Raw Japan

Honda’s new wheel

It looks deceptively simple: a stool with a wheel, or an electric unicycle.

But Honda Motor, maker of cars, motorbikes, robots and aircraft, says it embodies state-of-the-art technology and may one day become the smallest means of transport for humans.

I saw the new U3-X at a Honda media launch. It’s shaped like a figure-8 and moves in any direction set by the person sitting on top, by leaning their body back, forth and sideways.

It weighs in at under 22 lb (10 kg), runs about an hour on one charge of its battery at up to about 4 mph (6 kph), about the pace of brisk walk.

The machine uses balance control technology developed in its research efforts on its famous Asimo humanoid robot, Honda told us, but is not ready for sale yet as the company is still developing it.

When the company showed the device to reporters, some were quick to ask whether it is Honda’s answer to Segway, a two-wheeled battery-powered scooter, which has come to be seen as a pioneer in futuristic personal mobility.

High-flying in Tokyo

Are you are a frequent flyer to Japan looking for a faster, more luxurious way to get to Tokyo from the airport? Hiring a Hermes helicopter may be the ticket for you.

When I travel overseas, the trip usually begins or ends with a bus ride, costing 2,900 yen ($27) to get to Narita International Airport. But for business executives flying across the world to sign multi-million dollar deals, a 75,000 yen ($720) helicopter ride may be an option worth considering.

Business travellers often complain about the 78 km trek between Tokyo and Narita. After a 12-hour flight from major cities like New York, Frankfurt or Paris, a 90-minute bus ride, at least, on a congested highway into Japan’s financial capital only adds to that fatigue.

But starting Sept. 16, high-flying travellers can choose a more convenient and stylish transport option to the city centre, if they have the yen — literally.

Japanese private property developer Mori Building is launching a luxury helicopter service connecting Tokyo’s central business district and a heliport adjacent to Narita Airport. A limousine ferries clients to and from the departure terminal.

Whose hand was that anyway?

Unless being crushed in carriage full of strangers is your idea of fun, Tokyo’s train lines are best avoided at rush hour. But what is a stressful and unpleasant experience for all commuters can be positively frightening for young women, who face the threat of being targeted by gropers.

After many years of keeping quiet about the loutish or sometimes downright vindictive behaviour of some male passengers, Japanese women have finally begun to conquer their shame and speak out.  Rail operators are also taking the issue seriously — in some cases providing the welcome haven of women-only carriages during the most crowded hours, while police are now less inclined to laugh off alleged molestation.

But the new tendency to presume that the accuser is always right in groping incidents has led to false accusations and cases of mistaken identity, with sometimes tragic results. One such case inspired a 2006 Japanese film, “I Just Didn’t Do It,” in which the young protagonist battles a baffling court system.

On Tuesday, Japan’s Supreme Court overturned a guilty verdict against a college professor accused of groping a teenage girl on a Tokyo train.  The judges pointed out the need for extra care in reaching verdicts concerning molestation on crowded trains, where the accuser may be the only source of evidence, media said.

Fear of false accusation has made many men just as nervous as women about crowded trains. A number of websites advise people on how to avoid misunderstandings, for example by gripping an overhead strap with both hands, or warning other passengers before moving bags and other belongings.

But the stress has even led to calls for men-only train carriages, where men can escape the threat of false accusations entirely.