［column］Alleyway Entrance / Nagara Wada

The word “STOP” painted onto the road is directed at (the drivers of) cars. Just when I was wondering if a crosswalk or traffic light were the pedestrians’ equivalent of “STOP,” I stumbled upon a completely different kind of signal. A white line marked the border between a narrow and wide road, with two white marks placed together on the narrow road side. From how the toe-like parts were positioned in just the right way, I realized that these marks were footprints of someone stopping at the white line before crossing from the narrow road over to the wide road. These footprints both serve as a warning for when leaving the alleyway and entering a busy road, and indicate the entrance to the alley. They are a “STOP,” whereby you want to place your own feet exactly on top once you notice them.