90. Spotted a few semi-automatic sliding doors that open, but only if you press the button located in the middle (and sometimes the buttons are only on one side, and the other direction is fully automatic).pic.twitter.com/dm1jqnaOW1
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(Although I am sometimes perplexed, because they also have text on them sometimes? Is it just mixing two uses or groups of users?)pic.twitter.com/JtQw67K2ci
(I want to read and learn so much more about this. From what I seen so far, it’s just very inspiring, having this seemingly pervasive network of assistance that’s also highly visible to those who don’t use it.)
(I’ve only seen baby version of this idea on subway platforms in other countries, which exists here also.)pic.twitter.com/b6N7rhPjGZ
99. This mailbox seems pretty standard, except everything is covered in Braille, incl. the customizable bits! (But also: electronic mail?!?)pic.twitter.com/cSnLprB6EK
100. My first watch was Seiko. I saved money for it. But this Seiko is better. (Also! I love the typography there with West, Dusk, Dawn, and East in English alongside all the kanji.)pic.twitter.com/EXGHGM0FPe
(Awww, yessss, the verboten wanderer is back. This time it’s making a mess, too. Does it have a name!?)pic.twitter.com/fADofCxK2H
101. More subway traffic flow control. These gates can change directions depending on need, like traffic lanes on some bridges or roads.pic.twitter.com/kmBBcIIo1p
102. This vending machine was more futuristic; tap once on a giant touch screen, then tap your transit card. In and out. I saw people using this almost mid-stride.
I used it to get a drink wonderfully named Pocari Sweat (thx, @Racoon1300).pic.twitter.com/wBtg7GL10l
(The design and proportions of this particular machine really remind me of early iPod Nano/Video. iPod for giants!)
103. Speaking of which, there is a bit of a surprise in the following photos.pic.twitter.com/JfithbhHJI
104. I’m sort of astonished how many electronic stores are here in Tokyo. It’s beyond belief, as if Amazon never happened. This is just one tiny part of one floor, just aisles of iPhone cases… and I’m stopping only because Twitter has a limit of four photos.pic.twitter.com/0quP98AUMc
105. This is a very gentle and courteous phrasing, particularly given Japan’s reported deep-rooted fear of fire. “Please do not push this button unless fire emergency occasion.”pic.twitter.com/3gnsuFvlOY
(By the way, it is really fun to see, out of the corner of my eye, other people watching me take all these photos of random things.)
(Should I go to whatever this building is, after I recover? Bandai Namco has always been a mythical entity for me…
/cc @jonwiley)pic.twitter.com/pYYqcPnsZg
(BTW, @RicketyRoads asked me what I see when I use Google Translate live video feature. Here’s an example.
There’s a kernel of truth here, but it’s all very fickle.)pic.twitter.com/7XneaFR8SI
107. Not that I’m any better. This morning I tried to translate this text on a green lane outside. I drew it over and over again, and only upon looking at hiragana itself I realized i was seeing it upside down!
(It says 止まれ, or “stop.”
)pic.twitter.com/95wayDR7Ei
108. “Gray = past” theme continues at movie theatres. Which is a pity, because I’d watch The Last Jedi dubbed into Japanese… (I guess it’s for kids and adults can deal with subtitles.) The 24hr clock still makes me so happy.pic.twitter.com/qALZhUxmzu
109. I saw traffic cones in various colour combinations. I am not sure if the colours mean anything.pic.twitter.com/l6qN65w8sx
110. This is what I’m getting myself into. It’s weird watching someone play without seeing what they see. Also, there is a LOT of screaming going on.pic.twitter.com/LbkbDxqUWd
I placed second against some teenagers who also probably cheated! \ō/ It was much closer to a rollercoaster than I expected (and I am afraid of those). We wore wrist sensors, so we could wave and grab things. Guess which character I chose! (There are a few more games in here.)pic.twitter.com/hjNgOMx36V
Last VR tweet: I am learning that operating a mech means 45 minutes of wait and 5 pages of instructions. (Funnily enough, I learned of mechs not from Japanese sci-fi, but from Stanisław Lem’s “Fiasco,” my favorite book of all time.)pic.twitter.com/4dWgIrrn0B
111. A nice bit of thoughtfulness: a box in front of the VR machine where you can stash your things as you’re playing.pic.twitter.com/fPJOviP7tP
112. Presenting for your consideration, the best business name since Condomania earlier in this thread. (Seeing a non-English speaking country adopting English can sometimes be so playful in unexpected ways. I’ll have more examples later.)pic.twitter.com/nOxl1oAw2a
(I have so many more things to share, but as you can imagine, this has been EXHAUSTING. I am now going to Hiroshima – a place that means a lot to me – and I need to be more in my head there.
You can tweet me any time, although I might not respond immediately. I’ll be back here, and in Tokyo, in a few days. Will continue this thread then. In the meantime, this bunch of verboten wanderers will keep you company. さようなら!)pic.twitter.com/puRkoP9WHq
113. I’m not really here, but I was just on an elevator ride so scenic I just couldn’t not share it with you. (Still in Tokyo.)pic.twitter.com/aRje044g6Z
(((I won’t write much about Hiroshima since it was really tough, but three moments: I. It was snowing as I approached the half-destroyed Industrial Promotion Hall dome early in the morning. It seemed like the most peaceful place on earth, and it broke my heart.
II. Inside the museum, I spent an hour looking at old photos of Hiroshima. I tried to decipher signs on shops and just understand better life before the bombing.
At some point, an older woman volunteer came up to me and just started talking, in English, about the history of Hiroshima. Eventually, I asked her about the signs, and found out I was making one cardinal mistake: I was reading them left to right… instead of right to left.
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