The Elephant Kid, known in Japanese as “EsuZou-kun” is a character you'll find in about 42,000 convenience stores all over Japan.
One of the main reasons these were established was to provide a safe place for lost children or women trying to escape stalkers, and it seems that they're doing a pretty good job of it - in 2007 they were used by 13,000 women escaping from stalkers, 6000 lost children, and 12,000 elderly people who were found wandering the streets alone.
On the poster you can see that as well as providing emergency phones, drinking and smoking is banned, as it pornography. But what's the symbol on the right banning?
With police stations gradually closing, convenience stores (most of which are of course open 24 hours) play an important role in neighbourhood security in Japan.
Do you have a Safety Elephant in your local convenience store?
(data from The Japan Times)
