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Welcome to Coordinates: CEEatGT's student travel blog!

       

Regionalism in Japan

The first week of this program was spent in Tokyo, a part of the Kanto region, we then proceeded to the travel leg and have ended up in Kobe, a part of the Kansai region. Even though these regions are part of the same country and are relatively close to each other (at least in an American standard) there are a lot of cultural differences between them.

The first difference that I observed was the way people stood on escalators. In the Kanto region, most people stand on the left side and leave the right for people in a rush. Whereas in the Kansai region, people stand on the...

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By:
Tanay Tak
Class:
Japan Sustainable Development
Where:
Japan

Building Smart Cities in Japan

LED lights at Shibuya crossing

Over the course of our stay in Tokyo and exploring during the travel leg, I have experienced several information and community technologies (ICTs) that show Japan’s commitment to cultivating smart cities. These innovations not only promote sustainability, but also improve the everday lives of Japanese citizens by increasing accessibility and limiting the waste of resources. Some of these technologies exist in the United States, but...

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By:
Elise Koepke
Class:
Japan Sustainable Development
Where:
Japan

Are heated toilets energy efficient?

Japan incorporates “smart technologies” into its sustainable development and has areas where it could incorporate more. They have technologies within the train system that are energy efficient and more equitable for the passenger. They also have technologies in daily life that are also more energy and water efficient, as well as some that are not.

Within their goal of achieving sustainable development, they have also included features that make it more convenient for the passenger that are “smart”. The metro cards, such as Suica, are able to be uploaded to...

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By:
Joanne Tamayo
Class:
Japan Sustainable Development
Where:
Japan

The Suica Life: Taking a Look at Japan's Innovations

Our group has observed many technologies in Japan that make living and commuting easier and more sustainable. These smart technologies are incorporated in all aspects of life and society and are sometimes more related to policy measures just as much as technological innovation. One example of these smart technologies are the rail line cards, such as the Suica card that we used to move between rail stations throughout Japan. The Suica card can be scanned in and out of stations, allowing for lines of passengers to move quickly and efficiently. These cards can easily be obtained, and...

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By:
Ian Cullen
Class:
Japan Sustainable Development
Where:
Japan

Smart & Sustainable: Japan's Take on Development

Japan has been forced into a position of being the world’s leader in creative and smart technology; being an island nation with few resources and a miniscule percentage of usable land mass means that they must create valuable exports or suffer economic dependence on other countries. Even coming from America, another tech hub, I have been incredibly impressed with the advanced nature of every technology I have encountered since arriving. Everything from transit to toilets is far...

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By:
Rachel Titshaw
Class:
Japan Sustainable Development
Where:
Japan

Japan's Smart and Sustainable Technology

Often in modern society, “smart” technology is defined as technology that has access to the internet. However, “smart” technology can have many different definitions. One such definition is the ability for a technology to self-monitor and respond to certain stimuli. Another, which I choose to adopt for this discussion, is any technology that is more beneficial, economical, or convenient than the technology it replaces.

Japan is well known for their...

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By:
Rachel Wakefield
Class:
Japan Sustainable Development
Where:
Japan

Smart (and maybe Sustainable) Tech around Japan

(First of all: apologies in advance for pictures being sideways and videos being linked instead of embedded. GT is giving me an error when I try to embed the images and videos. I will try to fix the issues for next post.)

In some areas, Japan’s technological progress has amazed me. However, I am surprised that such an advanced country is lacking in other areas.

One of the technologies that I first encountered, and have grown to love, are the toilets. There are so...

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By:
Lara Kassabian
Class:
Japan Sustainable Development
Where:
Japan

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