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Wireless Networking Hardware

RFID Fitted Throughout Tokyo Ginza Shopping Center 55

Posted by timothy from the dadburned-radiation-burns dept.
Liam Cromar writes "In one of several RFID trials being held in Japan, the famous Ginza shopping area in Tokyo has been blanketed with around 10,000 RFID tags and other beacons. The trial got underway earlier this month, and general trials should start on January 21st 2007. Four languages, including English, will be supported by the service, which uses hand-held RFID terminals to get information about shops in the centre, including special offers and restaurant menus."
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RFID Fitted Throughout Tokyo Ginza Shopping Center More

RFID Fitted Throughout Tokyo Ginza Shopping Center

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  • Do they know what RFID is for? (Score:3, Insightful)

    by partenon ( 749418 ) * on Tuesday December 26, 2006 @02:21PM (#17368586) Homepage

    With this you can just push a button and find the where you want to go even if you're drunk!
    This is the *worst* use of RFID I've ever read about :-) OK, the entire solution is interesting, but does this guy (probably from marketing) knows the uses of a RFID tag?
    • Not at all. With RFID tags for pets, children's toys, and passports, the tracking possibilities of having the readers ubiquitously placed are quite intriguing. As the technology becomes more widespread it can be used for tracking stolen goods as well as for surveillance tracking by law enforcement and by the stores, customers looking for sales items and whether there are any in stock in the back room or sitting in the "returned" departments without troubling the staff to go and look or even being able to ch

  • Doesn't seem feasible to me (Score:4, Insightful)

    by Salvance ( 1014001 ) * on Tuesday December 26, 2006 @02:22PM (#17368590) Homepage Journal
    I don't see how this would ever work. Hardly anyone would be willing to pay for the ability to carry around a little 3 1/2" shopping buddy, and the shopping center would lose their shirt if they just handed them out (since many people would probably walk off with them). Seems like beeming info to shopper' cellphones would be a much more marketable (and profitable) endeavour.

    • Comment removed (Score:4, Insightful)

      by account_deleted ( 4530225 ) on Tuesday December 26, 2006 @02:23PM (#17368608)
      Comment removed based on user account deletion
      • What do you mean working? Do you know what Suica is? Its integration into phones has been available from DoCoMo and Softbank for AGES. And yes, I was in ginza over christmas, doing dirty things with my girlfriend in a hotel room.

    • Re: (Score:2, Interesting)

      by imasu ( 1008081 )

      Hardly anyone would be willing to pay for the ability to carry around a little 3 1/2" shopping buddy

      You've never been to Japan, have you?

      and the shopping center would lose their shirt if they just handed them out (since many people would probably walk off with them)

      You've never been to Japan, have you?

      Seems like beeming info to shopper' cellphones would be a much more marketable (and profitable) endeavour.

      this is totally true though.

    • Re: (Score:2, Informative)

      by badasscat ( 563442 )
      Hardly anyone would be willing to pay for the ability to carry around a little 3 1/2" shopping buddy, and the shopping center would lose their shirt if they just handed them out

      Ginza's technically a city, not a "shopping center" as the headline here suggests. If I lived in Ginza, I'd be pretty offended at my city being basically labeled one big shopping mall!

      (Tokyo itself is not a city; it's a prefecture made up of a couple dozen wards, one of which is Ginza.)

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by LS ( 57954 )
        Despite any official designations, Tokyo is a city, and Ginza is a district in the sense that most readers of Slashdot would understand, so quit yer' misrepresenting. And I think you insult the Japanese by assuming they are so easily offended by an obvious unintentional and noninflammatory mistake.

        • Despite any official designations, Tokyo is a city...

          No, It is a prefecture! And yes, you, are insulting an entire country because of your backwards and very small western mind that refuses to accept their definition of their own space.

          You insensative lout!

          • Re: (Score:2, Informative)

            by rpenguin ( 47905 )
            Tokyo has a slightly different designation than most prefectures (ken) as it is known as Tokyo-to. Additionally there is a Tokyo-shi which is a city on its own that contains various wards. There are a few other shi within Tokyo to, and then there are machi (towns) and, elsewhere, mura (villages) One ward in Tokyo-to is Chuo-ku. Ginza is a district contained within Chuo-ku.

            So maybe next time you're so smug and insulting you can make sure you're not talking out of your ass.

            • Re: (Score:1)

              by rpenguin ( 47905 )
              Clearly I missed the different authors and that the second one here was apparently being sarcastic.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by LS ( 57954 )
        Oh, and BTW have you walked around Ginza? It basically IS one big shopping mall, considering the concentration of high-end stores and restaurants.

      • Re: (Score:1)

        by Dahan ( 130247 )

        (Tokyo itself is not a city; it's a prefecture made up of a couple dozen wards, one of which is Ginza.)

        Prefectures are known in Japanese as ken [monash.edu.au] . Tokyo is not classified as a ken--Tokyo is known in Japanese as a to [monash.edu.au] , which basically translates as metropolis. A metropolis is a large city.

      • Re: (Score:3, Informative)

        by martinjakubik ( 946240 )
        The Tokyo governor does not share your qualms. From the article: "'Ginza is the most famous shopping district in Japan,' said Tokyo Governor Shintaro Ishihara at an event to launch the project."
        • The Tokyo governor does not share your qualms. From the article: "'Ginza is the most famous shopping district in Japan,' said Tokyo Governor Shintaro Ishihara at an event to launch the project."

          I think you mean the Governor's translator, not the governor himself. I would be surprised if the ultra right-wing governor would ever reduce himself to speak in english.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by jmc ( 4639 )
      Hardly anyone would be willing to pay for the ability to carry around a little 3 1/2" shopping buddy

      As someone who just got back from a visit to Tokyo, I can't begin to tell you how nice it would've been to have some sort of pervasive English tour guide, as the article summary seems to imply these RFID transmitters would function as.

      We went over under the naive assumption that finding your way around, or asking for directions, couldn't possibly be THAT difficult. Oh yes it was. :) We spent more than a few
      • I personally enjoyed the adventure of it, but we ran into a few distraught Western tourists who seemed to be having a hard time enjoying themselves due to the total maze of a street system

        Having lived here for a few years now, I think I prefer the Tokyo address system. It's much easier to know where things are in relation to each other. Think of a Tokyo address as targetting a bullseye - the first number gives the outer ring, then next number gives you the inner ring and the final number gives you the b

    • I don't see how this would ever work. Hardly anyone would be willing to pay for the ability to carry around a little 3 1/2" shopping buddy,

      They'll pay, oh yes, they'll pay. One thing the Japanese love to do is pay extra for something they feel is a great gadget and will separate them from the rest of the lower-class people. I don't get it myself, as a Japanese person. Also, being a Japanese-looking person who doesn't speak much Japanese, sales people can sometimes be rude since they think that I'm somewhat

  • Hello Mr. Yakamoto and welcome back to The Gap! (Score:3, Funny)

    by Volante3192 ( 953645 ) on Tuesday December 26, 2006 @02:23PM (#17368598)
    Four languages, including English, will be supported by the service, which uses hand-held RFID terminals to get information about shops in the centre, including special offers...

    At least I hope there's headphones attached to this. I doubt I want people around me to hear about special offers regarding bikini cut briefs and wifebeaters...

    It was ONE TIME and I was curious, damnit!

  • Other Interesting uses (Score:3, Interesting)

    by CDMA_Demo ( 841347 ) on Tuesday December 26, 2006 @02:23PM (#17368604) Homepage
    How about a RFID network at the MET and MoMA, or any big museum or children's zoo? Heck, before all this happens we'll see RFIDs in driver licenses.

  • If It'll Find Me an Eglish Menu... (Score:3, Interesting)

    by Copperhead ( 187748 ) <talbrechNO@SPAMspeakeasy.net> on Tuesday December 26, 2006 @02:24PM (#17368612) Homepage
    ...it'll be worth it. Ginza has some very good restaurants, but I feel bad dragging my Japanese-speaking friend out just because I can't read the menus. If the English version will point out which of the restaurants caters to English-speaking guests, I'll be all over it.

    • Re: (Score:2, Insightful)

      by Anonymous Coward
      Find a restaurant that has a food display outside, pick one that looks good, and write down its name. Show that to the waiter/waitress. You can show the slip of paper to your friend later to find out just what the heck it was you had ;)
    • If it can find you an "Eglish" menu I'll be impressed. Elvish, no problem, but I understand that Eglish is quite rare in those parts.
    • ...I dunno, perhaps learning to read Japanese? Crazy idea, I know.

      And please don't play the "Japanese is difficult to read" card. I lived there for 4 1/2 years, and when I entered the country my Japanese speaking and reading ability were nearly zero. Reading menus in restaurants stopped being a problem in less than a year. It shouldn't be difficult to pick up enough kanji to be able to recognise things on the menu and point to them even if you are not sure how to pronounce them.

      Besides, picking up the lang

      • I went to Japan in 2004 knowing only 2 phrases, but all the menu's were in kanji and english anyway.
      • And please don't play the "Japanese is difficult to read" card. I lived there for 4 1/2 years, and when I entered the country my Japanese speaking and reading ability were nearly zero. Reading menus in restaurants stopped being a problem in less than a year. It shouldn't be difficult to pick up enough kanji to be able to recognise things on the menu and point to them even if you are not sure how to pronounce them.
        ---
        I guess the problem is more a _where_ question than anything else:

        http://www.planettokyo.com [planettokyo.com]

      • Re: (Score:3, Informative)

        by Copperhead ( 187748 )
        I'm working on it. I don't live in Tokyo yet, and I have a tough time learning my Japanese when I'm not there. If and when I move there, I will definitely be learning the language.
      • And please don't play the "Japanese is difficult to read" card. I lived there for 4 1/2 years, and when I entered the country my Japanese speaking and reading ability were nearly zero. Reading menus in restaurants stopped being a problem in less than a year. It shouldn't be difficult to pick up enough kanji to be able to recognise things on the menu and point to them even if you are not sure how to pronounce them.

        I've lived here for 3 years and it is hard for some of us to learn japanese no matter how muc

  • ...Japans Self Defense Forces (JSDF) have stated that they have successfully tagged Godzilla with an RFID, but are having trouble tagging Mothra. Happy Depato owner, Suzuki Tadao, stated, "This is extra glorious day. You don't know the trouble it is to rebuild this store everytime that F*&^ing lizard comes to town. Now with RFID, he will not get in door."

    The JSDF is also considering whether or not to require Team Ultraman to wear RFIDs. Col. Niiyama Michio said, "Sure, that F*&^ing lizard comes to

  • Wouldn't it be easier to use e.g. bluetooth or cell broadcasts on mobile phones people are bound to carry with them anyway? The way I understand it (I might be missing something of course), this is just a way to showcase RFID where other techniques might have been more appropriate...

    Although I must admit it's nice to hear some positive angle on the use of RFID after all the privacy issues etc. :)
    • There's plenty of positive news about it, mainly centered around its primary use: inventory tracking. Supply chains are already being streamlined around RFID (mainly from tracking large palletes of goods, not so much with the individual item tracking but that's coming).

      But mainly RFID is apparently an anagram for EVIL on /. We just need an "RFID gives you cancer" posting here to put a nice bow on it. (see the passport article from earlier - note that passports have their own shielding built in when readi

      • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

        by Antique Geekmeister ( 740220 )
        There's a big difference between tracking people in a voluntary fashion with a wrist bracelet, or giving ordinary people access to the RFID information of the contents of stores, than using it against their will via a national ID card or even a passport where they didn't ask for it and they have no access whatsoever to the data: only the federal government has access to the data, with all the risks and demonstrated incompetence the passport RFID project has demonstrated, and where the risks of forgery are m

  • SUICA RFID debit (Score:2, Informative)

    by rpenguin ( 47905 )
    In Tokyo there is an RFID based card called "SUICA" (Super Urban Intelligent Card) that can be used for JR trains, several vending machines and some convenience stores. It is possible to get Suica functionality in your phone. Suica is not a "trial" as it replaced the JR designated value cards.

    Also, SUICA penguin mascot ads are plastered everywhere.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suica [wikipedia.org]

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