One thing never liked about Japan was the cigarette smoke. Half the men and 15% of women smoke, and there are still smoking sections in most restaurants.  It used to be that tobacco advertising was everywhere, like the beer advertising (more on that later).  I recall seeing both Timothy Dalton and Roger Moore on Japanese cigarette signs, and even a huge billboard which simply said "Today I Smoke" about 50 times in various fonts, colors and sizes.

This time I see no tobacco advertising at all, except in the designated smoking areas on the train platforms (which are fewer than I recall).  There are No Smoking areas in the back streets and outdoor malls all over Tokyo.  Sue and I even saw a uniformed and sign-wielding group from the local beautification society swoop around a smoker in a back street and lecture him.  When I left they were giving him a baseball cap with a No Smoking slogan on it.

It's a nice change.  We've hardly breathed any smoke since we've been here.  Seems weird to me, though.