On June 14, Tokyo’s new subway line, the “Fukutoshin” line opened to the public. This line added 7 new stations to the system, in addition to 9 existing stations, extending from the city of Wako in Saitama Prefecture to Shibuya in central Tokyo for a total of 20.2km (12.55mi) of track, of which 8.9km (5.53mi) was newly added. Taking the complete route would take about approximately 35 minutes. For foreigners, the letter “F” is used to identify the line and its stations.

In addition to a new subway line, Tokyo Metro continues its “manner campaign” to promote subway etiquette. The image below are the monthly promotions since the campaign started in April. Basically on the train you are advised not to put on make up, nor take more than one seat on board. In addition (and most importantly), you should not be using your mobile phone while on the train, and all phones should be on “manner” (vibrate) mode. If you are standing near the priority seat, your phone should be switched off. You will find that on Japanese trains most people read, play games or send SMS messages, but rarely do you actually see anyone talking on the phone, as it is truly frowned upon.

For those of you who use the Heathrow Express, you no longer need to retrieve tickets at the ticket machines. Starting May 31, you will be able to either print your ticket at home or in the office, or even better — send the ticket directly to your phone. The ticket will be in the form of a barcode that can be scanned by the staff onboard.

Also remember, it’s always cheaper to book your ticket online. You will save £1 (approximately US$2) on a standard one-way ticket.

In addition to the main furniture and accessories exhibition, the Salone del Mobile this year also offers the Eurocucina, which is the exhibition for the kitchen. It’s not just about the cabinetry, but also the technology and design behind it. One of which is the Porsche Design Kitchen P’7340, a collaboration between German furniture brand Poggen Pohl and Porsche Design for the men in the kitchen. The design itself is a modular system that is customizable. In addition to the aluminum and glass that is common with Porsche Design, a “no-handles” approach to the drawers gives the kitchen a cleaner look. With a simple push the drawers will open slowly. Did I mention that this kitchen “system” also comes with a high-tech audio system and with Miele appliances?

Behind the main hall, we find a tent that is called FTK (future technology for the kitchen). Inside there are quite a few conceptual models as well as new technology featured. I found this wall-mounted oven by Siemens that features an elevator-type opening that would simply make life much easier (at least for me) when using the oven.

Next door is the tent for Salone Satellite, the young designers exhibition. This year’s pool of designs have definitely surpassed that of last years. Here are a couple that is worthy of mention.

This spoon/fork combination is definitely very functional, you can remove the scoop part of the utensil and it’s a fork – and vice versa. Designed by Katja Bremkamp.

This cube 6. cube 3 series (pictured is cube 6) is a space-saving set of six stools that can be easily pulled out or stored. There’s not much more to it. Designed by Naho Matsuno.

More is coming. Stay tuned.