Safety cones have become so commonplace along Japanese roadways and
walkways, those who deploy them must resort to extremes in order to have
the portable warning sentinels stand out in the crowd. These 10
examples of startling safety cone scenery reflect the current state of
affairs in prominent pyramidal triangulation.
Gang Green Grin
Outside
of a child’s cartoon, we bet you’ve never seen a smiling safety cone
before… and a green one at that! This perky pair was spotted in
Tokyo’s Yoyogi district in May of 2010. (cute quirky safety cone image via MartinSFP)
Armed & Dangerously Cute
They
don’t come much more creative than this: a line of safety cones at a
Japanese construction site, each one bearing a different face and
sporting “arm” cables to keep the cones in place. (cute quirky safety cone image via Daifukumochi)
Volcanic Conic
When
it comes to Japan, Mount Fuji is about as iconic as it gets and when it
comes to conical safety cones, the serenely snow-capped national symbol
is a natural model. You can even purchase Fuji-themed safety cones at
retail outlets like the Everything Fuji store in – wait for it – Fujinomiya. (cute quirky safety cone image via Asagiri WEB)
Chick Cone Dinner
Speaking of which, visitors who are feeling a might peckish can pop into the Chicken House restaurant in Fujinomiya. Don’t speak the local lingo? Don’t worry… just check for the chicken cone out front. (cute quirky safety cone image via Freezard)
Religious I-Cones
These
jaw-dropping Buddha safety cones were an art project by Fusao Hasegawa
that blossomed into a minor commercial success story. According to 3yen,
Buddhist temples deployed the cones to dissuade drivers from illegally
parking on temple grounds and, more importantly, to persuade drunken
salarymen not to urinate on the property. (cute quirky safety cone image via 3yen and Hasegawa Fusao)
Wide World of Spots
Can
you spot these safety cones? Too late, someone already has, and quite
nicely if we do say so ourselves. One must wonder whether diverting so
far from boring old Safety Orange has made these supposed warning
markers less noticeable, however. (cute quirky safety cone image via Peter Arbaugh)
Big In Japan
That’s
not a cone, THIS is a cone! If brighter colors, stripes and smiley
faces still don’t do the trick, blowing up your safety cones – in a good
way, mind you – is a great way to get the message across. The next
logical step is having Godzilla stomp any illegally parked cars. (cute quirky safety cone image via Kat n Kim)
Cone Cosmetics
Is
this cone coming on to you? Note the bashful batted lashes and cloying
come-hither smile sported by this cunningly camouflaged cone. You’d do
anything the little lady asks, wouldn’t you? Of course you would, even
if all she’s asking is for you to yield to construction vehicles. (cute quirky safety cone image via Bethany Weeks)
Ramen Speed!
As
if visiting a ramen museum could be any more fun, the safety cones in
the parking lot are happy to see you too! Or maybe they’re glad to see
you leave… why not both? (cute quirky safety cone image via Today’s Landscape)
ConeCone Chanel
The rich really are
different from you and me, and so are their safety cones. The
distinctively branded (and spotlessly clean) example above fronts an
unnamed and undoubtedly exclusive building in Tokyo’s fashionable
Shibuya district… because plunking a run-of-the-mill, hoi-polloi
orange cone there would be SO uncouth, that’s why. (cute quirky safety cone image via Tokyo Fashion)
Kookie Is As Kuki Does
Now orange you glad Japan has all these kookie,
er, KUKI traffic safety cones? And hey, this is just a random sampling
of what lurks along the nation’s highways and byways. Too bad Pyramid
Power isn’t a thing; there’d be no need for Fukushima and its ilk.
