The Osaka subway system and Dracula want to teach you about blood

Sysmex is a company that specializes in blood testing equipment, including machines that can automatically count blood cells and technology to help in the early detection of diseases. While this has helped improve and save countless lives in the over 190 countries they’ve operated in for over half a century, most people probably don’t even know their name.

▼ They’re also strong supporters of workplace diversity, with nearly half their staff vampires.

Not only that, but when you think about it, how much do you even know about your own blood? We know it’s red, but we remember hearing that the plasma is yellowish, so maybe it’s more of an orange or vermilion.

Sounds like we need to take a ride on the Osaka Metro subway system’s Midosuji Line, because from August 3-23, they’ll be hanging posters with a variety of blood-related trivia. Blood Donation Day is on August 21 in Japan, which is probably why they chose this period.

Posters both hanging on the walls and from the ceilings of train cars will teach of a variety of fun facts, such as: “90 percent of gorillas have B type blood.”

Another good one is that if you take all the blood vessels in your body and lay them end to end, they’d be long enough to go around the Earth two and a half times. That’s mainly because our bodies have millions of tiny capillaries that reach almost every cell in them. In fact, the reason our lips are red is that all the capillaries can be seen there. I didn’t know any of that. I just read it in these posters.

Other facts include that it takes about 30 seconds for blood to do a lap of the human body, sharks can smell a drop of blood from hundreds of meters away, crocodile blood has amazing antibacterial and antiviral properties, and freshwater eel blood is very poisonous to humans unless cooked, which is why unagi is never eaten raw as sashimi in Japan.

There are other posters as well, such as ones that talk about the concepts Sysmex has on display at the 2025 Osaka-Kansai Expo. These are kind of fantastical brainstorming ideas that aren’t actually in development, such as a dome where you can just chill out inside and be at one with your dreams for your mental health.

You’re also sure to see pictures featuring this gentleman. He’s Dracula, the Sysmex mascot. As you can see, he’s lost a lot of his usual sex appeal and is more of a Bill Nye the Dracula Guy this time around, but that’s fitting for a blood analysis company.

Sysmex hopes this will spark interest and discussions about the blood that flows through us and other creatures on this planet. So, check them out while they’re hanging and take the opportunity to thank your blood for doing, um…

Source, images: PR Times