The #GNOME Asia 2025 summit registration is officially live! Join us for three full days in the electrifying metropolis of #Tokyo #Japan, from December 13-15, 2025. Participation is available for everyone, both in-person and remotely.
Registration Now Open for GNOME Asia 2025 Registration for GNOME Asia 2025 is now open! This year’s summit will be held from December 13-15, 2025, in the electrifying metropolis of Tokyo, Japan, with both in-person and remote participation options.
The Japanese Blind ICT Network (JBICT) is currently running their fifth annual survey on Assistive Technology usage preferences of users with visual impairments. As I discovered it only this year, naturally I read through the results of the 2024 edition with the help of Google Translate. Some interesting patterns: 1. The survey was distributed through many channels including mailing lists, Line chat groups (the leading instant messaging app in Japan(, X and, if I understand correctly, a local Braille magazine. Most respondents were in their 40's and 50's with a stark difference even towards respondents in their 30's and 20's. 2. PC Talker, the locally manufactured screen reader with some 30 years of history, is still the leader, however NVDA and Narrator are winning some ground too. Most respondents admit to using a combination of two or three screen readers, the most popular combo being PC Talker, NVDA and Narrator. Interestingly enough, the reason most given for sticking with their primary option is being used to it rather than added features or exemplary app support. 3. iPhone definitely dominates the market which cannot be said about the Mac. Two users are still running Raku F-03, an early smartphone manufactured by Fujitsu in the 00's with a screen reading capability, compatible with I-Mode, the predecessor of current Web but with many modern features we associate with smart technology such as video, payments etc. I might have gotten the model wrong in which case, my apologies. One of those users owns this phone alone while the other uses it in parallel with an iPhone. 4. The adoption of Word as a text editor is super marginal compared to some local options, many of which are linked so can be tested. Outlook is the second email client next to a local option. Browsing email from the provider's website is more popular than Thunderbird and Becky was used by just a couple users. 5. OCR and image recognition apps are used primarily on mobile devices for reading mail, product packaging and social media photos rather than books. The apps we all know like Seeing AI, Envision and Be My Eyes are far more popular than Japanese products. jbict.net/survey/at-survey-04 - I'd be happy about insights, feedback and corrections from Japanese users - I'm just a geek exploring whatever can be found with the means available to me. #Accessibility #A11y #Blind #Japan
Last day enjoying this calendar as wallpaper on my second monitor in the office. It's one of my fave shots. Good memory of a nice evening spent with mates.
THE PASSENGERS ON THE HANKYU LINE — Arikawa, Hiro — Welcome aboard the Hankyu train! Come along on a heartwarming, funny, and a perfectly cosy voyage with the charming and relatable passengers--including one dashing dachsund--whose lives intersect …
Coca-Cola is installing what the company claims to be the world’s first hydrogen-powered vending machines at the World Expo 2025, which will open to the public in Osaka, Japan, on April 13th, 2025. Co-developed by Fuji Electric, the machines don’t need access to a power outlet and instead rely on replaceable hydrogen cartridges to fuel a chemical reaction that generates electricity, @theverge reports: theverge.com/news/633779/coca-…
To celebrate the 120th anniversary of matcha production in Nishio (西尾市), Aichi Prefecture, the Nishio Tea Trade Association first established "Matcha Day" in 1992.
Preparations for the New Year in Japan begin on December 13th, 'Shōgatsu-goto Hajime' (正月事始め). Pine decorations are cut or bought ('matsu-mukae' 松迎え) and the house is cleaned from top to bottom ('susu-harai' すす払い).
Bloomberg reports:
A disease caused by a rare "flesh-eating bacteria" that can kill people within 48 hours is spreading in Japan after the country relaxed Covid-era restrictions.
At the skin doctor, first an assistant asks some questions and fills them into the computer, then says "wait for the doctor" and leaves me alone with the unlocked system. 5min, would have been enough to lookup data of other people.
New obsession: kei truck gardens 軽トラガーデン. No idea this was a thing but apparently there are even competitions in Japan and I absolutely love it #keitruck #japan #Mosstodon
The word 'kōyō' (紅葉), although used for all autumn colours, specifically refers to 'red leaves'. The word 'ōyō' (黄葉) describes 'yellow leaves', and the word 'katsuyō' (褐葉) 'brown leaves'.
Warm sunny days and crisp cold nights help leaves achieve their most vivid colours.
In Japan 'autumn foliage', depending on the reading, is known as 'momiji' (紅葉) or 'kōyō' (紅葉). Originally the terms referred to any tree that changed colour for autumn, but over time they became synonymous with the maple (楓 'kaede')🍁
Admiring the autumn foliage is known as 'momijigari' (紅葉狩り lit. 'hunting for autumn leaves') in Japanese🔎👀🍁👏
The 'gari' (狩り) in 'momijigari' (紅葉狩り) originally referred to the capturing of wild animals and birds, but over time also came to mean 'harvesting', 'gathering' or 'picking' plants. Another example of this is 'kudamono-gari' (果物狩り), which means to gather fruit.
In #Japan, the concept of accessible phones has been known since the early 00's and has its own term, "Raku Raku Phones" and means simplified phones. Those are adapted for the needs of elderly users and those who don't feel as familiar with modern technology so a lot of concepts are, well, simplified. This is especially important given that the 00's saw the emergence of Japanese mobile phones with capacities comparable to today's smartphones. Sending emails, taking photos, mobile payments, music recognition and downloads; even TV watched on a phone were all there by 2005 and formed an important part of how the Japanese society accessed information. This is why the Raku Raku phones manufactured jointly by Fujitsu and NTT Docomo, the leading Japanese mobile carrier, were so important. Fujitsu called to the corporate social responsibility of other companies to follow suit and also formed the basis for accessibility guidelines for I-Mode, the gateway to all of Japan's mobile internet services. Apparently, 80% of Japan's blind population used these phones as they were equipped with a screen reader and allowed accessing I-Mode this way. fujitsu.com/global/documents/a… #accessibility #blind #Japan #adventcalendar #mobile #phones
"... across Japan the skies are clear, and the mercury is stuck in the high 30s and has twice broken through 40C this week. And that's just the official temperature - out of the shade it's often much hotter. Even though summer has barely begun, 263 places across Japan have seen temperature records broken in the last six days, according to meteorologist Sayaka Mori."
Japan's population is struggling to cope with unprecedented heat, with clear skies and temperatures above 40C in the middle of the country's rainy season.
