Current location:sport >>
VOX POPULI: Time to end the excessive pursuit of convenience with deliveries
sport247People have gathered around
IntroductionUntil about 40 years ago, it was a daily task of rookie reporters at The Asahi Shimbun’s local branc ...
Until about 40 years ago, it was a daily task of rookie reporters at The Asahi Shimbun’s local branch offices to take turns going to the train station, carrying a bag of their colleagues’ handwritten articles and black-and-white developed photos.
The bag would be deposited at the station’s dedicated counter to be transported by night train to the head office where the articles would be typeset.
This process was called “genko bin,” which translates as something like “article shipping.”
One of my superiors recalled fondly, “We were supposed to take turns according to our daily duty roster, but I was made to do it every day because I was at the bottom of the totem pole.”
My superior was young then and society itself must have been young, too.
Various parts of the nation were connected by rail to enable the movement of goods. For a long time since the end of World War II, rail transport played the central role in logistics.
But in 1986, the rapid growth of parcel delivery trucking services caused the trains specializing in the transport of items and luggage to be decommissioned.
I have brought up these old stories because I recently came across the expression “modal shift” in The Asahi Shimbun.
New overtime regulations for truck drivers went into effect on April 1, putting an end to their traditional style of work. The idea of a modal shift is to switch from trucking to rail and sea transport.
Come to think of it, this is no big deal—we’ll just be going back to the old genko bin days.
I suppose the issue now is how best to rectify the problems that we’ve created in the course of our pursuit of convenience.
If we are no longer able to live without the conveniences we’ve become accustomed to, then we’ll just have to do the obvious: Pay a fair price for the meticulous service we expect to get, so that delivery workers will receive higher wages.
There are people driving their vehicles at midnight and then sweating as they run up the stairs to meet the package delivery deadline, making sure they are punctual to the second.
You are looking at only one side of the situation if you believe that just one click is all it takes to get your order delivered to your door within the day.
--The Asahi Shimbun, April 3
* *
*Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.
Tags:
Reprint:Friends are welcome to share on the Internet, but please indicate the source of the article when reprinting it.“International Image news portal”。http://burkinafaso.whychurchofchrist.com/article-46a199946.html
Related articles
China ready to strengthen high
sportChina is willing to strengthen high-level exchanges with France, give play to the leading role of he ...
【sport】
Read moreChinese court sentences Australian Yang Hengjun to death with two
sportBy Tom Crowley and Stephen Dziedzic, for ABCChinese-Australian writer Yang Hengjun attends a lecture ...
【sport】
Read moreGreek vessel hit by missile in Red Sea attack
sportBy Kathryn Armstrong, BBC NewsLoaded containers stacked on top of a cargo ship in sigle fine sailing ...
【sport】
Read more
Popular articles
- Jason Kelce will join ESPN’s 'Monday Night Countdown,' AP source says
- Christopher Luxon, Anthony Albanese to discuss defence and security at first official meeting
- Water meter charges planned for Masterton
- Coalition urges Apple to call out Vietnam’s persecution of climate activists — Radio Free Asia
- Sue Bird says joining ownership group of the Seattle Storm felt inevitable
- In China, a factory is turning old wedding photographs into fuel
Latest articles
Two more people sentenced for carjacking and kidnapping an FBI employee in South Dakota
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters to resume 'Pacific reset' plan again
TikTok users losing access to Taylor Swift, Billie Eilish songs
NASA's historic Mars helicopter Ingenuity grounded for good after 72 flights
Serbia's new government to include US
Ethnic army seizes city on Myanmar
LINKS
- NY DA 'so sorry' for cursing at officer who tried to ticket her
- Jason Kelce will join ESPN’s 'Monday Night Countdown,' AP source says
- University of Arizona student shot to death at off
- Historic woods turned into 'desolate wasteland' by fly
- Zebras get loose near highway exit, gallop into Washington community before most are corralled
- IMF approves immediate release of final $1.1 billion tranche of $3 billion bailout to Pakistan
- King and Queen jet back to London for public
- Raiders expected to sign ex
- This summer, John Krasinski makes one for the kids with the imaginary friend fantasy ‘IF’
- Conservative states challenge federal rule on treatment of transgender students