Information in the Wild Week 4: Signs around the Station - Corona Measures Edition

[ThousandJP]

Week Four!! If you don’t know what’s happening, main post here.
Links to the previous weeks can be found in the main post also.

• Tldr: Quick daily practice of using real Japanese to understand and acquire information. The focus being on understanding what is being conveyed sufficiently to interact with or respond to it.

This week we’re back and the station and will be taking a look at some of the different signs regarding corona countermeasures we may encounter. Japan has been slowly opening back up to regular travellers, if you’re planning on going to Japan in the near future this may be a good preview.
(Or if you live in Japan but never took the time to take a closer look at them)

Day 1:

Happy New Year! Starting this week with a shorter one.
What is the sign saying about masks?

Day 2:

We continue our gentle start to the year, with the bottom half of the previous sign.
What are the main initiatives in effect?

Day 3:

Back at Pompadour for some bread, what are the four adjustment they have made?

Day 4:

This shop seems to be employing a different strategy than what we’ve seen from other stores so far. What does the sign say?

Day 5:

What other recommendations do they have in place?

Day 6:

Beans, another familiar location from our first stroll around the station. What measures have Beans taken to reassure shoppers?

Hint if you're stuck: Definition for バックヤード

A backroom that isn’t open to customers such as a storage room or staff room.

Day 7:

What does the remaining middle section of the sign say?
(The 3密 are 蜜閉空間、密集場所、密接場面)

Next week we will be at a museum with mostly shorter signs. For some of the signs there will be an extra challenge version.

Check in if you’re participating this week

• Yes
• No

[ThousandJP]

Sample Answers (Updated the following day)

Day 1

The store staff will be wearing masks and customers are asked to wear a mask when coming to the store.
(Extra Note: I believe this is a genuine request in that it’s not mandatory but with the circumstantial factors it would certainly be heavily frowned upon. Compared to something like 「OOはご遠慮ください。」which is more of a courteous way of prohibiting.

The red ink is informing customers that staff are permitted to drink water/rehydrate behind the counter. Presumably this is included because that would require the staff to take their mask off while doing so.

Day 2

• A coin tray will be used for cash
• A screen to block particles will be in place
• Customers are asked to maintain a certain amount of distance from each other
• Fresh air will be circulated into the store every 5-10 minutes or so.

Day 3

• The bread will be individually wrapped. Please still use tongs and do not touch them directly with your hands.
• There will temporarily be no samples
• Staff will be wearing masks
• Trays and tongs will be wiped with alcohol

Day 4

The store hopes to prevent crowding so they are requesting that the customers not to come all at the same time.

• Between 15:00 - 18:00 the store is relatively empty
• During busy hours, there may be entry control to limit the number of people in the store
• Store hours may change without notice

Day 5

When Shopping

• Please do so in small groups and for short periods of time
• Inside the store, please properly wear masks made from non-woven fabric
• When lining up to pay please keep a distance of 1.8m or more from others

Day 6

For in-store cleaning, disinfecting, and air circulating, Beans will be taking these hygienic measures

• High frequency areas will be clean and sanitized periodically
• Appropriate amount of air circulation in store
• Entrance and Exits will be equipped with hand sanitizer
• Hand Dryers will not be in use
• Side dishes and bakery goods will be sold pre-packaged in bags
• Samples will not be served

Staff health and Staff room hygiene management

• Staff will have their temperature taken before work, wear a mask, and sanitize their hands thoroughly
• Usage of a section of the smoking area in the staff room will be restricted
• Hygiene measures following the principle of avoiding enclosed spaces, crowded areas, close interactions.

Day 7

• Sticker on the floor will indicate the appropriate distance that needs to kept
• Resting areas will not be accessible and a certain distance will be maintained between any seats
• Particle blocking screens and acrylic boards will be in place
• Busy hours when the store is typically crowded will be posted on posters and digital signs in the store, and on the homepage. If possible please come during times when the store is less crowded
• Events that may lead to crowding will not be held.
• Entrance and exits will be one way and a portion of them will not be assessable. Restricted admission may be enforced.

Suggested format for posting your answers
Will make it easier to distinguish from questions and discussions

[Marcus]

Aaaachoooo!

Great, week 4 already! But I’m away for the New Year holiday for a couple of days… so I’ll be back to catch up on this in a few day’s time. See you then!

Day one

What is the sign saying about masks?

感染予防のため、スタッフはマスク等を着用しております.

感染予防 - かんせんよぼう - infection prevention; disease control
のため - for the purpose of
スタッフ - staff
は - topic marker
マスク - mask/s
等 - etc, and so on
を - object marker
着用 - ちゃくよう - wearing
しております - grammar!

For the purpose of infection control, our staff are wearing masks.

ご来店の際はマスクの着用をお願いいたします.

ご来店 - らいてん - coming to the store
の際 - when, on the occasion of
は - topic marker
マスク - mask/s
の - particle
着用 - ちゃくよう - wearing
を - object marker
お願いいたします - please

Please (also) wear a mask when coming to our store

Day two

What are the main initiatives in effect?

主な取組み

主な - おもな - main
取組み - とりくみ - efforts, initiatives

- money goes in the tray, keep your grubby disease-ridden hands to yourself
- our staff will be behind screens, to protect them from your disgusting diseases
- keep your distance!

I’m behind in everything, @ThousandJP and @eclipse77x have already posted their answers, and in real life there is no way I’d ever try to decipher all that text when the pictures explain everything you really need to know!

Day three

Back at Pompadour for some bread, what are the four adjustment they have made?

しばらくの間パンは個包装をさせて頂きます。 ご不便をお掛けして申し訳ございませんが、 包装されたパンは直接手で触れず、トングでのご利用をお願い致します.

しばらくの間 - しばらくこのあいだ - for a while
パンは - bread + topic marker
個包装を - こほうそう - individual packaging + object marker
させて頂きます - させていただきます - will do (super polite and difficult grammar I don’t understand)
ご不便を - ごふべんを - inconvenience +topic marker
お掛けして - ???
申し訳ございません - もうしわけございません - sorry
が - but
包装 - ほうそう - packaging
された - grammar I don’t understand
パンは - bread + topic marker
直接 - ちょくせつ - direct
手 - て - hand
で - with
触れず - ふれず - without touching
トング - tongs
で - with
の - particle
ご利用 を - ごりよう - usage +topic marker
お願い致します - おねがいたします - please

For a while all our bread will be individually wrapped. Even so, we’re sorry for the inconvenience, but please don’t touch anything directly, but use the tongs.

I’m totally run out time here now, but the other points are:

2. No free samples
3. wear masks
4. tongs wiped with alcohol

Day four

This shop seems to be employing a different strategy than what we’ve seen from other stores so far. What does the sign say?

分散来店ご協力のお願い

分散 - ぶんさん - dispersion
来店 - らいてん - coming to a store
ご協力 - ごきょうりょく - cooperation
の - particle
お願い - おねがい - please

Please work together with us to disperse visits to our store

当店は下記の時間帯が比較的空いております

当店は - とうてんは - this store + topic particle
下記の - かきの - the following:
時間帯が - じかんたいが - time slots + identifier particle
比較的 - ひかくてき - relatively
空いております - すいております - less crowded

This store is relatively less crowded during the following time slot:

喫茶 - きっさ - coffee shop

3pm to 6pm

So, please visit the shop during this time!

Day five

What other recommendations do they have in place?

少人数、 短時間でのお買物をお願いします

少人数 - しょうにんずう - small number of people
短時間 - たんじかん - short time
での - particles
お買物 - おかいもの - shopping
を - object marker
お願いします - おねがいします - please

Please shop in small numbers of people and for short periods only

館内では不織布マスクの正しい着用に ご協力をお願いします

館内で - かんないで - inside the building
は - topic marker
不織布 - ふしょくふ - non-woven
マスク - mask
の - particle
正しい - ただし - correct
着用に - ちゃくように - wearing
ご協力 - ごきょうりょく - cooperation
を - object marker
お願いします - おねがいします - please

Please correctly wear a non-woven mask when inside the building

レジにお並びの際などは 1.8メートル以上 間隔をあけていただくようお願いします

レジに - at the till
お並び - おならび - line
の - particle
際 - さい - time
など - etc
は - topic marker
1.8メートル - 1.8 metres
以上 - いじょう - not less than
間隔 - かんかく - space
を - object marker
あけていただくよう - grammar
お願いします - おねがいします - please

Please leave a space of at least 1.8 metres when in line for the till

Day six

Beans, another familiar location from our first stroll around the station. What measures have Beans taken to reassure shoppers?

I have a terrible habit of biting off more than I can chew when it comes to studying Japanese, and in this project I’m doing the very same again.

So today I’m going to do something very different to what I’ve done so far up till now. Instead of using the dictionary and working through each sentence, what I’m going to do is simply write down what I actually understand, with no help or cheating at all…

…and then I’ll compare it to the other answers given later.

So, okay, here we go…, I’ll use Google Translate to turn the image into text, but I won’t look at the translation, and I’m not going to use Jisho, no DeepL, nothing at all….

館内の清掃/消毒/換気を徹底し、衛生面の対策を行っています
What I know:
Inside the building の kanji/kanji/kanji を kanji し, kanji の kanji を going
My guess:
The shop is listing (し) measures it is taking inside the building. I recognise 消, which means disappear, so I’m guessing it’s about cleaning. Why it all ends with 行っています baffles me!

お客さまの接触機会が多い箇所の定期清掃/消毒を行っています
What I know:
Customers の kanji が many kanji-place の kanji/kanji を going
What I guess:
We have 消毒 again, which I reckon must mean cleaning again, but this time it’s all about the customers. I could be asking customers to clean their hands, but I’d expect a much more polite ending in that case. We have ‘place’ too, and the same 行っています ending, so I reckon the shop is cleaning customer areas or something.

館内は適切な換気を行っています
What I know:
Inside the building は kanji-切 な kanji を going
What I guess
Clearly 行っています does not mean going, it is a way of saying what the shop is doing. They’re doing something in the building, something important, but I give up on this one, totally lost.

出入口に手指消毒を設置しています
What I know:
Exit entrance gate に hand kanji-消-kanji を kanji-put
What I guess:
Easy-peasy! There is hand sanitiser by the entrance and exits

お手洗いのハンドドライヤーを休止しています
What I know (easy one!):
The hand dryers in the toilets have been switched off
(Because nothing says hygiene more than people flicking their wet hands around in the air to dry them!)

惣菜やベーカリー等は袋詰めやパック販売へ変更しています
What I know:
Kanji や bakery etc は kanji hiragana pack kanji へ kanji doing
What I guess
Bakery goods are wrapped

店頭での試飲/試食を中止しています
What I know:
Shop-kanji in の kanji-drink/kanji-food を stopped
What I guess:
No eating or drinking in the shop (no samples?)

Well, that’s what I can manage. Awful, but getting there!

Day seven

What does the remaining middle section of the sign say?

Key points:

Heading:
ディスタンス, social distance, and ３密, さんみつ, the 3Cs.

1:
床面シール等, ゆかめんシールなど, floor stickers etc to show the way

2:
休憩, きゅうけい, rest スペース space is 中止, ちゅうし, cancelled

3:
飛沫防止シート, ひまつぼうししーと, plastic screens installed

4:
Check the ホームページ for 混雑時間, こんざつじかん, busy times, etc

5:
No more busy エベントs I’m afraid

6:
出入り口, でいりぐち, entrances/exits to be 一方通行, いっぽうつうこう, one way

Another fabulous week! Thank you so much to @ThousandJP and to @eclipse77x !

[eclipse77x]

Wow it’s already Week 4?! I love this week’s theme because it enables us to work on (what is now) everyday vocabulary (that we may not have seen otherwise).

Day 1

感染予防対策等について
Countermeasures for Preventing Infection

新型コロナウイルス感染予防のため、以下の取組みを実施しております。
お客??のご理解・ご協力ほど、お願い申し上げます。
To prevent novel coronavirus infection, the following measures are in effect. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.

マスクなどの着用
Mask Wearing

感染予防のため、スタッフはマスクなど着用しております。
ご来店の際はマスクの着用をお願いいたします。
To prevent infection the staff is wearing masks. If you come to the store please wear a mask.

なお、スタッフがカウンター内で水分補給をさせていただくことがあります。
Furthermore, staff will refill water at the counter.

The sign says that the staff will be wearing masks to prevent coronavirus infection and they are asking customers to wear masks as well. (And the staff will refill your water bottle at the counter?)

Day 2

主な取組
Main Efforts/Measures

コイントレーを用いた現金等の受け渡し、飛沫感染防止シートの設置のほかお客さま同士のスペース確保のお願いなど行っております。
Coins tray are in use to transfer money and the like, droplet infection prevention sheets (plexiglass barriers) are installed, and we ask customers maintain space between each other.

店舗では適宜５〜１０分程度、空気の入れ替えを行っております。
In the shop, the air is recirculated every 5-10 minutes as appropriate.

また、体調優れないお客さまはご来店をお控えくださいますよういにお願いします。
Also, customers who feel unwell should please abstain from visiting (the store). (Stay home.)

Day 3

新製コロナウィルスの対策について
Countermeasures for Novel Corona Virus

いつも当店をご受願いただき誠にありがとうございます。
We sincerely thank you for visiting.

現在、各地で感染が続いております新製コロナウィルスについて、ポンパドウルでは以下の対策を実施しております。
Currently, in order to prevent the continued transmission of novel corona virus, the below countermeasures have been instituted.

• しばらくの間パンは個包装させて頂きます。ご不便をお掛けして申し訳ございませんが、包装されたパンは直接手で触れず、トングでご利用をお願い致します。
For the time being each (loaf of) bread will be wrapped individually. We apologize for the inconvenience, please do not touch the wrapped bread directly, please use the tongs.

• 試食による感染を防止するため、店頭での試食を一時休止させて頂きます。
Regarding food samples, in order to prevent infection, the food samples at the store have been temporarily suspended.

• 販売従業員がマスクを着用しております。
Staff will wear masks.

• お客様が使用するトレー・トングは、アルコルによるふき取りを実施いたします。
Trays and tongs for customer use will be wiped down with alcohol.

何卒ご理解、故協力ほど、お願い申し上げます。
We ask for your continued understanding and cooperation.

２０２０年３月１日,株式会社ポンパドウル
March 1, 2020, Pompadour Corporation

@Marcus I post my answers so early because I wake up at like 4 or 5 a.m. every day. Maybe that’s why I had no clue what the middle icon was. I was like “why are they showing a counterperson behind glass…aren’t they always like that?” I didn’t get it until I figured out “飛沫感染防止シートの設置” (thanks Google image search) was screens !

Day 4

I was able to read this and only had to look up 分散 (distribution), 時間帯 (period of time), 混雑 (congestion/crowding), 緩和 (relief), 賜る(to be given)! Also had a bit of trouble with 分散来店.

分散来店ご協力のお願い
Request for Cooperation in Dispersion of Visits

当店は下記の時間帯が比較的空いております。
This store is open around during the time periods listed below:

喫茶：１５：００−１８：００
Tea Drinking: 15:00 – 18:00

混雑緩和のため、空いている時間のご利用お願いします。
In order to relieve congestion, please use the open times.

混雑時は入場制限をさせていただく場合がございます。
In the case of congestion/crowding, entry/admission will be limited.

また予告なく営業時間の変化や休業をさせていただく場合がございます。
Additionally, business hours may change or the store may close without notice.

新製コロナウィルス感染拡大防止に向けて、ご協力賜りますようお願い申し上げます。
We request your cooperation in order to prevent the spread of Novel Corona Virus.

Day 5

@ThousandJP This sign made me feel REALLY good about my progress. I could read and comprehend all of it (even if I didn’t know every single word). Today, for the second half, I only had to look up two words, 少人数 and 不織布.

お買い物をする際のお願い
Requests for Shoppers

少人数、短時間でのお買い物をお願いします。
Please shop in a short amount of time with a small amount of people.

館内では不織布マスクの正しい着用にご協力をお願いします。
Inside the building, we ask for your cooperation in wearing non-woven fabric masks in the proper manner.

レジにお並びの際などは１.８メートル以上間隔あげていただくようお願いします。
When lining up at the register, please leave 1.8 meters or more of space (between customers).

Day 6

安心して買い物いただくのビーンズの取組
Beans Shopping Safety Measures (shop with peace of mind)

お客さまに安心してお買い物いただけるよう感染病の予告および拡大防止対策に取り組んでいます。
To reassure (protect) our customers we are taking the following measures to prevent the spread of infectious disease.

館内の清掃・消毒・換気を徹底し、衛生面の対策を行っています
We are taking hygiene countermeasures by thoroughly cleaning/disinfecting/ventilating the building/facility.

• お客さまの接触機会が多い箇所の定期清掃・消毒を行っています
  Customer touch-points and counters are periodically cleaned and disinfected.

• 館内は適切な換気を行っています
  The building is being properly ventilated.

• 出入口に手指消毒を設置しています
  Hand sanitizer has been placed at the entrance/exit.

• お手洗いのハンドドライヤーを休止しています
  (Use of) the restroom hand dryers has been temporarily suspended.

• 惣菜やベーかリー等は袋詰めやパック販売へ変更しています
  Side dishes and bakery items etc. (have changed to) are now being sold in bags or packs.

• 店頭での試飲・試食を中止しています
  Sampling of drinks/food in the store has been suspended.

Extra Credit:
スタッフ体調管理、バックヤード衛生管理に取組んでいます
Staff Health Management and Backyard Hygiene Control Measures

• 勤務スタッフは勤務前の検温、マスク着用と手指消毒を徹底しています
  On-duty staff have their temperature taken before their shift, wear masks, and thoroughly sanitize their hands.

• バックヤード禁煙所の使用を一部制限しています
  Use of the backyard smoking area is partially (temporarily?) suspended.

• バックヤードの衛生管理及び３密回避を徹底しています
  Thorough hygiene management in the backyard and avoiding the 3C’s

Day 7

入場整理・ディスタンスの確保を行い、３密回避に取り組んでいます
Entry Regulation • To maintain (social) distancing, the 3 C measures are in effect:

• 床面シール等でディスタンスを保つための案内を行っています
  There are signs on the floor to indicate social distancing.

• 休憩スペース等の利用中止・席の間隔確保を行っています
  Use of the rest area space is suspended • Spacing/intervals between seats is being maintained.

• 飛沫防止シートやアクリル板の設置を行っています
  Droplet prevention sheets and acrylic screens are in use/have been installed.

• 混雑時間を館内ポスターやテジサイ、ホームページに揭出し、すいている時間への分散来店をお願いします
  During crowded times please observe the posted times on in-store posters, digital signs, or on our homepage.

• 混雑につながるエベント等を自粛しています
  We are refraining from events that may cause crowding.

*出入り口の一方通行や一部閉鎖を行い、入場制限をする場合がございます
Entry/exit direction is limited to one direction.

@ThousandJP Thanks for another great week. Looking forward to the next one!

[ejw]

This is a pretty cool series (not corona, that is not cool).
Have you considered making a Twitter account for this, similar to what Bunpro does with its SNS?

[Marcus]

@eclipse77x

thanks Google image search

Indeed!Someone suggested that to me a while back and I find it really useful sometimes! Nice one!

[eclipse77x]

Some Day 3 Grammar

I was looking at your answer for day 3 and saw that you wrote ??? for お掛けして and that you didn’t understand された and I thought I could help with that.

One of the meanings for the verb 掛ける is “to cause”. You’ll often see the phrase "迷惑（めいわく）を掛ける, which means to cause an inconvenience/trouble. (迷惑メール or “trouble mail” is “Spam”.)

The form お掛けして you see here is (I think) a combination of the お honorific + 〜てすみまんせん , which is an apology for doing something. The verb is conjugated to 〜て form. 掛けるー＞掛けて and the すみません is replaced by the more polite 申し訳ございません.

The された is the (past) passive form, indicating that the wrapping was done to the bread. If you were talking about you (or someone) wrapping the bread, it would be 包装する. Since the one wrapping the bread is not specified and we only know the bread was wrapped, the passive form is being used.

Hope that’s helpful for you (and not unwanted advice).

[Marcus]

@eclipse77x

Hope that’s helpful for you (and not unwanted advice).

Thank you so much, very helpful indeed! All so clear, and with a bunch of links too! You are too kind! I added the 〜てすみません grammar point you linked to to my reviews here on Bunpro, but I’ll leave the passive grammar point for a while longer I think, I’m not ready for that yet! Thank you so much again!

[eclipse77x]

Happy to help. Part of the fun of learning (at least for me) is sharing what I’ve learned with other people. I also think that being at the point where I can explain something I’ve learned to someone else means that I have a good understanding of it.

You’ll get to the passive eventually. Then you can worry about the causative passive.

[ThousandJP]

Thanks for sharing
Genuinely made me smile when I read that

Hope it will snowball and you will feel that way more and more.

[eclipse77x]

Thanks! And I hope it will too.

I think working on these signs showed me that I really do know a lot of Japanese, just more in an every day sort of way than the specific way the JLPT tests you. And more in an “I know what this is saying” way than an “I’m gonna get a job as a translator!” way.

[eclipse77x]

@Marcus

Well, that’s what I can manage. Awful, but getting there!

違う(ちがう)！No, no. NOT awful. You are doing really well. You were able to understand (or guess) the majority of the sign and the measures being taken. And all your guesses were spot-on! Take the win! For what it’s worth, even just a year or two ago, I would have been completely intimidated by that wall of text and wouldn’t even have tried. You tried and that’s what’s important.

Also what you did is pretty much what I’ve been doing: I first try to read all the kanji and type it all out, then I write the general meaning in English, and then I go through and look up the words I didn’t know and refine the English I wrote to make it flow. For the compound words, I’ve found Google Translate is more helpful than a dictionary.

[Marcus]

@eclipse77x

Take the win!

Thank you so much @eclipse77x !

[jungliemonkey]

Still running very behind on these having been away over the new year… but very grateful for the effort being put into these posts! Apologies for being tardy. Again.

Here are my rough (no “aids”) answers for this week:

Day 1

I think it’s along the lines that the staff will be wearing masks and it would be great if customers coming in to the store did too.

Day 2

Coin trays and plastic screens are being used, and customers are asked to keep their distance. Also something about air circulation every 5-10mins?
Tbh, I would have been pretty lost here without the katakana and pictures…

Day 3

Hmmm…

1. Can’t make out the first part, but it’s important to be using tongs!
2. No samples for the time being.
3. Staff wearing masks.
4. Alcohol used on the customer trays and tongs.

Day 4

Really struggling on this one, but they want people to leave space/intervals?

Day 5

1. Wait a short time until fewer people are shopping. [Edit: gah - annoyed that I didn’t get this one better!]
2. Cooperate with wearing masks correctly inside the store.
3. When queuing at the register, leave gaps of 1.8m or more.

Day 6

Lots of stuff I can’t make out here, so I’m going to take a few stabs in the dark… The hand dryers have been given a break and perhaps the entrances have been cleaned and no eating or drinking is allowed? Staff wearing masks… plus lots of other stuff. Oh dear - I imagine I wouldn’t do very well here!

Day 7

The middle section is about entrance arrangements and preserving distance. Also something about checking their site for times? Once again, rather beyond me…