Japan & Daylight Savings

11.5.07

I've had several emails and comments asking me one very simple question. To paraphrase: Does Japan partake in the setting back of the clocks that so many of us Americans look forward to come autumn? Mostly because we are given an extra hour to sleep, run around, or hang out with friends. In this case, the simple question brings a very simple reply: No, the Japanese people either change their clocks back nor ahead (nor sideways). Consequently, lately it has been starting to get dark here around 5 or 5:30pm. It's all very strange, but what are you going to do. To be honest, it's nice not having to worry that I'm going to be an hour late/an hour early for a lesson or appointment.

I was just looking up information online and found that daylight savings time (DST) was first introduced by Ben Franklin in 1784 as a means to reduce the money spent on candles used to light the home. Evidently, Japan is one of three OECD (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development) countries that does not participate in turning back their clocks. One of the most popular Google links was a 2006 article in The Japan Times. It criticizes Japan for being the site of the Kyoto Protocol and yet it fails to convert to DST, a move that could potentially save the country money and reduce its "environmental footprint". On the other hand, there are many complexities involved in coordinating train schedules and bus schedules; especially in a station as busy as Tokyo.

To make a long story short, Tokyo is now 14 hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time.