FIXES

Wooden sign on suburban shopping street reminds children not to play on the staircase. It’s dangerous.

Materials: Wooden Board, Marker
Location: Kunitachi, Tokyo

Maintenance times; No smoking!; Be careful if you’re wearing sandals!; Hold the handrail!; and of course – No Walking! No Running! – just stand still…..don’t move…..

Materials: Laminated Paper
Location: Nagoya

End piece added to bicycle parking port after complaints from residents about wind blowing over bicycles.

Location: Setagaya, Tokyo.

This example is a note for a pamphlet on “Hand Made Aspects of Mass Produced Housing”. Subscribe to my somewhat-frequent letter HERE if you want to keep in touch easily.

Fire extinguisher stored right in the most flammable area. Salvaged bath/shower stool put to use as stand.

Materials: Bath Stool
Location: Setagaya, Tokyo.

This example is a note for a pamphlet on “Hand Made Aspects of Mass Produced Housing”. Subscribe to my somewhat-frequent letter HERE if you want to keep in touch easily.

Sign collaged from reflective tape cautioning motorists to watch out for kids at play in suburban Tokyo.

Materials: Reflective Tape
Location: Akishima, Tokyo.

Man-made green adds functionality (all weather use) and safety (non-slip?) to a patch of less-desirable real grass (courtesy of Tokyo-based designer Edith Prakoso)

Materials: Astroturf
Location: Nogizaka, Tokyo

Signage in subway station warning of purse-snatchers.

Materials: Duct Tape, Laminated A4
Location: Akabanebashi, Tokyo

Community saftey signage in subway station – watch out for purse snatchers, “Ore Ore” sagi, and break-ins.

Materials: Duct Tape, Laminated A4
Location: Akabanebashi, Tokyo

Train station emergency kit stored on a hook and secured with tape.

Materials: Hook, Tape
Location: Shibuya, Tokyo

Flying fox in a playground casually fixed with duct tape.

Materials: Duct Tape
Location: Nagoya, Aichi

Edging of signage made safe with foam and duct tape.

Materials: Foam, Duct Tape
Location: Minato-ku, Tokyo

Neighbourhood parent patrol sign (laminated A4) attached to bicycle with wire. With this set up, every time you use the bicycle you are performing a casual security check (Note: My bicycle)

Materials: Laminated Paper, Wire
Location: Akishima, Tokyo

Laminated A4 signs affixed with tape proclaim night use of the park prohibited, and encourage people to call the police emergency line if they see anyone suspicious.

The signs are ambiguously official, being layed out in generic Excel style and signed with a simple ‘Akishima City’ or ‘Akishima City Park Authority’ – they look like they could have been made by anyone. I removed one as a test, and it was replaced promptly. When I placed my own sign (as part of the kokonohanashi project) it was promptly removed. So it appears the signs are official, or at least part of a dedicated campaign.

Materials: Laminated Paper, Tape
Location: Akishima, Tokyo

From Jared Braiterman (Tokyo Green Space): “I recently saw this crazy Fix on the Marunouchi’s Nakano Sakaue platform. I understand they are doing work, but it seems particularly ad hoc and possibly dangerous on the platform.”

Materials: Duct Tape, Safety Sponge
Location: Nakano Sakaue, Tokyo

A4 sign signalling a no-entry zone at rugby training.

Materials: Laminated A4, Plastic Twine
Location: Hino, Tokyo

Reinforcing rods for the concrete block wall of a new house are made safe for passing eyes with the empty coffee cans of the construction workers.

Materials: Coffee Can
Location: Akishima, Tokyo

Upturned PET bottle makes a protrouding steel reinforcement rod safe for passing eyes.

Materials: PET Bottle
Location: Akishima, Tokyo

Pot plants outside a suburban residential office demarcate parking space, prevent cyclist curb-cutting (safety), set the limits of the official office zone of use, and beautify.

Materials: Pots
Location: Akishima, Tokyo

(Originally posted on Tokyo-DIY-Gardening)

The sharp ends of these bamboo support stakes are made safer by placing the cut off ends of mayonnaise bottles on top.

I like the strongly practical, domestic feel that this has. No fuss, no pretense of elegance. Just growing some plants and keeping kids’ eyes out of harm’s way.

Materials: Mayonnaise Bottles
Location: Akishima, Tokyo

A variety of reflective objects – bicycle reflectors, traffic safety triangles, reflective straps – are wired to a pole on a tricky corner.

Materials: bicycle reflectors, traffic safety triangles, reflective straps, wire
Location: Kamogawa, Chiba