Robotics, Engineering, and the Future of Cities in Japan
About to board our first flight to Montreal.
Flight to Japan (Day 1) by Sophia and YaWen
While most of us had arrived at 6 AM, we had to wait around 30 minutes for check-in to open. During
check-in we were informed that the plane to Montreal was too small, so we got to check-in our bags for
free. As we waited for our flight to Montreal, many students took out card games and formed small
groups to play in.
After a quick flight to Montreal, we split up to have lunch and play a few more games before boarding.
During this time we also chose our roommates for the trip.
Then came the dreaded 14 hour flight to Japan. At first the atmosphere was full of excitement and joy,
but these positive emotions quickly waned as the flight continued. Kids were dropping left and right. No
one was spared.
However, morale improved as we approached the land of the rising sun.
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After a long journey through customs, we met up with our tour guide for the trip, Matt and rode a bus to
the hotel. Matt is very cool and has a Mario on a stick to lead us. We dropped off our stuff, got dinner
at a nearby food court, and went to bed. We then took an hour long bus ride to our hotel.
Unfortunately losing many along the way.
After dropping off our luggage in our hotel rooms we were all given ¥2000 and walked to Isezaki mall
to grab dinner. We reconvened after an hour and ended our day at 7/11.
Day 2: By Mina and Florence
Everyone woke up between the hours of four and seven in varying states of sleep deprivation, and then most of us met on the second floor of the hotel to eat breakfast.
Cool jam dispenser!
Right before leaving, everybody wanted to fill their water bottles.
On the bus ride to our first destination, many either played games, talked, or slept. Maggio promptly hated us after one game of Mafia (we were quite loud!).
Our first destination was Rinkai Disaster Prevention Park.
We had some extra time, so we tied some ropes while we were waiting.
Group photo!
We went along with a couple of tour guides to learn about the dangers and safety measures of natural disasters, such as earthquakes.
Then, we completed a simulation of a disaster situation, toured the personal safety exhibit, and watched a short film detailing how to survive the first 72 hours of an earthquake.
Shaky elevator!
We completed an interactive tour of the simulation disaster through a short five question quiz.
We learned to:
Secure your furniture!
Prevent broken windows by applying shatterproof film or reinforcement.
Prevent electrical fires with seismic limiters and quick application aerosol extinguishers.
Stay away from tall buildings or shattered roads.
But we mostly learned that some of us wouldn’t survive an earthquake. (⅕ on the quiz 💀)
Then, we had around half an hour of free time to wander around the area. Most people started out inside but explored the gardens at the roof of the building near the end.
(Command center from Godzilla!)
Rooftop archway! (There are people inside if you squint. Possibly.)
(They got spoiled for the film. (also why is no one sitting in the front row.))
We learned to:
Prepare supplies in case of emergency!
Keep at least a three day’s supply of food and water.
Save cardboard and other multipurpose materials/insulators.
Keep an eye on mental health—try to preserve normalcy and privacy to the best of your ability.
Don’t let your siblings run off on robot expos lest they die and/or hate you for the rest of their lives.
Afterwards, we went to Akihabara Electric Town to eat lunch and explore/buy stuff.
Excellent food! We all probably went well over budget.
John Nathan Tetris also got a pack of 13 individual cantaloupe pocky for 1000 yen, and he says it’s an excellent financial decision he stands by. (The rest of us are worried?)
Day 2 Afternoon: Written By Endrit and Andy
Akihabara is considered the center of anime in Japan, and therefore the anime center of the world. There was a multitude of anime stores, a notable one being Animate, which was full of manga books and other anime goodies. In addition, there was a variety of tech stores including the sizable Bic Camera which was full of all types of technological products one could think of. In addition, the biggest tech store in Japan, Yodobashi Akiba was also nearby.
HEATED TOILET BOW SEAT ANYONE?!?!?
After our visit of Akihabara, we went to Ueno park in east Tokyo where we visited various religious temples including a Taoist temple and a Buddhist temple. Outside of the buddhist temple there was an optional purification process, in which you rinsed your hands in water and then rinsed your mouth.
Inside the temple you could buy small pieces of paper with fortunes, and if you don’t like them you could hang them up outside and the monks would burn them in order to remove the fortune from your future. Outside the temple was a tree with circular branches, and when looking through it you could see the Taoist temple.
The temple itself was quite beautiful, both on the inside and the outside
In front of the Taoist temple were many street food stands with options ranging from chocolate covered bananas to Octopus Takoyeki.
After the visit to the park we went to see the market at Ueno Ameyoko Shopping District, and the streets were packed with people. The place had goods imported from all over the world. Naturally there was boba and matcha, but there were also Turkish restaurants and Chinese souvenir shops. There were also some crane machines, though not as many as in Akihabara. The streets were as crowded as Chinatown during rush hour, including other tourists.
After the market at Ueno, we went to make our own sushi for dinner. The chef demonstrated how simple it was to make sushi, and even the hand made rolls. Although the chef made it look easy, the hand made rolls found some struggle including not adding enough rice or adding too much rice. We of course ate the sushi we made with fish like salmon, shrimp, yellowfin tuna, sardines, cucumbers, and egg. Alongside the sushi we had tempura, lotus, pumpkin, and okra, and even a bowl of miso soup to finish off.
We headed home by the train, due to a new law that requires bus drivers to limit driving to ten hours a day. The ticket price depends on how far your destination is from where you are, so we had to scan the ticket both when we got in and when we got out. Almost everyone slept on the second train, which was about 40 minutes long. We finally got off the train at 8pm, and headed back to the hotel.
Day 3 - Part I Briana and Jyotsna
After a long, tiring, and very fun day yesterday, most of us had nearly gotten over our jet lag this morning. We had an early wake up call at 6, and by 7:15 we were all eating another delicious breakfast.
After another fun and loud bus ride playing mafia, we made it to Shibuya crossing, the infamous crossing that at peak, over 3000 people cross at a time.
We then met our tour guide, Taka, by a statue of a loyal dog, Hachikō, who waited by the Shibuya station for 10 years after his owner died. Taka took us through the Shibuya train station, one of the busiest train stations in the world with over 2.5 million people passing through everyday. We learnt about the history of Shibuya station and learned about the Japanese subway system.
After exploring the ground level, we went to the 11th floor by an elevator that has a capacity of 40+ people. We enjoyed the view of the city and took a break and got some snacks at a shop.
We then walked through the bridges that connect the 2nd floors of many buildings around Shibuya station and soon we were on our way to Tokyo Skytree.
The walking had tired most of us out, and the bus ride to the Tokyo skytree was mostly quiet as most of us were asleep. Soon enough, we were at the Tokyo skytree and took another 40+ occupancy elevator to the 350th floor. After taking pictures and enjoying the view, we had a chance to go even higher to the 450th floor. We then came down to the 340th floor where we had fun on the glass floor.
By the end of the tour with Taka, we were all hungry and went to the food court on the 3rd floor. The options were plenty with people having dumplings, noodles, takoyaki, soft serve, and so much more.
With an hour to spare after lunch, we went shopping in the numerous stores near the food court. We bought clothes, shoes, plushies, and much more.
Afternoon by Jonathan Tetry and Neil Suri
After we finished eating lunch, we stayed in the sky tree for shopping. Many of us went to the Snoopy store and bought the merch.
After that we took the bus and went to the Miraikan Science museum. We were all looking around and we learnt about many concepts related to robotics. This included artificial intelligence and image recognition. We also learnt about new treatments being developed for previously incurable diseases.
At the museum gift shop we found some very weird things.
Jyotsna found an E. coli plushie. Ms Maggio was excited for her new element animations! She couldn't even wait for the bus to open them!!
There were also chocolate covered bugs and water bug cider. It sounded very appetizing.
After that we made a short stop at the replica Statue of Liberty in Japan. We took some group pictures in the rain. The statue was very tiny. We were also next to the most famous bridge in Tokyo. It is nicknamed the rainbow bridge because it lights up rainbow at night. Unfortunately since we were there in the afternoon it was not lit up.
Finally we went to get dinner. We all got pork katsu which is fried breadcrumbs on pork strips. We also wished Elizabeth a happy birthday and ate some buns.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAY ELIZABETH!!!! 🎉🥳🎉🥳🎉🥳🎉
Maglev Exhibition Center
After breakfast, we went to the Maglev Exhibition Center, which displays a new train that Japan has been developing. The train uses magnetism instead of electricity for power, making it go much faster than any other train. The train runs on guidelines with coils where magnetic oscillation with the coils on the side stabilizes it. The tank in the train is filled with helium, making it very cold and dropping the magnets’ temperature to -296 Celsius. This creates low electromagnetic resistance, causing no friction and thus enabling the train to go at such fast speeds.
The maglev train, constructed with lightweight aluminum, features 2 to 3 seats on each side of the train cars. This 280-meter-long marvel, weighing 25 tons, can accelerate to a mind-boggling 603 km/hr in just 140 seconds. The train's front, designed to reduce sound, is lighter than the rest of the train, contributing to its remarkable speed and efficiency.
After the tour of the exhibition we went up to the second floor where we actually got to ride a maglev train and we saw a small show which explained how the train worked and gave a small demo of the concept, which was like a roller coaster.
Finally, we found an ice cream vending machine on the third floor and then visited the gift shop.
Village
After we visited the train museum, we visited a traditional village near Mount Fuji. Before we arrived, we were able to see an amusement park with massive roller coasters. We begged to get the chance to go; however, there was no time in our schedule to fit the time to go. At the village, we had around 2 hours to explore the village and go shopping. We also had the opportunity to take some really nice photos. There were few places to eat yet they were very nice. There was one dumpling house with very cheap food that tasted amazing. There were also some outfits from the anime Demon Slayer that we could wear and take photos with. Throughout the village, there were many traditional houses with kneeling tables and tables with holes in the ground for your feet to go.
Rest Stop
Along the way to our dinner location, we stopped at a rest stop to refill the bus with gas and to let us go to the bathroom. The rest stop was massive. It was basically a mall. There were many food shops and gift shops. However, most people were excited for the Pokemon vending machine. Many people bought packs of cards, others bought food, but in little quantity because for dinner…
Dinner
We went to an all you can eat buffet. There, we were offered a selection of Sushi, Korean BBQ meats that we cooked ourselves, and some fried foods. They offered sides such as miso soup and white rice. There was a drink bar that offered many sodas like fanta, sprite, coke etc. Lastly, for dessert, there was a cotton candy machine, a chocolate fountain with marshmallows to dip, soft serve ice cream, cake, pudding cups, etc.
Day 5 by Sonam and David-Part 1 7/3/24
In the morning, we had breakfast. A lot of delicious options to choose from.
Our bus came to pick us up at 10:10 to take us to the teamLab immersive exhibition in Tokyo.
Some photos at teamLab:
We settled down on the multi leveled bench to do roll call, probably the most stressful situation today.
Waiting on line and entering photos:
We had to take our shoes off and listen to instructions before we could enter the galleries. This was an immersive experience so we would need to go into water which isn’t that pleasant in shoes and socks. We put our shoes and bag into our own lockers.
Entering first room:
We entrered a room with a glass floor and there were ropes of beads coming down from the ceiling which formed a maze and changed colors.
There was a room with mirrors for walls that reflected these colorful LED lights and created quite a sight.
This was us entering second room:
Upon entering this, we came across water with a murky appearance and holographic fish. I guess foot fungus isn't a problem in Japan.
Later on, there was a secluded dark room with blinding purple lights. It created a nice environment for taking pictures.
We entered the third room which contained many giant inflated balls that we could push around. The atmosphere in this room was really nice and the way different colors are displayed help accomplish an aesthetic look.
We worked together to lift the balls up and we got some nice photos.
After that we went to the final room with a dome ceiling. A projector displayed a hologram of different kinds of flowers soaring through the air. The movement of these flowers made them appear 3D which also made the floor seem to move, which made some of us feel slightly disoriented but the experience was otherworldly.
After this, we entered the beautiful garden, which to me resembled a scene from Alice in Wonderland. There were pathways leading to many egg shaped metal structures.
After the center we headed to the Tokyo station which was modeled after the famous Central Rail Station in Amsterdam.
For lunch, we went to buy bento boxes in the convenience stores in the station. W then got our tickets to go to the bullet train
We ate lunch while enjoying the view in the bullet train. The highest speed of the whole 31 minute ride reached 179 miles per hour. The experience was unique having elements of both a train and a plane ride.
One minute video of the view from a bullet train
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1-5uQD4rUpjymO5LCDELR39OHFfq3BU86/view?usp=drivesdk
Wednesday July 3th - Afternoon
Tara Suri & Rachel Prizant
Odawara Castle:
After a quick Bento box lunch on the bullet train we walked through the thick Japan heat to see Odawara castle. It was built around the middle of the fifteenth century, and it is a three-tiered, five-storied. Odawara castle is surrounded with a lot of nature and there is currently construction of a pond happening close to the castle. When everyone saw the ice cream machine we took a quick break to buy some sounders and cool down with some ice cream as we enjoyed the view of the castle
Returning from the bullet train:
After a short ride back to Tokyo on the bullet train we headed to our next destination. (We got to keep the ticket as a souvenir). The Tokyo Station is modeled after the New Amsterdam station in the Netherlands. Tokyo Station opened on December 20, 1914 with four platforms; two serving electric trains. Interestingly, Tokyo Station has been the site of the assassination of two Japanese prime ministers Hara Takashi and Osachi Hamaguchi.
Imperial Gardens + Samurai Statue
As we walked past the imperial gardens we saw the massive moat that surrounds the imperial gardens, The emperor's house is located within these walls but no one has the exact location.
The japanese emperor comes out only twice a year, once on his birthday and once on new years.
Dinner:
For dinner we had salad, and rice with beef curry. The cake was very good! Bon appetit
Karaoke:
Our last activity for the night was karaoke! We sang our favorite songs ranging from Timber to We are the World to Sweet Caroline to Can’t Help Falling in Love and paid homage to our roots singing the national anthem and Empire State of Mind.
Thursday July 4th Morning - Daniel and Felix
This is us arriving at the 9 story mall called Tsubuka that contained the first museum of the day: Cyberdyne Studio. This exhibition presented the newest innovations in HAL software (HAL stands for Hybrid Assistive Limb). This new technology could be used for rehab therapy, heavy lifting, and has other commercial uses!
In the two images above we played charades during the 2 hour bus ride to the museum
This is a short sci-fi film that we watched about the potential of HAL technology.
In the image above we tried on the HAL technology that moved robotic legs with external sensors on our arms.
Rocket outside the Jaxa Space Center
Internal workings of the rocket
Photo of the Jaxa compound
Group photo in the Jaxa compound
Close up of Nasa spacesuit
Isolation chamber used to train astronauts for the isolation in space
Diagram of how different elevation levels affect the body
6° slant used to train astronauts for the feeling of lightness in space
Real astronaut inner suit used by former Japanese astronaut
Robots from the industrial museum
Interactive diagrams representing the shifting of tectonic plates and their effects on the Earth’s surface
Diorama showing the inside of the Earth’s crust
Different stones under a UV light
Stone onigiri
Alien asteroid that landed on Earth
Street nightlife after BBQ
Final Full Day
MORNING
July 5th - Morning By Felix and Daniel
Visiting the Hamarikyu Japanese Gardens!
At the park, we saw a 300 year old pine tree!
Exploring the Asakusa Kannon Temple!
AFERNOON
Skibidi Sarcastic Duo
Tara Suri & Christophe Casiño
Traditional Tea Making:
We went to a traditional tea house to learn how to make matcha tea and tasted some customary Japanese sweets, one filled with mochi and a small powdered sugar sweet. Fun fact, if you were not able to finish the sweets, women would hide the sweets in their large sleeves.
Shopping Haul & Bus Shennagains:
We bought many last minute items with the remaining money we had. Not a single cent could go to waste.
We sang all of the classic songs from Vida La Viva to All I want for Christmas is You
Chinatown Final Dinner!
For our last dinner we went to Japan’s Chinatown and had sweet and sour chicken, beef noodles, egg drop soup, fried rice, and almond jello. At the dinner we showed off all our souvenirs!
July 6th - Last Day in Japan - Jyotsna and Elizabeth
Today is our last day on this trip to Japan. After a fun day doing a lot of shopping and at night, scrambling to pack and fit everything in suitcases, everyone was soon packed and ready to explore the Chinatown of Yokohama.
We said goodbye to 3 people, Li Hao, Mina, and Phillip before we left the hotel.
The walk took about 20 minutes and on the way we passed a baseball stadium and walked through a park.
Our first stop was a Daoist temple that had much influence from Buddhism. It was really hot and we were all sweating, but we still had 2 hours to explore Chinatown and buy any last gifts.
Many of us wandered to the plethora of food shops and got bubble tea, strawberry tanghulu, fried chicken, and much more. Besides the food scene, there were also many jewelry and gift shops and many of us finished up last minute shopping for our families.
By the time we were done shopping, it was super hot and we were all ready to go back to the air conditioned hotel and get our bags to board the bus to the airport.
Here we said goodbye to Yao Wen and soon enough we were on the bus to the airport. The ride was pretty chill and we played cards and charades. Before we knew it, we were at the airport.
We said our goodbyes and Thank You's to the bus driver and our tour guide Matt and were on our way back to NYC.
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