News and veggies

One morning we came across what seemed to be an unusual bank of vending machines. Two of us had taken a Keio New Line train several stops out from the Shinjuku station, in downtown Tokyo, to the Chitose-Karasuyama station. I have yet to find it on the Tokyo map. It wasn't the suburbs by any means, but certainly a different part of town.

As part of an interesting walkabout, we came upon these vending machines along the sidewalk that reminded me of a 1960s-vintage automat cafeteria in New York City, but with a twist. Inside each little vending cubby was a newspaper with a plastic bag of green veggies sitting on top of it. Soybeans? Who knows? One more delightful sign that we were somewhere far from home.

Click on the photo above to see it larger, and maybe you can tell me what vegetable you get for 100 yen.

Evidence of being away

Any trip abroad seems to yield a variety of images confirming, as Dorothy put it, “Toto, I’ve a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore.” Here begins a series of such visuals from my recent trip to Japan, where coincidentally Toto seems to be everywhere. Or at least in all the bathrooms (see below).

Cleanliness is a virtue held in high esteem in Japan. Litter seems to be non-existent. People can always be seen sweeping leaves, twigs and what have you from their front porches, and public areas are remarkably tidy. Much Japanese signage supports that idea.

Instead of the U.S. style of reminders to not litter and to clean up after your dog (both under threat of fines), many Japanese signs simply remind people to be thoughtful of others. Even though free graphic expression seems to be the rule - what would be the universal symbol for exhaust? - the message on this sign is quite clear: don’t let your car idle and spew out all that unnecessary smoke! Whether there’s also a warning of a fine, I don’t know, but I don’t see any yen signs (¥).

Those of you who know me well probably recall that I've been taking photos of plumbing fixtures for years.  

Toilets in the company-owned Forum 246, where we stayed in Isehara, like all the other hotels on this trip, all were outfitted with the Toto washlet seat. And I mean all, including the public washrooms. In addition to temperature controls for the heated seat, this personal hygiene device also offers spray and bidet settings. You’ll be pleased to hear the water for those functions, too, is heated.

I first came across these seats while on the staff of Plumbing Engineer magazine, which means it was prior to 2003. Still, I was surprised to see how pervasive they are today in Japan.

Back from Japan, unscathed but not unmarked

It was an honor and a privilege to visit Japan, the home of Amada, last week. The trip truly provided a unique opportunity to see what makes the company what it is. I knew going in that the company had great technology, a fine line of products and excellent service and support. But seeing it for myself made it real.

Walking through the Fujinomiya Works reinforced how carefully Amada’s highly technical equipment is designed and assembled.

The parts center, a significant portion of which is automated, stocks a million parts. When you think about that, it's enough to take your breath away.

Beyond that, our tour of the Innovation Fair (AIFG2013) provided a firsthand look at what a large range of products the company has. It suddenly became very clear how important ongoing innovation is at Amada. Seeing the LASBEND AJ in operation, for example, was a real treat.

The customer visits to Fukasawa and OKI provided excellent examples of how Amada products are being used to their fullest potential. I was surprised by the humble programming room at the Fukasawa plant, but it surely provided excellent instructions for operating their equipment. The OKI installation was amazing. Watching seven robot-fed press brakes - and knowing they were being attended by just three operators - demonstrated how much OKI has jumped into using Amada automation.

Of course, many things beyond the equipment left quite an impression as well.

All the people we met, in Amada and elsewhere, were simply delightful.

Having been treated to the best of Japanese cuisine made it hard to come back to the land of fast food.

The visit to the Tomioka Silk Mill was a lovely and unexpected sampling of Japanese history and culture.

And of course, having been in the presence of Mt. Fuji, now I get it.