Will Miss #461 - great money design

I'm annoyed that I didn't have any other bills to show (because this was all I had left from my Japaense cash), but you can see more of them here. 

My in-laws recently returned from a trip to Spain and showed me the design of the Euro. It's pretty good because each bill is a different size and appeared to have various colors. This is compared to American cash which is all pretty much the same size and color. Japanese cash goes a step further than European money. Each bill is a different size and also has tactile dots to help the blind distinguish them (which may or may not be braille as I can't read it and verify that). The coins have different sizes, weights, and holes to help them further be more easily identified. American money must be a big pain for the blind because they have to rely on others honesty or have a trusted person sort out their cash.

My mother is blind, and I often appreciated the effort that was made into designing Japanese money such that it was easier to use for people with such a disability as well as harder to confuse for even sighted people. I will miss this daily reminder of consideration for those with this particular hardship. 

Will Miss #441 - Japanese stamps

Some things become more awesome because they are unfamiliar. It's stupid, in a way, but it remains true. Stamps from most countries are pretty cool regardless of where they come from, but the kawaii (cute) and often elegant or particular nature of many Japanese designs makes them see that much more precious, beautiful or adorable (whether they are "Hello Kitty" or not). It probably helps that my father used to be a stamp collector and I spent some of my childhood looking through stamps from all over the world that he had in his collection and being in Japan reminded me of a time when I was in awe of the exotic nature of the designs in his collection.

I will miss going to the Japanese post office and seeing the cool stamp collections.

Will Miss #272 - design going the extra mile

A container of gum has a separate pocket with slips of paper so that the chewer can wrap the gum in paper when finished. This means they don't have to worry about gum sticking to the trash bin liner when they throw it away.

If there is one thing you can say about manufacturers in Japan, it is that they are detail-oriented when it comes to considering consumer needs. One of the reasons that U.S. manufacturers have historically had difficulties breaking into the Japanese market is that they offer products "as is" rather than tweak them at an intimate level for the fussy Japanese consumers. You find that a lot of products will be adjusted to cater to the smallest of concerns on the part of consumers so that using the product is more convenient. Sometimes, this is all a bit much, but often these little changes make a difference. Whether those changes are of use to me or not, I find the choices manufacturers make to be a fascinating reflection of the Japanese consumer consciousness and that such fine details reveal something about the psychology and priorities of Japanese people.

I'll miss the way product design often goes that extra mile to make things more comfortable or convenient for consumers.

Will Miss #165 - Tirol candies

Since starting my Japanese snack reviews blog, I've formed an ambivalent relationship with Tirol candies. I love their concept, which is very small, affordable bits of candy with collectible wrappers that they provide a gallery of on their web site. I also love some of the flavors, but I think that their variety packs of non-premium candies are often pretty crappy and they have a bad habit of putting one interesting flavor in with a bunch of boring ones to make you buy a whole bunch to get one you want.

All ambivalence aside, I'll miss sampling these unique candies, seeing the various wrapper designs they come up with, and being grateful for their small portions and low price.