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Lemon cakes and robo-receptionists...
Yesterday (Friday) we finished our conference with a tour of three Kansai-area research laboratories... I skipped the last one (hoping to make it to Kyoto before dinner) and I went back to Nara. Then took a train to Kyoto and am staying in a more-traditional ryokan lodging.
Anyway, we went to the Nara Institute of Science and Technology, a brand-new university opened seven years ago, and wandered around eight different opened laboratories. One lab working on speech recognition had a robotic receptionist, complete with the Japanese-style little hat:
which answered queries in Japanese and gave directions to various offices and labs, complete with hand gestures.
Another lab was doing impressive work in recognizing different speakers -- different voices in a multi-person or noisy environment. And a different lab had a robotic helicopter, similar to what we've tested ourselves on Devon Island.
Later I returned to Nara, to collect my things.
(minor whinge)
Before leaving Nara, I lost an hour wrestling long-distance back to the USA with my work travel credit card, which was refusing to allow me to access cash (I was down to my last US$20-equivalent, in a mostly-cash economy. The Bank of America operator's lame advice was to eat in expensive restaurants or hotels, so I could *charge* purchases, but they couldn't authorize any cash advances until 5/28. Even though it had been over a week since my last advance, and they only let me have $300 then. Sigh. I resorted to borrowing against personal credit at my own bank. The NASA travel policy (which allows advances of no more than $300/week, expecting that most travel costs will be charged) is US-centric and just doesn't work well for travel in some other countries. And I probably spent over $100 in cellphone airtime arguing with the bank (at $2/minute)...
(/minor whinge)
I left Nara on an express train, chatting with a confused-looking family from Hawaii. As the train filled, I looked out the window at the rice fields... every possible tiny plot is used, it seems. Maximum output, at the cost of some efficiency. At Uji an elderly lady in brocaded silk sat down next to me... she was spry, but probably in her 70s. We sat in silence... she glanced over and noticed that I was looking at a Lonely Planet guide. A couple of minutes later, she smiled, retrieved a small lemon-filled cake from her bag and offered it to me... I was stunned. What should I do? After initial pause, I thanked her and accepted it... then she retrieved a second one and we each ate, quietly sharing that space and our journeys. Later I tried to make conversation a bit and gave her my business card, thanking her again for her kindness.
In Kyoto, I'm staying in a ryokan -- a traditional-style lodging with tatami mats on the floor, no shoes or slippers allowed. Cushions on the mats for sitting, although the mats themselves have some springiness and are quite comfortable just sprawled out. My children live this way at home, besides ;-). Here's a picture of the interior -- my smallish room (for one or two persons) has six mats (about 8'x10').
The folded-up futon and quilt are on the right, topped with a yukata robe for lounging. The slippers stay near the door, off of the mats. The low table is holding this laptop, and is used for taking meals in the room.
Baths are taken in the evenings... by first washing/showering outside the tub (there's a hand spray, and a drain in the floor) then soaking in hot water after cleaning oneself. Very relaxing... I dozed off last night in the tub (hence typing this this morning ;). Sleeping on the futon was easy and comfortable.
Today, I'm off temple-hopping in Kyoto, attempting to navigate the bus system, then back to Tokyo tonight by shinkansen.
Anyway, we went to the Nara Institute of Science and Technology, a brand-new university opened seven years ago, and wandered around eight different opened laboratories. One lab working on speech recognition had a robotic receptionist, complete with the Japanese-style little hat:
which answered queries in Japanese and gave directions to various offices and labs, complete with hand gestures.
Another lab was doing impressive work in recognizing different speakers -- different voices in a multi-person or noisy environment. And a different lab had a robotic helicopter, similar to what we've tested ourselves on Devon Island.
Later I returned to Nara, to collect my things.
(minor whinge)
Before leaving Nara, I lost an hour wrestling long-distance back to the USA with my work travel credit card, which was refusing to allow me to access cash (I was down to my last US$20-equivalent, in a mostly-cash economy. The Bank of America operator's lame advice was to eat in expensive restaurants or hotels, so I could *charge* purchases, but they couldn't authorize any cash advances until 5/28. Even though it had been over a week since my last advance, and they only let me have $300 then. Sigh. I resorted to borrowing against personal credit at my own bank. The NASA travel policy (which allows advances of no more than $300/week, expecting that most travel costs will be charged) is US-centric and just doesn't work well for travel in some other countries. And I probably spent over $100 in cellphone airtime arguing with the bank (at $2/minute)...
(/minor whinge)
I left Nara on an express train, chatting with a confused-looking family from Hawaii. As the train filled, I looked out the window at the rice fields... every possible tiny plot is used, it seems. Maximum output, at the cost of some efficiency. At Uji an elderly lady in brocaded silk sat down next to me... she was spry, but probably in her 70s. We sat in silence... she glanced over and noticed that I was looking at a Lonely Planet guide. A couple of minutes later, she smiled, retrieved a small lemon-filled cake from her bag and offered it to me... I was stunned. What should I do? After initial pause, I thanked her and accepted it... then she retrieved a second one and we each ate, quietly sharing that space and our journeys. Later I tried to make conversation a bit and gave her my business card, thanking her again for her kindness.
In Kyoto, I'm staying in a ryokan -- a traditional-style lodging with tatami mats on the floor, no shoes or slippers allowed. Cushions on the mats for sitting, although the mats themselves have some springiness and are quite comfortable just sprawled out. My children live this way at home, besides ;-). Here's a picture of the interior -- my smallish room (for one or two persons) has six mats (about 8'x10').
The folded-up futon and quilt are on the right, topped with a yukata robe for lounging. The slippers stay near the door, off of the mats. The low table is holding this laptop, and is used for taking meals in the room.
Baths are taken in the evenings... by first washing/showering outside the tub (there's a hand spray, and a drain in the floor) then soaking in hot water after cleaning oneself. Very relaxing... I dozed off last night in the tub (hence typing this this morning ;). Sleeping on the futon was easy and comfortable.
Today, I'm off temple-hopping in Kyoto, attempting to navigate the bus system, then back to Tokyo tonight by shinkansen.