A yellow stripe runs down the middle of many sidewalks in Japan. Slightly elevated from the surrounding surfaces, the line of tactile tiles marks a safe path for blind and visually impaired pedestrians walking the streets.

Straight bars in the tiles tell when you are walking in a clear area with no obstructions—forward motion should be safe.

Straight bands of yellow tactile tiles mark a safe walking path without obstacles for the blind and the visually impaired in Japan

Beaded surfaces warn of an intersection, obstruction, door, steps or train platform edge, for example.

Beaded tactile tiles mark obstructions for the blind and near-blind in Japan

Beaded tactile tiles mark the edges of train platforms in Japan

Although with thin-soled shoes you can feel the differences in the tiles, the markers appear to be designed for touching with canes.

Because the tactile tile system does not prevent all accidents or provide infallible navigation assistance, Japan provides training so those in need can live independently if they wish.

While the yellow color is helpful for the partially-blind, other colors are sometimes substituted for aesthetic reasons, such as near the entrances of fashionable hotels. In these cases the tiles may be metallic in color to provide the needed contrast for the near-blind.

While typically yellow, tactile tile colors can change for aesthetic reasons, while still providing contrast for the visually impaired in Japan

Other countries—including Korea, England, Singapore, Sweden and Norway—also use tactile tiles to help the visually-impaired.

In addition to the tactile tiles, Japan uses music at intersections and braille signage to help the blind and partially-blind more safety travel independently.

Braille signage for the visually impaired in Japan

This originated at villagehiker.com.

When we were kids we’d sometimes yell, “Kumquat!” as a name-calling insult. This changed forever in Wakayama, Japan, when a Japanese couple stretched out picked some kumquats off a tree and handed them to us foreigners—part of the Japanese character.

Picking kumquats in Wakayama, Japan

Kumquats for foreigners.

Kumquat still life

Found in Tokyo Station in Tokyo, Japan

Ohashi Roka is a covered bridge providing passage into the grounds of Wakayama Castle. Restored from 2003 to 2006, the bridge once protected the identifies of people entering the castle. Its angled architecture is rare in Japanese design, but served well the layout of the terrain. Today when passing through the bridge you must remove your shoes.

Ohashi Roka and Wakayama Castle

Inside the Ohashi Roka you must remove your shoes

The unifier of Japan in the last part of the 16th Century, Toyotomi Hideyoshi built Wakayama Castle on a hill overlooking the city of Wakayama. The hill is shaped like a tiger reclining on its stomach and looking around.

Today, Wakayama City is the capital of Wakayama Prefecture. The city faces the Pacific Ocean and Japan’s Inland Sea. The Kinokawa River runs through the city.

Over the years the castle has been repaired and expanded several times. During World War II it was damaged, but not destroyed, by incendiary bombs. Parts of Wakayama City—but not the castle—were targets because of military manufacturing. The US Army Air Corps chose incendiary bombs to burn the wood structures in the city.

After the war, the people of Wakayama volunteered to rebuild and renovate the castle using its original style taken from drawings and employing ferro-cement for its exterior walls. They completed their work in 1956. The Shōwa Emperor visited the castle in 1957.

Improvements continue today on the castle grounds, now a city park. The park is free. There is a modest entry fee to visit the castle.

The Reclining Tiger represents the shape of the Wakayama Castle hill.

While verifying September 1945 facts at the Wakayama City Museum in Wakayama, Japan, we noticed a flow of rocks on the concrete wall of the lobby. It appeared to be rock art of a waterfall. Our host affirmed this, showed us construction details up close and said it was okay to photograph the artwork.

Rock Waterfall, Wakayam City Museum, Wakayama, Japan

Despite mythology claiming its USA origins, pizza was indeed invented in Italy—specifically in Naples by a man named Don Raffaele Esposito. Even the name—pizza—comes from the Latin word ‘pitta’ with two t’s, a flatbread meaning—amazingly—pizza.

In Wakayama you can order Japanese Italian pizza from Vabene, on the seventh floor of the Forté building. The menu—entirely in Japanese with no-English assistance—does have pictures. Plus, the Japanese-speaking staff graciously assists you with their basic English vocabulary and grammar, which is oceans-wide better than our Japanese, although we are improving daily. It’s really a very fun and pleasant place to dine. At night the lights of a city are beautiful. A stroll on the patio gives you a view of the Wakayama Castle on its nearby cat-shaped hilltop.

Japanese pizza at Vabene has a thin crust, almost crepe like, with an excellent base of cheese and tomatoes, plus various toppings—in our case, veggies only—we wanted no meat today. Despite the thinness of the crust, you can pick up multicultural Japanese Italian pizza with your fingers and eat it American style. Yum.

Japanese Italian Pizza. No chopsticks required.

Japanese Italian pizza finger food.

Wakayama Castle from the Vabene patio.

Close up of Wakayama Castle from the Vabene patio.