When I spotted this pizza place from a distance, I wasn’t sure if it was called Hell or Hello. The website address and the phone number (as well as the flames on the window) made the situation pretty clear! This pizza joint sits at the top of a T-intersection. Wellington residents must enjoy saying things like, “Go to Hell and take a left.” Or a friendly email might say, “I’ll see you in Hell.”
This establishment lies a block down from Hell, on the same side of the road. Wonder which came first—Hell or an organization determined to save others from Hell.
Two more signs I wish I’d captured:
One was at a train station with the name of that tiny town: Muri. As you likely know, muri in Japanese is 無理 (impossible, unreasonable: no + reason). I happened to be sitting across the train aisle from a Japanese man, and we enjoyed this joke together.
I also saw a sign for Matamata Honda in the little town of Matamata. In Japanese, matamata (またまた) means “again and again.” Just as people joke that “Fiat” stands for “Fix it again, Tony,” I couldn’t help thinking that Matamata Honda must fix the same Hondas again and again.
