1.
In Seoul, there are literally robots at the airport that will carry your luggage for you.
2.
And Tokyo has “snack vendors” on wheels with no human workers.
3.
Beijing also has autonomous ice cream trucks you can get a sweet treat from.
4.
In Osaka, there are tiles showing which direction is north when you exit a train so you can easily orient yourself, and I’ve been saying NYC needs these for FOREVER.
5.
And the airport in Athens has a literal museum in it. Catch up, America.
6.
Tokyo, Japan has an “air shower” for people who are allergic to pollen, to basically blow it off you and your clothes.
7.
This hospital room in England has a fake window projected on its ceiling.
8.
This Singapore invention is so smart. Why do we not have this?
9.
In the Netherlands, traffic lights will warn you if a bus is approaching.
10.
I’m not going to go into detail on this one, but let’s just say this would be a game-changer for me.
11.
In Australia, there are tunnels with lights that move at the speed limit so you can get an idea of your speed and try your best to match the limit.
12.
Some museums in Rome have carved versions of their paintings so that blind people can experience the artwork, which is just so clever and inclusive.
13.
And some crosswalks in Sweden have a representation of the crosswalks ahead, so blind people can have an easier time of crossing.
14.
This public bench with a phone charger is in RURAL France. I live in NYC, and I’ve never even seen one of these!!!
15.
This bench at a bus stop in South Korea also has (wireless!!!) charging — AND it’s heated.
16.
The US is behind the times for real. This movie theater in China has free massage chairs as seats — AND charging ports for your phone.
17.
This Australian McDonald’s literally has a library in it.
18.
And you can go to a McDonald’s that looks like a quaint little house in Brazil. Why can’t all McDonald’s be designed to blend in to their surroundings?
19.
Why don’t our McDonald’s have this level of thought for its patrons?
20.
At McDonald’s in Italy, you can get little miniature calzones, and I’m going to need McDonald’s in the US to adopt these immediately.
21.
I’d also like Dunkin’ Donuts in the US to start selling mulled wine, like it does in Georgia (the country, not the state).
22.
Instead of using “wet floor” signs in Hong Kong, they use projections.
23.
And in Finland, pedestrian and biker signs are also projected, so that they can still be seen after it snows.
24.
I didn’t even know you could put landings on escalators, but they’ve mastered it in Tokyo!
25.
I have certainly never seen a train go on a ferry in New York!!!
26.
The entire pole lights up on these traffic lights in Moscow, Russia, so there’s no way you can miss the color change.
27.
And pedestrian lights are projected onto the ground in Hong Kong, so you’ll notice it if you’re looking down.
28.
Free seltzer dispensers in the US would actually be a game-changer for me, a chronic LaCroix drinker. Too bad I’d have to go to France to access one!
29.
This supermarket in Hong Kong literally has a tiny Ikea in it, and I didn’t even know I needed miniature Ikeas until now.
30.
It’d be nice if US airports were like the airport in Rome. Instead I feel like they’re going to take me out back and shoot me in the leg if I take more than 10 seconds to unload my luggage.
31.
I never know what to do with my cooking oil, so these special oil waste baskets they have in Brussels would actually be very helpful.
32.
The tops on recycling bins in Sweden show you exactly what you’re supposed to put in them, which would sure be useful in my apartment building, where people don’t seem to know what the word “recycle” even means.
33.
There’s a restaurant in India with a big sign showing you how to order with sign language so you can order across the room and don’t have to worry about pronunciation.
34.
This grocery store in Germany gives out scraps of greens to anyone with a small pet rather than letting them go to waste, which is so cute to me.
35.
I’m no photographer, but I still think this little hole in a fence for photographers to use in France is pretty cool.
36.
Japan has emergency toilets in elevators. Just in case.
37.
Apparently, this is a whole thing in Japan, actually. They have a whole emergency kit with water and food in case there’s a blackout or earthquake, which just seems smart.
38.
German grocery stores have a special place on the back of their shopping carts for beer, because we all know the bottom part of the cart we have to use in the US is only big enough for soda!!!
39.
In Italy, bottle caps stay attached to bottles so you don’t drop or lose them, and I’m scratching my head wondering why all bottle caps everywhere aren’t like this.
40.
The Auckland airport in New Zealand has a child’s toilet and an adult toilet in a single stall for parents, which just makes sense.
41.
In Canada, there’s bike repair equipment on the bike paths, in case you run into trouble.
42.
Singapore crosswalks have separate crossing lanes and lights for bikers and pedestrians.
43.
The carts at this German supermarket have a place to lock your phone, which would be great for me, considering my phone tends to get buried under a million pounds of groceries.
44.
This UK supermarket has a way to indicate that a cart with a less-than-stellar wheel performance needs fixing, which is just a way to be a good samaritan and help ensure no one gets a wonky cart.
45.
This Mexican grocery store has different bins for avocados that are ripe today and ones that will be ripe tomorrow.
46.
Germany literally has vending machines for contact lenses.
48.
This vending machine in Spain stocks condoms and lube.
49.
And you can get pizza from a vending machine in France.
50.
As well as baguettes, of course.
51.
As well as dumplings from a vending machine in Osaka.
52.
One more really cool vending machine — one that sells fresh flowers in the Netherlands!
53.
This grocery store in Finland has parking spots for dogs while their humans are shopping inside, which would be really nice in cities like LA and NYC where everyone and their mother brings their dog everywhere.
54.
The trains in the Czech Republic have bottle openers by their seats.
55.
This doesn’t necessarily apply to me, but this German restaurant has made peeing fun by including a mini soccer game in urinals.
56.
This toilet stall in Japan has a tray for your personal items and reminders to make sure you don’t forget them.
57.
This elevator in Argentina doesn’t just tell you the weight limit like any old elevator — it actually shows you how close you are to reaching it.
58.
This hotel in Switzerland has napkins you can use to hit on people or make friends.
59.
In KFC in Canada, there are wireless chargers at the tables, and I have very rarely seen that in the US.
60.
Maybe this isn’t all that futuristic, but I still think it’s really cute and smart to give people an hourglass with their tea so they know when it’s been steeped enough, especially because I always just make a guess.
61.
In Germany, there are parking spaces specifically for women (in well-lit places close to security guards so that women can walk to their cars safely) which sounds pretty good to me.
62.
In Copenhagen, trash cans are tilted so cyclists can easily throw things away, and I’m starting to wonder if it’s Americans’ fault that we litter so much, or if our infrastructure isn’t set up well to encourage actually throwing stuff away.
63.
I have seen a couple community fridges in NYC, at least, but apparently, there are a ton of freezers in Dubai for people who need food.
64.
Why don’t we do this with our ugly telephone poles???
65.
And finally, this clothing store with no employees would actually be a dream for my social anxiety, as I wouldn’t have to gear myself up to make pleasantries with the cashier.
Source: https://www.buzzfeed.com/hannahmarder/cool-things-from-other-countries-2023
