[alphonsegaston]

Masking one's preferences and behavior to avoid offense in a public is a defining element of Japanese society and culture. And while everyone there is more inured to these kinds of graphics, the design of packaging for everyday goods often veers towards the minimal/elegant for precisely this reason.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honne_and_tatemae

[mc32]

That presumes this graphic is offensive which I feel it's not.

That said, that does not explain people reading the kinds of graphic novels and magazines they do in plain sight in public on trains in parks, etc.

[alphonsegaston]

I hadn't intended to imply that the graphic was offensive, nor do I think that most Japanese people would find it so either. I was just pointing out (perhaps imprecisely) that perceived appropriateness in Japan is highly context dependent, with work environments being amongst the most conservative in this regard. The degree to which people seek to avoid offending others (as compared to the US) is quite at odds with a "if someone doesn't like it, it's their problem" mentality.

Trains and parks, by contrast, are generally considered an appropriate context to consume these kinds of materials. That being said, book covers are also far more commonly used for exactly the same reasons.