Travelers to Japan speak a variety of languages. That makes addressing their diverse needs challenging. Now, maid cafe At Home will deploy a new technology from a Japanese tech company that it hopes will bridge the gap, as well as provide support for its deaf customers.
The joint announcement from Infinia, which runs At Home, and Pixie Dust Technologies says the maid cafe chain will begin using Pixie Dust’s VUEVO Display, which uses machine learning to translate and text in around 100 languages. At Home will debut the device in Akihabara at their AKIBA CULTURE ZONE location in a test run from January 29th to March 31st.
Besides supporting foreign tourists who don’t speak a language shared by staff members, the devices – which visualize translations on a table display – can also support Japan’s deaf and hard-of-hearing population.
The release is timed to occur right before the Lunar New Year, when Chinese tourists are expected to travel to Japan in large numbers.
Japan hosts a diverse foreign tourist base, with the bulk of tourists coming from (in order) South Korea, China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and the United States. That’s left some businesses struggling to figure out how to accommodate serving tourists who speak multiple languages.
The increase in tourism to Japan shows no signs of abating. In November 2024, the country welcomed its largest number of tourists ever in a single month. Travel experts predict Japan will host 40 million tourists in 2025.
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