These are bottles of water lined around a corner. These can be found in all Japanese neighborhoods. I have asked some Japanese people what they are for. The answer I have recieved is to keep cats away. The reason being is that cats do not like water so the water keeps them away from their house. I do not know if this is true, but Japan has a large stray cat population. I have seen lots of strays and even been to a park that is just crawling with them. I have seen some restuarants leave out leftovers for them as well. Another thing I noticed is that alot of Japanese have dogs. They are a very popular pet at least here.
The first sign is a sign warning about a small stream and how you could drown if not careful. The other one is a sign that tell you to be alert when you are walking alone because some ちかん(pervert) could get you. Both of these signs(or similar ones) can be found in any Japanese neighborhood. Wandering around Japan, I have noticed that the most popular Kanji I see is 注意 which means "watch out" or "warning". I didn't think Japan was that dangerous, but I am told to watch out for cars, trains, perverts, rivers, pretty much everything. I find it somewhat strange especially when Japan prides itself on how safe it is. Maybe its signs like these that make Japan so safe. I thought was interesting to see so many warnings and most of the time what I was warned about didn't look to be dangerous.
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Some have suggested that Japan is too full of warning signs and announcements to the point where Japanese people ignore them. How many times have you seen someone smoking in front of a no smoking sign? How many times have you seen someone using a keitai in the section marked by multiple signs not to use cell phones on the train? Perhaps to ignore is a form of social rebellion in Japan? Wagamama?
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