Lady CS and I are back to Japan for the 10th time – this time on our way to Lyon and Bergamo. As always, we are struck by the juxtoposition of old and new – sometimes very, very new. 

We journeyed today to the Imperial Palace and spent time there wandering the gardens.  Many of the structures in the grounds are more than 700 years old and built by hand – old indeed. Our main form of travel, however, has been on Japan’s high-tech railway network. Between the railway station and the gardens, there is an innovation centre – it provides a glimpse of future technologies.  I enjoyed the AI pet thingo – about the size of a decent rat, it will sense your mood – when you are anxious, it strokes you.  If you are sleepy, it will become lively in order to wake you up.   I was told by my companion that I didn’t need one – it was too costly, and Charlie would kill and bury it.

Rinai makes a cooktop and smart saucepan device.  Once the recipe is entered via your phone, the saucepan will heat to the exact temperature required, then send a message with instructions back to your phone or a speaker step by step.  It is impossible to burn anything in one of their saucepans – however, I was told that it would be best if I didn’t buy one as I would excede my luggage allowance and I didn’t need one.  I also didn’t need smart jewellery  – rings that are fitness sensors, gold or siver chains and earrings that carry and transmit data or shoes that calculate steps and track your weight.  However, I did need a toilet.

When it comes to technology, all of the aforementioned are high-tech, but Japanese toilets can be hyper tech. I have already tried out many of their functions – sometimes by accident.  There are butttons that can cause a drenching and severe fright to those from Rosewood who are less travelled than this scribe. Most modern Japanese toilets play the sound of a gently bubbling stream in order to disguise more human noises – although I am yet to find the button that plays the sound of a fierce thunderstorm as a means of concealing more extreme toilettting events. 

However, yesterday, I did find another feature of our hotel toilet that took even me by surprise. My reader should note for future reference that the yellow triangular button on Japanese toilets have absolutely nothing to do with flushing or rinsing. In fact, it did not appear to provide any useful purpose at all.  However, within one minute of  it being pressed, hotel staff arrived with enough first-aid, rescue and resuscitation equipment to deal with a local catastophy. Even I was embarrassed enough to be tempted to feign an injury……

Tomorrow, it’s back on a Shinkasen for a day trip south of Tokyo where we will visit one of Fairholme’s ex students who manages her parents’ business near the base of Mt Fuji. We will see ancient sites from the most modern of trains. We will witness some of the most cutting edge technologies and age old tradititions. But there is no way in the world I will ever press another yellow button.