japanese design: sidewalk braille

I can't help but share this uber-efficient tool for the blind uncovered by the radio show, Studio 360, on its current trip to Japan.  While walking at night in my neighborhood is indeed treacherous due to a sprinkling of buckled sidewalks and potholes, even those who can't see fare well on Tokyo's sidewalks from the handy braille pathways lining walkways there.

The Studio 360 blog has a few more Japanese design uncoverings (and coverings like intricate, elegant manhole covers) worth peeking at, too.