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Japan Today
21-07-2025
- Japan Today
New Japanese train etiquette point arises from high temperatures and high handy fan sales
By Casey Baseel, SoraNews24 It's a hot, sticky summer in Japan this year, and that's actually a fitting description of pretty much every summer in Japan for the past few generations. But while high temperatures and high humidity have long been unavoidable during the summer months, there's a modern way to cope with them that's been booming in popularity as handheld electric fan sales rapidly rise. While not a completely new arrival to the Japanese market, personal handy fans have become much more common recently, especially among women. Improving battery technology has made the devices lighter, smaller, and more affordable, and with more and more people now used to giving their phone a midday charge while at the office or cafe, it's pretty easy to remember to plug in your fan too and top it off. ▼ A display of handy fans at major electronics retailer Yodobashi Camera, with models priced at 1,930 yen. Image: SoraNews24 However, even as handy fans are gaining traction as a way to deal with Japan's summer heat, they're proving to be a less congruent match for another often unpleasant aspect of life in Japan: crowded trains. Barring especially old or historically preserved carriages, Japanese trains are air-conditioned. However, hop on one at rush hour in midsummer, and you'll quickly notice that that combined body heat of shoulder-to-shoulder commuters is beyond the capacity of the cooling system. So that means it's time for handy fans to come to the rescue, right? Well, yes and no. Sure, the fan will help cool off the person using it, but being in close proximity to others can cause problems. Some train passengers have reported incidents of passengers' hair getting caught in the blades of the handy fan of someone standing next to or behind them, with very painful results. Then there's the matter that while you'd be hard-pressed to find someone who says that Japan's rush hour trains are chilly in summertime, not everyone thinks it's any more pleasant to get blasted by someone else's fan, especially when they've got no say over the fan speed and what part of their body it's hitting. Both Japan's National Consumer Affairs Center and Consumer Affairs Agency have previously issued statements cautioning handy fan users to be aware of the possible danger and discomfort they could be causing for those around them and to exercise appropriate caution. As of this moment, no major rail operators have banned the use of handy fans on their carriages, but as is often the case in shared spaces in Japan, even without explicit rules the Japanese societal expectation is that one should use common sense and err on the side of caution when doing things that might make others uncomfortable, so once the train or subway starts getting crowded, the best course of action might be to put the fan away, even if that means you arrive at your destination station a little sweatier for it. Source: via Livedoor News via Jin Read more stories from SoraNews24. -- What are you supposed to do with your backpack on a crowded train in Japan? -- An often-forgotten part of Japanese train etiquette that we should all keep in mind -- 10 times Japanese train passengers aren't so polite【Survey】 External Link © SoraNews24
SoraNews24
16-07-2025
- SoraNews24
New Japanese train etiquette point arises from high temperatures and high handy fan sales
Personal electric fans are an imperfect solution to packed-train heat. It's a hot, sticky summer in Japan this year, and that's actually a fitting description of pretty much every summer in Japan for the past few generations. But while high temperatures and high humidity have long been unavoidable during the summer months, there's a modern way to cope with them that's been booming in popularity as handheld electric fan sales rapidly rise. While not a completely new arrival to the Japanese market, personal handy fans have become much more common recently, especially among women. Improving battery technology has made the devices lighter, smaller, and more affordable, and with more and more people now used to giving their phone a midday charge while at the office or cafe, it's pretty easy to remember to plug in your fan too and top it off. ▼ A display of handy fans at major electronics retailer Yodobashi Camera, with models priced at 1,930 yen (US$13.30). However, even as handy fans are gaining traction as a way to deal with Japan's summer heat, they're proving to be a less congruent match for another often unpleasant aspect of life in Japan: crowded trains. Barring especially old or historically preserved carriages, Japanese trains are air-conditioned. However, hop on one at rush hour in midsummer, and you'll quickly notice that that combined body heat of shoulder-to-shoulder commuters is beyond the capacity of the cooling system. So that means it's time for handy fans to come to the rescue, right? Well, yes and no. Sure, the fan will help cool off the person using it, but being in close proximity to others can cause problems. Some train passengers have reported incidents of passengers' hair getting caught in the blades of the handy fan of someone standing next to or behind them, with very painful results. Then there's the matter that while you'd be hard-pressed to find someone who says that Japan's rush hour trains are chilly in summertime, not everyone thinks it's any more pleasant to get blasted by someone else's fan, especially when they've got no say over the fan speed and what part of their body it's hitting. ▼ Handy fans can be surprisingly powerful for their size. Both Japan's National Consumer Affairs Center and Consumer Affairs Agency have previously issued statements cautioning handy fan users to be aware of the possible danger and discomfort they could be causing for those around them and to exercise appropriate caution. As of this moment, no major rail operators have banned the use of handy fans on their carriages, but as is often the case in shared spaces in Japan, even without explicit rules the Japanese societal expectation is that one should use common sense and err on the side of caution when doing things that might make others uncomfortable, so once the train or subway starts getting crowded, the best course of action might be to put the fan away, even if that means you arrive at your destination station a little sweatier for it. Source: via Livedoor News via Jin Images ©SoraNews24 ● Want to hear about SoraNews24's latest articles as soon as they're published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!
Japan Times
14-06-2025
- Business
- Japan Times
Reports of online rice scams surging in Japan
Consumer consultations in Japan over fraudulent websites advertising sales of rice have been surging in recent months, the Consumer Affairs Agency said, warning that the number of such sites may increase further amid high prices for the staple. Reports about fraudulent online rice shops to consumer affairs centers around the country spiked to 335 cases in April and May alone, on par with the number of cases logged in all of fiscal 2024, at 337. In one case, a consumer reported being unable to cancel an order for rice after not receiving a confirmation email for their purchase via credit card. In another, a consumer received a receipt for a purchase of sunglasses instead of rice. It is important to carefully check whether prices are not suspiciously low and if company contact information is correctly displayed in order to identify scam websites, according to the National Consumer Affairs Center of Japan. Saving screenshots of final confirmation pages for purchases is an effective way to prepare for possible issues, it added. The Consumer Affairs Agency said that malicious sites may increase, after the government started selling stockpiled rice to the public. Yutaka Arai, commissioner of the agency, told a news conference last week that he hopes consumers will carefully check whether websites are reliable.
Japan Times
13-06-2025
- Business
- Japan Times
Social media user worries swell to record level in Japan
Consumers in Japan sought advice on social media-related problems in a record 86,396 cases in 2024, while the total number of consultation cases remained almost flat around 900,000, an annual government report showed Friday. The number of cases in which the National Consumer Affairs Center provided consultation on troubles involving social media grew by 3.4 times from five years before, according to an annual government report adopted at the day's Cabinet meeting. From the previous year, such consultation cases increased 6.6%, reflecting the fact that a growing number of people in their 50s and older sought advice. Specifically, consumers age between 50 and 59 received advice in 19,077 cases, the highest figure by age group, and those in their 60s in 16,244 cases, the second most. The report also showed that consumers below 50 were more prone to side job-related problems. In one case, a person ended up paying a penalty of ¥630,000 after starting a side job introduced through a social media platform. Older people tended to seek advice on health food and cosmetics subscription services, it added. Meanwhile, consultation on problems associated with elderly people, such as dementia sufferers, hit a 10-year high of 9,618 cases, including signing purchase contracts as told by door-to-door salespersons. Older people often seem less aware that they're in trouble, the report noted, citing data showing that in 76% of cases, it was family members or relatives who sought advice. The report stressed the need for those around them to stay vigilant and help prevent such problems.
13-06-2025
- Business
Japan Consumers' Social Media Worries Swell to Record Level
News from Japan Politics Jun 13, 2025 15:12 (JST) Tokyo, June 13 (Jiji Press)--Consumers in Japan sought advice on social media-related problems in a record 86,396 cases in 2024, while the total number of consultation cases remained almost flat around 900,000, an annual government report showed Friday. The number of cases in which the National Consumer Affairs Center provided consultation on troubles involving social media grew 3.4-fold from five years before, according to an annual government report adopted at the day's cabinet meeting. From the previous year, such consultation cases increased 6.6 pct, reflecting the fact that a growing number of people in their 50s and older sought advice. Specifically, consumers aged 50-59 received advice in 19,077 cases, the highest figure by age group, and those in their 60s in 16,244 cases, the second most. The report also showed that consumers below 50 were more prone to side job-related problems. In a case, a person ended up paying a penalty of 630,000 yen after starting a side job introduced through a social media platform. [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.] Jiji Press
