from Patrick McKenzie | by Patrick McKenzie

Was walking around Nakameguro today in an unfamiliar path and found a surprisingly nice thing, in a genre where Japan has a will to have nice things, and will share it minus the identifying information (for social reasons):

There exists a metal sign, which reads (translated, and all translation is a creative act): “To our neighbors making use of wheel chairs, We have received reports that the drainage covers, occupying the left of the next 30 meters, occasionally make a rattling noise.” (cont)

“This resonance was unplanned, and may occur on particulars of your conveyance. We have investigated and confirm that as an engineering matter the drainage covers remain sound and safe up to their rating, for any wheeled conveyance, up to a light truck, at any reasonable speed.”

“We apologize for inadvertently causing confusion, and invite you to use the path ahead with confidence. Should you have any further questions, please call.” And I think I know how that sign came to be, though there is speculation ahead:

Someone complained to the front desk or switchboard operator. That young lady, and she is almost certainly a young lady, said This Is Important and called Facilities. Facilities went out and looked, found what they expected to find, and called Engineering.

They agreed it was important, and the architect was consulted, and plans were reviewed, and after about an hour everyone concurred “Yep, perfectly safe; nothing to see here other than an unexpected minor noise problem.” And someone said “Yes but.”

And then someone else said “Well, just in rough order of magnitude, post-construction redoing wastewater management is a capital P Project. There will be approval processes involved. We’re looking at two months and $X00k. Which we would happily pay if this was a safety concern.”

And everyone again agreed it wasn’t. But. “So we should put up a sign to signal that we looked into it and that it is safe. I can bang it out on a copier and laminate it…” Whereupon someone, probably an older gentleman, said “No, not good enough.”

“We have been in this neighborhood for a hundred years, and will be here in a hundred, and this company does not simply print and laminate comms to the neighborhood. Call the people who did the sign for HQ. Ask for the usual: embossed aluminum, weather resistant, tasteful.”

“One-off custom work? That will be at least $5k.” “Probably ten. Pay it. We’re done here.” And life continued on its merry way.

And thus, ten minutes from my house, the built environment contains a tasteful embossed aluminum sign saying that BigCo cared enough about a rattle made by a wheelchair to check, and that BigCo warrants the sidewalk adjacent to HQ remains safe, despite the rattle.

Sometimes people doubt words as expressions of our true values. As a writer, I doubt them less. Particularly when society decides to etch* them into metal. * Not actually used in process; we have better technology these days for casting words in metal.