243. I also discovered the most futuristic ATM: one where you just drop your card in a chamber (of course it is highlighted, too!) and what I assume is magic does the connection.pic.twitter.com/fTKOOXcimh
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254. Speaking of which, can someone help me and decipher what was this train crossing trying to tell me? (Both Google Translate and me drawing these shapes failed.)pic.twitter.com/nJKoAzybUX
255. A lot of the trains utilize this fascinating system: there are cars with reserved seats, and cars where you can sit at will. This feels like such a great hybrid model accommodating both planners and spontaneous people. (I wish movie theatres did that!)
256. Even a train ticket machine will allow you to reserve a seat. Here, the UI actually tells you which car is the least occupied at any given moment, which is super thoughtful.pic.twitter.com/iXterBU0nw
257. As a consequence, there is a lot of signage directing you to the appropriate car.pic.twitter.com/5w9qQuufbR
Each train has its own map, and in front of you, there is often even a mini version of that map.pic.twitter.com/YHTMHcMYSD
And for trains without reserved seats, there are still interesting systems. Here, each door position was labeled with a symbol, and my train was announced as “queue up anywhere you see a triangle.” So much better than an enigmatic “board center.” *cough*BART*cough*pic.twitter.com/aKuA4RBauN
258. By the way, it was cool to queue up for a train called Thunderbird. (Other fav name: Eveningliner.)pic.twitter.com/jnmiOalZLF
259. I liked this consistent visual language for priority seats on one of commuter lines.pic.twitter.com/nosrYBeGL0
260. This cool little UI shows you how far your train is from the current station in a way that reminded me of old videogames.pic.twitter.com/AFNY82YL49
261. This perplexed me. A map on a train with two sliding transparent sections. Do they serve a purpose? Do they prevent people from touching the map itself and damaging it?pic.twitter.com/7BhsYx148H
262. The best/fastest trains are the famous Shinkansen, or bullet trains. I have to say, seeing giant Shinkansen signage leading to my first trip was THRILLING.pic.twitter.com/jrB3OeFF5O
263. Here are a few that I went on. (The first photos have someone on the platform who takes care of controlling the train? They always had a red umbrella-like thing of undetermined purpose.)pic.twitter.com/B8F3vFqH9I
264. Someone compared Shinkansen to “wingless airplanes,” but I swear the Shinkansen I rode on had wings.pic.twitter.com/u7HscoccZO
265. The trains run so often, and so precisely, that I had an 8-minute layover on the same platform, and in that small period of time there was ANOTHER Shinkansen passing through. …which I learned about the hard way (by boarding the wrong train).
I was also once on a Shinkansen crossing a river, seeing another Shinkansen crossing the same river on another bridge, and – in between the two of us – yet another bridge being ready for yet another train. That was incredible.
266. Small surface details: A little arm rest tray by the window, plus the actual big tray has a raised edge so that things can’t escape easily.pic.twitter.com/R8ZeUsFU3Z
267. This design for a cup holder was clever – it extended only when needed, and also it locked in place, so it was pretty stable.pic.twitter.com/hO1ulJHwQR
268. I also saw this cute set of retractable hooks, for both the aisle seat and the window seat, I assume?pic.twitter.com/eF0TEXlioj
269. All the seats always face the direction of travel, although you can rotate your pair to sit family-style. (I’ve been told that when the train reverses at the terminal, all the seats are rotated automagically from the control panel, which would’ve been AMAZING to witness.)pic.twitter.com/nvyqqOtnou
270. Among my proudest achievements was, during one brief train stop, running out to the platform vending machine LIKE A PRO to grab something quickly…pic.twitter.com/BeUnfbSZKE
271. …an achievement relatively quickly undermined by the realization that there are vending machines on the train too, OF COURSE.pic.twitter.com/nMj67ob73F
272. In a weird reversal of pretty much all of my life, this train restroom was much better than most stationary ones. (Flushing without touching! And something I nicknamed “ButtOn.”)pic.twitter.com/s2FRxG10dh
273. Some Shinkansen even accommodated two… flavours of doing… things.pic.twitter.com/too5CfaUeW
274. I also went to see the Kyoto railway museum, which was really awesome. Some of its interior design (look above) even resembled a train.pic.twitter.com/Gv7h9WA0OU
275. A few amazing moments in that museum. First: Sitting in the cabin of the original 1960s Shinkansen train.pic.twitter.com/s4sIJuX3lQ
276. Second: They had a powered train where you could press the actual buttons to get the pantograph up and down!pic.twitter.com/KBbPl1XLrJ
…which was sort of a dream of mine. (My grandpa worked at the railways.)pic.twitter.com/GOnFTpQolz
277. Third: I also touched the very wire that pantographs grab to get electricity! (And survived to tell my story.)pic.twitter.com/907P9paQOa
278. Fourth: This really cool, heavy, and loud button with massive springs inside went up and down and opened/closeed the train doors.pic.twitter.com/wfsBhfVxW0
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