When we traveled to Japan, I was expecting high-tech gadgets and a futuristic society when we landed (Have I watched too much of The Jetsons as a kid? Maybe). Well, I was a little disappointed when we landed; the airport did not really impress. Although they did have a barcode-based customs and immigration process, that was it. It was a normal country, not futuristic, but they were extremely efficient. I want to highlight three key things that, I believe, reduce time and create efficiencies in Japan:
- Food order vending machines
- Point-of-sale systems
- And yes, the bidet
How many of us have gone to dinner in wonderful countries and struggled to place an order? The challenge is always waiting for the waiter to come and take our order. It’s busy, so we try to be patient, but it can extend the amount of time that we are in the restaurant. Well, not in Japan. This was a first for me: they had vending machines with their menus. You would pick an item, push the button for all the items you want, pay for it and a separate ticket would pop out for every item that you ordered.
You would hand all of them to the waitress. No modifications, a very clear set menu and payment processed in advance. I was actually quite surprised at how quickly meals were ordered, processed and eaten. People were in and out in less than 30 minutes in most venues.
When it came to processing payments, yes, Japan does use a lot of cash. While credit cards are accepted, it’s not everywhere. Many people actually do pay in actual cash, and the bills are large. So, when I saw these cash registers, I was actually extremely intrigued. The teller would drop the change into this hole at the top of the register, insert the bills into a slot and the exact change would fall out. There was no requirement for the teller to count the money. All the change was processed by the machine. Extremely efficient and it reduced the opportunity for error. I was quite impressed.
And finally, yes, we are going to have a potty mouth today, literally 🙂 I had to share with all of you the one thing that had my entire family astounded during our trip—the bidet. Yes, I have a family of boys, so you should not be surprised. Now it’s not like we are uncultured sloths and don’t know what a bidet is, but the Japanese bidet is a whole new level.
My children were literally singing its praises no matter where we went. From the heated seats, automatic lids being lifted, an air freshener sprayed when the lid was lifted and multiple spray options. They even had background music that you could play and adjust pressure levels. It was a thing of beauty that you would find no matter where you traveled. Every bathroom would have a fancy bidet. Now, not all the seat covers lifted automatically, but the rest of the components were consistent in every restroom you used, from hotels to restaurants and public transit—they took their bidets seriously. Did my kids beg for a bidet for Christmas? Perhaps, but with a $2400 price tag, we will have to consider it.
No matter where we turned during our trip, we saw how the Japanese had made every effort to create efficiencies within their society. Not everything needed to be high-tech, but it definitely needed to be efficient. The vending machines were not fancy, but they saved time. The point-of-sale system was not high-tech, but it reduced the opportunity for error. The bidet, while a funny topic to discuss, shows their efficiency, cleanliness and consideration when it comes to all things—including the potty. What efficiencies can we create and implement to improve our businesses? Let’s think outside the box, and you never know what will create raving fans.
