User Centred and Enviro-friendly Design in Japan

So over the past few months, as a Systems Design Engineering student, its build in me to pay special attention to usability. I arrived here in awe at how well the Japanese design their everyday environments to suit user needs and to be environmentally friendly. The irony of it all is that Tottori U doesn't know how to teach design at all. Whereas Waterloo has one of the best, if not the best, engineering design programs in the Canada. But we in Waterloo have the most user-unfriendly facilities on campus. E.g. Davis Centre that open the wrong way, the Davis Centre all together (useless randomly located stools --> our tuition going to use), Needles Hall diagonal stairs, Quest, JobMine, all the engineering buildings, the infamous "bag checking system" at the UW libraries, the overall depressing 50's architecture, the ventilation in E2, etc.. etc.. I can go on and on.

In Japan, I see a lot of effort to suit user needs and be environmentally friendly:

• In Japan, for both men and women, they have these "kneeling toilets" where instead of sitting down, you kneel and do your business. This like much more sanitary. And it works well for both sexes.
  
  

The crouching toilet

• In my room, there is a choice of flushing the toilet with more water or less depending on whether you took a crap or simply went pee. As shown in the image below

• In most public places, such as streets, libraries, etc.. the floor is tiled with these "paths" that help those who can't see properly. All crossings are equipped with the "bird-like sounds" that indicate to blind people that can cross the street.
  

Handicap assisted paths

• The lights inside the university buildings only turn on when it senses movement in the hallways.
  
• When you push the cross-walk button to cross the street, there is a feedback message informing you that you infact pressed the button successfully and to wait
• when ambulances, fire trucks, police cars have their sirens on, a voice message is also present asking people to make way.
  
• The garbage/recycling system is 10X more complicated than in Canada. Spilt up into categories: burnable garbage, cans, PET bottles, paper, and other non-burnable garbage. This can be a bad thing because of its complexity... BUT.. that means that they are actually recycling stuff and not just SAY they are like in Canada
• And of course my personal toilet in my room, with a sink built on top. As one flushes the toilet, it allows people to use the same, clean water, that would normally be used to flush, to wash their hands, etc...

• The one thing I dont like about Japan is that there are no such things as debit machines. People here only pay by cash

So thats my rant about usability. Well today, all the international students here in Tottori U were given free bicycles. So now we dont have to walk to school anymore in the scortching 30 degree weather from the Tottori University Int'l House to campus. EVERYONE in Tottori rides bikes and not to mention that the crime rate here is like next to zero. So everything is so safe. I was called paranoid once here because of our security cautiousness that's been ingrained into us from living in the west.

Next week is what they call in Japan "Golden Week" meaning everyone is off work and school for approx 10 days. Soo.. Ana and I are going to hit up Hiroshima (one of the two imfamous cities that were A-bombed) and do some other random travelling in neighbouring villages, cities, etc... Richard, Will and Teresa decided to go to Tokyo. So its all going to be fun fun and more fun. No school for a week is gold within itself.

I am writing this journal entry after ANOTHER party. This time its the Social Systems Engineering dept -wide BBQ. lemme tell you Japanese bbq's are absolutely amazing. Unlike Canadian bbqs which mostly only consist of hamburgers and hotdogs, the japanese PUT EVERYTHING on their BBQ's. Its super delicious. I'm late for the afterparty. So I'll catch everyone up with our latest antics some other time.

International students on a tour bus from our orientation two weeks ago