn to the left
Reverse curve to the right then left
Reverse curve to the left then right
Sharp reverse turn to the right then left
Sharp reverse turn to the left then right
Succession of more than two curves to the right
Succession of more than two curves to the Left
Railroad crossing ahead (old; Steam train)
Railroad crossing ahead (Electronic train)
School area
Traffic lights ahead
Slippery surface
Falling rocks
Bumpy road
Traffic merges from the left
Left lane ends
Road narrows on both sides
Two-way traffic ahead
Steep descent (10%, 1:10)
Steep ascent (10%, 1:10)
Roadworks
Dangerous wind gusts
Wild animals crossing (deer)
Wild animals crossing (hares)
Wild animals crossing (monkeys)
Wild animals crossing (raccoon dogs)
Other dangers
Regulatory signs[]
Regulatory signs (規制標識, kisei-hyōshiki) show the regulations of each roads in order to keep road condition and prevent dangers of traffic.
The stop sign is a red, downward-pointing triangle, with the text 止まれ (tomare) & "stop" (in English, for the pre-1963 and current designs only) in white. Prohibition signs are round with white backgrounds, red borders, and blue pictograms. Mandatory instruction signs are round with blue backgrounds and white pictograms.
Slow down (In Japanese and English, current design from 2017)
Slow down (In Japanese Only, phased out in 2017)
Yield (abolished in 2017)
Stop (In Japanese and English, current design from 2017)
Stop (In Japanese Only, used from 1963 to 2017)
Stop (In English Only, used in United States Armed Forces Bases in Japan.)
Stop sign, used from 1950 to 1960
Stop sign, used from 1960 to 1963
Road closed to all
Road closed to vehicles
Do not enter
No motor vehicles except motorcycles and mopeds
No trucks
No buses
No motorcycles or mopeds
No nonmotorized vehicle
No bicycles
No motor vehicles
No two-person motorcycles or mopeds
No vehicles carrying dangerous goods
No vehicles weighing over 5.5 tonnes
No vehicles higher than 3.3 meters
No vehicles wider than 2.2 meters
Motor vehicles only
Bicycles only
Bicycles and Pedestrians only
Pedestrians only
Road closed to pedestrians
Straight ahead or left turn permitted
Straight ahead or right turn permitted
Turn left
Turn right
No turns
Turn left or right
Directions permitted
Roundabout
Keep left
Keep right
No right turn crossing ahead
No U-turn
Two-stage right turn for mopeds
No two-stage right turn for mopeds
No crossing center line when overtaking
Speed limit (90 km/h)
End of speed restriction limit
End of speed restriction limit[5]
Minimum speed limit (50 km/h)
One-way street to the left
One way street to the right
One-way street ahead
One way (bicycle)
Trucks use left lane[6]
Buses-only lane
Bicycle lane
Buses-priority lane
Lane usage
Lane usage
Lane usage
Lane usage
Use car horns
No pedestrian crossing
No stopping
No parking
Restricted parking
Parallel parking
Right-angle parking
Slanting parking
Instruction Signs[]
Instruction signs (指示標識, shiji-hyōshiki) show points and devices on the road that drivers should pay attention.
Stop line
Center line
Driving on tram rail permitted
Parking permissive
Stopping permissive
Pedestrian crossing
School crossing
Bicycle crossing
Bicycle and pedestrian crossing
Controls ahead
Supplemental signs[]
Supplemental signs (補助標識, hojo-hyōshiki) are usually put just below the principal signs, and shows their valid range like time, day and category of vehicle.[7] They are equivalent to the "plaque" of the American MUTCD. The width of the plates is usually 60 cm, and the sentences should be less than 7 characters per a line or 3 lines.[8] When the sentences can not be shortened less than the limitation, they should apply changeable signs.[8]
100 meters ahead
Next 50 meters
Except Sundays and Holidays
8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Except mopeds
Large trucks
Bicycles (symbol)
Trucks (symbol)
Trucks carrying over 3 tonnes (symbol)
Only for permitted vehicles
Make room more than 6 meters when you park
Permitted until the time the parking meter shows
Restriction begins (symbol)
Restriction begins
Restriction begins
Restricted zone (symbol)
Restricted zone
End of restriction (symbol)
End of restriction
End of restriction
End of restriction
School zone
No passing or overtaking
Yield
Train crossing caution
Caution crosswind
Caution wild animals
Caution
Safety speed: 30 km/h
Caution soft shoulder
Be quiet
direction
Control zone: Honcho, Komoro
Starts
Ends
Other signs[]
Expressway name (Tomei)
Asian Highway route shield (AH1)
Ferry (pictogram established in Japanese Industrial Standards)
"Stop" sign changes[]
In 2016, it was announced that the Japanese National Police Agency was considering changing the design of the "Stop" sign used on Japanese roads since 1963 from the inverted red triangle sign to an octagonal design more closely conforming to the recommendations of the 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Signs and Signals.[9] The inverted red triangle sign was introduced in 1963 ahead of the 1964 Tokyo Olympic Games, and replaced the earlier red octagonal sign used from 1960, which in turn had replaced the yellow octagonal sign used from 1950.[9] It was later decided to make the stop sign bilingual in both Japanese and English, but to maintain the inverted triangular shape.[10]
Photographs[]
Street name and highway shields (Chiba Prefecture)
Expressway exit sign
Intersection guide sign
Height and weight restrictions apply (to streets pointed to by arrows)
Lane usage signs
Changeable lane usage signs
Directions permitted
Tram stop
Right Turn prohibition (7-9 a.m.) ends
Taxis without any passengers can not enter from 9 p.m. unit 2 a.m.
Restrictions 200 m ahead
Asian highway sign and symbol of Nihonbashi (Shuto Expressway)
References[]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Road signs in Japan. |
- ^ 時崎賢二 1990, p. 22.
- ^ dark-RX 2008, p. 105.
- ^ "Fuenfwerken-Schrift in Japan | Fuenfwerken". www.fuenfwerken.com (in German). Retrieved 2018-03-23.
- ^ 時崎賢二 1979, p. 24.
- ^ A left arrow or ここまで in the supplemental sign (plaque) means "END". A right arrow or ここから in the plaque means "BEGIN".
- ^ The symbol can be changed to other vehicles.
- ^ 全標協 2013, p. 3(設置)
- ^ Jump up to: a b 警察庁 2017, p. 32.
- ^ Jump up to: a b "Design of Japanese stop signs might change ahead of Olympic tourism surge". The Japan Times. Japan: The Japan Times Ltd. 21 January 2016. Retrieved 23 January 2016.
- ^ "英語併記の新標識お目見え 一時停止に「STOP」". 日本経済新聞 電子版 (in Japanese). Retrieved 2018-01-24.
Bibliography[]
- 時崎賢二 (1979). "道路標識等の基礎知識". 月刊交通. 東京法令出版. 10 (5): 18–29.
- 時崎賢二 (1990). "道路標識の国際化". 月刊交通. 東京法令出版. 21 (4): 19–39.
- dark-RX (2008-03-20). "見つけよう! 旧標識". 酷道をゆく. イカロス出版: 104–107. ISBN 978-4-86320-025-8.
- 全国道路標識標示業協会(編) (2013). 道路標識ハンドブック (2012年度版 ed.). 全国道路標識・標示業協会.
- 警察庁交通局 (2017-04-24). "交通規制基準" (PDF). 警察庁. Retrieved 2017-11-08.
- "道路標識、区画線及び道路標示に関する命令 別表第2". www.mlit.go.jp. Retrieved 2018-01-24.
- "17062814_ichiran(止まれ、徐行正式版追加)" (PDF). www.mlit.go.jp (PDF). 2017-06-28. Retrieved 2018-01-25.
- Road transport in Japan
- Road signs by country