Japan

Last night, Tokyo had its first snowfall for 2010.  Here's a photo of snow-covered houses taken from our veranda.

Here's a parallel list of holidays in Japan and the Philippines for this year: * schools only ** not official but government offices and most business establishments are closed

I needed to call my bank in the Philippines. Fortunately, the bank has a toll-free number so I can call them without worrying much about the cost. I checked the toll-free number from the website of the bank and this is what is written:

In Tokyo, and in most Japanese cities that I've been to, there are no widely-circulated local newspapers and only national dailies such as the Asahi, Yomiuri or Mainichi Shinbun are being sold. As the circulation of these national dailies usually reach millions, the advertising rate naturally goes high and this makes it very expensive for small establishments to advertise in newspapers.

A few days ago, I had my Teiki Kenko Shindan or annual medical checkup. In Japan, employees who are regularly employed by a company are required to undergo annual medical tests, of which the expenses are to be shouldered by the employer.