On March 23, 2013, Japan’s railway IC cards began to work on one another’s networks across the country. Ten cards took part: Kitaca, PASMO, Suica, manaca, TOICA, PiTaPa, ICOCA, Hayakaken, nimoca and SUGOCA.
Clear Bottles
In 1992, voluntary design guidelines for PET bottles were set in Japan, so that bottles could be recycled. They call for transparent bottles. A design certification standard for soft drink PET bottles, cited in a 2026 committee document of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and the Ministry of the Environment, puts it in a few words: chakushoku wa shinai koto, do not color.
Fifty and Sixty Hertz
The Tokyo area runs on electricity at 50 hertz, and the Osaka area at 60. The split goes back to the late Meiji era. Tokyo Electric Light bought 50-hertz generators from Germany, and Osaka Electric Light bought 60-hertz generators from the United States. That difference remains today.
Plarail
Plarail, the toy railway of Takara Tomy, goes back to a plastic train and rail set sold in 1959, when toys of metal and wood were the norm. In 2018, the company said that its rail standard had not changed in 59 years. Rails from that time can still be joined to the newest ones.
Unit Bath
For the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, the Hotel New Otani, Japan’s first high-rise hotel, needed a great many bathrooms in a short time. In 1963, TOTO developed the industry’s first unit bathroom method for it.
Unit baths are now named by size. A 1616 measures 1,600 by 1,600 millimeters inside. Common sizes include 1216, 1317, 1416, 1418, 1618 and 1818.
A Good Ordinary
Fukasawa Naoto designed the wall-mounted CD player of Muji, the no-brand retailer. The Museum of Modern Art in New York acquired it for its permanent collection. In the magazine Bungei Shunjū, Fukasawa said: Jibun o hyōgen shitai to iu omoi wa arimasen. Zutto ii “futsū” o sagashite kimashita. “I have no wish to express myself. I have always been looking for a good ordinary.”
Stepping Up the Speed
When the Tōkaidō Shinkansen opened in 1964, its top speed was 210 kilometers per hour. In 1992, with the new 300 series trains and the first Nozomi service, the top speed rose from 220 to 270 kilometers per hour. On March 14, 2015, it was raised again, to 285 kilometers per hour. It was the first increase in 23 years.
Minor Change
Mainā chenji (マイナーチェンジ): minor change. A small revision, especially a partial model change of a car.
Furu moderu chenji (フルモデルチェンジ): full model change. A complete change of a car’s model, together with improvements in its functions.