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 Memory Lane, Tokyo

#2 Bar Sign In Kawaguchi, Saitama

According to the Japan Consulting Office, a global corporate training and consulting firm that has been operating since 2006, one of the biggest reasons why Japanese people struggle with English is the fact that Japan, being an island, has been isolated from the rest of the world for hundreds of years and with very limited immigration and a very homogenous culture, there was, and still is, little need to learn a foreign language. Most Japanese people can go about their lives without speaking any English.

“Beyond the lack of great need to use English, the way that English is taught in Japanese schools does not encourage communication or conversation,” the Japan Consulting Office explains on its website. “Rather, the emphasis is on studying grammar, not talking or making yourself understood. Students learn vocabulary and simple sentences, but don’t learn to use and speak the language.”

#3 Found This In Sakae In Nagoya… Don’t You Dare To Dump (Make A Dump Or Dump Garbage?) Or They Will Sue The Police!

#4 Huh? 😂 Where: Yokohama Iekei Ramen In Hiroshima

#5 Found This In A Park In Aichi

The Japan Consulting Office says that Japanese people are known to be rather shy and find it very embarrassing to make mistakes in front of others. This perfectionist tendency makes it difficult for them to find the courage to speak without being sure everything they say is correct.

“Even in job interviews, only the applicant’s TOEIC test score might be reviewed without ever checking [their] actual language skill level,” the company adds.

#6 At The Northern Entrance To Oze, Hinoemata Village In Fukushima Pref

#7 I Have No Idea What Could Possibly Be Going On In There At Night 😂 In Kanazawa

#8 Somebody… Please, Make A Reservation! Taken Some Years Ago Somewhere Around Noda, Osaka

#9 Ureshino, Saga

Then there’s the language itself. Japanese is very different from English and other Indo-European languages. This makes learning English a real challenge for many Japanese people.

For example, the word order in Japanese can be quite different from that of English. In English, the word order is usually as follows: [Subject] – [Verb] – [Object]. In Japanese, however, the usual order is often: [Subject] – [Object] – [Verb].

#10 Nachi Falls Last Week

#11 “Please Start Eating” At Toranomon Hills

#12 “Please, Take Good Care Of The Stairs.” Taken At The Kinosaki Ropeway, Around 2 Years Ago

#13 Yokohama, Kannai. In The Front Of A Residential Building

Japanese is also a highly contextual language, so subjects or topics can be left out. But if someone were to try the same thing in English, the result would often sound incomplete and confusing.

So, in other words, learning English as a Japanese speaker is about as difficult as learning Japanese as an English speaker. It’s not that easy!

#14 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

#15 Got Myself A New Tshirt From Aeon

#16 You’res Welcome!

#17 They Are Currently

To put things into perspective, Japan ranks 96th out of 123 non-English-speaking countries in English proficiency, below Malaysia, South Korea, Nepal, Vietnam, Mongolia, Indonesia, and China.

However, even with the relatively small number of English speakers in the country, some are concerned that the Japanese language and literature may be overshadowed by the behemoth that is English.

For instance, in 2008, Minae Mizumura made waves with her book The Fall of Language in the Age of English, in which she traces the development of English and Japanese and argues for greater focus on Japanese-language education.

#18 Don’t Take Spare Toilet😏 Where: Akasaka, Tokyo

#19 Charming Sign On Public Toilet, Outside Of Fukuyama Station. I Guess It Worked – It Made Me Smile

#20 Taxi In Kyoto. This Guy Deserves A Little Credit For Making The Effort

#21 Heart In The Form Of Pancakes! Taken In Gion (Yamatooji-Dori Street) In Kyoto Around 2 Years Ago

Mizumura argued that Japan should establish a national literary canon and better literature education, as fewer Japanese are able to read literary classics.

Surveys show that many Japanese evaluated their own reading habits similarly—in a 2014 study, 70 percent of respondents said that they believed people in Japan read fewer books than they used to.

#22 In Sakai, Osaka, Japan

#23 Dairy Park!

#24 Someone Seems To Have Corrected The Spelling Of “Seculity”. Toyama, 2026

#25 Minoh, Osaka

#26 Chofu Station Building

#27 Washing Machine Instructions At A Hotel I Stayed At In Utsunomiya

#28 Yeah, All Is Ephemeral

#29 From In Front Of The Microwave In My Hamamatsu Hotel

#30 Abashiri Prison Museum Parking

#31 Souvenir Shop At Oshinohakai, Near MT Fuji. There Were A Lot Of Bangers Today, But This One Is Absolute Peak

#32 Somewhere Near Umeda, Osaka

#33 What I Assume Is A Massage Parlour In Sendai

#34 The Penalty In Japan (Tenma)

#35 This Mall Always Has The Best Shirts (Kawachi Mataubara)

#36 Insert The Temperature Of Your Choice Here. (At A Chocolate Store At Chitose Airport)

#37 Looks Good Tho. Both The Flap And The Pafe. Which One Should I Order? 🙊 📍 Namba Osaka

#38 Sounds Like Fun

#39 They Meant “Pilates”. Near Asakusabashi Station In Tokyo

#40 Now I Have Questions. And Somehow, I Also Want A Bucket Of It

#41 Stop Idling Around. Yokohama Bay Hotel Tokyu Parking Lot

#42 For Those Embarrassing Moments When Your Skin Falls Off..(Yuzawa)

#43 Nothing Like It… If You Need Some Big Wood, Go To Okayama

#44 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

#45 “Never Touch This Pipe!! If You Touch, The Roof Will Fall And An Accident Will Occur.” Shinjuku Golden Gai

#46 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

#47 That Doesn’t Seem Like A Very Good Business Model But I’m Flattered, If A Bit Weirded Out

#48 MT. Fuji – Yoshida Trail 4th Station Toilets – 2025

#49 Was Found In Shin-Osaka Station. Only For Extreme Button Situations

#50 Vending Machine At Ohanajaya Station

#51 I Can’t Remember Where I Took This Photo. I Think At A Mochi Or Steamed Bun Store In Atami

#52 Rounge In Nishiazabu

#53 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”

#54 Gotta Clern The House Today 🧹🧼 Daiso Clerning Aisle

#55 Toei Bus Will Touch You Firmly

#56 This Sign Got Me Froored For A Bit Found At A Karaoke Shop In Akihabara

#57 In A Restaurant In Hiroshima

#58 Please Waste – At An Amusement Park In Okayama

#59 No, you Can’t Make The Bed If There Are Things On It. Seen At Washington Hotel Plaza, Okayama

#60 From The Ladies’ Restroom At A 7 Eleven In Enoshima

#61 Is It Like The Axe Commercial, “Don’t Use It If You Don’t Mean It”? 🤔

#62 Near Narimasu Station, Itabashi, Tokyo

#63 Having “The Talk” At Hiroshima Station. The Ticket Office, I Think?

#64 Saw This In The Tunnel On The Way To Board A Plane At Kansai Airport. Apparently Can’t Even Get On A Plane Unscathed

#65 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!

#66 Driving Through Shizuoka At The Moment And Spotted Some Epic

#67 I Guess It’s Ok To Park Here If You’re Delightful About It

#68 Taken At A Game Center, Niigata City

#69 Granny Shop

#70 Ah Yes, The Scientific Latchin Name Of The Species. Osaka Floral Culture Park

#71 Itabashi Hotel Cup

#72 Found This On A Door Of An Establishment In Osaka

#73 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!

#74 I Wonder How Much It Is When They Aren’t Sick? Tsukiji Outer Market

#75

#76 Saw This In An Ice Cream Shop At Akihabara Station

#77 Sounds Like One Of Those Escape Room Challenges

#78 A Little Shopping In Kumamoto

#79 In A Small Shop In Kawazu

#80 Dug This One Up From A Little Over A Year Ago. The Worst Part Is This Was At A Translation Conference In Shiga

#81 Small Hand Writing… In Jinbo-Cho, Tokyo

#82 Somewhere In Yokohama. Took This Photo Last May 2025

#83 Like, Ok Drugstore Salad Bag In Osaka

#84 They Must Have Been Busy Running Around All Morning And Had To Come To A Halt

#85 [meet]

#86 Shioyazaki Lighthouse, Southern Fukushima Prefecture. I Guess It Still Gets The Message Across… Sort Of 🤷‍♂️?

#87 Spotted In Yokohama. Hare It Is On The 1st Floor

#88 Hareruya Card Store In Akihabara. I Think This Roughly Translates To “YOLO”?

#89 Came Across This On My Way Home From Work Yesterday – No Bumping Garbage Allowed Here😅 Osaka

#90 Just Arrived Now At The Sun Palace Hotel In Tooyako In Hokkaido

#91 Nishiki Market, Kyoto, May 8, 2026. Apparently They Don’t Sell Plastic Shopping Bags

#92 Carpe Diem? 🎏a Beautiful Wall Reminder To Seize The Day While Waiting In Line To Enter An Onsen Bath In Higashi Kurume This Morning!

#93 Received This Kind Card After Giving Blood In Kichijoji! Thnak You Too!

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