Japan Navigator

This brief History of Japan’s culture of techno-toilets from CSMonitor.com is a useful summary of the subject. If the level of sanitary fixtures is an indication of the cultural level of a given country, Japan has jumped the scales since the days of hole-in-the-floor facilities and now s(h)its at a lonely peak. [Via NewsonJapan]

Our blogging maiko is on a holiday, so this plant in a cafe in Kamakura has taken over. An ordinary pot plant called “Midori-san” (”Green”) writes a “daily blog with the help of a sensor that measures electric signals and a computer algorithm that translates them into Japanese.” (Mail Online). The plant interface system was developed by Satoshi Kuribayashi at Keio University. “The system, to post Midori-san’s thoughts online, uses surface potential sensors to read the weak bioelectric current flowing across the surface of the leaves,” reads the explanation on site of the plant blog. Are there any deeper thoughts here? Unfortunately no – just like humans, the plant mainly talks about the weather… [Via Watashi to Tokyo]

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Japan Now & Then has a good introduction the various exhibitions going to be held in the Tokyo area this autumn and winter.

And finally (with my excuse that it has nothing to do with Japan) an Interview on Salon with contemporary composer John Adams (who at 61 has just published his autobiography).