Osaka Expo 2025

[Hornbein]

You can't just show up and give them the money. To attend you have to give them your email address, create a password and log in, etc. The whole thing emphasizes digital this and smart that, QR codes and apps. They say the goal is to "accelerate Japan to a cashless society." I elected not to go. There are plenty of other old school things to do.

I've been to a couple of small grocery stores in Japan that won't take cash. I guess they don't want to pay someone to empty and refill the cash machines.

 

[Haborix]

Japan has an interesting relationship with technology. I see so many videos of cool machines and gadgets, but at the same time I understand it to be one of the more cash-based countries among the developed world. But it sounds like that may be changing. My impression living in the U.S. is that use of cash varies based on how urban/rural the area is.

 

[256bits]

This one is about old world meeting the new world of the everything has to be digital craze.
Just thought you would like to know that these 'things' happen around the globe, in one form or another, besides the electronic currency creeping up on us.

The Amish are really old school, down to no electricity, nothing tech.
So these people got caught in legal difficulties due to the onward march of tech while crossing the border US / Can border during the covid crisis.
The ArriveCan App, a brainchild of J, Trudeau, C. Freeland, and perhaps Carney the new PM of Canada, was to be filled out for Canadians re-entering Canada, IIRC by cell phone, or by computer if no cell phone. Of course the Amish have neither.
( As an aside, the app to streamline customs entry digitally rather than through paperwork, ended up being a flop, with errors, delays, and technical difficulties, but the gov't insisted nonetheless. Cost ballooned from somewhere around $200,000 to several million. A YouTuber, or Tikok'er showed how to make an app in a couple of weeks , a few thousand dollars. )

In the video, it says an Amish not filling out the app would suffer a fine, which when processed through the court, resulted in liens being placed on their farms.

Airports are instigating biometrics identification for travel. But the Amish detest photographs.
And how do they acquire a passport then for travel?

Amish families continue legal battles after being hit with steep ArriveCan penalties​

PS Doug Ford not responsible. The courts are the provincially run and financed, but have to apply the laws of the nation.

 

[Hornbein]

I travel a lot internationally and electronic passport processing is a mixed bag. The worst was in Malaysia when a robot wouldn't let me into the country because I didn't know the postal code of the hotel where I was going to stay. There was a single official at this gate. He entered for me a hotel that he knew and its postal code. I sure he'd done that before many times.

When I went to Malaysia six months later I was ready and everything was as smooth as could be. I had a six month visa for Bali and entry was also very quick. However this week in Tokyo and Honolulu there were automated gates roped off and unused.

Scanning of my passport always seems to fail, even though it's only three years old.