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Popular Tokyo neighborhood to ban drinking in public places

One of Tokyo’s most popular tourist neighborhoods is making a move to curb bad behavior – by taking alcohol indoors.The measure, which is expected to take effect in October, will see drinking alcohol forbidden on streets or public places in Shibuya from 6 p.m. to 5 a.m. every day. The legal drinking age in Japan is 20.Shibuya City, which is a self-governed district within Tokyo, can make its own local regulations.Mayor Ken Hasebe recently told journalists: “We have been stepping up patrols and other efforts over the last year, but we have had people say, ‘Well, the rules say you can drink, don’t they?’ By establishing the rule, we would like to convey the district’s intentions, including during patrols — we would prefer people to enjoy their drinks inside restaurants.”This news may not come as a surprise to local residents.Last fall, Shibuya banned Halloween-related activities in the district, with alcohol cited as a main reason behind the prohibition. That included a ban on drinking alcohol outside of bars and restaurants. Mayor Hasebe says that local businesses supported the regulations in October 2023 and were behind the push to make them permanent.Shibuya is home to some of the capital’s most popular attractions, including the Meiji Shrine, Yoyogi Park and the “Shibuya scramble,” believed to be the world’s busiest intersection.／Flickr“The damage caused by overtourism has become serious, resulting in property damage caused by drinking in the street, altercations with local residents, and littering of large amounts of empty cans and bottles,” the city said in a statement last October.Shibuya is home to some of the capital’s most popular attractions, including the Meiji Shrine, Yoyogi Park and the “Shibuya scramble,” believed to be the world’s busiest intersection.In the historic city of Kyoto, where it’s possible to spot geisha and their apprentices (maiko) around the ancient alleyways, locals have tried to find ways to deter foreigners from harassing the women as they make their way to and from work.Despite those measures, though, “geisha paparazzi” and other nuisance tourists still cause conflict between visitors and locals.／FlickrKyoto’s official tourism office has put up posters and distributed pamphlets about different social customs in Japan, from how to use toilets to whether to tip. The advice also extends to geisha, with visitors asked not to touch the women, pull on their kimonos, or take their photos without permission.Local Gion residents have also taken some measures themselves, such as blocking off private alleys.Despite those measures, though, “geisha paparazzi” and other nuisance tourists still cause conflict between visitors and locals.

20240704 NIA video news report－English

This fine-dining restaurant is bringing artificial intelligence to the dinner table

In a dark, round dining room, the late French chef Paul Bocuse explains the next dish.It has all the hallmarks of the classic fine-dining cuisine Bocuse was famed for: quail and foie gras, wrapped in mushroom paté and pastry, and lavished with truffle sauce.But at Krasota, a fine-dining restaurant in Dubai, nothing is what it seems.Bocuse is not physically there; he’s been dead for six years. Instead, it’s his likeness projected onto the room’s curved walls, before dissolving into the dark.This dish, from the recipe to the wall projection to the deep fake video of Bocuse, was designed by artificial intelligence (AI). It’s one of eight courses in “Imaginary Futures,” a multisensory dining experience at Krasota.The experience takes diners through different scenarios of what the future could look like, from an underwater city to a space colony to a post-nuclear apocalypse, with each dish themed for its setting.For its AI scenario, Krasota’s co-founders — digital artist Anton Nenashev, chef Vladimir Mukhin, and entrepreneur Boris Zarkov — ceded control to technology. Nenashev, who designs the projections with 3D computer graphics software, let the AI come up with 150 different concepts, before merging together the best; and Mukhin prompted generative platform Midjourney to reimagine Bocuse’s most iconic recipes, including his signature truffle V.G.E soup.The experience takes diners through different scenarios of what the future could look like, from an underwater city to a space colony to a post-nuclear apocalypse, with each dish themed for its setting.／Wikimedia Commons“We drew inspiration from the intriguing prospect of AI (re)creating individuals based on comprehensive data about their lives and experiences,” explains Zarkov. He describes it as a digital-age séance that evokes the memories and style of the late chef through technology — and it’s just the beginning for the future of dining, he says.“Living hand-in-hand with artificial intelligence has shifted from fantasy to reality,” Zarkov adds.Multisensory goes sci-fiMost multisensory dining experiences, often hosted at high-end venues and conceptualized by world-class chefs, are expensive and inaccessible. (Krasota’s show starts from 1,200 dirhams, around $326.)But Spence likens it to “the Formula One of food,” where the best dishes and experiences will “percolate down to the mainstream.”And that’s already happening: Fanta’s “TikTok experience” asked consumers to explore how the flavor of its special edition drink changed with different stimuli, and Spence is working with Italian food manufacturer Barilla on soundscapes for different pasta types.In the future, Spence sees more companies integrating sensory experiences — perhaps QR codes on products that link to a playlist to enhance the taste.Any technology that interferes with the social aspects of dining will not succeed. People mostly want to talk with each other; dining is fundamentally a social activity.／Freerange StockZarkov’s vision of the future is a little more sci-fi: he speculates that ultimately, brain chips will trick your mind into presenting your senses with whatever your heart desires. “In your mind, it looks like the best California sushi rolls you’ve ever seen,” says Zarkov. But really, the dish is “biomass,” with the precise nutrients, vitamins, and minerals your body needs.Any technology that interferes with the social aspects of dining will not succeed. People mostly want to talk with each other; dining is fundamentally a social activity.Charles Spence, experimental psychology professorBut if people are plugged into their own hyper-optimized world, if the dishes on the table don’t look the same to your partner as they do to you, if the decor is different, does dining lose its communal and social aspect?“Any technology that interferes with the social aspects of dining will not succeed,” such as headsets or goggles, says Spence. “People mostly want to talk with each other; dining is fundamentally a social activity.”