Here’s another short post about another misinterpreted street sign. Those of you waiting for the next installment of Amy in Japanland will have to wait as she’s disappeared into the wilds of Korea.

I took today’s photo in our neighbourhood. Tobata High School, where Lia is stationed, is in the background, and a less-than-five-minute walk to the left will take you to Tenraiji Elementary School, where Jarrod is in grade 4.

The top sign has a fairly obvious meaning. The upside-down triangle means “yield” in most countries, regardless of colour. At the bottom, the text “7-9” is an indication of the hours the sign is in effect. But in this case, there’s the question of what needs to be yielded to in the morning hours.

Which brings us to the circular blue sign with the white silhouettes. The borderline ethereal beings depicted here look to me like they belong in an episode of The Twilight Zone. My guess, given the antennae and skirt on the smaller figure, is that this is a warning to rubber-boned men that they should guard against being abducted for nefarious purposes by two-foot-tall extraterrestrials disguised as schoolchildren.

So, to sum up: Every morning between 7 and 9, yield to alien abductions.