Melchior Tamisier-Fayard: Convenience, Harmony, and Isolation

Shibuya Crossing - Shibuya, Tokyo - Japan Travel

After a few more slow weeks, I finally managed to organize a some interviews and get the surveys out and around to people. As I was rereading through my notes, I started noticing a few recurring key words, as well as an interesting interpretation of mundane technology.

What stood out to me the most is how much a lot of the technology culture in Japan is based around convenience; it is important for things to be easily accessible, adaptive, and consistent. In every survey response, there was always at the very least one mention to smart phones. I think most people today can agree how central these devices are to our daily lives, but it was through the interview that I was made aware that in many cases, they even replaced wallets; you could pay for items and gain access to the trains easily through them. Similarly, the three above mentioned features could be applied to some technology I had discussed previously; vending machines provide more then just consumable goods, and the punctuality and consistency of trains is key to a “harmonious” society (As described by one of the interviewees). This importance of convenience can also be seen the design decision to combine features into one artifact, such as both heating and cooling in air conditioners. Features like portability, sound reduction, and the variety of uses become key in selecting a product.

However, despite convenience being a rather admirable design goal, there seemed to be some drawbacks to it, at least in the words of one particular interviewee. They appreciate how easy it was to go out and how little there was to worry about, but they also saw it as a very isolated experience; having everything at your fingertips makes it easy to not have to interact with people, even just with cashiers. While I didn’t want to draw any conclusions or causation, I thought this was interesting to look at within the context of the difficulties of integrating seamlessly into Japanese society, and the discussions I have heard vis-a-vis “fitting the image.”

Shinjuku Station - Shinjuku, Tokyo - Japan Travel