Japan is known worldwide for its traditional art, amazing
inventions and as a hub of technology. A country with over 120 million population
yet, everyone feel cared for and loved. Talking about the little everyday
things, this country has been shown to have everyone’s interest at heart.
Let’s take a close look at some simple things in Japan, where a
lot of heart and thought went into creating.
Car stickers for the disabled
Japan has a unique way of making people identify others with
disabilities. The country uses a 4-leaf clover as a marker for identifying a
handicapped driver. The symbol shows that they are unique instead of showing
they lack abilities.
Car stickers for elderly drivers
The elderlies are usually seen as a very important citizens who
need lots of care and attention. If there is any country that does this well,
then Japan requires a lot of thumbs up. Special car stickers are designed for the
elderly drivers who are 70 years or older. Since age comes in between almost everything,
citizen of this age are advised to display this mark on their vehicles. This ensures
that other drivers can be aware and be more considerate of the elderly.
Pregnancy tags for pregnant women
Pregnancy badges are specially made for pregnant women with the
inscription “There is baby in my stomach”. The idea of it is to make pregnancy
less stressful for them. With this tag, other train takers can give up their
seats for the pregnant ladies when the train is crowded.
Yellow lines to guide the blind
Since yellow colors are easily spotted, tactile lines made of
yellow are created on sidewalks to ease the movement of people with bad visions.
The dots are to warn of danger ahead while the long bars are to give direction
to the blind.
Umbrella holders with locks
Umbrella theft are a very common experience during rainy seasons
as well as umbrella accidents. Has your umbrella been stolen outside a mall? Have
you ever been poked from behind by someone else’s umbrella or have you injured
anyone with yours? These are some of the problems that Japan thinks should be resolved.
Some places in Japan offer umbrella lockers to keep your umbrella
safe. Plus you can move around in the building easily without having to poke
anyone with it.
Using small trays to pay cash
This practice doesn’t seem to be very common in most places, but
in Japan, sure it is. In most part of the country, customers use tray to pay cash
and receive change. This does not only seem like a courtesy gesture but also
ensures that customers can easily see if they’ve been given the right amount of
change.
Yellow flags for kids to cross busy roads
In this country, children can easily travel unaccompanied. But
there’ve gotta be a way to keep them safe. When kids have to cross busy roads unsupervised,
there are yellow flags available on the sidewalk that they can carry in order
to alert motorists that someone is crossing. After using it, they can return it
to a bin on the other side of the road.
