For foreigners in Shiga, Shiga Prefecture has opened a telephone consultation hotline for the H1N1 swine flu . The phone No. is: 077-522-4776 You can speak in English, Portuguese, Spanish, Tagalog, or Chinese. Consultation hours are 8:30 am to 5:15 pm. Meanwhile, flu vaccinations started in Shiga on Nov. 2 for pregnant women and people with [...]
Posts under ‘Important Notices’
2010 Shiga calendar in English
滋賀県の2010年の英文カレンダーを作りました！（日本語は下にあります。） For the first time, I have created and published a 2010 calendar for Shiga Prefecture in English. The calendar features my photos of Shiga, showing its beautiful seasons, traditional festivals, architecture, Lake Biwa, and a few “fun” things. Each monthly photo has an English caption, and both Japanese and American holidays are included. You [...]
Swine flu update: Oct. 5, 2009
The H1N1 influenza is officially in epidemic mode in Japan, and Shiga now has over 2,500 children who contracted the virus during the first month of school from Aug. 24 to September 30, 2009. As of September 30, 2009, 2,525 kids (including preschoolers) have contracted the swin flu in Shiga Prefecture. This number includes 384 [...]
Using mobile phones while bicycling prohibited
Be aware that from July 1, 2009, it is illegal to use a mobile phone while riding a bicycle. Using a cell phone while driving is already illegal, but now it is also illegal while riding a bicycle. According to the police, there were eighteen bicycling accidents in Shiga caused by the rider using a [...]
Smoking banned in Otsu train stations from July 2009
禁煙 The Otsu City Council passed a bill on March 18, 2009 to ban smoking in and around all major train stations in Otsu. The smoking ban will take effect from July 2009. The Japanese word for “No smoking” is kin’en (kanji written above). Smokers beware–do not smoke in and around the following train stations: [...]
Smoking banned in central Nagahama
禁煙 From June 1, 2009, smoking on the streets in and around Kurokabe Square in Nagahama is banned. Smoking is banned along the main shopping arcades in central Nagahama, including Otemon-dori, the Daitsuji temple area, and the Ekimae-dori main road from Nagahama Station heading east (toward the mountains). Smoking is banned in a total of [...]
Shiga schools to reopen on May 27
All prefectural public schools which have been closed due to the swine flu scare will reopen for classes on May 27 (Wed.). Nursery, elementary, and junior high schools in the six southern cities centering on Otsu will also reopen on the 27th. That is, if the swine flu does not further spread in Shiga.
Breaking news: Swine flu hits Shiga, schools closed
On the morning of May 20, 2009, Shiga’s first case of swine flu has been confirmed. A 23-year-old male student at the Biwako-Kusatsu campus of Ritsumeikan University has been confirmed as the first patient. His symptoms are not serious and will be hospitalized. None of the swine flu cases in Japan have proved to be fatal. [...]