During my recent holiday to the Far East I experienced why Japan has a reputation for being the worlds’ technology leader. I spied some regenerative braking on an electric train and travelled by maglev bullet train from Tokyo to Kyoto past the Panasonic Solar Ark.

In cramped Hong Kong I saw more all-electric Tesla cars than I’ve ever seen in the UK and glimpsed a wind power station on Lamma Island. I didn’t manage to visit Lamma Winds which was a shame as it’s one of the only commercial-scale wind power stations in the world open to the public but a bit of a trek. When I wasn’t enjoying the wonderfully punctual electric trains in Japan I went everywhere on foot.  Helpfully the steps in a Kyoto subway station showed the kcal burned per step! This helped me feel better about eating all the delicious food I was treating myself to.

Even the toilets are riddled with technology in Japan. If you’ve ever seen the film Demolition Man starring Sylvester Stallone you might be familiar with the ‘three seashells’ conundrum where the toilets are so futuristic you might not know what all the functions are. Japan is much like this, many toilets have an electricity supply so press the buttons and find out what they do. I dare you!

I actually took home a bit of Japanese renewable technology; my new watch is powered by a solar cell and never needs a battery changing. The watch can recharge itself using natural or artificial light that hits the dial. If the watch is left in the dark the hands stop entirely to save energy but when exposed to light again it catches up to the correct time automatically.

Check out Farm Energy Centre’s twitter account to see my energy inspired snaps of my recent trip, tagged #Elisa.