Himakajima: The Japanese island with one traffic light that only turns green once a year

[SGMCF328]

Interesting education program in the land of rising sun. (not the type @Jamesc is very familiar with though hahahaha)

Source: https://soranews24.com/2024/05/25/himakajima-the-japanese-island-with-one-traffic-light-that-only-turns-green-once-a-year/

People tend to imagine the urban sprawl of Tokyo when envisioning Japan, but the country has a vast countryside too, with places that can give the quaintest parts of the world a run for their money. One such place is the small island of Himakajima a few dozen kilometers south of Nagoya, in between Ise Bay and Mikawa Bay.

It’s a picturesque little island with nice beaches, tasty octopus, and a population that tends to hover around 2,000. In addition, one of its more unique features is its lone set of traffic lights on the southeastern coast. While there are countless small towns that only have “the traffic lights,” Himakajima’s are special in that they only turn green – or “blue” as they call it in Japanese – on one day out of the year.

For the other 364.25 days, these lights are in a constant state of flashing yellow in the direction of the coastal road and flashing red on the road leading into Hakajima East Port, making them equivalent to a pair of stop signs in the north-south direction.

The reason is that these stop lights were never intended to serve any sort of traffic control. They were installed in 1994 at the request of the Himaka Traffic Safety Association to help teach the island’s children how to follow the signals in case they move out to a big city someday.

Prior to the traffic lights, a smaller prop was used to teach kids but they always felt a disconnect between it and the real thing. Now, for one day in May, the lights are set to turn green so the kids can practice using them properly and safely.

This year the green light was activated on May 21, and once again children congregated at the intersection to get a feel for the timing of it and practice looking right, left, and right again before raising their arm and crossing the street. One young girl told reporters that she was surprised how tricky it was when the light turned red while she was walking her bike across the zebra stripes.

If you’d like to witness this yearly event, it might be hard to pinpoint the exact date, but the lights have their own page on the Himakajima website for a good place to start. Even if you do miss it, there’s still a lot to see, do, and eat there so you won’t be disappointed. It serves as a reminder that Japan isn’t all robots, 3-D billboards, and fax machines.

[kobayashiGT]

On 5/29/2024 at 10:21 AM, SGMCF328 said:

Interesting education program in the land of rising sun. (not the type @Jamesc is very familiar with though hahahaha)

Source: https://soranews24.com/2024/05/25/himakajima-the-japanese-island-with-one-traffic-light-that-only-turns-green-once-a-year/

People tend to imagine the urban sprawl of Tokyo when envisioning Japan, but the country has a vast countryside too, with places that can give the quaintest parts of the world a run for their money. One such place is the small island of Himakajima a few dozen kilometers south of Nagoya, in between Ise Bay and Mikawa Bay.

It’s a picturesque little island with nice beaches, tasty octopus, and a population that tends to hover around 2,000. In addition, one of its more unique features is its lone set of traffic lights on the southeastern coast. While there are countless small towns that only have “the traffic lights,” Himakajima’s are special in that they only turn green – or “blue” as they call it in Japanese – on one day out of the year.

For the other 364.25 days, these lights are in a constant state of flashing yellow in the direction of the coastal road and flashing red on the road leading into Hakajima East Port, making them equivalent to a pair of stop signs in the north-south direction.

The reason is that these stop lights were never intended to serve any sort of traffic control. They were installed in 1994 at the request of the Himaka Traffic Safety Association to help teach the island’s children how to follow the signals in case they move out to a big city someday.

Prior to the traffic lights, a smaller prop was used to teach kids but they always felt a disconnect between it and the real thing. Now, for one day in May, the lights are set to turn green so the kids can practice using them properly and safely.

This year the green light was activated on May 21, and once again children congregated at the intersection to get a feel for the timing of it and practice looking right, left, and right again before raising their arm and crossing the street. One young girl told reporters that she was surprised how tricky it was when the light turned red while she was walking her bike across the zebra stripes.

If you’d like to witness this yearly event, it might be hard to pinpoint the exact date, but the lights have their own page on the Himakajima website for a good place to start. Even if you do miss it, there’s still a lot to see, do, and eat there so you won’t be disappointed. It serves as a reminder that Japan isn’t all robots, 3-D billboards, and fax machines.

We also have! at east coast park! 

[Mancypher]

On 5/29/2024 at 1:59 PM, kobayashiGT said:

We also have! at east coast park! 

Shell should add 2 more pump. Yellow and Red. Then it will be a good example if they go bolehland to pump when they grow up. 😆

[kobayashiGT]

On 5/29/2024 at 4:15 PM, Mancypher said:

Shell should add 2 more pump. Yellow and Red. Then it will be a good example if they go bolehland to pump when they grow up. 😆

They need to add EV charger also. Govt is pushing it. 

[Xers007]

On 5/29/2024 at 4:15 PM, Mancypher said:

Shell should add 2 more pump. Yellow and Red. Then it will be a good example if they go bolehland to pump when they grow up. 😆

up north cannot pump yellow leh... 😁

Edited May 29, 2024 by Xers007

[Brass]

On 5/29/2024 at 6:30 PM, Xers007 said:

up north cannot pump yellow leh... 😁

Why you let the cat out of the bag... the trick is to let the girl familiarize with the yellow pump so she can pump ron 95 and then if asked she could say "really meh"

Edited May 29, 2024 by Brass
Wait cannot...later she go esso she pump diesel 😎

[SGCM928]

Where is the speeding PMD / PMA? Wait the ah boy ah girl gong gong wait patiently for green man to cross the road, only to be knock down by speeding PMD, like that how? 

Want to do must do complete set mah. 😁

[Mancypher]

On 5/29/2024 at 5:19 PM, kobayashiGT said:

They need to add EV charger also. Govt is pushing it. 

Ya must be variety also.

Shell Recharge, CDG, Tesla, Porsche chargers. 🤣

[Mancypher]

On 5/29/2024 at 6:30 PM, Xers007 said:

up north cannot pump yellow leh... 😁

The girl holding green pump ma. But she dunno what is yellow and red pump, and blue pump as well. So must educate from young.

If can make more realistic, put the MY Gov notice also at the pump. 🤣

[kobayashiGT]

On 5/30/2024 at 9:05 AM, Mancypher said:

Ya must be variety also.

Shell Recharge, CDG, Tesla, Porsche chargers. 🤣

Then must have mini BlueSG also. Cannot forget our public toilet facilities. hahahaha 

[SGMCF328]

Hahahaha this is mcf indeed, pump petrol in JB, PMD, Bluesg, ev charging, etc.

Heh it is about road safety awareness leh. Jkjk Hahahaha