Every country has its strengths and weaknesses. Japan, for example, perfectly blends old traditions with modern innovation and has become one of the strongest nations on Earth. But it does seem to struggle with English.
The Facebook group ‘Engrish in Japan’ is dedicated to all of the unintentionally offensive product names, confusing signs, and other translation fails people found on its territory.
However, if these slip-ups teach us anything, it’s that breaking the rules of a language can make streets, stores, and restaurants much more entertaining. And not in a bad way!
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#1 At The Northern Entrance To Oze, Hinoemata Village In Fukushima Pref
Image source: EngrishInJapan
#2 “Please, Take Good Care Of The Stairs.” Taken At The Kinosaki Ropeway, Around 2 Years Ago
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#3 Yokohama, Kannai. In The Front Of A Residential Building
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#4 Saw This One While Driving Around In Osaka. Unfortunately, My Friend (Who Took The Picture) Missed The Other Side Of The Column With More Gold On It
Image source: EngrishInJapan
#5 Nothing Like It… If You Need Some Big Wood, Go To Okayama
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#6 Heart In The Form Of Pancakes! Taken In Gion (Yamatooji-Dori Street) In Kyoto Around 2 Years Ago
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#7 Dairy Park!
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#8 Bar Sign In Kawaguchi, Saitama
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#9 Found In Shizuoka Airport Yesterday. I Understand What They Were Trying To Get At But I’d Rather Not Have Orange Juice That’s Just Like Tap Water – Not Very Appealing
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#10 Someone Seems To Have Corrected The Spelling Of “Seculity”. Toyama, 2026
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#11 You’res Welcome!
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#12 I Have No Idea What Could Possibly Be Going On In There At Night 😂 In Kanazawa
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#13 Minoh, Osaka
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#14 Chofu Station Building
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#15 Somebody… Please, Make A Reservation! Taken Some Years Ago Somewhere Around Noda, Osaka
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#16 They Are Currently
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#17 Found This In Sakae In Nagoya… Don’t You Dare To Dump (Make A Dump Or Dump Garbage?) Or They Will Sue The Police!
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#18 Don’t Take Spare Toilet😏 Where: Akasaka, Tokyo
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#19 Was Found In Shin-Osaka Station. Only For Extreme Button Situations
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#20 Huh? 😂 Where: Yokohama Iekei Ramen In Hiroshima
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#21 They Meant “Pilates”. Near Asakusabashi Station In Tokyo
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#22 Rounge In Nishiazabu
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#23 At Supermarket In Shinagawa-City, Tokyo
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#24 Nachi Falls Last Week
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#25 Souvenir Shop At Oshinohakai, Near MT Fuji. There Were A Lot Of Bangers Today, But This One Is Absolute Peak
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#26 This Sign Got Me Froored For A Bit Found At A Karaoke Shop In Akihabara
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#27 “Please Start Eating” At Toranomon Hills
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#28 Got Myself A New Tshirt From Aeon
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#29 Seen Outside A Restaurant In Kyoto The Other Day. Thank Goodness They’re All Sold Out. I Nibbled On A Few Of Them When I Was But A Wee Lad
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#30 In Sakai, Osaka, Japan
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#31 “Never Touch This Pipe!! If You Touch, The Roof Will Fall And An Accident Will Occur.” Shinjuku Golden Gai
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#32 What I Assume Is A Massage Parlour In Sendai
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#33 Washing Machine Instructions At A Hotel I Stayed At In Utsunomiya
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#34 Somewhere In Yokohama. Took This Photo Last May 2025
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#35 The Penalty For Train Groping In Japan (Tenma)
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#36 This Mall Always Has The Best Shirts (Kawachi Mataubara)
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#37 Insert The Temperature Of Your Choice Here. (At A Chocolate Store At Chitose Airport)
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#38 Looks Good Tho. Both The Flap And The Pafe. Which One Should I Order? 🙊 📍 Namba Osaka
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#39 That Doesn’t Seem Like A Very Good Business Model But I’m Flattered, If A Bit Weirded Out
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#40 Memory Lane, Tokyo
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#41 In Case You Need Some Really Small Tissues
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#42 Sounds Like Fun
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#43 I Can’t Remember Where I Took This Photo. I Think At A Mochi Or Steamed Bun Store In Atami
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#44 Ureshino, Saga
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#45 Near Narimasu Station, Itabashi, Tokyo
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#46 Now I Have Questions. And Somehow, I Also Want A Bucket Of It
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#47 Charming Sign On Public Toilet, Outside Of Fukuyama Station. I Guess It Worked – It Made Me Smile
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#48 Yeah, All Is Ephemeral
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#49 One Of My Favorites I Found When I Was Living In Utsunomiya, Tochigi Prefecture
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#50 Having “The Talk” At Hiroshima Station. The Ticket Office, I Think?
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#51 Stop Idling Around. Yokohama Bay Hotel Tokyu Parking Lot
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#52 Was On The Toilet In A Public Restroom At Fuji-Q In Yamanashi, And I Noticed The Sign Below The Button That Says “Flesh Toilet”
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#53 From In Front Of The Microwave In My Hamamatsu Hotel
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#54 My First Contribution To The Group. I Found This On Holiday In Okinawa This Week, Outside A Bar. It Has To Be Read With A “Yoda” Voice!
Image source: EngrishInJapan
#55 Abashiri Prison Museum Parking
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#56 Gotta Clern The House Today 🧹🧼 Daiso Clerning Aisle
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#57 Found This In A Park In Aichi
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#58 Toei Bus Will Touch You Firmly
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#59 Somewhere Near Umeda, Osaka
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#60 Taken At A Game Center, Niigata City
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#61 Granny Shop
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#62 Ah Yes, The Scientific Latchin Name Of The Species. Osaka Floral Culture Park
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#63 In A Restaurant In Hiroshima
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#64 Please Waste – At An Amusement Park In Okayama
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#65 A Little Shopping In Kumamoto
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#66 For Those Embarrassing Moments When Your Skin Falls Off..(Yuzawa)
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#67 Dug This One Up From A Little Over A Year Ago. The Worst Part Is This Was At A Translation Conference In Shiga
Image source: EngrishInJapan
#68 Small Hand Writing… In Jinbo-Cho, Tokyo
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#69 Like, Ok Drugstore Salad Bag In Osaka
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#70 MT. Fuji – Yoshida Trail 4th Station Toilets – 2025
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#71 Vending Machine At Ohanajaya Station
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#72 Is It Like The Axe Commercial, “Don’t Use It If You Don’t Mean It”? 🤔
Image source: EngrishInJapan
#73 They Must Have Been Busy Running Around All Morning And Had To Come To A Halt
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#74 Saw This In The Tunnel On The Way To Board A Plane At Kansai Airport. Apparently Can’t Even Get On A Plane Unscathed
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#75 [meet]
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#76 Restaurant Menu In Osaka
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#77 Shioyazaki Lighthouse, Southern Fukushima Prefecture. I Guess It Still Gets The Message Across… Sort Of 🤷♂️?
Image source: EngrishInJapan
#78 Spotted In Yokohama. Hare It Is On The 1st Floor
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#79 Hareruya Card Store In Akihabara. I Think This Roughly Translates To “YOLO”?
Image source: EngrishInJapan
#80 Driving Through Shizuoka At The Moment And Spotted Some Epic
Image source: EngrishInJapan
#81 I Guess It’s Ok To Park Here If You’re Delightful About It
Image source: EngrishInJapan
#82 Came Across This On My Way Home From Work Yesterday – No Bumping Garbage Allowed Here😅 Osaka
Image source: EngrishInJapan
#83 Taxi In Kyoto. This Guy Deserves A Little Credit For Making The Effort
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#84 Just Arrived Now At The Sun Palace Hotel In Tooyako In Hokkaido
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#85 Itabashi Hotel Cup
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#86 Found This On A Door Of An Establishment In Osaka
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#87 The People At Shiroyama Park In Fukui’s Takahama-Cho Beach Side Area Know All About The Devious Pocket Sand. So, Drop That Sand, Dirtbag!
Image source: EngrishInJapan
#88 I Wonder How Much It Is When They Aren’t Sick? Tsukiji Outer Market
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#89
Image source: EngrishInJapan
#90 Nishiki Market, Kyoto, May 8, 2026. Apparently They Don’t Sell Plastic Shopping Bags
Image source: EngrishInJapan
#91 Saw This In An Ice Cream Shop At Akihabara Station
Image source: EngrishInJapan
#92 Sounds Like One Of Those Escape Room Challenges
Image source: EngrishInJapan
#93 Kyoto – Higashishiokojicho, 14 April 2026. Engrish All The Way!
Image source: EngrishInJapan
#94 In A Small Shop In Kawazu
Image source: EngrishInJapan
#95 Carpe Diem? 🎏a Beautiful Wall Reminder To Seize The Day While Waiting In Line To Enter An Onsen Bath In Higashi Kurume This Morning!
Image source: EngrishInJapan
#96 From The Ladies’ Restroom At A 7 Eleven In Enoshima
Image source: EngrishInJapan
#97 No, *you* Can’t Make The Bed If There Are Things On It. Seen At Washington Hotel Plaza, Okayama
Image source: EngrishInJapan
#98 Received This Kind Card After Giving Blood In Kichijoji! Thnak You Too!
Image source: EngrishInJapan
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