What are you doing year 1 million?

National Geographic has a TV series with the title, Year Million!
I guess we humans are not around 1 million years from now, but computers might walk on planet Earth.
Already now the computers take over our daily life. I´m reading a futuristic book that takes place in outer space where super small nanorobots repair you from inside your body.

“Hello. Would you like some delicious coffee?” the machine asks in Japanese. Yes, it is Japan´s newest barista talking to you.

Travel agency H.I.S. Co. said Tuesday that a robot will serve coffee to customers at a cafe it plans to open next month at its flagship branch in central Tokyo.
The agency’s new Henn Na Cafe (strange cafe) in Tokyo’s Shibuya Ward will feature a robotic arm and an automated coffee maker in the store.
The move will add to the company’s series of services using robots, including at the Henn Na Hotel (strange hotel) in Sasebo, Nagasaki Prefecture, where a dinosaur robot welcomes guests at the front desk.

RobotBarista

At the Shibuya cafe, customers will be greeted by the U.S.-made robot, which has an attached screen showing facial expressions.
To order a drink, customers first need to buy a ticket at a vending machine. The robot then scans a QR code on the ticket to process the order.
The robotic barista grabs a paper cup and moves it toward the coffee machine before pressing a start button. The robot then places the finished drink on a reception counter.
The ¥320 ($3) cups of coffee take three to four minutes to be served. The robot can also discard coffee beans and clean filters.

IKEA opens a store in central Tokyo

Urbanization and inner-city living are growing trends that dominate the market.

The trend is to move closer to your customers. First out was the auto industry with showrooms in the city centers around the world. Bu the most eye dropping of them all is Apple with their far-out inviting city shops that take you on an experience out of the ordinary.

And now IKEA jumps on the trend and opens their walk-in store. The timing is, of course, to meet all the summer Olympics Tokyo visitors 2020.

IKEA Shinjuku

This first urban-type shop in Tokyo is one step to create a new world of IKEA in city centers and is part of a global approach to make IKEA more accessible.

Helene von Reis, President & CEO of IKEA Retail Japan says, “We are very happy to come closer to the many Tokyoites.

The store will be 2,500 square meters and located in Tokyo’s Harajuku district.

This is a company’s shift from IKEA stores outside the cities, with major stocks to online shopping and home delivery of products traded in showrooms.

Shinjuku

Ladies and gentleman: The King of Sweden!

In July 1973, two months bef​ore the prince became Carl XVI Gustaf, king of Sweden, I took my first picture of him for the daily newspaper GT. The prince posed together with Rolf Edling, who then became the world champion in fencing in Gothenburg.

Now, 45 years later we meet again. This time in Tokyo where our king did put focus and color on the Japan-Sweden 150 years anniversary celebration. I´m commissioned by the Swedish Embassy and Business Sweden in Tokyo to produce a film documenting the event.

 Oh yes, I forgot, I meet with the king one more time. This was around the time when I did the first interview with Silvia Sommerlath together with journalist Hans Almqvist. The year was 1976 and the winter Olympic games in Innsbruck.

The rumor at the time was that Silvia Sommerlath was our king’s new girlfriend. Well, that´s a story for another time…

The King in Japan Small 401

Wireless Wi-FI for free all over Japan

Carriers in Japan are teaming up to offer foreign tourists easier access to free Wi-Fi.The firms like SoftBank and KDDI seek to start the service across the country in about a year’s time. Currently, free Wi-Fi is available at a growing number of locations, including train stations, hotels, public facilities, and shops. The trend comes as foreign visitors have complained about hefty bills for Japanese mobile services and Japan like to change this right now and aiming for the upcoming Tokyo olympic games in 2020.

WiFi Japan