Tokyo

:00:00. > :00:17.This week in testing out the waters in Tokyo ahead of 2020. Were taking

:00:18. > :00:25.the lens cap off for a photographic Tour of South Africa. It's the

:00:26. > :00:28.moment, it's the perfect moment. And Tommy's getting his movie set head

:00:29. > :00:33.on for the very latest in travel gadgets. I've just need the drinks

:00:34. > :01:11.trolley. No sign of it yet. Tokyo is teeming with tourists right

:01:12. > :01:20.now. On the streets of Aceh Kucera it is shoulder to shoulder with

:01:21. > :01:26.barely room for a selfie stick. -- Asakusa. The yen is weak and

:01:27. > :01:29.travellers are taking advantage. Last year an estimated 50 million

:01:30. > :01:34.foreign tourists came to Japan. And if you think it's busy now, industry

:01:35. > :01:38.insiders say it's only going to get more manic in the lead up to the

:01:39. > :01:43.Olympic Games in 2020. Tokyo will build a number of the 37 Olympic

:01:44. > :01:49.venues from scratch and spend an estimated $1 billion refurbishing

:01:50. > :01:56.the old national Olympic stadium, centre of events back in 1964.

:01:57. > :02:06.From August this year the exposure of Tokyo and Japan itself will

:02:07. > :02:12.increase dramatically, and a lot of people all over the world are going

:02:13. > :02:18.to pay attention to Japan or Tokyo. So it's a very good business

:02:19. > :02:22.opportunity. Always at the forefront of innovation, the country is keen

:02:23. > :02:29.to put its best technical article foot forward for all those potential

:02:30. > :02:33.Olympic tourists -- technological. Back in 1964, the Japanese unveil

:02:34. > :02:39.version cans in, then the fastest train in the world. This time round

:02:40. > :02:50.prepare yourself for the robot taxi. TRANSLATION: If you were

:02:51. > :02:54.coming from the UK then you could book a robot taxi just like you

:02:55. > :02:58.would book your hotel over the Internet. And I'm assuming there

:02:59. > :03:02.will be a lot of foreign tourists coming to Tokyo for the Olympics and

:03:03. > :03:07.I'd like to think they could use this robot taxi daily while they're

:03:08. > :03:11.here. But it's not only for the Olympics. I'd like it to be used by

:03:12. > :03:17.tourists well after the Games are over. So from the outside it looks

:03:18. > :03:21.like an ordinary car but once you get inside there's so many cables,

:03:22. > :03:27.computers, cameras, how does it work? TRANSLATION: This monitor

:03:28. > :03:31.tells you if the sensors are working properly or not. All you need to do

:03:32. > :03:42.is press this button to start or stop. What is this? Emergency stop?

:03:43. > :03:46.That's good to know. Obviously these robot taxis will only be allowed on

:03:47. > :03:50.set routes, and of course there's the minor technicality that they

:03:51. > :03:55.have to change the law to allow driverless cars on the road. And

:03:56. > :04:00.come 2020, there could be rain what's to carry your bags. I'm going

:04:01. > :04:03.to put on this rather nifty belt here and it's equipped with an

:04:04. > :04:09.infrared beacon at the back. So clip it on like this and this will talk

:04:10. > :04:20.to these carts here which are carrying my suitcases.

:04:21. > :04:26.These carts can carry up to 100 kilograms each, making light work in

:04:27. > :04:30.a country faced with a chronic labour shortage due to an ageing

:04:31. > :04:36.population and degreasing birthrate. It's like I've got my own

:04:37. > :04:41.robotic minions. Its inventors hope they can be used to transport heavy

:04:42. > :04:47.goods to and from the Olympic villages and stadiums, and possibly

:04:48. > :04:50.airport and hotels in the future. It's all about making life easier

:04:51. > :04:55.for tourists and breaking down that language barrier. English is more

:04:56. > :05:00.prevalent now on public transport, particularly in Tokyo. So far away

:05:01. > :05:15.from the maddening crowds we're about to get onto a boat. It's a

:05:16. > :05:19.dinner cruise down the river that passes a number of iconic sites as

:05:20. > :05:27.well as the plot of land set aside for the Olympic village. I love

:05:28. > :05:29.these lights. This is such a spectacular view, something that you

:05:30. > :05:38.don't really see everyday. Downstairs on the traditional maths

:05:39. > :05:44.there is space for more than 100 passengers. But they are mostly

:05:45. > :05:49.Japanese. So I really love the idea of coming on an evening cruise with

:05:50. > :05:54.dinner. It's a unique and different way to see Tokyo. But as you can

:05:55. > :05:58.hear, all the commentary is in Japanese. So I guess this is

:05:59. > :06:03.probably one of the reasons why these sorts of threats aren't so

:06:04. > :06:08.popular at the moment. I spoke with a group of expats on the cruise

:06:09. > :06:12.about what can be done to make Tokyo more accessible for foreigners in

:06:13. > :06:17.the lead up to 2020. We're talking about the beer, we've been here ten

:06:18. > :06:22.years, ten, ten, six, but you never see the Tokyo you see from the

:06:23. > :06:27.river. It's a different view of Tokyo you get when you're in the

:06:28. > :06:31.city, which is pretty cool. For me the Japanese commentary was a bit of

:06:32. > :06:35.a problem, I didn't really know what was going on or what the sites were,

:06:36. > :06:47.I have to rely on my Japanese friend. We talked about it

:06:48. > :06:52.actually. You want a little bit of guidance, but on the other hand, if

:06:53. > :06:57.you're a tourist in a city, a bit of that mystery... Foreign environment,

:06:58. > :07:03.not knowing what's going on. It's all a part of it. To be honest, the

:07:04. > :07:06.commentary's not that interesting. Of course there's no shortage of

:07:07. > :07:09.translation apps on the market now to help you muddle your way

:07:10. > :07:18.through. We're getting better and better. At the stations, in the

:07:19. > :07:23.trains, the restaurants, the hotels, and also we are now thinking of

:07:24. > :07:32.developing some unique technology, like the translation system using

:07:33. > :07:35.AI, and we want to trial those technologies in the hotels and the

:07:36. > :07:44.restaurants so that we can see how it works and try to use it actually

:07:45. > :07:47.for the tourists in the future. I've lived here two years and

:07:48. > :07:54.Japanese is a difficult language to master. But a few basic words and

:07:55. > :08:00.phrases will help you on your way. Excuse me is incredibly polite and

:08:01. > :08:05.the locals here love that. Thank you never goes astray. And if you're

:08:06. > :08:15.feeling hugely confident, is it oh K2 speaking of definitely comes in

:08:16. > :08:19.handy -- is it OK to speak English. Chris broad move to years ago to

:08:20. > :08:22.work as an English teacher. Since then he's set up his own YouTube

:08:23. > :08:27.channel where he's been helping visitors learn the basics of

:08:28. > :08:30.Japanese. He even claims you can learn a good standard of the

:08:31. > :08:34.language in less than six months. One of the most difficult hurdles

:08:35. > :08:39.with Japanese is there are three writing systems. The first two,

:08:40. > :08:46.there is about 90 characters or so, they can be learned in a week or

:08:47. > :08:50.two. As for the third one, there's 2200 characters and that's the

:08:51. > :08:54.slightly more daunting task, especially as it takes Japanese

:08:55. > :08:58.people about 15 or 16 years at school and learning to actually

:08:59. > :09:02.learn themselves. It takes Japanese people that long, it certainly takes

:09:03. > :09:07.us foreigners a heck of a lot longer. But it is possible. It is

:09:08. > :09:16.possible, it just takes a lot of time and a lot of study to get

:09:17. > :09:18.there. Learning the language and

:09:19. > :09:23.experiencing new technology will definitely enhance your time here.

:09:24. > :09:27.But to operators are already warning that the place is going to become

:09:28. > :09:32.very crowded and expensive once Olympic fever hits post Brazil, so

:09:33. > :09:37.the advice is to book early, spread the net wider than just Tokyo and

:09:38. > :09:46.maybe start brushing up on your Japanese Right now. After all, you

:09:47. > :09:51.will have four years to practise. Next our regular look at the people

:09:52. > :09:56.who make a place with Citizens. This week we're heading to London to meet

:09:57. > :10:00.a man who looks after the city's 1500 gas lamps which unbelievably

:10:01. > :10:15.200 years after they were first installed are still lighting up the

:10:16. > :10:19.capital's streets after dark. On an operations manager, part of my

:10:20. > :10:24.responsibility is to maintain, repair and lovingly cherished the

:10:25. > :10:28.gas lamps we have here in London -- I'm an. The first lamps went in on

:10:29. > :10:39.the 31st of December 1813. It is part of the fabric if you like of

:10:40. > :10:43.London. The difference between electric lamps and the gas lamps is

:10:44. > :10:47.the actual light that it emits. As we're travelling down the Mall here,

:10:48. > :10:52.on the right-hand side you've got the harsh, bright electric lights.

:10:53. > :10:58.And if you look to your left down the Mall slips, it's more of a

:10:59. > :11:05.calming, mellow, yellow light that emanates off a gaslamp. The feedback

:11:06. > :11:09.we get from the public is when we come out and do a repair to a lamp,

:11:10. > :11:14.the first thing that they want to make sure is that we're not taking

:11:15. > :11:19.it away. What we will do is go around and clean the glass, we

:11:20. > :11:27.replace the mantles, that's what gives it the nice yellow soft light

:11:28. > :11:31.that you see. The gas travels up through this very thin pipe here

:11:32. > :11:37.which keeps a pilot light lit. Inside we've got a clock, the clocks

:11:38. > :11:42.have been here since 1865. The clock spins round, hits a lever, the lever

:11:43. > :11:47.then comes up and then makes the gas pass up through the valve up the

:11:48. > :11:52.main pipe and down into the four mantles. The clock will last 14

:11:53. > :11:56.days, so when a lamp attendant comes around he might, on Monday morning.

:11:57. > :12:05.Two weeks later he is back at this lamp again having to wind it. It

:12:06. > :12:11.might sound crazy to some people but, you know, myself, Gary and the

:12:12. > :12:16.team, we would consider ourselves custodians of these gas lamps. I

:12:17. > :12:20.make no bones about it or embarrass about it, hopefully they are here

:12:21. > :12:34.long after we are here and somebody else will be looking after them.

:12:35. > :12:38.Still to come on the Travel Show... Tommy's out and about trying his

:12:39. > :12:43.hand at the latest travel gadgets. This week the tests out a throwback

:12:44. > :12:48.to the 1980s with a hand-held retro computer. And we're in Cape Town in

:12:49. > :12:52.South Africa to meet the man who's taking travellers on a township Tour

:12:53. > :12:54.with a difference with the help of this camera. So stay with us for

:12:55. > :13:16.that. Welcome to BBC Travel Airways

:13:17. > :13:19.weather service and food are rubbish but the in-flight entertainment is

:13:20. > :13:24.whatever you it to be, with this. The makers claim it is the world 's

:13:25. > :13:30.first personal Cinema system. They look like an enormous pair of over

:13:31. > :13:34.ear headphones with built-in screens in the headband, and that is

:13:35. > :13:40.basically what they are. This device projects light of 2 million micro-

:13:41. > :13:43.mirrors directly into your highs. Now that sounds terrifying, but the

:13:44. > :13:48.idea isn't much different from the technology used in the early days of

:13:49. > :13:52.HDTV. These are incredibly comfortable and very light weight as

:13:53. > :13:55.well. We have reviewed others that have just been too heavy to wear on

:13:56. > :14:00.the bridge of your nose. Obviously I would love it if it didn't have a

:14:01. > :14:05.wire plugged into my device, but what's nice is I can still see what

:14:06. > :14:09.is going on around me while I've got these on so I can keep a little eye

:14:10. > :14:15.out for the drinks trolley. There is no sign of it yet. It's always good

:14:16. > :14:20.to be ahead of the game when it comes to gadgets, and with this we

:14:21. > :14:24.really are. Because it is a prototype, but while it represents

:14:25. > :14:30.the future of gaming, it is a prototype, but while it represents

:14:31. > :14:35.the future of gaming, its the Sinclair Vega Plus looks a little

:14:36. > :14:39.like a PlayStation Vita. It's got its own screen so you can play games

:14:40. > :14:43.on the bus or the Tube or even a long haul flight. It comes with 1000

:14:44. > :14:48.officially games preloaded so there is plenty to keep you busy. The

:14:49. > :14:52.nostalgia levels on this go through the roof. I mean, it is great to

:14:53. > :14:56.reminisce. But for the muggy that you pay for these old school games

:14:57. > :14:59.and all the little glitches that they have got, the novelty just

:15:00. > :15:05.wears off really quickly. Maybe some things in the past are just that

:15:06. > :15:12.left there. -- better left their. The market for fitness bans and

:15:13. > :15:17.smart watches is crazy right now. There is so much to choose from. And

:15:18. > :15:21.guess what, it just got that little bit bigger because of very famous

:15:22. > :15:27.sat nav brand wants to get in on the action with this. The Tomtom smart

:15:28. > :15:32.watch has GPS, heartrate monitoring and built-in music playback all in

:15:33. > :15:37.one. It is aimed at runners, cyclists and Jim -goers who are

:15:38. > :15:42.tired of taking their smartphone with them. However, it is not a new

:15:43. > :15:46.idea and there are a few other brands doing the same thing already.

:15:47. > :15:50.Yes, I know. There is no real need for GPS on my stationary bike in a

:15:51. > :15:55.gym but imagine if you are in a brand-new city somewhere around the

:15:56. > :15:58.world and you want to roam around on a bike and this will keep an eye on

:15:59. > :16:00.where you have been. It will also allow you to continually monitor

:16:01. > :16:05.your heart rate and a workout. And let's not forget, this is a fraction

:16:06. > :16:09.of the price of a smart watch. They say big is beautiful, but small can

:16:10. > :16:17.be pretty slick as well. This is the brand-new addition to the go

:16:18. > :16:21.profamily. The simple square box style has been growing in popularity

:16:22. > :16:25.for action cameras for a while, with the hero for session GoPro becoming

:16:26. > :16:31.one of the latest to launch a camera of this style. The design certainly

:16:32. > :16:35.has its advantages. It is 50% smaller than previous cameras and

:16:36. > :16:39.has a simple one button operation. My only criticism is the battery is

:16:40. > :16:46.not removable, so you would need a power back or laptop to recharge it

:16:47. > :16:50.if you run out of juice -- powerpack. This can capture great

:16:51. > :16:54.pictures, plus it's got a wonderful panoramic lands which are superb if

:16:55. > :16:58.you are at the top of a mountain or even in your favourite city. But

:16:59. > :17:02.because the device is so small, there is no actual screen on it

:17:03. > :17:07.itself, you do that with other models, which you will need your

:17:08. > :17:10.phone and the app. The beauty that is you can use your phone to upload

:17:11. > :17:20.whatever you film straight onto social media and share it with the

:17:21. > :17:25.world. Thanks, Tommy. Well, the Finnish this week we are continuing

:17:26. > :17:28.our special season of Travel Show stories from South Africa, meeting

:17:29. > :17:32.some of the amazing people who call a country home and learning a bit

:17:33. > :17:38.more about life there. Today we met the man who has taken this passion

:17:39. > :17:39.for photography into the townships of Cape Town and is encouraging

:17:40. > :18:01.tourists to tag along. It is basically photographers from

:18:02. > :18:10.the township, and we use photography as the medium showcasing the beauty

:18:11. > :18:17.of life in the township. The project is an open invite to anyone, really.

:18:18. > :18:24.Anyone can come in and be a part. Everytime you see the township, the

:18:25. > :18:29.people are always taking the bus and they are viewing through protective

:18:30. > :18:33.windows and there is an virginity for them to walk through the streets

:18:34. > :18:39.and experience the life and touch the soil, and taste the taste. I

:18:40. > :18:44.think that is the uniqueness that we are hoping to bring. So every month

:18:45. > :18:48.we choose a township and take a walk and just me, have a good time.

:18:49. > :19:01.Ultimately it is about having a good time. Most of us are born in

:19:02. > :19:05.townships, and we live in townships today. It is the only place that we

:19:06. > :19:09.call home, and I think it is important for us to feel positive

:19:10. > :19:18.about ourselves. If we feel positive about ourselves, and where we come

:19:19. > :19:22.from, and where we find ourselves. Townships are a beautiful place. You

:19:23. > :19:26.walk around in the middle of a shack town, and you worry about the state

:19:27. > :19:31.that these people are living in but once you see their faces you see

:19:32. > :19:33.smiles, you see kids running around playing in the street, you see dogs.

:19:34. > :19:55.It is happiness, it is high. When you walk down the street, I

:19:56. > :19:58.mean, as we are walking together here, people are giving your

:19:59. > :20:03.high-fives randomly, just because people are curious. It gives us an

:20:04. > :20:05.extra edge from a photographic sense, when you take pictures of

:20:06. > :20:16.people who want to be taken pictures. Yes, there is always a bit

:20:17. > :20:23.of a threat, as when you walk down any street, be it in the city centre

:20:24. > :20:28.or be at here. The same is here. So we have been working for over a year

:20:29. > :20:31.now, and we have been working in various townships across Cape Town

:20:32. > :20:43.and all of those townships, we have never had a single incident.

:20:44. > :20:50.These local models, young models, young photographers, young

:20:51. > :20:54.designers, and we help each other out in the sense that the

:20:55. > :20:57.photographers need content. You know, spaces where people can just

:20:58. > :21:06.collaborate on the spot and take awesome pictures. Go with me,

:21:07. > :21:12.without me telling you anything, right now. All they need is a good

:21:13. > :21:18.photo. It is the moment, I think. It is a perfectly captured moment. Most

:21:19. > :21:32.of the time unplanned. For me that is like the perfect picture. You can

:21:33. > :21:37.create upon with every picture. -- create a poem. We don't call it out

:21:38. > :21:42.reach, we call it in reach. Because you take more than you give, and we

:21:43. > :21:48.go out with local kids, and we can teach them how to take photographs

:21:49. > :21:55.and that kind of vibe. I want you to do the side does. Yes, there we go.

:21:56. > :21:59.I think it is about time we call it a day. I think it's been a good day.

:22:00. > :22:06.The weather has been on our side, the conditions have been on our

:22:07. > :22:08.side. Nyanga prove to us that the streets are not as dangerous as

:22:09. > :22:16.people made them out to be. We didn't have any threats, or

:22:17. > :22:20.incidents. We are fine. Exploring South Africa through a

:22:21. > :22:31.photographer's eye. That's all we've got time for this week. Coming up

:22:32. > :22:35.next week: Christa heads to Hungary and takes to the track as they

:22:36. > :22:38.prepare to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the first-ever Grand

:22:39. > :22:44.Prix to take place behind the Iron Curtain in 1986. I hope you can join

:22:45. > :22:49.us for that, if you can. You can also catch us on social media. All

:22:50. > :22:51.the details are on your screen now. And from all of us here in Tokyo,

:22:52. > :23:15.it's goodbye. Well, this weekend is once

:23:16. > :23:18.again going to be very mixed. One minute it is going to be too

:23:19. > :23:20.cold, Very changeable from

:23:21. > :23:25.the sparkling and clear blue skies, Behind this cold front that we are

:23:26. > :23:29.seeing on the satellite picture