Forty years ago this month, Suwa Seikosha employee Yukio Yokozawa received a patent for inventing the first-ever laptop-sized notebook PC. Featuring an LCD screen, full-size keyboard, built-in rechargeable batteries and a printer, the Epson HX-20 was hailed by BusinessWeek magazine as the “Fourth revolution in personal computing.” To commemorate this significant achievement, TW looks back at some of our other favorite Japanese creations in the postwar years. Invented in the 1950s, the electric rice cooker is a staple in Japanese households and is used in homes and restaurants around the world. It is a simple yet effective appliance that perfectly cooks rice every time. The Shinkansen bullet train is one of the fastest and most efficient train systems in the world. It has revolutionized transportation in Japan and has been adopted by other countries around the world. Tactile paving, also known as "bump dots" or "truncated domes," is a system of raised bumps on the ground that help people with visual impairments navigate safely. It was developed in Japan in the 1960s and is now used in cities and towns around the world.The first laptop computer was invented by Toshiba in 1985. Laptops are now ubiquitous and are used for work, school, and leisure activities. The Walkman was a portable cassette player that was invented by Sony in 1979. It revolutionized the way people listened to music and is considered one of the most iconic Japanese inventions of all time. Instant ramen noodles were invented by Momofuku Ando in 1958. They are a quick, easy, and affordable meal that is popular all over the world. The QR code is a two-dimensional barcode that can be used to store information. It was invented by Denso Wave in 1994 and is now used in a variety of applications, including marketing, product tracking, and mobile payments. #JapaneseInventions #CoolJapaneseGadgets #JapanTechnology #JapaneseInnovation #FutureTech
