“What did you do when you didn’t have your smartphone?” A shocking result when you go to your destination empty-handedprinting

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This may be a sudden question, but how would you have lived your life in an era without smartphones? Smartphones are now an indispensable part of everyday life. Many people would be in trouble if they didn’t have one at hand.

A smartphone that can search for information and communicate with others

A program answering such questions, “What did you do when you didn’t have a smartphone?”, aired on the afternoon of July 21st on the CBC-TBS network. It was produced by Hokkaido Broadcasting System.

The members of the idol group Nogizaka46 went out into the city to test this question. The test was to see if it was possible to get from the bank of a river overlooking Tokyo Skytree to a coffee shop in Asakusa. Of course, they did it without a smartphone.

The distance from the starting point to the destination is approximately 3.7 km, and the journey takes 43 minutes if you use the train and bus.

With a smartphone, you can check not only the distance to your destination and the time it will take, but also the route. This is because you can rely on smartphone services (apps) such as internet connection, website searches, and maps.

The program examines whether it is possible to reach a destination without using a smartphone. You cannot rely on smartphones, nor on apps such as Google Maps or transit directions.

In the test, there is a scene where they check the telephone number of the coffee shop that is their destination. The members who traveled empty-handed searched for a public telephone in the city, but they had a hard time finding one. This is because there has been a noticeable movement to reduce the number of public telephones recently due to the spread of mobile phones.

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By the way, the locations of public telephones can also be found on the websites published by NTT East (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone East) and NTT West (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone West), the map service “goo Maps” provided by NTT Resonant, and the disaster prevention map app “goo Disaster Prevention Map” (Android version/iOS version).

However, if you don’t have a smartphone and can’t access the Internet, like in this case, you can look for places like the following. However, please note that they may not apply 100% of the time.

Train stations, bus stops, terminals and surrounding areas

Parking areas and service areas on expressways/motorways

Prefectural offices/city/ward/town/village offices (including branch offices) and their surrounding areas

Large-scale housing complexes (apartments/condominiums) and their surrounding areas

Large hospitals and their surrounding areas

Places designated as evacuation shelters (schools, assembly halls, etc.) and their surrounding areas

Once you find a public phone, the next step is to make a phone call. As mentioned above, the program verification is done without a smartphone. Therefore, you cannot use a smartphone to call the coffee shop at your destination.

Public phone

The members find the telephone number information service “104”, but since they don’t have a notepad, they can’t even write down the number. If they had a smartphone, they could switch to speakerphone and record the phone number they got from the other party in a memo app, but if they can’t do that, they have no choice but to hold the receiver between their ear and shoulder and write down the phone number with paper and pen/pencil.

104 began as a telephone number information service in 1890. In 1989, it became possible to call 104 without an area code, provide a company name or address, and receive related telephone numbers. A telephone number information fee is charged for each information provided. On September 20, 2023, the service became free of charge when used from public phones.

In the days before smartphones and the Internet, conversations like, “Hey, call Ichireiyon and look up the number” were common, but NTT East and NTT West announced that they would end the service on July 19, 2024. The reason given was that the number of people using the service had been declining with the spread of the Internet. Not only will 104 be discontinued, but distribution of the booklet version of the occupational telephone directory “Town Pages” will also end at the end of March 2026.

Returning to the topic of the show, when I went from the bank to a coffee shop in Asakusa without a smartphone, it took me 4 hours and 9 minutes to get there, whereas it would have taken 43 minutes with a smartphone. Some people might be able to get there a little faster, but the results clearly show the importance of a smartphone.

After the program ended, I looked at X (formerly Twitter) and saw people revealing their own thoughts, such as “This is what I would do if I were in a situation where I didn’t have a smartphone,” along with the phrase “#What would you do if you didn’t have a smartphone.” At first glance, it may seem like just a program idea, but it’s important to take this opportunity to imagine situations where you can’t use your smartphone, such as in an earthquake disaster, and keep the wisdom of the past in the back of your mind.

The program not only examined whether it was possible to reach a destination without a smartphone, but also investigated what people did when conducting long-distance relationships and buying tickets in the days before smartphones.

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