WEEK 4 OF TOKYO! | ARDUINOS AND CLASS FIELD TRIPS

I cannot believe that it’s already week 4… like only one more week left… nooooooooooooo

Anyways, let me tell you about this packed yet fun week. Almost everyday, we learn more about Arduinos, and all the gadgets and sensors that came in the kit. While it is so much information to digest at once, since it a hands on class with only 9 students, it is very easy to test out something and ask questions if you get stuck. And although I still don’t believe I am meant to be an electrical engineer, it is still really great information and skills that I could apply and consider in future projects.

After learning more about Arduinos, our teams got together and began sketching out and collecting materials for our design solution. Our team decided to make a shoe removing device for those of old age or limited mobility, also known as the AutoSole! After you sit down, you place your shoes into the given shoe holder, slide your foot back onto a hook that catches your shoe as you pick up your foot to slide the shoe off. After both feet are taken out, the platform then slides away taking your shoes away, revealing a platform you can step on to then walk inside your home. Once we solidified our idea, we then went to the drawing board to work out the details of how everything was coming together. The following day after class, we were all sent to Akihabara (Tokyo district with lots of tech and gadgets) to find parts, sensors, and pieces for our design. We went to hardware stores, Arduino stores, and cheap everyday goods stores (Daiso) to find all of our parts so we can begin putting it all together next week!

At the end of the week, we had a fun class field trip to the Tokyo Underground Discharge Tunnel. It is in the outskirts of Tokyo, but it was built so that if the rivers nearby flood (which they often do), then the excess will be redirected to this large underground network of tanks and pits so that it wouldn’t flood the city. After walking through the informational museum, we were able to walk into the Pressure-Adjusting Tank and learn more how it works. What’s cool is that the large pillars aren’t there to support the roof, but rather keep the floor down because when it fills with water, it wants to rice up from the ground. It was really cool to see how they redirect the flood waters and learning that Houston wants to do something similar.

Then we went to the Miraikan, or the Science and Engineering Museum. And it was so cool seeing how they made exhibitions that incorporated art with engineering and made it interactive to really boost the amount of actual learning. There were so many school kids running around with notebooks, and filling out worksheets. While I wasn’t scribbling down in a notebook, I was taking mental notes of the things I saw and learned there. Such as in the “Park of Aging” exhibition where I learned how eyesight can deteriorate and make everything blurry, I learned that for our AutoSole design, we should add high visibility tape to outline where one inserts their foot. Besides that, there was so much cool information and topics – quantum computing, robotics, outer space, and so much more. There was this one piece that really stood out to me – The Weight of a Gold Ring. One side of a 2 sided scale was a gold ring that you touched. Once you touched it, a video started playing on the other side of the scale and it showed a clips of the deforestation, mining, and labor heavy processes to make the ring. It really made me think of the gold bracelets I had been wearing and the price/weight of them. It was really eye opening.

Also throughout the class, we are supposed to find and note down 10 unique Japanese engineering innovations, however, you cannot have the same 10 things as someone else in the class, so that means we really have to look closer and ask why or how things happen to find solutions that someone else hasn’t written about. Sometimes when we are out eating or just walking on the streets, I just think, “why is that there” or “what does this do” and most of the time, it is a small, niche, thing that is unique to Japan.

And as I am out, exploring the city, I found myself really loving and looking for meals known as “Teishouku.” Meals where there is usually a main dish such as fish with some pickled vegetables, rice, and miso soup. I find this perfect for a lunch as it is filling, yet light, and doesn’t make me sleepy. Soba too is a meal I find myself craving, especially the cold soba where you dip the noodles into the sauce. It is light and refreshing!

Then to top it all off, on the weekend, I went back to Kamakura for another chill day! I went to the Hokokuji Bamboo Forest and had some tea, then to Egara Tenjin Shrine which isn’t well known but is so beautiful and peaceful. On the way to the shine, Kat and I ran into the cutest little cafe were we had a sweet treat. Then we walked up and down Komachi Street to find food, look at the cute vendors, and have so many sweet treats. It was a fun day of chill exploring where we had a few things we wanted to do, but in between, we just walked around and stumbled on things which made the day really enjoyable!

I cannot believe we only have one more week left, I feel like we just started, but I know it will be a great week!