Japanese manga icons like Sailor Moon teach train etiquette to foreign tourists

In April, Central Japan Railway Company, in collaboration with publisher Kodansha, began displaying posters of characters from 17 popular manga series at stations along the Tokaido shinkansen line between Tokyo and Osaka.

For example, the poster featuring Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon instructs women renting kimonos for sightseeing in Kyoto “wear kimono and yukata [summer kimono] correctly by crossing the left side over the right”.

While Cardcaptor Sakura declared, “a bow at a 45-degree angle is customary to show gratitude”, Blue Lock advised travellers, “be mindful of others and keep conversations quiet on the train”.

“We wanted to use manga characters that are popular overseas to make travelling in Japan more comfortable and enjoyable for customers from overseas,” railway spokesman Yusuke Sasaki said.