As great as smart phones have been for our convenience, they can also lead to some lapses in safety. Walking around while texting or looking up how to life-hack macaroni and cheese into a Playstation 4 can put you and those around you at risk. You might even say that walking while playing with your smartphone is just as dangerous as walking around with a sword--which is why Japan is using samurai to teach us about smart phone safety!

11304_2

Source: YouTube

The video is titled "Smart Phone Sankin-kōtai." Sankin-kōtai refers to a practice in the Edo period that required daimyo (feudal lords) to spend alternating years at their fief and the capital of Edo, as a means of controlling the daimyo by the Tokugawa Shogunate.

The video is English subtitled and uses data compiled by Mobile Marketing Data Laboratory, which explains the dangers of walking and using a smart phone at the same time. Japan has had a mobile-phone-centric modern culture for quite a while, and the ease of smart phone use has only strengthened that. Because of this, accidents caused by lack of attention while walking have increased and become a cause for concern. Samurai and other Edo-period locals explain, below:

So here are a few startling statistics the video covers!

18% of people have tripped while walking with a smartphone

11304_7

Source: YouTube

3.6% of people have fallen from a train platform while using a smartphone

11304_6

Source: YouTube

66% of people have run into others while walking with a smartphone

11304_5

Source: YouTube

So please look forward when you walk!

11304_8

Source: YouTube

Or you'll end up like this guy! Ow!

11304_9

Source: YouTube


By - grape Japan editorial staff.