.png)
Hotels (Taiga Suzuki)
Language Use
One of the major characteristics of hotel signboards is the amount of information. As mentioned in the content, there are numerical characters to state the price of the service, a list of amenities, equipment, and services, and some catchphrases to attract people.
The goal of advertisements is to persuade consumers to act or think in a textually determined way in order to boost sales of particular commodities and services. In order to capture attention, convey the message and persuade the consumer, advertising texts use a range of manipulative language devices. (Vaičenonienė, 2006)
This page will aim to reveal what kind of manipulative language device is used in hotel signboards while comparing four different approaches observed through the research.
Japanese/ English
As many hotel names in Kabuki-cho are English or other foreign words, we observed a number of English texts on signboards. A New Zealand concept hotel PAL, for example, has both Japanese and English texts on its signboards.
Since Kabuki-cho is one of the most popular tourist spots in Japan, a significant number of foreign tourists visit this city. It makes sense that businesses in Kabuki-cho make their signboards foreigner-friendly. However, some of the English texts on hotel signboards are not written properly. The Hotel W BAGUS has signboards saying simple English sentences which do not really make sense. This indicates that the use of foreign words might play a role in not only attracting foreign people but also creating the atmosphere of the hotel.
Hotel PAL, a signboard that has both Japanese and English text
Hotel W BAGUS, a signboard saying a welcoming message in English
The use of Keigo
Here are two different kinds of language uses in hotel signboards. The one on the above left is a standing signboard of the Hotel Bali An. As you can see, there is no usage of 敬語 (keigo) and rather simple words or phrases are used on this signboard. On the other hand, a signboard of the hotel Colorful which can be seen on the above right has detailed explanations for the concept of their floors with proper use of 敬語.
Hotel Bali An, a standing signboard that has no 敬語
Hotel Colorful P&A, one of the main signboards that has 敬語 in the description
The use of questions, 内(Uchi)・外(Soto)
There are some hotels that have signboards saying “〜しませんか？” or “〜いかがですか？” which directly asks the viewers if they want to come. The hotel Bali An has a signboard saying “ホテルで推し会しませんか？” which means “Would you like to have a Stan meet-up at a hotel?”. Rather than cramming information on a single signboard, asking a short and simple question would often be effective in conveying messages. This kind of text would be effective in drawing people’s attention because they play a role in involving the viewers. This is called 内(Uchi) meaning that the message creates a kind of connection between the message itself and the audience.
Hotel Bali An, a standing signboard that has a question
Highlighting words
As you can see, some of the texts on hotel signboards are highlighted in red. Such include “安心”, “安全”, “豪華”, “無料”, etc.
The color scheme you choose for your business can have a huge impact on profit, customer conversion rates, and overall success among your competitors. What seems like a trivial matter of aesthetics is a topic well-researched. There are many benefits to having some color instead of plain white everywhere. (The Painting Pros, 2021)
If all were written in the same color, the signboard would be so plain that people would hardly take a close look at the signboard. These red letters seem to be merely examples; there are other colors being used on texts on signboards that are strategically chosen by the hotels.
