Technology

So, Japan is a sophisticated user of new technology - hai?  We have all seen those TV stories about robots and other technological wizardry created in Japan.   There are the Shinkansen (bullet trains) which since the sixties have transported the Japanese between their major cities at remarkable speeds. And every major town seems to have a tall telecommunications tower to demonstrate its sophistication.

The Kyoto Tower

Yet when I got off the plane in Tokyo and looked for the ATM to cash up in Yen, I was confronted by something that looked like the terminal of a VAX minicomputer that I used back in the nineties at Uni! Alright, it worked, but where is the snappy user-friendly interface?  And once in the city the only ATMs that take my travel money card are in post offices and 7/11 stores. And whilst the screens are a bit more sophisticated, touch with an 'English' option, the keypad is recycled from an NCR cash register.  Pay pass? Forget it!  Most smaller shops don't even take credit cards.  And if they do you have to sign.  Remember that?  (Ok, it wasn't that long ago that signatures became obsolete, but I have been using a PIN for at least 5 years!).

And then there are phones.  Yes, smart phones are everywhere, particularly amongst the young, but many of the businessmen I have seen still use the old style flip phone with a dedicated keyboard.  And not everyone on the train has their head in a smartphone screen - perhaps a good thing.  Although the public telephone is fast dissappearing from Melblurne streets they still prolifreate in Japan.  Mind you, we have only seen one in use since we ahve been here.  Finally, most networks are still using 3G for mobile data, with only one recently offering 4G!

A unique telephone box in Nikko

And it doesn't end there.  We had vouchers for Japan Rail (JR) to exchange for passes at the station. We presented at the office with our vouchers and the girl behind the counter was very helpful, checking the date from which we wanted the pass to operate and completing the process.  The process was however unbelievable.  She wrote all our details including passport numbers, on a form and in her record book, and typed out the details of the pass on a form which was then peeled off and put on the other form and then laminated.  During this process she checked every detail of our pass at least three times!  And I mean checked.  Highlighted, ticked, stamped.  I guess we can be sure that the details are correct.  The whole process took about 15 minutes!  And at no time were any of our details entered into a computer - but more on that later.

Automatic carp food dispensers

We wanted to book seats on the Shinkansen for our trip to Kyoto; don't get me wrong, the bullet trains are the best thing since sliced bread, simple to use, punctual, comfortable and no fuss cf. air travel.  Our guide took us to the JR office at Tokyo station to book.  Twenty minutes later we had our booking.  The staff were very courteous, but to check the train times she pulled out a printed timetable!  At least an inch think in very close 6 pt type!  To make our reservations, she had to re-type the details from our  JR pass into the system for our booking!  Even VicRail has online timetable and reservations!  (Though their trains could be faster).

(UPDATE - later in our trip when we booked seats I noticed there was an online system - perhaps it want working on that first day?)

So, I guess my point is, whilst Japan is a very technologically sophisticated country, particularly in their manufacturing and IT, the use of technology in daily life is a few years behind ours.  But with the emphasis on technology that actually makes their lives easier - hi-tech manufacturing, good public transport for instance - perhaps the Japanese have the balance right.

The new Kyoto Station building - the Japanese are not frightened to invest in public transport

Obviously this contribution has come from Tom, how would I know what a VAX was, or or that matter know that 3G has been surpassed by 4G.