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Flowers and magnetic markers in Nagano

Nagano is another prefecture where there has been a lot of automated driving experimentation announced recently. Especially of note is the Minami Alps Mura Hase roadside station, where tests are due to begin in Autumn 2017 along a 6.9km course up to the Senryusou resort hotel and back, using GPS and sensors (and hopefully some […]

Michinoeki as automated driving hubs in Southern Japan

As automated driving slowly becomes a reality, the regions of Japan are looking into adapting their infrastructure to support the arrival of this new form of mobility. One area of interest has been the Michinoeki, or “roadside stations”. This network was started up in 1991 by the MInistry of Land and Transport out of a […]

Automated Driving Tests in Okinawa

Let’s start our tour of the regions down in Okinawa, the southernmost prefecture of Japan. Last year I organized a family trip down to the islands of Ishigaki and Haterumajima far from the main Okinawan island of Okinawa Honto. On Haterumajima we rented a car to navigate the tiny island in the scorching heat so […]