A Page Out of History
A poem by Ellen Talleon, resident of Tsukuba, in honour of Barack Obama’s inauguration as President of the United States
January 20, 2009
A Page Out of History
Why do I feel like this is my moment too
As do millions out there echo
My sentiment by their presence
And voices raised out loud.
Why do I feel as if
A new dawn has risen
On a new era
Full of fresh hope and inspiration.
Why do I feel like
I am one with millions of multitude
Braving the coldest winter chill
In the coldest month of the year.
Falling in line
Flying in from all over
A nation who once again
Can stand up brave
and proud.
Why do I feel
Even though I do not belong
To this country
The same pride and overflowing joy.
To bear witness to
A Man who does more
By being himself
Than by transforming himself.
A Man who might
And will bring
Transformation and Redemption
Through Unity and renewed Courage.
I am so stoked
And so proud
And so humbled
And so lucky to be.
Part of the generation
Who bears witness
Who extends welcome
And open hearts.
To the Man
Who represents
Not only himself
But all of us
Who came from everywhere and nowhere.
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Changes to Traffic Laws
Some changes have been been made to the Traffic Law which will come into effect on June 1, 2008. Here is an overview of the changes (from what I understand).
1. Changes to the rules regarding bicycles driving on the sidewalk
You may ride your bicycle on the sidewalk under the following conditions.
- If there is a sign that specifically permits riding bicycles on the sidewalk.
- If you are under 13 or over 70 years of age.
- When you have to because of road or traffic conditions.
Cyclists must ride slowly on the part of the sidewalk that is designated for bicycles. However, if there are no pedestrians on the part of the sidewalk that is designated for bicycles, or if there are no pedestrians who are trying to walk on that part of the sidewalk, then cyclists can go at a safe speed using proper and safe riding techniques. Pedestrians must also make an effort to avoid the part of the sidewalk that is designated for bicycles.
2. Children must wear helmets when riding bicycles or when being carried on a bicycle that is being driven by someone else.
3. All passengers must wear seatbelts, including those in the back seat. If the driver or any of the passengers are not wearing a seatbelt in a car that is driving on the toll highways, the driver will be punished.
4. Elderly drivers (above 75 years of age) must display an "elderly driver" mark on their cars. People between the ages of 70 to 75 years of age "should" display the mark. (The elderly driver symbol is in the shape of a tear drop. It is cut down the middle and the left half is orange and the right half is yellow.)
5. People who are hard of hearing are now able to get a driver's license if they use a special wide mirror. They must display a "hard of hearing mark" on their cars. Other drivers are forbidden from cutting off or aggressively passing cars with such marks. (The "hard of hearing" symbol is a green circle with a yellow butterfly inside.)
More Information
- Ibaraki Prefectural Police Website (Japanese)
- Topics on Traffic and Safety on the Police Website (Japanese)
- Amendments to Traffic Laws (Effective June 2008, Japanese)
- Amendments to Traffic Laws (Effective September 2007, English)
- Basic Traffic Safety Instructions (English)
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Clean Tsukuba By-Law
The Clean Tsukuba By-Law came into effect yesterday (November 1, 2007). Here are some of the rules that we now have to follow.
1. Littering
It is forbidden to litter anywhere within the city. Punishment: official warning.
2. Pet Droppings
It is forbidden to leave pet droppings anywhere within the city. Punishment: official warning.
3. Graffiti
It is forbidden to deface anything within the city with graffiti. Punishment: official warning, possible misdemeanor.
4. Printed Matter
It is forbidden to distribute printed matter and not clean up the area where it was distributed. Punishment: official warning to the person who distributed the printed matter, or the person who ordered the distribution.
5. Smoking While Walking
It is forbidden to smoke while walking in designated areas (anywhere within the area enclosed by Kita Odori, Minami Odori, Nishi Odori, and Higashi Odori, anywhere near the Tsukuba Express stations [Tsukuba Station, Kenkyu Gakuen Station, Banpaku Kinen Koen Station, Midorino Station], the road on Mt. Tsukuba starting from the big, red gate).
6. Outdoor Advertising
Outdoor advertising is subject to laws and regulations.
7. Bicycles
Bicycles must not be abandoned within the city. Abandoned bicycles may be removed in accordance with the Tsukuba Abandoned Bicycles By-Law.
8. Land Management
Land must be managed in accordance with the by-law.
In addition, companies that operate vending machines must provide litter bins, attach reflective stickers, and assign someone to be responsible for dealing with litter.
Source: Tsukuba City Newsletter, November 1, 2007
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Closed for the Holidays
For those of you who are spending your first new year's in Tsukuba, please note that MANY businesses and services are closed during this holiday.
The most important things to remember are (1) to withdraw some money before the banks and ATMs close and (2) to make sure you take your garbage out before the trucks stop coming!
Garbage
The last day of garbage collection is tomorrow (Monday, December 29). The next garbage day will be Saturday, January 3 and burnable garbage will be collected on that day in all parts of Tsukuba. The Clean Center is also closed from December 30 to January 2 so if tomorrow is not a burnable garbage day in your area and you cannot take your garbage to the Clean Center, you have to keep it until January 3.
Source: http://www.city.tsukuba.ibaraki.jp/266/003391.html
Joyo Bank
Every bank is different, so I will just mention the situation for Joyo. The banks will be operating pretty much as normal on Monday (29) and Tuesday (30). They will then be closed from the 31 to the 4th and open up again on the 5th.
ATMs will have limited or no service between December 30 and January 4. All ATMs will be closed on January 1. This includes accessing your Joyo account through an ATM at 7-11. Some ATMs will be in operation on the other dates, but not all, and the ones that are in operation will mostly be on "holiday" hours. Regular ATM service will resume on Monday, January 5.
Online banking will be completely unavailable on January 1 and will have limited availability on December 31, and January 2 to 4th. All online transactions that occur after December 30 will not be processed until January 5. (So if you want to send money to someone by online furikomi and you want it to arrive before January 5, you will have to send it on December 30 at the latest.)
Sources: http://www.joyobank.co.jp/top/20081217.html and http://www.joyobank.co.jp/access-j/info.html
Postal Banking
Postal banking will be available as usual on Monday (29) and Tuesday (30). Teller services will not be available between December 31 and January 4. Regular teller services will resume on January 5.
Postal ATMs will be available as usual on Monday (29) and Tuesday (30) and they will close early (between 5pm and 8pm) on Wednesday (31). ATMs will not be available between January 1 and 3. They will open again between 7am and 9am on January 4. They will operate as usual on January 5.
Online banking will not be available from 11:50pm on December 31 to 6:30am on January 4.
Source: http://www.jp-bank.japanpost.jp/news/2008/news_id000345.html
City Hall
Tsukuba City Hall is closed from December 27 to January 4. The Sakura Branch office will be open on Sunday January 4 for limited services relating to issuing certificates such as inkan certificates or certificates of registered matters for foreigners. All branches will resume normal operations on January 5.
Source: http://www.city.tsukuba.ibaraki.jp/266/003391.html
Library
Tsukuba Public Library is closed from December 28 to January 5.
Source: http://www.city.tsukuba.ibaraki.jp/266/003391.html
Community Centers
All community centers (公民館, kominkan) will be closed from December 29 to January 3.
Source: http://www.city.tsukuba.ibaraki.jp/266/003391.html
Children's Centers
All children's centers (児童館, jidokan) will be closed from December 27 to January 4.
Source: http://www.city.tsukuba.ibaraki.jp/266/003391.html
Tsukuba Express
The trains will continue to run throughout the holidays, but will be on "holiday" schedules from December 30 to January 4.
Some extra trains have been scheduled on December 31. The last train that will reach Tsukuba on the night of December 31 will leave at 12:40am from Akihabara and arrive in Tsukuba at 1:37am. It will stop at every station. (Three trains will leave after that time, but they will all terminate at Moriya and will not come to Tsukuba.)
The last train to leave Tsukuba will be at 11:47pm and it will arrive in Akihabara at 12:45am, stopping at every station.
Source: https://www.mir.co.jp/uploads/20081211092155.pdf
TsukuBus
TsukuBus will run as usual.
Source: http://www.city.tsukuba.ibaraki.jp/266/003391.html
Emergency Services
Call an ambulance (119) if there is an emergency where time is of the essence. In case you ever need to call an ambulance, you should memorize how to say your address in Japanese, and keep a copy of your address in romaji posted near the phone or on the refrigerator so others can call from your house.
Call 029-241-4199 to find out where to bring a sick person whose condition is not in need of urgent attention.
There is also a hotline to call for advice about whether your sick child needs immediate medical care or not: 029-254-9900 (or #8000 from a regular phone or cellphone).
In all cases, you will most likely have to speak Japanese.
The following hospitals will have some services available on the following days (but it is probably better to call 029-241-4199 to find out where to bring a person first).
December 30: Tsukuba Kinen Hospital
January 1: Tsukuba Soai Hospital
January 2: Tsukuba Gakuen Hospital, Tsukuba Kinen Hospital
January 3: Tsukuba Chuo Hospital
January 4: Tsukuba Soai Hospital
Source: http://www.city.tsukuba.ibaraki.jp/266/003391.html
I hope you have a very happy holiday! (Just don't forget to get some money out before the banks close!!!)
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Foreign = Criminal Suspect?
Does anyone have any more information about this new (I think) development? What do they mean by long-term residents? Anyone who is not a tourist? Does it include permanent residents?
New Long Term Residency Requirements: Japan recently modified its Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act. The law now requires that long-term residents provide satisfactory evidence that they do not have a criminal record in their home country when renewing their resident card. To obtain such proof, U.S. citizens with long-term resident status in Japan need to contact the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and provide it with a copy of their fingerprints. To request such service, please follow the guidance listed here. For more details about the Japanese requirements, check with the nearest immigration office in Japan.
Source:
U.S. Department of State
Consular Information Sheet: Japan
I am getting really annoyed at being treated like a criminal suspect just because I am foreign. What is it with all this action against foreigners these days? We seemed to be moving nicely away from that trend in recent years with the fingerprints being removed from our Alien Registration Cards. I am feeling distinctly unwelcome, these days, in the country I have called home for ten of the past twelve years...
Correction
It seems that this law has something to do with people of Japanese descent (Nikkei) who immigrate to Japan. I don't understand the particulars, but people who are not of Japanese descent should not have to do this. If I can find more information about this, I will post it here. In the meantime, it seems that the page above on the Department of State website is misleading.
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