Being here in Tokyo I am amazed how smart the city is, how good everything works and I am truly convinced that Tokyo is a smart city to visit. Being here you will soon understand and go along with how this city just flows. I have bought myself a PASMO card and filled it up with 5000 yen. This card can be used for traveling with trains, buses, metro, shops, vending machines, coin lockers and parking lots. This makes traveling around Tokyo easy and hassle free. As you can see I am often on a train going visiting the different areas of Tokyo.
A new day has begun and I am ready for more exploring.
To be really smart here I need a smart watch and since I have the iPhone a Apple Watch is the right gadget to get. The Apple Store in Omotesando was closed so now I am at Bic Camera next to Tokyo Station.
At the supermarket you use gray baskets to collect your groceries in the shop. When you are finished the cashier scans your items and place them in a identical yellow basket. This shows that you have payed for your items and can proceed to the packing area. Doing it like this reduces the line in front of the cashiers.
Bring your yellow basket to the packing area and pack in your own pace, no need to look over your shoulder and apologize to the ones that you normally is holding up at the cashier.
Walking from Roppongi towoars Tokyo Tower.
With small and narrow Tokyo streets cars need to be the right size, even police vehicles.
One smart vending machine. Japan have a high number of vending machines, one for every 23 people. This machine tells you what you should drink, based on time of day, temperature, age and sex as it will identify you with facial recognition. Sales from these machines are said to be three times as high as old machines. Read more about it in this article from the Telegraph.
Construction in Tokyo is costly. One of the things that drives up the cost is having manpower making sure everyone is safe. As you see in the photo these two guys is reminding and making sure that people stay away from the construction site. Orange cones and high walls is not enough apparently. An other fun fact is that the walls should be white and kept spotless through out the construction process.
With 20 plus million people there is a wide range of shops to find crammed in to small locations all over the city. Here I am trying to buy a screw driver. After some sign language and smiles I got what I was after.
While taking the train having a good stretch after long hours of work can be smart.
If you want to find good bargains visit the shops around Ueno Station.
Japanese essentials, contact lenses to make your eyes seem bigger and “nose up” to fix your asian looking nose. The blue pack is “secret eye tape” to further increase the appearance of your eyes.
Having lunch next to Sangenjaya Staion. The menu is in Japanese so this is apparently what I ordered.
Be smart, awake and aware while moving around the train platforms. The government have taken several measurement to decrease accidents and suicides at the stations. One visible measurement is blue lights installed in some stations which have reduced suicide by 84% four years after being installed.
Pizza, pasta, I just had to choose one. Having Google translate installed on the phone can help you get a good meal.
Just an other day at JR line.
I wonder how it was to take the train in 1990 here before smartphones.
On average a worker in Tokyo commutes for 67 minutes every day. That can give enough time to learn sign language.
For smart quality time visit The National Art Center
Smart students outside The National Art Center.
67 minutes commute on average and a day at work that can not be compared to Norways relaxed 8,5 hours.
Tokyo streets at night. This city have a low crime rate, however there is some district that calls for more attention after dark, Shinjuku, especially the areas of Kabuki-cho, Shibuya, and Ikebukuro.
Around the city you will find great architecture, this building houses Prada.
Where the cool kids hang out, Shibuya 109.
Accessories for your electronics.
With millions of people walking around with their umbrellas chaos could be a fact, however, see trough umbrellas eliminates that problem.
Shinjuku district at night, be awake and aware. This is a place where….”things are going on”.
And if you do not have an umbrella a free magazine will help you out, here in Akihabara.
As mentioned earlier the suicide rate is high in Tokyo and too many choose to jump in front of a moving train. The rail company will charge the family of the victim with more than 2 million YEN.
While traveling I need to get some work done. Today my office was at Pacific Century Place.
Tokyo Station surrounded with office buildings. 415.000 passengers use Tokyo Station every day.
First guy, sleeping, second guy watching his phone and the third guy fell asleep playing a game on his phone with his thumb still on the game.
Koban or police box is a small neighborhood police station, a smart system where you always have your local neighborhood police officers on watch.
Night time food, the table is set for one and the rain can not stop me.
Again a fun visit to Tokyo, there is so much to see and do here, If you have not been to Japan, book a ticket and go.Tokyo is a smart city to visit.
Waiting in the Delta Club lounge, here they recently have done a much needed upgrade of the lounge.
My SK SAS flight from Narita to Copenhagen. Now with SAS new cabin.