In 1967, the tactile blocks were first used near the Okayama School for the Blind. In 1975, the Japanese National Railways mandated the use of the Tenji block in all their platforms. It was during this time when the popularity of Miyake's invention took a soared through the roof.
In the 1990s, the United States and the United Kingdom both came to use the tactile blocks in their subway stations and crosswalks. London's Victoria and Albert Museum is holding a tile made by the manufacturer that Miyake founded in 1974. In 2016, the tiles were being made with a polyurethane material, as opposed to the first ones which were cast in cement.
Over the years, the color of the blocks became an issue at one point. The bright color helps those with partial vision impairment to see the paths formed by the times. However, designers would argue at how the color of the tiles stick out and disrupts the design of the space. In 2000, researchers have found out that the Tenji blocks can be a little bit darker in hue, and the partially sighted will still be able to see the path. This compromise became a solution for the design problem while still helping the partially sighted, serving its main purpose.
Nowadays, there are a number of patterns produces that are based on the "Tenji" tiles and are being used in different pavements. For bicycle lanes, the tiles serve as a reminder for bike riders to switch to their lane whenever they are on the wrong one. Corduroy tiles, as they call it, mark the bottom of staircases. Bar-patterned tiles are used in sidewalks to signal a safe path that pedestrians can take. Bus stops are marked with the use of lozenge-patterned tiles. Of course, the ones used in platform stations, known as "blister"-patterned tiles, identical to Miyake's design, indicate where the platform ends and the train begins.
