Railway stations color-copy photographed signs at construction sites. As the format of signs remain familiar, the solution seems much more friendly than a simple handwritten signs.
Iidabashi Station, Oedo Line. Similar solutions can be found at Tokyo stations, JR.
Recently, we had an opportunity to try out a coin locker in Harajuku station, which uses your mobile phone number as a means of identification. By dialing to the phone number displayed on the screen, the system records your number and locks and unlocks a box of your choice.
There's no explanation required, a time table accompanied by a clock.
At Wakamatsu-Kawada station, Oedo Line.
I had an opportunity to visit Nanjatown thanks to my British friend Chris' recommendation. Nanjatown is in essence an amusement park containing four unique theme parks: Dumpling Stadium, which collects dumplings (gyo-za, or jiao-zi in Chinese) from different parts of Japan, Ice Cream City, with hundreds of different ice creams and jelatos, Relaxation Forest, providing different massages from Thai to UK, and Tokyo Dessert Republic, offering desserts. The facility takes place across two separate floors inside a huge complex called Sunshine City in Ikebukuro.
The photo was taken in Dumpling Stadium, where they provided an atmosphere of Japan 50 years ago. People on wheelchairs and families with baby carts are provided with a special ticket which also serves as a key to open doors with limited access. Behind the door lies an elevator, hardly retro. A nice trick.
http://www.namja.jp/ (in Japanese)
One hassle for mom with kids is to go to a toilet while you are out. In facilities like department stores and museums, you are most likely to find multipurpose toilets which allows entry with wheelchairs and baby carts.
