Smoke gets in your eyes

Japan is very smoker-friendly. Cigarettes are dirt-cheap. It costs about 2 Euro for a pack of twenty. You can find 24-hour automatic vending machines on most street corners. Most restaurants and cafes offer no-smoking seats, but there’s usually no barrier or special air conditioning system.
As and aside, I remember being in a café in Ginza with my brother years ago. I was in a no-smoking seat. The dudes beside us, being in smoking, held their cigarettes practically in our faces. Rent is very expensive so shops are often small and cramped. But come on!
All the above goes towards explaining why, in Japan, 48% of men and 12% of women smoke. This compares with about 25% for both men and women in other developed countries.
The Japanese government, looking at all the European countries that are turning smoke-free, is considering adopting a similar policy here.
They hope to bring the male consumption rate down to 25% and the female to 5 % in the next five years.
I think they’ve a long way to go to shift a generally positive attitude toward tobacco.
I submit for evidence the above photo. It was taken of a cigarette vending machine near my house.
In case you can’t read it, I’ve transcribed the advertisement. I really don’t think you’d get away with this ad in any other industrialised country.
And as a bonus, it’s another prime example of the ‘what-the-heck’ English in use over here.
Smoking is a good friend of mental activities.Being free and easy, your heart makes you enjoy smoking!A figure giving off a woman’s shadow,A figure being suggestive of vitality and joysAnd sorrows in businessAnd a figure of a man working hardAre all in enjoying smoking.