Methods/Systems: Japan's Bills

Paul, my friend living in Japan, kindly shared a second gem (for the first one, click here) with me:

In Japan, each denomination of paper currency has its own raised watermark in one of its corners, which is used blind people to deduce its value. The Yen, however, is not the only currency that is easily read by the blind, here is an article about currencies around the world and how they accommodate the blind in their design.

In the U.S., the bills are all the same size and aside from their printing our notes do not have any distinguishing marks based on their value. It seems that most blind people in the U.S. employ a system of folding for their money (i.e. a $5 would be folded in half, a $10 in thirds, a $20 in quarters etc...) and several members of the blind community oppose a possible redesign.

Methods/Systems: Japan's Female-Only Subway Cars

Paul, my buddy and seventh-grade lab partner, just moved to Tokyo. When I asked him about the systems there, the former Jeopardy! contestant told me that the female-only subway cars are his "personal fave" and kindly sent me these pictures (I especially like the one with the man in the surgical mask). Paul explained that this system, designated with a pink stripe painted the subway platform, is a tactic being used to reduce the instances of public groping and the train cars that stop parallel to the stripe during rush hour are reserved for female passengers. He mentioned that this policy has also been applied to other places. For example, areas with several photo booths might have a few booths marked with a "Women Only" sign.

Thank you Paul!