Wed, 3 Sep '08 - VS 901 Sayonara

A taxi through Tokyo just after dawn. It doesn't feel intimidating anymore. It's going to be a beautiful sunny day. It couldn't be more different from the day we landed. Another year older, does this still apply eight hours in the future? No ceremony or celebration, just a downbeat departure that's come round too soon.

Wed, 3 Sep '08 - Amane's insight

The success of Japan’s economy Japan relies on the inventiveness and industry of its workers.

In discussion with Amane: As a nation Japan has almost no natural resources. Therefore the success of the economy is based on buying raw materials at one price. e.g. steel, and then transforming that steel into something of higher value e.g. a car. This places the emphasis on craft skills and hard work, in effect the magic that turns something elemental into mass produced complex consumer durables.

Wed, 3 Sep '08 - A nation of obsessives and of extremes.

The saturation of advertising in Tokyo. The creation of 1000 kanon at Sanjungsendo. The high density of technology retail outlets in Akihabara.

Ordered chaos. Efficient complexity is actually micro efficiency on a vast and interconnected scale.

Tokyo seems like a frantic, multi layered, chaotic place, but within this chaos everything is running to a system, usually perfectly on time. Just like the Mazda factory the more you look the more you realise how minutely choreographed the underling infrastructure actually is.

Tue, 2 Sep '08 - Harajuku 2

Harajuku is supposedly one of the coolest palces on earth, up there with Brooklyn, Shoreditch, Kreuzberg etc. My sense is that this area is slightly past it's edgiest but there are still some stunningly eccentric people to be seen. We walk through the crowd, determined to make eye contact with every freak, thereby distracting them from the camera on my hip. It's almost impossible not to be seduced by the gothic lolitas, Tokyo Hipsters, and assorted 80s throwbacks. 

There's something unspoken here. You're either a true freak or a tourist. We spot few pro photographers cool hunting. A girl in a coffee shop sits a few tables a way in full Amish lace. Is that a man or a woman dressed as a babydoll, what about the guy in the leopard skin leggings with the pink lame handbag and gold winkle pickers? For our part we look like we're on the inside, JMT's the hot-rodder from the last Edwin Denim campaign and I'm a sartorialist-camp Brandon Flowers impersonator. Our guide is totally bemused at the number of times we want to walk up and down the street. It's just too much fun.

Thought
Truth is Tokyo is a world city. Japan is a major developed nation and has more than it's fair share of seriously cool people. For those who get it this aspect of Japan will forever be cool. No questions.

Tue, 2 Sep '08 - Ninja

Tue, 2 Sep '08 - Roppongi at night

The night time view from the sky deck at the Roppongi hills tower is breathtakingly beautiful. There’s an art gallery, jazz bar and aquarium up here. Perrier sponsors the water, fuck knows who sponsors the air. This has to be Tokyo’s most aesthetically pleasing angle. In every direction the city lights blaze in beautiful rainbow colours. The privilege of such a high viewpoint adds real drama. It’s like a living imax cinema... Technology looks so good in the dark. The light pulses, signing the complexity of city life. Tokyo lives like a giant organism. 

I finally understand how vast this city is. 

Mon, 1 Sep '08 - Kurosawa

Kurosawa is a small restaurant in Roppongi owned by the Hisao Kurosawa, son of the famous film director Akira Kurosawa. The restaurant is small. Interior decoration includes quality film memorabilia is restrained and of high quality. We go for it with the menu, which feature's the great man's favorite foods, made by the apprentice of the director's personal chef.

Turtle tastes like fishy turkey.

True tofu is remarkably creamy.

Ginger urchins should be avoided. 

Kurosawa's taste in fresh soba noodles in impeccable.

The staff are charmingly formal and wear a uniform that is inspired by the film Red Beard. Apart from all that this is the first time I start to be able to read Japanese: I can just about work out how much each item is (such a mundane epiphany).

JMT has Seven Samurai and Kagemusha on his iphone, this prompts a discussion re the great man's films and how the history of Japanese film is interwoven with Hollywood and European cinema. We comment on the formal photography, love of action, dead space in dialogue...

Thought
Similar but different. Japan is closer now than ever. Popular culture and the arts are a great barometer of this gradual convergence. Today Japan represents an unthreatening exoticsm is this true?

Mon, 1 Sep '08 - Harajuku 1

Mon, 1 Sep '08 - @ HOME Maid Café

Further evidence of how the city stacks up in layers. From the street it’s almost impossible to tell what’s going on up there. How does anyone ever find these places, W.O.M. invitations, painstaking research? The secretive nature is part of the charm.

@Home Maid Café is the original Akihabara Otaku hangout. From the street an anonymous alcove leads through to a drab elevator with a few floor by floor information graphics and a couple of aging brightly coloured posters.

A large group exits the lift and we go up to the 4th floor, doors open to a huge queue of mostly wide-eyed young men. This level looks to be themed like a kids TV show. Up to the 6th. Another huge queue and this time a more Gothy Harlot theme. We exit the lift and walk down the fire exit to the 5th. Young men are queuing up and down the stairs. The theme on the 5th is traditional Japanese, Geisha-lite. The queue here is comparatively short. As we wait a spotty businessman arrives with a bunch of flowers for one of the girls. Most of the punters are single men or two lads together. I’m not 100% convinced by the authenticity of this crowd. Most of the Japanese guys seem to be mainly here for the touristy thrill rather than some long-term habit.

We are shown to our seat. As we enter the place goes quiet as our hostess shouts in a loud voice the Japanese for ‘Welcome back Sirs, we are happy to receive you once more’. Our guide can bared hold in her laughter. The meuse is extensive and includes more than just food. You can play games with the girls. It’s all done in a very happy innocent way. Our food and drink arrives and we are asked to repeat some gobeldy-gook magic phrases be fore we start. Our waitress talks in a fake child like voice.

I am surprised by the waitresses’ appearance, because they look kind of ropey to me. Mostly they have bad skin and terrible teeth. I thought they were supposed to be super-cute? I drink my beer quickly. This is a Manga made real. Perhaps they are carrying ninja gear under their kimonos? Obviously that would be extra. We receive crappy little girl+pokemeon love notes with our food. At the end of our lunch we are given faux-AmEx membership cards that read ‘Licence of your majesty, an international official licence card. Level 1: Bronze, My Master’ Our cards are personalised with out names written in Japanese by our Maid. We are shown how there is a membership scheme that takes your card type up through Gold and Black and ultimately to a silhouetted secret uber level.

Our guide explains that Maid cafes have developed their own slang, and have a genuine impassioned following. The Maid cafe sub culture grew up in Akihabara as a result of cashed-up lonely geeks looking for some no strings company, it has been a genuine underground community but is supposedly never explicitly sexual. Originally maid cafes were frowned upon by Japanese society but the trend is gradually becoming mainstream. Many of the girls who work here do so as a way of saving money for some other enterprise such as going to college.

By the time we leave the emphasis on childhood affectations is becoming disconcerting. Yet another speech to the whole establishment as we walk to the door. I’m glad to get out. The casting of young women as childlike innocents who’ll play for pay feels like a prelude to the worst kind of male fantasy. The crowd waiting to enter as we exit the lift is bigger than before. These young men literally seethe with anticipation….

Thought
Combination of innocence and underground edge could be useful.

Mon, 1 Sep '08 - Akihabara

Tall buildings smothered in colourful low-grade marketing. It’s all competing for attention, some of it has audio and hi def video. The inclusion of audio with high def moving images really does feel like the next generation of display marketing especially when it’s five stories up and another five storeys tall… Even the most sophisticated ads shown on these displays have an intrusive quality. The worst are simply brutal.

Everything technological is for sale here, from the smallest components available in the ram-shackle alleyway infill markets, to the complex state of the art home entertainment systems sold in multi-storey tech department stores (e.g. Yodobashi) where each floor is themed... It’s a tech-head theme park. 

Thought

In Tokyo you need to have a clear mission or one ends up wandering aimlessly. It’s all to east to loose focus and for it all to become white noise.

Mon, 1 Sep '08 - Meguro

At first Meguro seems like an average suburb where things close too early and a high student count. The more time we spend here the more we realise Meguro is quietly quite hip. There's a high number of vintage furniture and interior design boutiques here. 

The pedestrianised market that leads to the elevated station (to Shibuya) is full of authentic Japanese shops and bars and even a couple of second hand clothing shops selling genuinely cool apparel. It's an unpretentious district, pretty much untouched by tourism. It turns out that one f Johns friends from college lives just around the corner form our hotel.

Sun, 31 Aug '08 -Tokyo first impressions

Sun, 31 Aug '08 - Feeling deranged, Shinkansen to Tokyo

I sit in the bar and look up through the glass wall across the 500m wide atrium of the giant station building. Far up in the sky people climb the Busby Barclay staircase to where the trees move in the gentle breeze and the sunset. It's like the world has turned upside down. The heat, the jet lag and three days of constant physical exertion are taking their tole. 

Fast forward two hours...

Shinkansen? Sminkansen! It's dark and rainy outside. Parallax waltz once again but now that it's night it all looks a hell of a lot more Coruscant. Countless lights from five or six major cities glow and blur and trail past my peripheral vision. John sleeps and no doubt dreams of being a Samurai surrounded by Geishas. I realise an old Japanese gentleman is watching me and smiling as I win at Mahjong for the third consecutive time on my iphone. I have one of those out of the world moments where you feel like everything is slowed down around you.

Fast forward two hours...

We make it to Tokyo. Onto the subway with heavy bags. It takes nearly 30 minutes to figure out what line, what ticket and what platform and direction, but we do it without having to ask for help. I secretly feel quite proud of us. I get told off for not queuing correctly. I stare blankly at the in-train LCD TV display promoting the musical Wicked. Nice little animation of the Wicked Witch I think to myself. John, in bright pink with an armful of gangster tattoo is attracting some stares. I don't think he realises so I manouvre myself between him and the fucking skinny wired looking 40 something in the corduroy fishing hat. Please god don't freak out mister. JMT would say tiredness has induced delusional paranoia. Quite possibly.

Fast forward one hour...

We exit the taxi at Claska. How do we get in? I try the door of the pet grooming company in desperation. Nope that's definitely not the hotel. Eventually we make it to the check in. Hunger strikes. 7 Eleven to the rescue because there's fuck all else open round here at 11pm. We are grumpy Gaijin now.

Thought

At some point or another on a long distance trip you have to crash out. The longer you delay it the more deranged you become. It's a bit like being on drugs. Either way it made for a highly memorable introduction to Tokyo. I think secretly the city was looking out for us because in reality we passed through to our destination with ease.

Japanese TV

Groups of men and women of different ages are sitting behind a table. Host(s) are standing asking questions, leading the discussion. This is the dominant format.

TV advertising. Fast pace, different voice for voiceover for each main edit gives bulleted feel. Voices are chosen for maximum contrast e.g. little girl then deep voiced man. Often on sentence isn’t quite complete before next one starts. End frame typography is usually stunning. Set centrally with large border of whiter space. Everything has a jingle.

TV news always man and women. Man leads. Women constantly nodding and saying ‘hi’ in agreement with what he’s saying.

Sun, 31 Aug '08 - How to wear traditional Japanese clothing

After climbing into tight white cotton breeches and a crewneck vest we take it in turns to be dressed by the junior costumier. First a three-quarter length unbleached cheesecloth tunic top secured at the waste with a self-fabric tie. 

Over this goes a long wide sleeved kimono (embroidered with round linear maze motifs). The kimono material is shot ‘silk’ and is lined in a contrasting colour. Our dresser ties the kimono at the waist with a brightly coloured wide belt or Obi. 

Finally one climbs into a lustrous grey pleated skirt, again tied at the waist, over the obi, in a ceremonial bow. Add to this black socks separated at the big toe (called tabi), and block wooden sandals or 'geta'… It’s hot wearing all these layers. The shoes prevent extreme or fast movement. The tightness at the waist and multiple layers around the legs force one to adopt a slow upright formality. We are given two samurai swords each (one full sized, the other a little shorter and dagger like). 

After our studio photoshoot (comprising full length formal pose with long sword and action shot close up), we head onto the streets of Gion (Kyoto’s oldest quarter). 

We are instantly surrounded by Japanese people. We do our best to look distinguished and not laugh. John folds his arms across his chest and some of them catch a glimpse of his tattoo. I growl at a young Japanese girl who’s photographing me furiously. She looks frightened for a split second then giggles. This feels amazing. These costumes still hold an intimidatory power for the Japanese (even when being worn by two tired and sweaty gaijans). Anyway spend as long as we can posing on among the ancient buildings and traditional craft boutiques. Only our impending Shinkanzen to Tokyo forces us to deshabille.

Thought
Traditional Japanesze forms still have incredible power. Traditional Japanese male costume does include a number of items that are associated to women’s clothing in the west (such as the pleated skirt) but when being worn and when seen as a whole they do not feel feminine. This clothing is deliberately styled to influence the posture and impress and intimidate onlookers in equal measure. It is an incredibly beautiful vision of formal masculinity.

Sun, 31 Aug '08 - Kyoto royal palace and gardens

A formal layout. The large wall gives sense of power. Designed to keep out the unwanted… But these are not the most massive defences… just enough to keep the interior remote and private. 

Alarm tested. Fully operational.

Thought

Nature and formal classicism go well together

Sun, 31 Aug '08 - The Jokenkaku Museum

“The Museum's purpose is to promote an understanding of Zen culture, to exhibit, conserve and repair works of art and literature, and to undertake research”.

Combination of modern and traditional as seen in the architecture – traditional shapes modern materials – a kind of modern zen. The ‘zen-sense’ can be caputured just as well in modern materials. Can the zen-sense be captured in other ways?

Sun, 31 Aug '08 - Kyoto at night

Kyoto at night is a dramatic contrast - the modern quarters with grand boulevards full of light and hustle 'n bustle, and then Gion the oldest part of the city with it's dimly lit narrow streets, an atmospheric maze of mysterious old wooden buildings, and very little to orientate the non Japanese speaking visitor.

We encounter a couple of Geishas, they are beautiful, and scurry quickly between private residences and invitation only establishments. And we encounter the Geisha-crazed photographers who hang paparazzi-like on street corners, photographing them whenever they can and without asking permission. They may as well carry giant butterfly nets. There's something unsavory about those guys. In this light their flash bulbs hurt my eyes.

We find the only restaurant in Gion with English menus but arrive too late. We are instantly ushered out and escorted away from the lovely old town. We have no idea where we're being taken. Our usher speaks no English. Extreme hunger compels us to go completely against our street-wise instincts. We keep following and are lead across main street into an area clearly aimed at Westerners and anyone else looking to pick up a whore or two. 

It is a disappointing experience. Are we being stereotyped? Is our usher just trying to find us some good food? We end up in a thoroughly safe dull little restaurant, where the staff adore bland 80s MOR. The food however is delicious.

Thought

How radically different our experience would have been if we had ventured out an hour earlier and had been able to speak at least O-Level Japanese. It can be very frustrating to be an outsider in Japan. Much of what seems to be quintessentially Japanese is accessible only by those with an invitation. I hope our guides can help us more on this. We crave the authentic experience and be as respectful as we can but we will always be Gaijin.

Sun, 31 Aug '08 - Ginkaku-ji, the Silver Temple

The Shôkoku-ji monks have worked with nature to form a heightened beauty where man’s influence is almost indiscernible – careful placement and pruning of plants… everything feels somehow more precious and special. The sense of tradition is strong. Life here moves at a slower pace. The time frame for the growth of a tree, or the slow shaping of a rock by flowing water. It is almost the sense of being transported out of time. Thought is instant. Finding the thought could take an eternity. Strange mix of instant and infinite. Ancient but the idea behind it’s design doesn’t feel dated it is a timeless design.

The whole garden is like a piece of art, a massive painting that you can walk thought with perfect views in every direction.

The inclusion of the sand sculptural elements is something else – they symbolise contemplation, conceptual abstract thought. They are deliberate and mysterious. They have an artistic quality. They are questions not answers. The giant sand Mount Fuji is meant to be contemplated in moonlight. Beautifully gnarled trees are given crutches like beloved old family members.

Thought

Such perfection is not easily attained. It takes many generations and evolves slowly over time. Japan is one of the few places where this thoughtful and unhurried approach is still valued. Our guide in Tokyo later tells us of the recent  surge of interest from Japanese youth in traditional craft forms. 

Sat, 30 Aug '08 - Gion and a traditional food

Almost at random we stumble into a typical garden in old Gion. Through the garden our guide leads us to wood and paper sliding doors. In. Shoes off. Up three steps. Turn left and along the corridor to a 3.5 tatami mat private dinging room (we have learned room sizes are measured in mats).

This place is the real deal, not truly ancient but truly Gion locals only. In the room down the corridor six older gentlemen have their lunch. I hope our appearance hasn't spoilt their vibe. They go quiet as I pass. 

The top of the doorway is at my shoulder height. John's shoulders are wider than the hallway corridor. We sit on cushions on the floor at the low table and order Asahi and a traditional lunch. We are of course given a food etiquette lesson. After the delicious dinner of Don Buri and Tempura, I recline a little, desperate to use JMT as a prop. If this were a loony tunes cartoon he'd have turned into a comfy cushion right about now. Instead I listen to our guide talk about the seasons, the fabrication of the building and how he intends to take us deep into the oldest part of old Kyoto.

Sat, 30 Aug '08 - Temple shopping at Kiyomizu-dera

Temple shopping; tat, fans and silly hats. Japan is not immune from the scourge of tacky souvenirs, but look closer and you can find some really beautiful things. Daruma winks at me so I pick him up (John gets three). Graphic fans, hmmm OK, stylish and practical. Incense, yes please. Kimonos and cloggy sandals by the rack-full. Swords, slime cake, postcards and teas... not today thanks, but best of all are the blow-the-budget ceramics. 

Sat, 30 Aug '08 - Kiyomizu-dera

Otowa-san Kiyomizu-dera (音羽山清水寺) is a Buddhist Temple and Unesco World Heritage site in Eastern Kyoto. The temple belongs to the Tendai sect of Japanese Buddhism. It is one of the oldest and most famous temples in the city, with commanding views over the tree tops to Kyoto. Sadly this makes it an incredibly popular tourist destination. Be prepared to get there for 6 am if you want to avoid the crowds.

At the top of a big stone staircase, atop a very big hill, a large wooden building built on stilts. Over time it has settled and sagged into a comfortable robust slump (there is not one nail used in the whole temple). Kiyomizu means pure water, clear water, and water is very important here. There is a waterfall. People take the waters as a cure-all. The gardens are impressive with many terraces linked by leafy stone stairs. Everything clings to the side of the hill...

Thought

The elements are worshipped here because they're power to foster and destroy life is understood and respected.

Sat, 30 Aug '08 - Sanjūsangen-dō

For these two severely jetlagged visitors the calming effect of this temple was instant: As expected the atmosphere is hushed and reverential. I detect a sense of purpose although I can’t put a name to it… something focused, a kind of simplicity. After a minute or two this ambience is infusing me. It is an initially calming place.

As we move through the entrance hall and into the oldest part of the temple I turn a corner and am overwhelmed by the sheer number of gold statues or ‘Kannon’. The simple geometry of the architecture creates a dramatic perspective along the length of the building, which leads my eye along the display. This is the moment where I first appreciate the power of ancient Japan.

The 1000 Kannon seem to emphasise stillness and contemplation, and although each one is unique the differences are subtle. In stark contrast, the blackened sculptures in the foreground are carved to suggest movement and feature complex poses and animated expressions. All too easily I imagine them coming to life. Each one has a story and personifies a tenet. I feel their glassy eyes challenge me directly.

I want to list the components parts of this experience so as to understand this feeling:

Shoes off – you can feel more texture through the soles of your feet – through the soles of your feel..? Somehow it’s transmitted up through you.

The age, design and materials of physical surroundings are unlike any modern building.

The smell of incense builds as you move forward. It’s a bit dusty. You can see smoke trails rising. Sounds are muffled. Light is diffused through gridded paper screens. There is no

artificial light. There are many shadows.

We move silently. At one point I need to hang on to John for a second. I feel a bit floaty with the perfume and the tiredness and the voices speaking languages I don’t understand.

The fabric of the building is wooden and looks incredibly strong. The relationship of scale to my body has an effect in itself. I measure each post and beam against the girth of my own frame.

All of my senses are stimulated in an enjoyable and harmonious manner. But it’s not with out its edge. I don’t understand everything and I’m ‘intuiting’ a percentage of what’s going on. This all combines to form a powerful feeling that dominates you in that moment, and lingers with you afterwards.

Post script

Umm... and then there's the Coke benches positioned within the spiritual compound and offering prime views of the temple. We joke about finding a McDonalds in the little Shinto temple that's hidden away in the corner... Our guide explains that Japan's religious tolerance and modern cultural openness sometimes have a downside... 

Fri, 29 Aug '08 - First impressions of Kyoto

The Kyoto tower in bright blue and orange stands above illuminated Kanji text that constantly moves. It's an unexpectedly futuristic view of the city of 2000 temples. I stare from the floor to ceiling glass window for best part of five minutes watching to see the animating ads loop, but I can't see the join...

The next morning the Kyoto Police band plays at the entrance of our hotel. They sound incredible and look superb in crisp white dress uniforms. A crowd looks on entranced by their perfect rendition of swinging standards from the 1940s and 50s. We applaud loudly but are sad to discover we’ve missed the majorettes.

For the first time we look back at the giant post modern building built over the train station within which our hotel resides. It's totally unlike anything else in the city and was designed by an artist, Hiroshi Hara. It is itself an excellent example of traditional meets contemporary Japan... and also contains the bus station, subway hub, shopping mall, restaurants, bars and clubs, and the Sky Plaza which is basically a park on the roof accessible from a giant staircase that begins from the 10th floor in the huge atrium.

Thought

Hiroshi Hara's building is not without it's detractors. Not everyone in Japan is comfortable with such an enormous and futuristic design statement. Perhaps it's just not that great to look at in places. The fact that a project of this scale was completed and is used by thousands of people every day does prove that Japan is a country where visions can be made real and can work.

Fri, 29 Aug '08 - Atomic bomb hypocentre and peace memorial park

Before our Shinkansen to Kyoto we have a few hours spare. We head into the centre of Hiroshima on a tram to pay respect at the memorial to the events of Monday August 6th 1945.

The emphasis here is on peace and reconciliation. We witness the preserved Genbaku Dome, which stands as if it was incinerated only yesterday. It's an incredibly moving experience. I have to turn away glassy eyed, unable to fully comprehend the deaths of 140,000 people in a split second. 

From here we stagger on to the island in the river and enter the park that forms the modern part of the peace monument. We pause for a moment next to the ceremonial flame and read that it will only be extinguished once all nuclear weapons are decommissioned. 

This beautifully abstract and formally designed garden is full of hope for the future. It starts to rain but we don't feel it. We just stare at the ripples in the giant pond mesmerized, exhausted by the heat and overwhelemed by everything we've seen today.

After this the bullet train to Kyoto is an oasis of air conditioned comfort.

Thought

Japan's post-war success goes to show the mettle of this nation, and how people can change over time for the better.

Fri, 29 Aug '08 - Mazda production line

Mazda's HQ is in Mukinada, Hiroshima, and is a small part of a vast Bond villian style complex. 

Don't believe me? Take a look at the facts...

It has it's own power station, it's own deep channel container port, not one but five private fire stations, a huge private bridge and multiple roads, plus it's own college. Frankly I wouldn't have been surprised if the ground had split and opened on mechanised armatures to reveal a space shuttle launch pad.

There are two production lines, each one producing four different models. Together they roll out 1000 vehicles per day. The factory is in operation 24 hours a day. 

Therefore; we estimate the following work rate per production line employee:
1000 vehicles per factory, per day
500 vehicles per line, per day 

250 vehicles every 12 hours

20 vehicles per hour (approximately)
10 vehicles roll out every 30 mins
5 every 15 mins
1 every 3 mins

So, assuming the same task is completed once per vehicle, each task on the production line takes on average 3 minutes to complete.

From a raised gantry we observe each 'station' along the trimshop section of the production line. Between working on vehicles each worker cleans and 'reloads' their station. It seems that Japanese workers are not only highly skilled but they take great pride in what they do. 

Mazda has found that each worker remains more engaged when they have four models to work on (rather than just one), and that higher engagement levels boost morale and quality. It is also testament to the work force's ability to multitask across products. 

Each of the four models appears in rotation on the production line so they never do the same task twice in a row.

We notice large-scale framed reproductions of classical fine art (supposedly to brighten the working environment). The factory is a noisy place, and not as 100% spotless as you might think. 

There are robots at key points along the production line. We observe one robot engaged in the task of fitting the glazing to the vehicles (Robot Glazing Cell). It looks like a giant mechanised calligrapher. First dipping it's nozzle into a pot of hot black sealant, then gracefully inking the rim of the glass with laser guided precision. 

The glass is then lifted and rotated for insertion into the body shell. It's quite revealing that robots are used for this kind of work as modern car glazing is often sited as one of the significant recent innovations in vehicle manufacture.

That sealant the robot applies so carefully attaches the glass to the body but also forms the rain gutter around those elegant frameless windows.

Thought

Mass production of cars is awe inspiring in it's complexity. The production line is an incredibly intricate series of interdependent systems and routines. Supplies appear on automatic platforms that raise up just-in-time from a subterranean level, empty containers descend in their place. It's beautifully coordinated. One can only imagine what would happen if someone made a mistake... the whole thing would grind to a halt.

The robots are mesmerizing. They are used for high risk, high value, highly skilled tasks.