From the Archives of 2005 - Technology in Japan

Being in IT and a gadget guru I am always amazed by cutting-edge technology. Below are some of my observations of technological advancements in Japan. But to quote my friend Josh, "Tokyo is what all the Science Fiction movies warned us about."

Cell Phones

The cell phones here are 2-3 years ahead of ours. I have a small Motorola Cell phone back home. I have seen a cell here that is less than half the size of mine. It is about 2" long. I picked one up and could barely push the tiny keys with my mammoth American hands. Their normal phones are loaded with features. I used a cell phone today that had a bright LED flash light built into it. It also works as a flash for the camera. It screen is made out of a reflective material. It has a feature to blank the screen so it can work as a mirror. The screens on the cameras are much higher resolution than anything I have seen in the States. All are equipped with powerful calendars, organizers, world time clocks, speaker phone, e-mail, fast internet access, megapixel camera, etc. Cell phone contracts are almost non-existent. My host tells me you only have to agree to have service for a couple of months. Cell Phones are only a couple of Yen. So around $5. American phones do not work in Japan due to their cell network technology, but their phones can "dumb down" to work in America and Europe.

Taxis

The Japanese are extremely clean. They try to avoid touching things that can spread germs. Many workers wear gloves and change them throughout the day. This is the only city I have been to where if I dropped food on the ground I would pick it up and eat it. The 5 second rule applies to the streets of Tokyo. Anyway....the taxis are equipped to open and close doors via the Taxi driver. The passenger never has to touch the door to open or close it. All taxis are equipped with high resolution gps and touch screens. Again driving in Tokyo is insane since roads are not on a grid and many streets have no name. The gps systems is touch screen enabled and it allows them to pan around a given area to see what is around the destination.

Toilets

Japan has two toilets. A Turkish Toilet and a modern toilet. I will send pics of both. Just know this....anything with the word "Turkish" in front of it translates to "the worst imaginable." The modern Japanese toilet has a heated seat aka "Bun Warmer." It is very small compared to an American toilet. The toilets are equipped with a built in bidet and something called "spray." The bidet works like a normal bidet. I accidentally hit the "spray" button. Dear lord! I think I now owe the toilet flowers and a phone call two days later. I have never felt so clean and yet so dirty at the same time.

Power Strips

They are similar to ours, but when you twist the plug it locks the connection in place so it can't come unplugged accidentally. Brilliant!

Elevator Buttons

I live in a high rise and I know what a pain it is when you hit the wrong floor. Most elevators in Japan are designed that when you hit the button twice it cancels out the call to that floor. Why don't we have that in ever elevator.

Lights

Most offices and hotel corridors are equipped with motion sensors. The lights are always dimmed until you get closer. Once with motion sensors have been tripped the lights brighten up. I can't imagine how much power this must save.

Display Embedded Glass

If any of you have seen "Lost in Translation" then you have seen some of the display embedded glass. The scene I am referring to is with the dinosaur. New Roopangi and other areas are buildings where the entire outside turns into full motion video. I saw a 10 story building turn into a cartoon character. It was fully embedded video, but people in the buildings can still see out the windows. This makes Times Square in NYC look outdated. Downtown Tokyo looks like Time Square 10 years from now.

Call Buttons

Some restaurants are equipped with call buttons on the table. Anytime you need a waiter you press a button and a waiter comes over to serve you.

Menu PDAs

Many waiters have a small touch screen PDA for taking orders. Once the order has been entered into the tablet it sends a wireless message to the kitchen for them to prepare the order as specified.