Posted by podcast on 2012年5月19日 – 10:40 AM
On this week’s Tokyo City Information, we’re going to tell you about Tokyo’s cycling campaign followed by information on free consultation services for foreign residents.
During the month of May, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government is holding its safe cycling campaign to help Tokyo residents learn more about the bicycle rules of the road. To stay safe on your bicycle, please follow these five rules: First, ride in car lanes when possible, and use sidewalks only when you absolutely have to. Second, always keep to the left side of the street. Third, when you do ride on sidewalks, give pedestrians the right of way and stay on the side closest to the street. Fourth, obey all safety rules. Never drink and ride or ride two to a bike; always ride in single file and turn on your light after dusk. Stop at all red lights and stop signs to make sure the roads are safe to cross. And fifth, make sure children wear their helmets when they ride. Bicycle riders are not allowed to ride while holding umbrellas or other objects that block their vision. Talking on your mobile phone and looking at its screen and even using earphones or headphones is against the law. Bicycles are vehicles just like cars and motorcycles, please obey the rules of the road, be polite to pedestrians and stay safe!
On Saturday, May 26th, the Musashino International Association is offering free professional consultation services to foreigners in their native languages. If you need advice from a lawyer and psychiatrist, this is a chance to get it. These experts can provide advice on visa and residence problems, international marriage or divorce, labor problems and mental health issues. Interpreters will be available for English, Chinese, Korean, Russian, Tagalog, Spanish and more. Consultation hours are from 2:30 p.m. to 4:30p.m. on Saturday, May26th, on the 10th floor of Swing Building. To get there, take the JR Chuo Line and get off at Musashi-sakai station. It’s one minute walk from the North Exit. Reservations are not required, and all consultations will be kept in strictest confidence. For more information call Musashino International Association (MIA) at 0422-56-2922.
Posted by podcast on 2012年5月12日 – 10:38 AM
This week on Tokyo City Information, we have an update on the information available to foreign residents in case of disaster, followed by a rose festival at Jindai Botanical gardens. A Tokyo government council on local internationalization measures, with both Japanese and foreign members, has examined the March 11 disaster to see what information foreign residents needed most and how they got hold of it. Now the council has released a report on its findings. Many of Tokyo’s foreign residents experienced their first major earthquake on March 11 last year, causing them to panic. Many of them also reported confusion when the transportation systems stopped and they could not understand the announcements. Most foreigners who were surveyed got information about the disaster from TV and the Internet, and many of them used Twitter or Facebook to let their families know they were safe. Tokyo plans to learn from the findings in this report and pursue the following:
• First, to prepare educational materials in simple Japanese to share information as widely as possible.
• Second, to broadcast video materials on the Internet and in places where foreigners gather to get them the information they need.
• Third, to use social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook to connect with foreign residents.
• Fourth, to use multilingual volunteers to translate information posted to Twitter and interpret at disaster preparation drills.
• And lastly, to promote broader participation in events where people can learn about disaster preparedness.
The Jindai Botanical Gardens is currently holding its annual Spring Rose Festival. The gardens will be lit up and special concerts will take place every weekend until Sunday, May 27th. The illumination begins around sundown on Saturday and Sunday and the music concert starts at 2 o’clock and 5 o’clock each Sunday. Normal hours at the gardens are from 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., but the park will be open from 8 a.m. until 8 p.m. on the weekends with the illumination and concerts. Admission is just 500 yen for adults. To get to the park, take a bus from Mitaka or Kichijoji station on the Chuo Line, or Chofu station on the Keio Line, and get off at Jindai Shokubutsu Koen Mae.
Posted by podcast on 2012年5月5日 – 10:00 AM
This week on Tokyo City Information we have information for the Tokyo Minato Festival, followed by news on a reasonable “ticket set” to get you from Narita Airport to anywhere in central Tokyo.
The popular Tokyo Minato Festival is coming up on the weekend of May 12th and 13th at the Harumi bayside area. This is the 64th festival, and there are plenty of exciting and enjoyable events for the whole family. Around the Harumi Passenger Ship Terminal, you’ll be able to see some unusual ships, including the Kairyu, a dredging vessel that keeps Tokyo’s shipping lanes safe. You can’t usually see the insides of a working vessel like this, but it will be opened to the public. There will also be firefighting demonstrations by fire ships and helicopters, rides in a hot-air balloon, a flea market, and a chance to go inside a refrigerated shipping container. To get to the Harumi Passenger Ship Terminal, take the No. 05 Toei bus from the South Marunouchi exit at Tokyo Station, Yurakucho Station, Ginza Yon-chome, or Kachidoki and get off at the last stop, Harumi Futo Yuki. There will also be a free shuttle ferry to take you from the Hinode Pier to Harumi! Admission is free, so don’t miss out! For details, please check http://www.tokyoport.or.jp/minato64/
The “Tokyo Welcome Set,” or the Urban Central Area Access & Subway Common One-day Ticket, went on sale on Monday, April 23rd. This ticket will allow you to get from Narita Airport to anywhere in central Tokyo easier than ever before! The Tokyo Welcome Set includes a one-way ticket to take you from Narita Airport or Airport Terminal 2 station to Keisei Ueno or Oshiage station on the Keisei lines. From there, you can use all of the Tokyo Metro and Toei subway lines for one full day. Tourists can use this “ticket set” to make the most of their first day in the city. The Tokyo Welcome Set is available at the ticket windows at the Keisei stations for Narita Airport and Airport Terminal 2, as well as at the ticket counters inside the No. 1 and No. 2 terminals at Narita. Adult ticket prices range from 1,950 yen to 2,200 yen. The tickets are good on the day of purchase only.
Posted by podcast on 2012年4月28日 – 10:25 AM
This week on Tokyo City Information, we’ve got some announcements for people who are staying in the city for the Golden Week holidays. On May 5th and 6th, right in the middle of the holidays, the Tokyo Hotaru Festival will take place along the banks of the Sumida River, right near the Tokyo Sky Tree. This festival’s main event will see a fantastic artistic installation involving 100,000 LED balls floating down the Sumida River just as the Sky Tree lights come on to light up the night sky. Saturday, March 5th, is Children’s Day. To mark this holiday, there will be special events for parents and kids to create art together, as well as a kids’ parade and an illuminated, sacred shrine procession after dark. You’ll be able to spend some leisurely time along the banks of the river enjoying the market, riverside café, beer garden, and live performances. Don’t miss it! The Tokyo Hotaru Festival takes place on Saturday, May 5th, from 10:00 to 8:00 and Sunday the 6th from 10:00 to 9:00 in the evening. The location is the terrace along the Sumida River between Kototoi and Azuma Bridges, as well as in Sumida Park in Taito City. Detailed information is available on the official website at tokyo-hotaru.jp
The Tokyo Metropolitan Government is inviting youth players up to age 14, who will be the future of the sport, to take part in its fifth Youth Soccer Tournament. A total of 16 teams are gathering from 13 cities around the world—everywhere from San Paolo to London. In this year’s tournament, the foreign visitors will go up against specially selected sides from Iwate, Miyagi, Fukushima, and Ibaraki Prefectures. Also, on May 4th and 5th, the central square at the Komazawa Olympic Park will host soccer-themed attractions, “futsal” mini-soccer games, and exhibitions and sales of products from Japan’s Tohoku region. The tournament and associated events take place from May 2nd through 5th. To get to the Komazawa Olympic Park, take the Tokyu Den-en-toshi Line to Komazawa Daigaku Station and walk about 15 minutes. For more information on the games and other events, check out the website at http://tokyo-u14.com/
Posted by podcast on 2012年4月21日 – 2:53 PM
“La Folle Journée au Japon” is a unique, innovative classical music concert that has taken place in Yurakucho, Tokyo, for eight years now. The 2012 concert is coming up soon, and will take place for nine days, including the Golden Week holidays. La Folle Journée began in 2005. Up through last year, 4.8 million people have come to enjoy the concerts at this festival. This year “the soul of Russia,” will be the theme of the event. Come and enjoy modern arrangements paying respect to the great Russian composers, original pieces by musicians from other genres, and much more. This is a great chance to listen to some innovative, Russian-inspired music. There are also “Concerts for Children” which are open to listeners of all ages. And don’t miss the “Coup de Coeur” shows, which deliver “blows to your heart” as you hear special selections from Artistic Director René Martin, or the special surprise concerts whose content won’t be announced until the day of the event. These are not your ordinary classical music concerts, and they’re the perfect chance to explore a part of this world of music. The shows take place from May 3rd through 5th at the Tokyo International Forum and Yomiuri Hall, both accessible from Yurakucho Station on the JR Lines, and from April 27th through May 5th in the Marunouchi area near Tokyo Station. For more information, check out the English section of the website at www.lfj.jp
On Sunday, April 29th, the Ariake Tennis Forest Park and Ariake Colosseum will host
a special sports event for kids and their guardians. There are also tests of your athletic ability, gymnastics classes for parents and kids, soccer for the sight-impaired, Hula hoop trial and tennis attraction events and many other activities to take part in. Don’t miss the fun! It all happens on April 29th, a national holiday, from 9:00 to 5:00. All events are free of charg. For details, please access www.ariake-sportsfesta.jp.
Posted by podcast on 2012年4月14日 – 10:14 AM
The number of new HIV/AIDS cases reported in 2011 was down from the previous year, reaching 409. The number of tests, meanwhile, rose from the 2010 level to 26,092. Early detection is vital to prevent the spread of HIV infections. It is important to take appropriate measures to protect yourself and prevent this disease from spreading. The Minami-Shinjuku Testing and Counseling Center, located right near the southern exit of JR Shinjuku Station, offers free, anonymous testing on weekday nights and weekends. You’ll need to make a reservation to use this service. Call 03-3377-0811 from 3:30 to 7:00 p.m. on weekdays and from 1:00 to 4:30 p.m. on weekends. English-speaking staffs will be there to take reservations but testing will be administered only in Japanese. If you can’t speak Japanese, you may need to bring a family member or someone else along to interpret for you. With early detection and appropriate treatment, it’s possible to keep this disease from progressing and the progress of this disease can be slowed if it’s discovered early on, and even people who carry the virus can live a normal life. So please get tested if you’re at all concerned.
The Tokyo Metropolitan Government is now carrying out tests as part of the Tokyo Ubiquitous Technology Project. This project is a cutting-edge tourist guide service that connects the real world with a virtual space filled with information. Smart tags and wireless markers embedded in roads, buildings, and other locations send data to smart phones with a special application installed. People carrying those phones can walk through the test area while viewing details on local shops, maps guiding them to their destination, and other handy information all in real time. Audio and visual content is available in Japanese, English, simplified and traditional Chinese, and Korean. To download the application, go to the Google Play market and search for “Koko Shiru Ginza.” This free application will work on any device running Android 2.2 or a more recent OS. The trial is taking place in the Ginza area, from Ginza 1-chome through 8-chome, through the end of March next year. For more information, check www.tokyo-ubinavi.jp/.
Posted by podcast on 2012年4月7日 – 12:13 AM
This week on Tokyo City Information we have news on a spring traffic safety campaign, followed by an announcement on how you can see Tokyo’s museums at a reduced price. The Tokyo Metropolitan Government has set April 10th as its day to aim for zero deaths in traffic accidents. This year, there’s a nationwide traffic safety campaign taking place around that day, through Sunday, April 15th. The goal is to get more people to follow the rules of the road to prevent tragic accidents. This year the main goal is to prevent accidents involving children and senior citizens, and activities are focusing on drunk driving that can lead to deadly accidents, the need to use seatbelts and child restraints in all seats of a vehicle, and prevention of accidents involving bicycles and other two-wheeled vehicles. We’re coming up on the warmer spring months, and people will be heading out to enjoy the weather—and some of them will let the excitement make them drive too fast. Each of us has to remember to obey the rules of the road, driving carefully so as not to cause an accident or be in one.
The Tokyo Museum Grutt Pass is a ticket book that gets you into 75 museums, zoos, and other attractions around the city for free or at reduced prices. Now it’s available in a set with a one-day ticket good for all travel on the Toei lines. The Toei Grutt Pass costs just 2,800 yen, that’s 600 yen cheaper than usual! The one-day ticket lets you ride all Toden trains, metropolitan buses, and Toei subway lines for a full day. Show your ticket at designated shops and facilities along the lines to receive discounts, special gifts, and other perks. This ticket comes with a Tokyo Museum Grutt Pass, allowing you to tour the city’s museums as inexpensively as possible. The pass is good for two whole months beginning the day you first use it. The Tokyo Museum Grutt Pass and one-day Toei ticket can both be returned for a full refund if unused. But why leave them unused Make the most of both of them and enjoy all the art and culture Tokyo has to offer this spring. You can purchase ｔhe Toei Grutt Pass through January 31st next year at any one of 16 major Toei subway stations.
Posted by podcast on 2012年3月30日 – 11:54 PM
Today we have information about how to help prevent tragic fires followed by information on music concerts starting in April. To this day, blazes caused by kids playing with fire end in the tragic loss of those children’s lives. 70 percent of these fires involved lighters. Authorities in Tokyo have been receiving reports of accidents where children mistake old types of lighters for toys and burn themselves. To protect children from this danger, never keep lighters where they can reach them, and never let them touch or play with them. Once they are old enough to understand, it’s important to teach kids how dangerous fire can be. The Tokyo authorities are urging households with small children to get rid of old lighters as soon as possible. New types of lighter all come with safety features that make it difficult for kids to use them, and only these PSC-compliant child-resistant lighters are allowed to be sold today. While these are safer than old ones, t’s still important to take care when using lighters near children. When discarding them, be sure to drain all gas before throwing them away, and follow your local government’s rules for trash disposal.
Now that the warm spring weather is here, it’s the perfect time to enjoy the sun, fresh air, and music outdoors. Tokyo’s Hibiya Park will begin its live music concert from April. Each Wednesday there are concerts by the National Police Agency band, and on Fridays the Tokyo Fire Department band takes the stage. If you’re in the area, why not stop by during your lunch break for the chance to listen to the music? The concerts will be held until October 26th from 12 noon to 1:00 p.m., and admission is free. There are no concerts on national holidays and they may be cancelled in case of rain or if unavoidable circumstances arise. Also these concerts will not be held from July 5th through September 4th during the summer season. You can access Hibiya Park from exit B2 of the Tokyo Metro’s Kasumigaseki Station, or from Hibiya Station on the Hibiya Line.
Posted by podcast on 2012年3月24日 – 10:50 AM
This week on Tokyo City Information, we have announcements on a special exhibition taking place at the Edo-Tokyo Museum followed by a cherry blossom event at a historical Japanese Garden.
The TOKYO SKYTREE will open in spring 2012. Celebrating the opening of a 600 meter tower in Tokyo, the Edo-Tokyo Museum is currently holding a special exhibition called “The History of Towers” which focuses on the three famous tower landmarks constructed in Tokyo, Osaka and Paris from the 19th to 20th centuries. While tracing the history of these towers through block prints, multi-colored woodblock prints and photographs, the exhibition examines the meaning of towers built in the modern city. “The History of Towers” is on display through Sunday, May 6th, on the first floor of the Edo-Tokyo Museum. Tickets are 1300 yen for adults and half price for seniors. Opening hours are from 9:30 to 5:30 each day, and until 7:30 on Saturdays. The museum is usually closed on Mondays but will open on April 30th.The Edo-Tokyo museum is a short walk from the west exit of JR Ryogoku Station and right next to exit A4 of Ryogoku Station on the Toei O-Edo Line. For more information in English, please check the museum website.
Spring time is just around the corner and cherry blossoms will be blooming beautifully around Tokyo very soon! The Rikugien Gardens in Bunkyo ward just started their annual nighttime illumination of the cherry trees. Rikugien was originally designed in the Edo period as a Daimyo Garden, and was designated a national cultural property in 1953. Viewing the cherry blossoms in a historical Japanese garden will definitely be a memorable experience, so don’t forget to bring your camera when you visit the park. The cherries will be lit up everyday from sundown until 9 p.m. through Thursday April 5th. After viewing the pink-white blossoms, you can enjoy Japanese sweets and green tea at the park’s teahouse. Rikugien Gardens is open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. each day. Admission is 300 yen for adults and 150 yen for seniors. You can access the park from Komagome Station on the JR Yamanote or Tokyo Metro’s Namboku Line. It’s a 7-minute walk from the station. There’s no parking available at the park, so please use public transportation to get there.
Posted by podcast on 2012年3月17日 – 12:00 AM
Today on Tokyo City Information, we have announcements on art in Roppongi and the dangers of drunk driving. Each year, Roppongi Art Night provides a single evening of artistic entertainment with the area of Roppongi as its stage. The events go beyond displays of works of art to include music, visual arts, and live performances turning all of Roppongi into a venue for the arts. Roppongi Art Night 2012 is the third annual show in this series, and the theme this year is “Creating Japanese Vigor through Art.” It starts from 10:00 in the morning on Saturday, March 24th, through 6:00 in the evening on Sunday the 25th. During the main hours of the program, from sundown to sunrise—that’s from 5:56 on Saturday evening to 5:38 on Sunday morning—the art installations and events will truly come alive. It all takes place throughout the area, with events happening at Roppongi Hills, the Mori Art Museum, Tokyo Midtown, the Suntory Museum of Art, the National Art Center, Tokyo, and various public spaces in Roppongi. Admission is free, but some venues may offer some exhibitions or programs on a pay basis. Throughout the night, shuttle buses will connect the Roppongi area with various key stations around Tokyo. For more details, check www.roppongiartnight.com
Thankfully the number of traffic accidents is going down year by year. Nevertheless, in 2011 Tokyo saw 10 fatal accidents in which drunken driving was a factor—an increase by 2 from the previous year. Through March 21st, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government is running its “No More Drunk Driving in Tokyo” campaign to help create a society with fewer alcohol-caused accidents. March is a particularly dangerous month in this regard. People have hanami gatherings, welcome parties to celebrate new workers and many other chances to drink with friends or coworkers. It’s important not to get behind the wheel at these times as the slightest intake of alcohol can impair your judgment and alertness, making you a worse driver and increasing the danger to you on the road. To avoid irreversible tragedy, be sure never to believe that you’ll be fine driving after drinks. Follow these four simple rules:
• Never drive after drinking even a drop.
• Never provide a vehicle to anybody who has drunk.
• Never serve or offer alcohol to anybody who would drive afterward.
• Never allow anybody having drunk to drive a vehicle or to drive you anywhere.