The theme of robots often comes up in conversation when I’m talking about modern-day Japan to visitors who come to Tokyo. Anyone from abroad living in Japan will know that the country is far fron modern in many aspects but the image for most visitors is of a futuristic place full of the latest tecnological advances. That may be true for toilets and robots but definitely not for the likes of admin, cash-only stores and info-overloaded websites! Some say that Japan has been living in the year 2000 since 1980!

Earlier this month I was reunited with my friend Ruth and her family for the first time since visiting them briefly in Australia in March 2019. After a look around Yanaka Ginza  and sushi for lunch in Akihabara, we walked on to a robot cafe in Nihombashi which I was completely unaware of but Ruth’s husband knew about and wanted to see.

Within about 15 minutes we were at Dawn Avatar Robot Cafe which is located on the corner of a busy intersection very close to Shin-Nihombashi station. We walked in and were greeted by a mix of robot and human staff who took our drink orders before we took our seats.

The prices were a little high but to be expected I guess as it’s not like you go to such a place for the actual drinks! It’s all about supporting the cause and the concept. This cafe is about inclusion for all by giving employment opportunities to those with disabilities who work remotely and get to actively feel like they’re part of society, and gain more independence via interactions with the many visitors from around the world who are coming to Japan these days.

It’s quite a spacious and stylish looking cafe with some basic chairs and tables amidst cool artwork, plants and fine wooden architecture.

Without too much knowledge beforehand, it took us a while to get accustomed to the idea of robots moving around the place which speak to you via the remote staff known as pilots. We were still getting settled when the first voice came from somewhere and we probably came across as quite rude to him as he got ignored. I felt bad about that for a while after.

We didn’t make the same mistake the next time a pilot approached us and we tried to engage in the chat which is never too easy due to a mix of audio volume problems, time-delay, many people talking at once and grading your language for speaking to someone who isn’t talking in their mother-tongue. As a veteran teacher in this country the latter is hopefully not such a problem for me!

The tablets display the name and information about the pilot regarding their disability and condition. Our pilot’s heart stopped a couple of years ago due to angina. She was from Hiroshima so we had a connection there as it’s a place I’ve been to many, many times as it’s where my wife’s family live.

After some chat, the kids played a game or two which was basically a couple of ‘Spot the difference’ activities where you describe the differences rather than circling them on the tablet which is what we were all trying to do at first!

In hindsight, I wish I’d been able to talk to the pilots in a deeper way but that’s not easy in a public setting due to some technical problems and my lack of preparation for such a place.

All-in-all it can be quite a chaotic place but amidst the robots and technology involved there is a real strong feeling of human connection, and for that reason the concept of this cafe is a valid one worthy of an hour or two.

• Dawn Avatar Robot Cafe is located at 3-8-3 Nihonbashihoncho, Chuo-ku, Tokyo. It’s open from 11:00 am everyday except Thursdays when it’s closed.

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