Today is our second day at the very busy FC EXPO in Japan.  The organizers estimated about 8,000 attendees yesterday just for the fuel cell portion of the show, but there are many more for the concurrent PV/Solar and Battery expos.  One great thing they do at this event is to combine the floors and halls for all of the concurrent shows.  Attendees are allowed to wander thoughout all of them for no charge, which gives the fuel cell exhibitors a much larger audience (estimated at 27,000 for yesterday), as well as ensuring we are not simply “preaching to the choir.”  We had several good discussions with attendees who came for the solar show, but were also interested in fuel cells. 

In our travels through Tokyo, we have noticed that fuel cells seem to be more recognized than we are used to in the US.  There are even stamps you can purchase at the post offices with fuel cells on them.  Commercials for a residential system called Ene-Farm play on the subway trains, and people we have talked to on the streets have recognized the name.  We rode a fuel cell bus over the the conference center this morning, and the other passengers seemed to be impressed. 

We are taking lots of pictures and will upload a few soon, but meanwhile, please take a look at the next post, which is a more informational update on what we have learned while at the show.  Arigato!