Changing Minds at Southbank: Mental Health Arts Festival

RCA Design Interaction student Jinhee Park rearranging her 'Solitude' installation

Turning Japanese: Innovation

Godzilla shares a coke with Shinjuku

When we think of Japanese innovation, what sort of images come to mind? Electronics? Sushi? Hello Kitty?

Turning Japanese: Innovation and Idiosyncrasies

Bleston Court Hotel, Karuizawa

This was not the Japan I'd expected to discover.

The first thing you'll see in Japan from the moment you get off the plane is that rubbish bins are virtually non-existent. So forget about eating your Mo's Burger outside or finding litter on the streets/public transport - which is refreshingly considerate, let's be honest. At the risk of oversimplifying facts, despite its foodie reputation, just because of this social custom, the svelte figures of the Japanese immediately make logical sense.

The first thing you'll hear in Japan will be a greeting , an apology or both that sounds quite nice. Get used to it. Japanese people are so painfully polite it's probably in their DNA. No matter where you go, you will feel slightly inadequate, a scratch rough even. And as a result you will consciously or otherwise find yourself acting on your most ladylike/gentlemanly behaviour - nodding, smiling a lot more and questioning your home country's manners for improvement.

It's been 13 years since my last and this time, apart from a packed 5 day tour, attending a summer wedding in Karuizawa was the main agenda. Although I was staying at mountain resort getaway popular with the 35 million urbanites living in Tokyo, I did not prepare for this little thing called no access to WiFi. It took a while for my brain's fried up nerves and itchy fingers to be relieved by other means - the crisp lakewaters passing through stones, the cadence of birds chirping (we're still looking for that evasively over-confident woodpecker) and whistling while we explored forest paths. Even the wooden cabins we slept in made us feel like we were creatures from the Sylvanian Families.

It was admittedly a bit of a backwards shock - I'd psyched myself up to be blown away by the innovative technologies, striking urban redevelopment and cutting-edge trends from the country that gave us the joys of anime, Nintendo RSI and instant noodles. I'd even planned to research a podcast of Japanese inventions to surprise my friends Tom and Al at The Innovation Ramble. But I soon realised I was going to be significantly underwhelmed in that aspect.

This was not the Japan I'd expected to discover. This is not the travel piece of Japan I expected to write. This is a recollection of Japanese idiosyncrasies, interesting facts and cultural observations that delighted me no less. 

From the revelations of imports/exports, the clapping votive tablets and soothing windchimes at Meiji Shrine...to the cashier assistant at Prince Shopping Plaza unabashedly humming to Carly Rae Jepsen's 'I Really Like You' (annoyingly a big hit there). 

I hope you'll find a reason to stay tuned on the blog over the next few days! :-)

Hong Kong Chinese Consumer Tech Report (Advertising, Retail & Leisure)

QR codes, touch screens to the rise of the ‘low head clan’ - here's the latest on how technology is embedded into the everyday lives of Chinese consumers in Hong Kong.

Stephen Fry's 100 Greatest Gadgets Needs a Reality Check

I have a confession to make. I have never, ever watched a Stephen Fry programme before, nor do I know or care about the controversy that surrounds his every remark. That is, until I watched his 3 hour long 100 Greatest Gadgets show on Channel 4 last week. To be fair, he did state in the beginning that his list was completely subjective and apparently self indulgent. But after some bizarre inclusions that clearly proved his somewhat deluded idea of 'useful gadgets' that enhance the life of everyday public, I felt it was my obligation to point out the silly items that definitely shouldn't have made it on the list.

Top 10 Stephen Fry's Totally Useless Gadgets

1.Corby Trouser Press-so bulky that it needs its own bus pass, it's no wonder they don't exist anymore

2. Sodastream Machine- Fun for making cheap bubbly? Yes. Revolutionary and indispensable? I think not.

3. Mousetrap- I'm no animal lover, but even I'm not that sick

4. Baby Buggies- Two Words: Pure Annoyance

5. Teasmade- Whoever thought of the bright idea of being woken up in the middle of the night by a spitting, boiling kettle combined with a piercing alarm clock deserves a slap in the face

6. Night Vision goggles- Why would the average population need a pair of those? Not unless you're a peeping Tom or fighting in Afghanistan.

7. Metal detector- No offence to any archaeologists

8. Bullworker- Although he obviously could use one. 
9. Alarm Clock- Most of us just hit the snooze button anyway
10. Applepeeler- You don't need a fancy contraption that takes longer to set up than picking up a kitchen knife.

Apparently Stephen Fry lives on another planet. However he did pay deserving tributes to pioneering gadgets like the ZX Spectrum (an 80s early computer model), VCR,Walkman, record and CD player, pager and fax machine (good riddance). You can't help but feel nostalgic (and old for anyone born after 1990), watching this blast from the past. These gadgets have truly changed and transformed our lives

I predict quite a few of the novelty gadgets will become bestsellers again, just from Fry's endorsement. Such is the influence of celebrities these days. I must brace myself for the shitstorm ahead from Fry's twitter fans.