The capital of Japan, Tokyo, is rapidly transforming into a “global standard” city for the 2020 Olympics. For example foreign-language signs are increasingly common along streets and cashless payment is becoming available at more restaurants and shops.
Tokyo, Japan City Skyline
The city is changing by the introduction of many technologies that make a big transformation. The use of digital signs that can show information in two or more languages are spreading at train stations and commercial facilities, for example a famous department store in the Ginza district has adopted two of them where visitors can find information‘s in four languages. We can see another new technology introduced by the East Japan Railway Co., that is experimenting a digital sign systems that is combined with artificial intelligence, AI. This system, installed at Tokyo Station, is called AI-Sakura fluent in Japanese, English, Chinese and Korean.
Smartphone-based payment systems are progressing and many department and convenience store chains have been leading the way, and now public transportation companies and souvenirs shops are catching up.
The International Olympic Committee is pushing to hold a smoke-free Olympics, in the meantime the government of Japan is working to curb indoor smoking under a health promotion law. To sustain this health promotion law one of the biggest family restaurant chain Saizeriya Co. plans to impose a smoking ban to all outlets, and the convenience store chain Seven-Eleven Japan Co. asked some 1000 franchise stores to remove ashtrays from storefronts and about 70% have already complied or said they will do it. Smoking on the streets is prohibited by law and you can smoke only in the smoking areas otherwise you will pay fines. Not all restaurants agree with the smoking restrictions because they are concerned about ruining sales in a country long considered a smoking heaven, actually there are many who think that it’s uncertain whether a smoking ban would lead to higher sales or an increase in family visitors or simply cause a fall in the number of visitors who smoke.
Japan can be considered as a great country, however there are many aspects that must be changed. The government should ban smoking on school grounds, one of the simplest rule that they don’t have yet in many schools; many students say that some of their teachers smell like an ashtray. In addition if the Japanese government will turn their focus to offer a global standard education, rather than a narrow-minded education inclined towards crushing the rights and free-will of it’s citizens, Japan could truly become a great country.
Anna Locatelli, 4 A Scientifico
