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Welcome to Coordinates: CEEatGT's student travel blog!

       

Kobe Arrival and Smart Tech

 

Our travel week is over :( but now we're in Kobe studying with a class twice the size of us! We talked about smart cities in our first lecture together. A smart city is one that uses digital ICTs (Information and Communication Technologies) and other new technologies to improve citizen's lives. These new technologies can help promote sustainable development by providing data and increasing efficiency for all groups of people. They also have the potential to make a country more resilient, as seen in earthquake-resistant structures. There are...

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By:
Nina Simrill Smith
Class:
Japan Sustainable Development
Where:
Japan

Smart Japanese Cities

Robots, gadgets, high-speed trains . . . Whenever I think of Japan, its advanced technology immediately comes to mind. Japan is known around the world for its technological development. Having now been in Japan for three weeks, I can attest that Japan’s incorporation smart technology has transformed and continues to transform the living experience within their cities.

In Japan, smart technologies are particularly seen through the development of ECO cycles and ECO parks. With these technologies, a simple scan of a card provides access to a compact entrance that transports...

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By:
kkim757
Class:
Japan Sustainable Development
Where:
Japan

Sustainable development in Japan: what is "smart" and what isn't?

While traveling across Japan during the past 3 weeks, I noticed a lot of different technology that is implemented here that increases livability for citizens in Japan. There were innovations in construction, transportation, business, and parking. The first thing that stood out to me, aside from how efficient the transit systems in Japan already are, were the automated robots that train stations are starting to incorporate as a method to help travelers find information. While in Tokyo station, I had the chance to observe a member of our group test out one of the robots. We were looking for...

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By:
Johanna Hall
Class:
Japan Sustainable Development
Where:
Japan

Japan's Smart & Sustainable Solutions

These past three weeks, I have taken numerous modes of transportation from Kyoto's city bus and Tokyo's trains to Hiroshima's ferry and the Shinkansen and learned about various aspects of Japan's culture and practices. Little did I know that all around me were installations of smart technologies that  all work towards creating more sustainable cities. 

During the first week in Tokyo, we visited Giken to learn more about the company's efforts towards...

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By:
Daisy Zhou
Class:
Japan Sustainable Development
Where:
Japan

Smarter than the Average Technology: Smart Technology in Japan

          Whenever Tokyo appears in movies, it is usually depicted as a glitzy, technological city of the future; after spending some time in this city, I can confirm that there is indeed fact within the Hollywood fantasies. Tokyo, as well as other Japanese cities, have incorporated a variety of “smart” technologies into their societal frameworks that aid citizens in navigating the demands of everyday life. Because of Japan’s emphasis on the utilization of sustainable transportation such as mass transit and biking, many of these smart technologies...

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By:
Mia Kemerait
Class:
Japan Sustainable Development
Where:
Japan

Is the Shinkansen Japan’s ICE or TGV?

Tokyo’s transit system reminds me of the European railway system. The Shinkansen’s features and operations specifically reminds me of Germany’s ICE and France’s TGV.  Japan Rail (JR), a Japanese company, has a high-speed long distance rail system named the Shinkansen and reaches speeds up to 240 km/hr. Germany’s DB (Deutsche Bahn), a German company, has a high-speed long distance rail system as well called ICE (Intercity-Express) reaching up to 300 km/hr. The SNCF (Société Nationale des Chemins de fer Français, “...

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

"Smart" Sustainability

The last three weeks of this trip have been very informative and enlightening on the advancement in “smart technologies” in Japanese society. From innovations in transit services with the JR, to improved, sustainable parking methods from the Giken company and their eco-parking systems, Japan is continuously showing why it is leading in the race of creating smarter cities.

In the beginning of our trip, we toured the Giken company observing and learning about their eco...

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By:
Thomas Russ
Class:
Japan Sustainable Development
Where:
Japan

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