Japan living in 2050 – Having been to Japan thrice, I can say that the technology there is very advanced (well at least if compared with here in the Philippines). When you go there, you’ll find weird things that actually make sense.
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Self-service counters
We found many restaurants that let their customers place their orders manually through a machine. It saves time and saves the restaurant from hiring a crew to take orders. Also, it helps with the sequencing of orders because the first to arrive gets to order first.
The only problem we found is that some machines are only available in Japanese, so you’ll still need the help of the staff. The self-ordering machine is usually found at the entrance, so you have to place orders first before you take your seat.
Self-checking in and out
If restaurants have self-service machines, so do hotels. At Sotetsu Fresa Inn Sakuradoriguchi Hotel, you have to check in through a machine by entering all the required details. So, if ever the front desk is empty upon arrival, you can do your own thing and get your room hassle-free.
In the same way, you can check out easily by going to the same machine. The machine will get your card key and will indicate if your checkout is complete before you can leave.
Tape to reseal food packages
We always go to groceries during our last visit to Japan. And there were a lot more choices of food to choose from when you go to groceries. One of the essentials, when we go grocery shopping, is bread because it’s the most convenient food especially when you have a toddler who gets hungry every now and then.
And it’s a good thing that some pastry shops that sell large bags of bread have a resealable tape. It’s helpful to us because we can reseal the packaging when there are leftovers.
I hope others can also have the same thinking the same as Japan living in 2050. It saves us from having to finish everything in one go to avoid wasting money on food.
Empty plate slots
There is this sushi restaurant, called Kura Sushi, where we love dining. And it doesn’t need servers to clear away plates after plates of sushi. Kura has a slot where diners can put their empty plates, so their tables could have more space for more sushi orders!
What a brilliant way to save money! And mind you, Kura serves quality sushi dishes, so we returned there to satisfy our hunger again! Best of all, for every 5 plates that you shoot in the slot, you get a chance to win a gachapon (capsule toy).
Advanced train system
We’ve been to other countries besides Japan, but all I can say is that the Japan train system is one of the best! You can go almost anywhere across Japan just by riding their train. How cool is that?
It’s like traveling from Luzon to Mindanao (North to South) without the need to ride an airplane. However, you have to take note that the price of riding a Shinkansen (or bullet train) is not cheap.
Klook.comNonetheless, what matters is that you can go to places far from each other by just buying a train ticket, and riding it at your preferred time. I hope that soon we can do that here in our country too!
Face cover at a clothing store
I checked out a Uniqlo branch in Tokyo and found quite a few clothes on sale! So, I decided to try them out first before buying them to avoid wasting money. Upon entering the fitting room, the staff pointed out something to me.
I was dumbfounded at first because there is nothing like that in our country. But when I checked the container, it had instructions about what to do. Turns out, the staff was telling me to get a disposable face cover when fitting their clothes.
The disposable face cover is to prevent lipstick, foundation, and other cosmetics we applied to our faces to stick to their clothes. This is a great way to practice hygiene too! And my first thought was that Uniqlo wanted to prevent the virus from spreading to the unsold clothes.
Digital beverage dispenser
Self-service seems to be one of the things that the Japanese want to advance in. We found a restaurant that offers water and tea using a machine.
I think that restaurants are wise when letting customers refill their drinks. Besides saving money on servers, it helps people to move (even though the Japanese already move a lot) by getting up from their chairs to refill a drink.
Automated rice dispenser
One of our favorite places to dine in Japan, Yayoiken, offers unlimited rice refills. And you can eat Japanese rice with gusto because you’ll be the one to get rice from an automated rice dispenser.
If you have tried Yakiniku Like in SM Mall of Asia, you must’ve seen how the servers get rice to give to customers. But at Yayoiten, you can choose between how much rice you want. There is a button for 50g, 100g, 150g, or even 200g of rice.
It’s best to try 50g first because you can get refills again if you still need more. We always wondered how the Japanese don’t get fat upon eating rice and noodles most of the time. It seems that walking thousands of steps (or even more!) is effective at burning all the carbs they eat!
Restroom guideboard
Going to restrooms and having to find which one is vacant when your bladder is about to burst is not part of the fun when traveling!
But at the spot where you can view Mount Daichi, where our Shirakawa Go tour guide brought us, you don’t have to worry about it. The public restroom is equipped with a guideboard.
What’s this guideboard? It’s a board that shows which toilet cubicles are vacant or occupied. On the board, you can also choose to use a Western-style toilet or the traditional Japanese style. It’s helpful that you know when a cubicle becomes vacant.
However, it was the first toilet that I have seen a restroom guideboard. I hope many others could have the same in public restrooms.
Water-saving toilet tank
In one of the Airbnbs that we stayed at, a water-saving toilet tank was used. Water comes out of the faucet when you flush the toilet. It’s a great idea to save water because you can wash your hands after relieving yourself.
At the same time, the used water goes down the toilet tank which is getting ready for the next time you need to use the flush again.
Klook.comThe takeaway
Why is Japan living in the future? It’s because of their advancement in technology that’s why people describe them as such. The country has lots of weird things that actually make sense.
The photos in this article are definitely proof that Japan is living in 2050. I wouldn’t be surprised if there will be new inventions that help simplify people’s lives the next time we go back. I hope you enjoyed these fascinating things that can be found only in Japan!
