＜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:団塊世代の我楽多（がらくた）帳 | 団塊世代が雑学や面白い話を発信しています
my X’s URL:団塊世代の我楽多帳（@historia49）さん / X
We see many pictograms such as “wheelchair symbols” and “emergency exit signs” in towns, train stations, hospitals, and other places.
Recently, we often see the “koban (police box) mark,” which depicts “a police officer bending over to listen to a child,” which is much more relatable than the previous picture of a police box with a police officer standing inside a poly box.
KOBAN”, like ‘KARAOKE’ and ‘BONSAI’, has become a Japanese word that can be understood around the world without any discomfort. This is because Japan’s “KOBAN system” (a system in which police officers are packed around the clock to patrol and respond to incidents and accidents) is attracting worldwide attention as an excellent one. I am sure that many foreigners will visit Japan in the future, and this system will be easy to understand and reassuring to everyone.
In addition, the Japanese “information desk” used to be indicated by a “? pictogram, but this was recently changed to the universally recognized “i” pictogram.
I think this was a good decision in preparation for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. The “?” mark as in the past is not a good idea for foreigners. mark as it was before, foreigners would have been like “Hatena? What does this mean?
１．What is a Pictogram?
A pictogram is “a visual symbol (sign), generally called a ‘pictogram letter’ or ‘pictogram word,’ that uses a simple picture instead of words to convey some information or attention in an easy-to-understand manner. The technique of using two colors with different brightness for the background and the picture to express the concept to be expressed as a simple picture is used.
Pictograms were first introduced at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. They proved effective in providing guidance and information at athletic facilities.
On March 12, 500 days before the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, the Tokyo Organizing Committee for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics announced 50 pictograms based on the 1964 ones, but with additional events added and a variety of types in the same events.
The pictogram for the 1964 Tokyo Olympics was created by a group of young Japanese artists.
They gave up their copyrights and thought hard with the aim of “creating something that everyone can recognize at a glance, since both Africans and Scandinavians will be coming.
It became the prototype for the pictograms later used at the Olympics and World Expositions in various countries. It is truly a great legacy.
２．Diffusion and evolution of pictograms
In April 2005, the Pictogram Design Principles for Communication Assistance (JIS T0103) standard was established.
This introduced pictograms as a standard to help people who have difficulty communicating by writing or speaking understand correctly.
Since then, efforts to label food, medicine, and other products as universal design that meets basic usability and accessibility requirements for the elderly and physically challenged have become widespread.
Recently, not only “still pictograms” but also dynamic “moving pictograms” and “pictogram animations” are being produced.
３．Pictogram Issues
Some symbols, such as the “emergency exit sign” and the “men’s and women’s toilet symbols” invented in Japan, are identical internationally, but many symbols differ from country to country, making “international standardization” an issue.