A very efficient detergent bottle. Simply squeeze to measure, then pour.
Found in Japan.
This energy efficient escalator stops when no one’s using it and only starts again when someone approaches it. According to our reader Nitin Alabur, it also reduces wear and tear which is the number one reason escalators break down.
Found in Narita International Airport in Japan.
A basket for your bag. Found at Eggs N’ Things in Tokyo.
This Muji hex key is genius. Instead of being flat on the ends like they typically are in IKEA furniture, this one is shaped like a ball. What this allows me to do is screw at an angle other than 90 degrees, which is exactly what I had to do so the bent end wouldn’t hit the underside of the table.
Edit: the-full-grohac says “This isn’t a muji exclusive - ‘metric ball end’ hex bits are available at pretty much every hardware store you’ll come across. They’re slightly more expensive than their regular hex brethren but easy to find.”
I am a big fan of direct mapping. In this bus stop waiting area in Tokyo, a sign is mapped to each each room, bus stop locations from the viewer’s perspective. It also shows what’s beyond, to the left and right.
I entered a dressing room to fit a sweater when the lady told me to use this tissue-like thing to “cover” (myself, I’m assuming). But I had no idea what to do! I even took a sample home to show my Japanese friends. As it turns out, it’s a face cover so your makeup won’t stain clothes when you are trying them out!
The ends of Japanese toothpicks are grooved for easy snap-off, to use as a stand just as for chopsticks.
(via Jed Schmidt)
Look at this power strip. Just look. at. it.
- It’s a perfect rectangular loaf. No extra curves. You’re either functional or out.
- Any holes next to each other are a pair!
- There is a USB port at the very end.
At a train ticket machine in Japan. When we pressed the help button, a head popped out of this hole and asked us if we needed help buying our train ticket. Don’t you think everything in the world should work this way? See it in action in this youtube clip.
An efficient, double-sided bench design in Tokyo.
Another good use of touchless technology – trash cans in public bathrooms!
At the waiting area of one of those ramen booth places in Tokyo. Mapped to the layout of the space, red and green lights show whether a booth is occupied or available.
In 2014, Japan launched a Help Mark badge that handicapped or pregnant women can wear to give them more access to subway seats. More here.
(via Machiko Yasuda)
In Japan, the toilets salute you.