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As a former heavy smoker who also dearly misses California’s insanely strict public smoking laws, I must still say most of the “scenarios” used by this new “public awareness” campaign are way beyond ridiculous: “Even if I step aside, my smoke will still be in the way”… now come on…
Well, on the other hand, I think hat they are very accurate. This one scenario is very true. and the others are quite true and funny too. It s a really new way to talk about it, not like it kills but as a simple daily annoyance! 😉
I have taken a few pics of them too on my site:
http://www.in-duce.net/ad/Tokyo-08-2004/1091508572SN310029
http://www.in-duce.net/ad/Tokyo-08-2004/1091405215SN310010
http://www.in-duce.net/ad/Tokyo-06-2004/1091097777040729_0104_01
Hi Paul,
thanks for the links, definitely better quality than what I was able to catch on the run with my crappy keitai camera…
I guess what bothers me more than the dubious importance of some of these scenarios is the fact they focus on rather minor situations, while, at the same time, it’s damn near impossible to ever get a *real* non-smoking table in a restaurant or coffee shop (as if the smoke was gonna freeze in the air on that invisible line supposed to separate non-smoking from smoking tables) and countless other more serious cases. I also get the feeling it’s much easier for JT to focus on that kind of “courtesy lessons” rather than, say, warn against the fact that cancer is the number one cause for mortality in Japan (http://www.ncc.go.jp/en/statistics/2003/fig01.pdf), far, far before any other cause.
Once again, I hardly qualify as either hardcore antismoker or unrepentant smoker: I used to smoke, still even do on occasions… but I must say that seeing this kind of ad in a country so incredibly blind to the real health issue of tobacco sounds a bit out of place.