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CYBATHLON Wheelchair Series in Japan

by Katrin Dorfschmid, 16.05.2019
The CYBATHLON Team (photo credit: CYBATHLON/ETH Zurich)

A story about social inclusion, construction work in socks, politeness and green tea.

Technology and innovation are very present in Japan – especially in Tokyo. ‘Western style’ toilets include a control panel and at least ten different functions (including one for playing music), just to name one example... It’s great to see that this enthusiasm for technology also applies to the field of assistive technology, to promote the social inclusion of people with disabilities. This is what brought us, the CYBATHLON organizing committee, to Kawasaki in the greater Tokyo area. Together with the local organizing committee and the Swiss Embassy, we carried out the first ever CYBATHLON Series in the discipline “Powered Wheelchair Race”. We were very lucky to have local support for this endeavor – because there are quite some cultural differences… Let me share some of my personal observations.

It’s not that Swiss people are rude, but to me the politeness in Japan is on another level. Underpinned by repeated bowing accompanied by a “hai” (meaning yes), no one ever gave me the impression that something is not possible. And yes, it’s true, you hand over your business card with both hands and honor the one you receive by reading it attentively (even if you can’t decipher the Japanese characters). I liked this and other small gestures of appreciation I witnessed on a daily basis.
Photo credit: CYBATHLON/ETH Zurich
Photo credit: CYBATHLON/ETH Zurich
Photo credit: CYBATHLON/ETH Zurich
This restraint does not mean I did not experience passion, big emotions and competitiveness when it came to the competition. The five Japanese teams who competed in the powered wheelchair race along with teams from Hong Kong, Russia and Switzerland were all very ambitious and excited to showcase their technology to a broader public. In particular, team Fortississimo of the local Keio University was supported by a vociferous fan base, and their joy when finishing the race was touching and contagious.
Photo credit: ETH Zurich/Takao Ochi
Photo credit: ETH Zurich/Takao Ochi
Photo credit: ETH Zurich/Takao Ochi
Photo credit: ETH Zurich/Takao Ochi
Photo credit: ETH Zurich/Takao Ochi
Photo credit: ETH Zurich/Takao Ochi
Another thing I noticed is the overall patience and tranquility of the Japanese. Things go fast, but are never hasty. Even if half a million pedestrians cross the famous Shibuya crossing each day, there is no commotion. Not to mention that I did not see any Japanese person ever disregard a red light, or not giving precedence to people getting off a train.
Photo Credit: ETH Zurich/Katrin Dorfschmid
Photo Credit: ETH Zurich/Katrin Dorfschmid
Photo Credit: ETH Zurich/Katrin Dorfschmid
When we first came to the event venue for the set-up of the competition infrastructure, I found these observations were also reflected in the way people work. No loud talking, fast but never rushed building up – without shoes to avoid any damage to the sparkling clean parquet floor.
http://blogs.ethz.ch/ETHambassadors/files/2019/05/Timelapse_Wheelchair_Series_Japan_Building_up.mp4
The same was true for the big competition day: photographers waiting patiently for their turn to access the competition field, complying with the rules about maintaining distance to the racetracks. Journalists never cut or interrupted anyone during the press conference.
Photo Credit: ETH Zurich/Katrin Dorfschmid
Photo Credit: ETH Zurich/Katrin Dorfschmid
Photo Credit: ETH Zurich/Katrin Dorfschmid
And then there was the green tea! This might be not the most profound observation, and there are plenty of other culinary highlights in Japan that would be more worthy writing about… But the fact that in every convenience store at least one big fridge is reserved for a broad range of green, matcha and oolong tea definitely helped me to stay hydrated and cope with some of our short nights. In addition, in case drinking tea was not enough, you could find almost every kind of food imaginable with green tea flavor.
The CYBATHLON Wheelchair Series showed impressively that no matter the cultural background, this competition really works as an accelerator for the development of useful assistive technology. The competition also united people of different backgrounds sharing a vision of a more inclusive society. As Ivan Nevzorov, team manager of the Russian Team Caterwil, said: “No matter who crosses the finish line first – we are all winners.”
Photo credit: CYBATHLON/ETH Zurich
In short, I am happy to contribute every day to “moving people and technology” by being part of a great team – a group of passionate and hard-working colleagues, who are as polite and calm as our Japanese colleagues are. Well, at least most of the time…
More about the CYBATHLON Wheelchair Series in Japan
Read More

About the author

Katrin Dorfschmid is the head of communications for CYBATHLON – a unique competition in which people with physical disabilities compete against each other to complete everyday tasks using state-of-the-art technical assistance systems. She’s passionate about explaining not only the competition but also the underlying goals and promoting dialogue with the public about chances and limitations of technical assistance systems.

Prior to her engagement at the ETH Zurich, she has worked as a spokesperson in the fair trade and sustainability sector, as communications consultant and journalist.
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