It
was the beginning of May, but the weather in Nice was unusually cold
and changeable. gAt this time of the year itfs usually possible to catch
sight of beautiful woman parading around topless!h Our veteran tour
guide who was keeping us company on our tour of Europe expressed himself
almost apologetically. In front of the famous Hotel Negresco, all one
could see was the gray sea and a wholly unremarkable beach beneath the
dull sky.
The city of Nice itself was even more uninteresting, having the aspect
of any tedious provincial city. I felt as though my expectations had
been way off mark, but I did on the other hand notice this information
sign. It consisted of a wind-up convertible advertising space, a message
board, a map of the city streets, and a clock. The Japanese are well-known
for cramming as much as possible into a restricted space, but I can
never recall ever having seen in Japan quite so many functions crammed
into such limited space. But the uncramped appearance, despite the overly
ambitious nature of the sign, is no doubt a result of the skillful design.
Although they greatly value the appearance of their old cities, the
French are willing to incorporate sharp designs reflecting modern taste
into them. These designs blend well with classical urban features. This
success comes about from a developed design sense.
I saw signs similar to these in other cities in the south of France.
This photograph was taken in the city of Montpelier.
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