A japanese dream

KONISHIWA !

This article deals with Japan, a most exotic and fascinating destination, to discover the Japanese culture and their new technologies still unknown to us Europeans.

Japan is a country located on an archipelago in East Asia with a population of over 127 million people. It is one of the richest and most developed states in the world. The capital, Tokyo is the largest city in the world in terms of population (with nearly 37 million inhabitants) and is in the Top 3 of the world’s safest cities. The land of the rising sun is today an extremely popular destination for its culture, a famous mix between new technologies and ancestral traditions contrasting effervescence with calm and serenity.

From the 1960s onwards, Japan experienced a spectacular growth rate: they talk of a “Japanese economic miracle” or more precisely the “Boom Izanagi“. Although Japan did not miss the health crisis, it is still in the TOP 3 of the world’s largest economic powers with a predominantly service economy, a dominant tertiary sector that occupies more than 70% of the active population.

The main asset of this country is undeniably the mastery acquired in microelectronics and nanotechnologies but also the fusion of technologies. (Example: mechatronics, association of electronics and mechanics). Japan sees itself as a master in the “art of manufacturing” or “monozukuri”; a compendium of technology, science and skill. Indeed, the Japanese economy has already entered the post-industrial era to become a knowledge-based economy with a capacity for innovation beyond comprehension.

As you will have understood, technology is omnipresent in Japan and innovations are numerous. If you wander in the Japanese streets you will be able to cross :

Automatic umbrella holders and umbrella wrappers

Japanese people want to be extremely clean, no wet floor or umbrella, so a packing machine that allows you to wrap your umbrella in plastic is present at every store entrance. (Just insert the umbrella into the machine). On the other hand we are well n°1 in new techno but not in ecology…

Toilet 2.0 ” washlet

The toilet is equipped with a heated seat and an integrated bidet that allows you to wash your private parts !

The little extra : To make the experience of peeing in a public toilet a little less disturbing, one of the buttons on the toilet triggers a sound of flowing water to hide the sounds you might make when you pass by…

Street sound effects

On the streets of Tokyo you can hear fake bird songs at street intersections that actually indicate that the traffic light is green/red for pedestrians. This technology has been implemented for the visually impaired.

Vending machines for cold and hot drinks “conbini”.

There are vending machines in the streets for cold but also hot drinks such as coffee in cans or bottled tea, and beware, and it’s actually very hot..

TGV Maglev

In the years to come, the world’s fastest high-speed train will see the light of day. The superconducting SC Maglev magnetic trains were developed in the early 1970s. These trains operate on the principle of magnetic repulsion between the cars and the track. The word maglev is actually a combination of the words “magnetic” and “levitation”. The magnetic levitation, or ‘train flotation’, is achieved by an electrodynamic suspension system, or EDS.

Self-contained ATM

Some fast food restaurants are equipped with a vending machine at the entrance that allows the order to be taken and the bill to be paid.

Technologies that support the daily life of our dear Japanese people.

But how far?

The country’s goal is to achieve a 4th industrial revolution using the power of artificial intelligence and other advanced technologies.

The Japanese government plans to develop a “super-city” where advanced technologies will be fast-tracked to study their feasibility safely and quickly so that they can be used quickly. One such technology is autonomous driving and telemedicine via video links.