We made it back with little trouble. Little trouble was that Luhan apparently over stayed her Visa by one day. The folks at the Japan embassy here in China originally told her that the first day didn't count. Well, they were wrong and we had to pay about 40 dollars in order to leave. In that instant, the friendly, apologetic, smiley Japanese were no longer the same people I remembered throughout our travels. The big picture in the situation makes me angry, but I guess the reality is that China is an enormous country and many people go places only to never leave. Essentially this is immigration. But wait, there is a right way to go about doing this, right?
Ok, just two last things on my fascination with Japanese technology. Lets go back to the grocery store. All of the items in the grocery store have a digital price tag so that all of the prices can be controlled with the click of a mouse.
Also, the Japanese have been using this bar code system that's coordinated with cell phones. The picture above is an advertisement for this system. When you aim your cellphone camera at the code it scans it, connects to the internet and downloads the information associated with that code. There are tons of ways that the system is used. For example, in some grocery stores these bar codes are on things like vegetables and meat. Aim your cell phone at the bar code and find out information about the cow your beef is coming from or where your vegetables were grown.
I picked up this mint julep soda the other day. It was solid.
ALRIGHT, enough about Japan. I'm back in Beijing where people don't bow or constantly apologize. Tonight I'm heading out to the Japan vs. America baseball game.
1 comment:
wow- it's amazing how far behind the times we are here in new york- and i always thought it was so much more progessive than our childhood home... I feel like if you went over to shop n' save- or giant eagle- they'd think you were making up tale tails.
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