The talk was all about how the aging population is reshaping the healthcare industry in Japan. The guy who gave the lecture was a walking statistic and threw out some great useless bits of information that you will definitely hear me repeating: like how 'we Japanese' are now so old with no young ones on the way that the number of pet cats and dogs in the country is double the number of children; or that more incontinence pads are sold here now than baby nappies (diapers); or that 7,000 hospital pediatric units closed down last year due to lack of use.
The presenter spent most of the talk detailing how many new business opportunities will arise out of the Japanese philosophy to aging: people here don't just hope to live a long time, they strive for ピンピンコロリ (pin pin korori). This means to be free of serious illness, independent and up and about (pin pin) until one day you just fall down dead (korori).
Some famous Japanese companies have already come up with some great ideas to support this pinpinkorori lifestyle:
First off, my advice is to buy your shares in TOTO toilet company now, as their simple but genius idea is going to take over the world. It's the push-up-and-out toilet. Isn't it great? Just think of all the time and stress and slipped discs that carers will be saved from by this simple system that hooshes and older person up into a standing position at the touch of a button.
Even more space age is the Panasonic Robotech bed that turns you over automatically to prevent bedsores, and has a TV and telecommunications system in the canopy, and turns into a freakin' wheelchair without the old person having to get up out of bed!!!
Or for those of you living over here, take a look at how newly installed ATMs differ from the ones installed only a few years back; now the key pads are much bigger to accomodate arthritic hands; and the beeps and tones the machines emit are louder to help older ears realize a button has been pressed; and the drawers and slots light up in order to make sure you can see where to slot in your card or where to get back your money/
Actually, on the topic of ATMs I had a little adventure with one earlier on in the week, and the problem had nothing to do with my age!!!
So it was late, well after business hours, and I was on my way home and needed some cash. I go to the ATM, key in my pin code and everything trucks along as normal. Out comes my card, out comes my advice slip, but then, 'What? No money!' Yes, the little drawer containing my precious cash remained stubbornly closed.
It wasn't too difficult to sort out - I just picked up the emergency phone and got through to the ATM centre and after a bit of to-ing and fro-ing they credited my account with the money that I'd technically withdrawn but never received.
The thing that worries me though is that this is not the first time I have gone through a standard ATM operation only to have no cash come out at the end. It happened to me before - different bank, different country. Is this common? Should I be getting paranoid? Has it ever happened to anyone of you?
Anyway, that's all I've got for you today. 10 more days and I'll be in Okinawa. Woot!
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