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The Mainichi
5 days ago
- General
- The Mainichi
News in Easy English: Osaka station opens special spaces to help people calm down
TOKYO -- Osaka Metro opened a special place called "calm down, cool down" spaces at Yumeshima Station in Osaka. The station opened this January for the Expo (a big world event) in Osaka. These are the first calm-down spaces like this at a station in Japan. These spaces help people who feel very sensitive to things like bright lights, loud noises, or too many people. They can feel safe inside and relax quietly. Each space at Yumeshima Station has two booths. Each booth has a grey sofa and is about 1.8 meters high, 1.5 meters wide, and 1.5 meters deep. The booths are near the ticket gates on each side. Jiei Kato, 19, is a company president in Tokyo. He also has sensory sensitivity. He visited these spaces and said good things and bad things about them. He was glad the booths were quiet, black-colored outside, and in a place with few people. But he said they had some problems, too. For example, the booths had no roof and felt too bright. It was also easy to see people in the next booth. People felt worried because there was no clear sign showing if the booth was being used or not. Kato said, "People who have sensory sensitivities often want privacy. They feel safe if other people cannot see them going in or coming out." Osaka Metro said these special spaces are still new and that they can make them better in the future. They plan to change things after receiving ideas from users like Kato. They have already added a light outside each space to show when a booth is busy. Kato's ideas helped create calm-down spaces in other places at the Expo event, too. Those new spaces have adjustable lights and less noise. While there are some problems, Kato said these calm-down spaces are very helpful. He said even if people never use them, knowing these spaces exist can help people feel safer and go to more places. (Japanese original by Natsumi Hara, Tokyo Bureau)
The Mainichi
01-05-2025
- The Mainichi
News in Easy English: More people in Japan staying home during Golden Week
TOKYO -- This year, many people in Japan will stay home during Golden Week. This is mostly because prices are going up and to avoid crowded places. JTB, a big travel company, asked 10,000 people about their Golden Week plans. Only 20.9% said they will travel or might travel. This is 5.6 points lower than last year. Why are more people staying home? The biggest reason (45.9%) was, "It will be crowded." Many other people (34.6%) said, "Travel costs are high." Some people (25.9%) said, "We don't have enough money." These money reasons were more common this year than last year. People of all ages plan to travel less than last year. This year, 33.9% of young men (age 29 or younger) plan to travel. Last year, it was 40.5%. Young women who want to travel are now 31.5%, down 8.2% points from last year. Many people also say they do not have extra money at home. About 25.7% said their family has no extra money. Also, 18.1% said they are spending less on hobbies and other fun things. JTB said, "These numbers show many people feel their money situation is difficult. People are now more careful with how they spend money." (Japanese original by Minhyang Hong, Tokyo Bureau) Vocabulary Golden Week: a holiday time in Japan from late April to early May crowded: many people close together travel costs: money needed to go someplace (like paying for a hotel, bus, airplane, and meals) hobbies: fun things people do in their free time (for example, sports, music, art) extra: more than you need or use situation: how things happen or how things are now
The Mainichi
21-04-2025
- The Mainichi
Golden Week holiday travel aspirations down in Japan amid crowding, high prices: JTB poll
TOKYO -- More people in Japan plan to stay home during the "Golden Week" holiday period this year compared to last year due to rising prices and the desire to avoid crowds, a survey by major travel agency JTB has found. In the poll, which targeted 10,000 people, just 20.9% of respondents said they would "go" or "probably go" on a trip during this year's Golden Week period from April 25 to May 7 -- down 5.6 percentage points compared to the previous year. The most common reason for not going, with multiple answers permitted, was "because it will be crowded," cited by 45.9% -- down 1.3 points compared to the previous year. However, economic reasons also stood out, with the next most common responses being "because travel costs are high," at 34.6% and "there is no room in the household budget" at 25.9% -- both increasing by 0.9 and 1.9 points, respectively, from 2024. Looking at the results by age and gender, the survey found the desire to travel had waned across all generations compared to the previous year. The highest rate was among men aged 29 or younger, at 33.9%. This was 6.6 points lower than last year's figure. Among women, the rate of those who wanted to travel was highest among those in the same age group, at 31.5%. Similarly, this figure was down 8.2 points compared to last year. In a multiple-choice question about their current lives, 25.7% of respondents said they have no leeway in their household finances -- up 1.1 points compared to the previous year. A total of 18.1% said they are "reducing spending on hobbies, travel and the like," up 1.5 points. JTB commented, "The survey results indicate a tough financial situation for households, clearly showing a trend toward frugality." (Japanese original by Minhyang Hong, Tokyo Bureau)
