On Mt. Takao, you’ll see these signs every so often along the trails…

Signs on Mt. Takao

What’s it say? (You can probably guess the top part)

サルや野生動物にエサを与えないで下さい
ゴミは待ち帰りましょう

この看板は、高尾山を訪れる人たちに安心して自然を樂しんでもらうため、八王子市追い払い駆除隊。(社)
八王子青年会議所。高尾山を活動の拠点とする八王子森林パトロール隊。ボランチィアが協力し設置したものです。
八王子市農林課

(whew)

Please don’t feed the wild monkeys.
Let’s take  our trash with us.

This sign is to give peace of mind and enjoyment to Takao-san’s visitors, from the Hachioji _____ Organization (Company).  (The missing part doesn’t make sense to me, maybe someone can clear it up?)

(This next part is a little unclear to me, I’m not quite that good yet! Someone want to fill in the blanks?)

Hachioji young men’s meeting place (?), Have volunteered for the institution and do patrol activities on Takao-san. (? again… ?)

Hachioji City Agriculture/Forestry Department

(again, whew)

All the (not-so-good) translating aside, I thought it was funny that these signs were everywhere.  Simply because…

1. I didn’t see or hear a single wild monkey the whole time.  Where are they? Aside from the monkey park, I mean.  I’m sure they are there, hiding, waiting til after dark to come scour the place for left-behind treats…
2. Generally speaking, nobody litters anyway.
3. WTF is up with the monkey on the right?!  He looks like he’s royally pissed and is going to attack or something!  Yet he still has a little smirk on his face, like “I’ll show this monkey-feeding littering scumbag!! Right after I eat some of his tasty garbage.”
4. The one on the left seems to be saying, “psst. feed me! Yeah, me! C’mon, you know you want to!!!”

I realize that its important to not feed the wild animals, and to not leave your trash lying about.  I just found the sign kind of funny, if not for the picture, but for the long winded explanation and credits…

At the time I didn’t really understand what the bottom part said (the top was clear enough) and figured it was to explain why not to feed the monkeys, but no….

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