＜prologue＞
I started a blog called “The Baby Boomer Generation’s Miscellaneous Blog”（Dankai-sedai no garakutatyou:団塊世代の我楽多（がらくた）帳） in July 2018, about a year before I fully retired. More than six years have passed since then, and the number of articles has increased considerably.
So, in order to make them accessible to people who don’t understand Japanese, I decided to translate my past articles into English and publish them.
It may sound a bit exaggerated, but I would like to make this my life’s work.
It should be noted that haiku and waka （Japanese short fixed form poems） are quite difficult to translate into English, so some parts are written in Japanese.
If you are interested in haiku or waka and would like to know more, please read introductory or specialized books on haiku or waka written in English.
I also write many articles about the Japanese language. I would be happy if these inspire more people to want to learn Japanese.
my blog’s URL:https://skawa68.com/
my X’s URL:団塊世代の我楽多帳（@historia49）さん / X
1. What is Shikakeology（trickology）?
Have you ever heard of the term “Shikakeology”? This is a new academic field proposed by Professor Masahiro Matsumura of Osaka University, which focuses on “mechanisms” that change people’s behavior. It is an academic field that examines the phenomena and effects that make people want to take action.
2. Examples of devices based on the science of tricks
(1) A disinfectant spray device that resembles the Mouth of Truth
The other day, several devices invented by Professor Matsumura were introduced on TV. One of them was a “disinfectant spray device” that imitated the “Mouth of Truth” installed at the entrance of a certain hospital. This “Mouth of Truth” became very famous in the movie “Roman Holiday”.
Disinfectant is placed in the entrances of hospitals and apartment buildings, in front of elevators, and in other places, but not many people use it. So, in order to increase the use of disinfectant, they came up with a device that takes advantage of human curiosity and psychology, which makes people want to put their hands in holes, and sprays disinfectant when they put their hands in. The famous “Mouth of Truth” was used for fun. The results have been excellent, and users have been very positive about it.
As an aside, this “Mouth of Truth” is displayed on the exterior wall of the Santa Maria in Cosmedin Church in Rome, at the back of the church’s front portico, but it was originally made as a “manhole cover for a sewer” in ancient Rome. The face carved into it is that of Oceanus（オーケアノス）, the sea god.
(2) “A trash can with a basketball goal”
Professor Matsumura has also invented a trash can with a basketball goal. This takes advantage of human curiosity and psychology, where if there is a goal, people will want to shoot (throw) something in. In a university experiment, the rate of people throwing trash in the trash can was higher than in a normal trash can.
The professor stresses that “it is important not to force people to do something, but to encourage them to choose that action voluntarily.”
3. Garbage cans have disappeared from public places in Osaka City
Recently, trash cans have disappeared from public places such as roads, hotels, department stores, and commercial buildings in Osaka City. This may be due to anti-terrorism measures, but by removing the trash cans, people have started to take their trash home, so they don’t litter as much, and it seems that Osaka has become cleaner. Perhaps the cleaning staff at the commercial buildings are also diligently cleaning the surrounding roads, but this can be considered a “subtraction mechanism.”
When I went on a business trip to the United States about 40 years ago in New York, the trash cans along the roads were overflowing with trash, and there seemed to be a lot of trash on the roads as well. This was because many people were eating while walking and didn’t mind throwing trash on the roads. Maybe the garbage trucks didn’t come by very often.
4. Other examples of similar displays and devices based on the ideas of gadget science
When I was in high school, I remember being impressed by a warning sign in the style of waka poetry that read, “Even if you are in a hurry, stay calm and in the center. Even the flowers of Yoshino will be spoiled when they fall.”
「急ぐとも心静かに真ん中に 吉野の花も散れば汚し」
In the men’s restroom at a parking area on the highway, there was a sign that said, “Take another step forward.”
「もう一歩前へ」
In the past, on a TV quiz show called “Discover the World’s Mysteries!”, there was a question that asked, “In European men’s restrooms, there are small insects drawn on the toilet bowl. What is this for?” The answer was, “Because more people will aim at the [small insects] when they relieve themselves, and the toilet will become less dirty.”
I have also seen signs on the inside of convenience store restroom doors saying, “Thank you for always using the restroom cleanly.”
「いつもきれいにお使いいただき、ありがとうございます」
This is a way of expressing gratitude and appreciation to those who always use the restroom cleanly, and also a gentle request to those who do not.
This makes you feel good and makes you feel like “I have to use the toilet cleanly.” It seems to be more effective than saying “Please use the toilet cleanly” in an imperative tone.
Sorry for talking about toilets so much. Next, I’d like to introduce an interesting sign I found in a “closed store” in the Shinsaibashi shopping arcade recently.
“The bicycle parked in front of you is no longer needed, so please feel free to take it home.”
「この前に置いてある自転車は不用品につき、ご自由にお持ちください。」
This is not a warning or prohibition statement like “Please do not leave your bicycle in front of here! or “No Bicycle Parking,” but I think it has the effect of discouraging people who try to leave their bicycles unauthorized. I also felt that it was a witty sentence that made passersby grin.
One last pleasant topic: At the start of a J-League game, the players appear holding hands with children (mascot kids). The purpose of this may be to give soccer boys and girls a chance to hold hands with the professional soccer players of their dreams, but the real purpose is to make the players feel that they should play in a way that is not embarrassing to the children and that they should not foul or play rough. They want to inspire them to “not foul or play rough.
Indeed, as Professor Matsumura says, “It is important to encourage people to voluntarily choose the behavior rather than force them to do so.