When tourists visit new places, they often seek the most popular landmarks and have their picture taken near them to prove they made the journey. What if someone flipped that idea on its head: Instead of locating the most well-known landmarks, find the least well-known and bring it to people's attention.
Reddit user "Etegamiguy," who lives in Japan, filmed a short video of himself at one of the country's least-known tourist destinations: what he refers to as the world's shortest escalator. We contacted the Guinness World Records team, and it confirmed that it is indeed the shortest escalator in the world. The record-breaking set of mechanical stairs is located in the basement of More's department store in Kawasaki, Japan.
In the video, Etegamiguy tells viewers how to find the escalator, which he says is near the store's parking garage. People who make their way to the escalator will notice that on the other side of the glass is a set of regular steps, five to be exact. Etegamiguy says the vertical rise of the escalator is only 32.8 inches. As he rides the escalator down, he gives the thumbs-up sign and describes the escalator as a "thing of beauty and magnificence." He adds that he rode the escalator seven times and calls it a "glorious experience." He advises viewers to check out the escalator if they're ever in the area, saying it's worth their time.
His video has more than 430,000 views so far, and after being voted up to the front page of Reddit, it's gaining even more attention. The comments in general are sarcastic. Some question how lazy someone would have to be to not take the stairs to cover such a short distance. YouTube viewer Steviefin wants to see more of these videos, asking, "Could you please create a travel series where you visit semi-interesting locations and your commentary would be over-ecstatic?"
Not sure what Etegamiguy's next find will be, but one thing's for sure: He may have found his new calling.
[Related: Could 2013 be the year Japan's economy turns around?]
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