Asklemmy

Its the small things, not anything massive.

For example, most toilet paper holders in Japan have this floating lid that sits on the toilet paper, which allows you to cleanly rip a sheet off every time, and prevent tearing a corner off.

The suica or iccoca cards (trains and subway cards) can be used to tap to pay near everywhere, including vending machines and such. Quite convienent.

You can pay many of your utility bills, in cash, at most main convienence stores. It allows for more methods of payment outside of everything tracked by credit card.

Many shower rooms ( Japanese bathrooms tend to have a full wet room for bathing) often have an advanced fan system, with a dehumidify option for drying clothes you hang in that room.

Many bathtubs have a water recirculate option, which reheats the same bathwater keeping it warm without needing to refill or add water to the tub.

Ah, one of my favorites is in many bedrooms there is a small square panel on an outside wall, and if you click it it vents to the outside, providing outside fresh air without needing to crack a full window. They often have filters built in as well.

Its becoming more common in the US now, but minisplit AC systems are ubiquitous in Japan. Its nice being able to control each bedroom separately.

I could go on. I lived there for a bit with my wife, in Osaka and in her hometown ( in Nagano).

1. Fancy Toilets: In Japan, toilets can do everything but take you to the moon. Heated seats, spray functions for cleaning, deodorizers, and even some with sound systems to give you a bit of privacy.

2. Vending Machines on Steroids: You'll find a vending machine for just about anything in Japan. Hot coffee in a can, umbrellas, heck, even ties for that meeting you forgot to dress up for.

3. Convenience Stores That Are Actually Convenient: Their 7-Elevens are like mini-malls. You can pay bills, buy tickets, send parcels, and the food’s not half bad either.

4. Trains Faster Than a Speeding Bullet: The Shinkansen trains are so fast and punctual, if you blink, you'll miss 'em. They're like the Ferraris of the train world.

5. Robots Everywhere: Japan loves robots. They've got robots helping out in stores, caring for the elderly, and even serving up your sushi.

6. Sleeping in a Pod: Ever wanted to sleep in a sci-fi pod? Capsule hotels are like a night in a spaceship - cozy, high-tech, and definitely an experience.

7. Magic Taxi Doors: No need to touch the taxi door; it swings open and shut for you. Lazy or genius? You decide.

8. Earthquake Alerts: Their tech is so advanced they can detect earthquakes before they hit, giving everyone precious seconds to duck and cover.

Define "here". This is an international community

Bidet toilet seats

The car garages. I never drove a car in Japan, but it looked like there was a system and some kind of futuristic hydraulic automation thingy to put your car in an available slot??

But in general, I got a lot of retrofuturism vibes in Japan.

Also, while not technology, it is worth mentioning that people there are incredibly polite and friendly - even in Tokyo rush hour.

When you go to a cloth shop you just place your bag in a box and pay. No scanning or anything. It takes less than a minute.

The employee had to help me because I was trying to figure out how to scan my stuff.

Good public transit is #1! So much goes into making those trains awesome.

The second one that comes to mind is vacuum tubes. They still keep them in stock. You can just walk into Tokyo Radio Tower and there's normally quite a good selection -- in a brick-and-mortar store. It blows my mind that they are still so readily available!