Japan - Local Design, Global Infrastructure
Within 15 minutes, I had a sim card, rail pass, and cash from an ATM. No, I was not on the run. I was in Japan.
After getting on a train from the airport in 2018, I was on my way to stay at a pod hotel for my first night in Tokyo. Originally, the pod hotels (also called capsule hotels) were originally created for the average Japanese Salaryman. The work culture in Japan includes an overextending loyalty to an employer which often requires working long hours, and occasionally missing the last train home. Pod hotels offer a budget option for those staying in the nation’s largest city. Pod hotels have become a tourist attraction for budget travellers who don’t mind small accommodations.
My “room” was 6 feet long, 4 feet wide, and 4 feet tall, with no window. After a mildly uncomfortable nights rest, I packed up my belongings, wiggled out of my room, and went to the lobby. I walked up to the bar counter and redeemed by voucher for a breakfast, which consisted on a coffee and hot dog. Yes, a hot dog. This is in no way a traditional Japanese breakfast, but it was a hit based on the number of foreigners in the hotel lounge that were enjoying their meals.
Japan is well known for being a country of innovation, and creativity. Japanese infrastructure is designed for its users. The inspiration from this trip changed the way I approach both personal and professional projects.
Transportation
The train system in Japan is other-worldly. The majority of the country is accessible by train, subway, and bus. There are many different transit operators in Japan, but the level of cooperation and compatibility between the systems is impressive. The national rail lines run between prefectures (equivalent to a province or a state), and each of these prefectures may have their own local transit networks as well.
The population of Japan is approximately 127 million. To gain a true appreciation of the size of the country, I’ll let you check out the true size of the country yourself. The website “thetruesize.com” allows you to overlay the equivalent footprint of a country on top of another.
Based on 2018 data from the world bank, Canada has a population density of 4 people per square kilometre of land, and Japan has 347 people per square kilometre of land. The higher the population density, the more incentive their is to provide strongly interconnected transportation systems. Train schedules are accurate and tightly regulated. Japan is regularly known for making grandiose apologies when their trains deviate from a planned schedule by a matter of seconds. On one of my train rides to Kyoto, the operator made an announcement apologizing for leaving less than one minute later than planned.
It is rare that there are major shut downs on train lines. Most train lines will close around 11pm. This gives crews a larger portion of time to set up and work overnight before the morning train schedule resumes. Although it means that transportation options are limited in the evening, this schedule reduces the number of times a multi-day closure may occur.
Accessibility
Tokyo is a metropolis. The population of the Greater Tokyo Area is approximately the same as the population of Canada. Signage in tourist ares is mostly in Japanese, English, Chinese, and Korean. Announcements in train stations often cycle between multiple languages as well. Soon into my trip, I started to notice the subtleties that make Toyko an easily accessible city. Throughout the city there are long pathways of “brail walkways” that allow a visually impaired person to navigate within buildings, and on sidewalks. I noticed that most people would not use this section of a pathway or sidewalk in order to reduce the number of obstacles that a vision impaired person might face. Some Canadian cities have roughened steel plates near intersections to warn a visually impaired person, but there are no pathways similar to these seen in Japan.
When I was wandering in Yokohama, I noticed embedded metal markers in the sidewalks. I asked my friend what they meant. He simply said, “It is a compass.” Yes, I know what you are thinking, smartphones, but with the flourishing number of underground pathways in Toronto, and other large cities, navigation can be tough, especially when there is limited signage and cell service. A compass is a simple tool, but provides a lot of information, and it does not run out of battery.
Construction
Construction sites were fascinating to watch. It is interesting to see how different countries tackle construction with different materials and tools. There were a large number of steel buildings under construction in Japan. In a seismic zone, the goal is to have strong buildings that are lightweight. In some cases, steel can provide a better balance between weight and strength, compared to concrete.
One of the construction sites I walked by had a sign displaying the noise (in decibels) from the current construction activities. The second number showed the permitted volume limit. It would be a simple item to add to any construction site which would demonstrate the construction team’s commitment to maintaining good relations with the community. Noise pollution can be extremely challenging to deal with as a resident in a large city, and this has an impact on the health and happiness of residents.
Infrastructure
There are particular regions in the world that are more prone to earthquakes. Japan is in one of these regions. The need to design for high earthquake loading often results in distinct visual differences among buildings and infrastructure. The simplest way to think of seismic loading is this; when you are standing still, you are able to support your own weight, but someone bumping into you will throw you off balance. The instinctual response when this happens, is to take a step away from the person to regain your balance. A wider stance gives you a better balance against a sudden load from the side.
Take a look at the steel structure on top of this building and notice the way that the feet at the bottom have a wide stance.
New buildings and structures echo the past. This communication structure (above) is a modern structure seen in Tokyo, but the same pattern can be seen in the construction of old castles from the 1400’s.
This is the foundation of the main keep of Edo Castle (also called Chiyoda Castle). The castle was built in the area of Tokyo which is now part of the Tokyo Imperial Palace.
Of course, there are a whole host of different design methods that can be incorporated into the design of a building that limit the need to take up large sections of real estate at the base of a building. The view from the lobby of my pod hotel in Tokyo shows a lot of different types of buildings and structures in the Ginza region.
In big cities, utilities are often hidden beneath roadways in underground tunnels and conduits. In order to access a variety of utilities, access tubes are installed at various intervals along routes. The top of these access tubes are capped with a steel man-hole cover. In Canada, a typical man-hole cover looks like a studded waffle-shaped round plate. In Japan I was surprised to see that many cities have unique and often colourful designs for these typically mundane steel plates. The collection of photos below showcase a handful of covers that I saw while in Japan.
In one case, I noticed a series of numbers and letters stamped into the top of the steel cover. This is an easy way to find the correct location to complete maintenance, or repair work in a timely manner. Aside from the functionality of these manhole covers, there is a local taste to the region’s infrastructure.
Japanese infrastructure is forward thinking. Solutions fix the immediate issues and anticipate the future ones. This is the mindset I have adopted as my own design philosophy.
As I strolled through the airport waiting for my flight back home, I browsed the many souvenir shops and food stalls. Alas, I could not find a way to get rid of my last bits of leftover loose change. Perhaps this is because Japan knows I will be back.
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