A railroad crossing is called "Fumikiri" and can be seen across Japan in many places.
One of my first memories of Japan is the fumikiri - used to just stand there are watch them. Would hear the clanging (is that a word?) of the sirens even after going back to London.
Japan Railroad Crossing
This photo was taken at Shimo Kitazawa yesterday night on the Lumix LX3.
Example of a fumikiri in action below.
Example of a fumikiri in action below.
Over 70% of railroad crossing accidents are from folks ignoring the sirens like the chap below.
A naughty person below drives through the lowering beams.