2016 – Japan

Optimism Bias

Posted on by kymdt

Japan seems to be built for optimism bias.

Optimism bias causes a person to believe that they are less at risk of experiencing a negative event compared to others.

It explains why humans sometimes don’t follow what would appear to be the objective  rational path.

Helen and I have been known to exhibit optimism bias on holidays.

The most famous occasion, perhaps, was visiting the World Financial Centre building in Shanghai during a short international layover in 2009. Yes, the Maglev did travel at more than 500km/h but it didn’t mean that everything else around it wasn’t going to be slow. As we we were being shepparded into the experience room, we had this feeling we were going to miss our plan. Helen is her best ‘you can’t do that in a library’ voice demanded that we get the priority route with no experiences. Thankfully, although we were the last to enter through the international gates, we just made it.

You’d think we’d learn. But I can think some examples already from this trip where we were, perhaps, subject to optimism bias. I’ll post some of these stories on the blog with the tag “optimism bias”.

On the very first night we were booked into a Geisha Evening show. We must turn up by 5:50pm or risk losing our spot. No worries we though, we’d ride our bikes and use Google Maps. We didn’t actually know the place we were going to. I can tell you, Google Maps directed us to a back entrance we arrived at 5:49pm. A little to close for comfort – but hey we made it. 

Ah… Good fonts

Posted on by helenhmk

A good font is always a sign of great coffee. This applies to everything. It’s a sign of care, quality and represents the brand and feeling they evoke.  If it’s good, it will speak to you, beckoning you to come inside. This I believe to be true across the world.

We were cycling by… the font spoke to me so we went back.  Fabulous coffee – stop by Glitch if you are in Tokyo.  They roast it themselves..as I sit next to the roaster… 

A craft and marker fair on steroids

Posted on by helenhmk

Today we are at the Japan Hobby Show 2016.  A combination of craft, hobby products, sellers, and makers. It is like nothing we have seen – it is huge! Surprisingly it also included food and cooking – so we’ve sampled a lot of food which has been fabulous!  There is a real value on handmade and creating it yourself – it’s been great to experience…

Tokyo train theory…

Posted on by helenhmk

  Based on my experience using trains in Tokyo, people are doing one three things:

  • Use their phone
  • Read printed material
  • Falling/is asleep

Based on visual monitoring, I believe 6 out of every 7 people are using their phones. The remaining one is either reading a book (yes folks people are still reading printed material), or partially both.  You can see this from the above picture when looking at the seven people sitting on the bench seat.  Always amazed at how people can quickly wake up and get off at a stamp.

The only time this figure of reading printed material changes is when the train is at literally crush capacity, the books are put away.  Surprisingly a few people still manage to maintain reading their phones.  The need to hang on while the train in motion no longer applies as you are packed in like sardines, to everyone.  

And phone of choice…? Appears to be a smart phone.  Too hard to distinguish between different brands, as there are so many. Although I acknowledge to seeing a rather large number of flip phones – ah technology.

Sometimes deviations reward

Posted on by kymdt

In Kanazawa we heard about the Tonami Tulip Festival. We thought it would be a good day trip. We did our research and had a look at good old Google Maps, it said that Tonami was about 30kms away from Kanazawa. We could take a Shinkansen, local trains, or we could ride our bikes.

I thought no worries. It would be be about 1hr 30 minutes on the bike at our normal speed.

With that research we proceeded to put the details into the Garmin. I didn’t pay too much attention. What Mr Google didn’t tell me was that Mr Garmin would chose a different route. This route was closer to 54km (taking the back roads I think) and it included mountain along the way.

Thankfully it was a small mountain with a temple on top. Aweseome views and great, cheap, food.

What you may have worked out, it talk longer than 1.5 hours, it took as more than 4hrs! The flowers were worth it.


Sometimes optimism bias leads you to do things that you may not otherwise have thought as wise, and perhaps giving you rewards that you never expected.

You’d be pleased to know that we took the Shinkansen back to Kanazawa.