In Osaka, Court Orders Golden Dragon's Tail Removed

Osaka's Dotonbori neighborhood is famous for its elaborate, often three-dimensional shop signs. A crab, a giant blowfish, a hand eating a delicious piece of sushi, and many cartoon characters compete to attract the attention of customers in the cacophonous shopping and entertainment district. One of the more notable is the Kinryu Ramen Shop (literally golden dragon). On October 26th, Judge Yoshiki Ogawa sided with the neighboring property and ruled that the tail of the dragon, which protrudes from the west wall, is an illegal encroachment on the adjacent property and must be removed. According to the ruling, the three-dimensional signboard was installed around 1992, and features the main body of a dragon at the top of the north side of the front of the store, with its tail protruding from the west wall. There is also an awning on the wall, and customer seating is adjacent. The west side was used as a tunnel, and another ramen store was located in the back. Judge Ogawa ruled that the tail and other elements of the land crossed the border in his verdict, and decided that ''the owner is being stopped from using the land in an integrated manner, which is a substantial loss.''

Many Osakans spoke in support of keeping the tail on the dragon. Comments on FNN network included: ``I think this impressive image should be preserved. I think it's one of the joys of this city to enjoy watching it.'' ``Dragons themselves are said to bring luck with money or work.'' There is an image of a god that brings blessings, so if the tail were cut off, I feel like that blessing would disappear, so I feel like it would be a waste.''

Not all supported the ramen shop though. On Yahoo.co.jp, one user said, "You're at a loss when you've been occupying someone else's land for years without permission, and then you're talking about brand image, removal costs, and appeals? If they had voluntarily removed it or paid a site usage fee before that happened, wouldn't the problem have dealt with before it became so big?" Another user opined, "If we accept something like this, it sets a bad precedent, so it's a reasonable verdict. I hardly ever see the tail, and since it's now so obvious that it's sticking out, it's going to give a bad image if they continue to do business with it. They just don't want to pay to have it removed."

Regarding the removal of the tail, Masahide Nakamura, former president of Pop Kogei, the creator of the dragon sign, said, ``Generally speaking, I'm complaining about the loss of part of the work, but... I feel a little sad, though."