A Japanese invention that guides the world

March 18th is the anniversary of braille blocks in Japan; Braille Block Day 点字ブロックの日 (tenji block no hi) . On this day, March 18th, in  1967, the world's first tactile paving was installed in Okayama Prefecture. 

Braille blocks, aka tactile paving, was one of the first things I noticed when I came to Japan. I had never seen so much continuous tactile paving in any other country before. Even to this day, although it has become more common, Japan remains the gold standard of tactile paving. And although I don't have statistics to back it up, I am fairly confident in saying that Japan probably has the most tactile paving in the world.

Tactile paving / braille block was created to support safe mobility for people with visual impairments. The day encourages everyone to recognize their importance, protect them from obstruction, and appreciate this influential Japanese invention.