Byline: Tokyo
I'm getting ready to go on to China for two weeks. I had photos of Tokyo points of interest to post. I couldn't load them at the cyberoffice because the navigation directions were in Japanese. I offer these Google photos in lieu.
The project to make Tokyo more functional for Japan's growing senior population is fully underway. Elevators are being installed in subway and train stations at a high cost and at a high rate. It was very noticable this year.
Apparently part of the same campaign includes a new station numbering system. This is a typical subway sign on the right (not one of the new signs). The new signs have a letter and a number on them. Picture a C14 in a circle on this sign. The C is the line, Chiyoda, the station is 14 on the Chiyoda line. Tokyo subways were always the easiest in the world, with color coded trains. So it is now even easier.
There are new bicycles with the Chevy and Chevrolet logo on them. How is this possible? I joked to myself that GM is trying to market a product that is reliable.
The problem is that I've dealt with GM and they have no interest in a cost saving or revenue stream under $100 million. The royalties on this bike can't even be $1 million. So how did this happen? How did anyone ever get GM to sell them a logo royalty deal?
There are now a number of neighborhoods with no smoking signs on the street. Not as shocking as one would think. Until twenty years ago it was uncommon for people to smoke on the street. Prevailing Japanese social courtesy, until twenty years ago, wanted to make sure no one got their clothes burned by a careless smoker with a cigarette.
An interesting innovation (not shown here) is an add-on attachment to strollers that allows a kid to stand up on small set of wheels behind the stroller and get pushed along with the stroller and a small occupant.
Lastly, there are now delivery trucks in Tokyo with hybrid engines. Simple idea since trucks can have large battery storage areas and trucks commonly go at slow speeds with plenty of standstill engine-on recharge intervals.