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What is the fairest way to deal with the expected summer power shortage?

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Unnecessary neon lights (like ads, store banners etc) should be turned off and there should be actual checkers going around, making sure that this happens. Implement some fines if necessary. Definitely better than raising electricity prices for the average consumer. Even with train stations, public facilities etc obviously making efforts to save electricity by turning off some lights, stopping escalators etc, I'm still amazed to see many lights that could be turned off without causing inconvenience. Why are those still on??? Then of course free energy is available so how about giving it a try? Like that will happen :(

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Triage the most important electricity uses, police, hospitals, basic services. Then, last year was pretty hot, so AC and fans and freezers and fridges. I am no expert, so I can only state to have set priorities and keep them.

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Daylight saving time.

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2 X for daylight saving time. Surely this is a must.

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I think all the wards in Tokyo should be included in power blackouts. Everyone must do their share of sacrifice, including the imperial palace and the prime minister. It is unfair to exclude the 23 wards.

Shops should also open earlier, at 9 a.m. instead of 10 a.m. or 11 a.m. in some places (Tokyo Midtown Galleria, for example), and then close at 6 p.m.

As for daylight saving, it's a good idea but Japanese workers won't leave the office to go home while it is still light outside. They just won't, for some reason.

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Make a bylaw so anyone using neon signs is fined, introduce daylight saving, no department stores open after 6 pm, empty trains turn off all interior lights when finished their run. Remove every second light bulb from all sockets in large areas. Stores etc do not need to use a/con so much for so long............there are many many ways to reduce electricity usage in this counrty most of it is wasted on being comfortable and convenient.

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Agree with what most people have said above, but I think there needs to be more consideration for the elderly. Stopping escalators may save power, but it makes it really hard for some to get around. There are many stations that only have stairs and escalators. Stopping the latter will make getting around (midsummer) really difficult for some.

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What is the fairest way? Hmmmm? As I sit here in my blacked out house in Ichikawa typing this on my iPhone there seems to be very 'fair' about any of it. this is the sixth time we have been blacked out and there are 23 other wards that are not even on the roster. Yeah, that's real bloody fair!

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Promote "Cool Biz" all year round so we don't have to wear heat-enhancing neckties at the office, and can keep our AC off a little bit longer in the year.

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Close down Pachinko and Slot parlours, introduce daylight saving's and cool biz initiatives, all dept stores and supermarkets should open from 1pm-9pm. Its currently 10am-6pm at Atre and others but this puts more people on the train at rush hour. Trains between 10am and 5pm should run between 50-75%, possibly hard to do for the Ginza line but initiative needs to be taken. 22 wards of Tokyo don't suffer the Kaku Teeden but maybe this should be implemented from 12am - 4am, this promotes people to get out the office and get home early, this will save power all across Tokyo from 24hr combinis, Yoshinoya, Mc Donalds etc. Possibly implement or restrict operting hours to 6am-12am each day. Electrified advertisements, announcements and etc turned off.

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distribute candles and teach everyone "Cum-bay-ah". On weekends promote free love in an effort to increase the number of newborns - as we will need them to pay of the increasing National Debt (which interestingly is subject to compound interest)

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Drink lots of fluids (preferably homemade lemonade with lemons and sugar with some salt (iodized salt is better given the current atmosphere) , wearing cotton and avoiding synthetic fabrics, keeping a hand fan ready with you at all times and avoiding high calorie foods. Also switching from warm water showers to cold helps. Even an unrelated thing as adapting a hobby like reading helps, because it will help taking your mind off the want to watch TV or connect to the internet. Most of the remedies will all have to be psychological, the reason being simply that your body does not actually complain of discomfort, its you mind that suggests it. Simply distracting it will help a lot. I speak from experience because I am from a developing country and with summer temperatures averaging 45 degrees centigrade, we are used to living without power.

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Power shortages affect economic life and to deal with the power shortfall why not advance the clocks by one hour for six months. To bridge the present supply-demand gap and to mitigate the present and expected level of load shedding they should consider undertaking supply side management through induction of additional generating capacity which is difficult because western Japan uses a different electricity frequency and also demand side management through energy management and conservation measures like improvement of efficiency, shorter work days, longer holidays, transferring production bases to other parts of the country, and awareness campaigns for prudent use of electricity. They must look at all options, including solar and other sources of energy but if countries exporting fuel to Japan are destabilized politically, their thermal power generation might get in a bind. Hence, engaging in energy conservation will only be a temporary solution. A long term plan to fundamentally solve the situation permanently is needed. But will the government support the nuclear option again?

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Cheap plane fares, for a summer-season exodus.

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Pamelot, your on to something! Why not promote long leaves of absense from work to allow people to take vacations so they can go someplace that does have power! 1-month Hawaii vacation for all! They will need to shorten the school year also to do this.

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1.) Everyone switch to tropical dress (shorts, short skirts, short sleeves, and sandals. 2.) Daylight savings time. 3.) No billboards. 4.) Dim the lights in Combini's. 5.) 10 hour, 4-day work weeks. 6.) Shutdown NHK!! (smile). 7.) Create more outdoor activities for everyone to enjoy!

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Have several ministries and head offices located in Tokyo move to other locations including personnel. The government should really consider transferring non-essential policies to the local government and reduce personnel at this point. This will reduce population centralization in Tokyo reducing the need for electricity as well.

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Longer summer vacations: o-bon should be stretched from 5 days to 10 this summer and it should be staggered, so that companies in even-odd numbered wards should take the vacation earlier/later. Yes it will be disruptive to business, but if we can keep people out of the downtown offices during peak heat, that's a good thing.

Totally banning of neckties and suit jackets. Jimbei and yukata as the new business attire.

Does daylight-savings save energy in Summer? (I'd like for us to just jump two hours earlier and stay there, but that's for other reasons.)

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4 day work week = good, but it should be staggered. Some companies run Monday to Thursday, and some Tues. to Friday.

With trains running at reduced capacity, hopefully even rigid companies can now see the benefit of flex-time and telecommuting. I'd be happy to work from a vacation home far from Kanto, and commute in 2 days a week.

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Why is there no talk of shifting heavy factory power loads to night? That seems the easiest, most simple solution. Already factories have to shut-down in the middle of their shifts due to the planned power outages. Factories would benefit by (1) lower electrical rates, and (2) non-interrupted shifts. Of course employees have to have a temporary change in their shifts, but the savings in electric could be shifted to employee bonuses for work over this period. Seems like a win for everyone as long as this is seen as a temporary "gaman" period, and tepco will have some timeframe when workers can go back to their normal shifts...

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Change JST by 2 hours, go on camping trips to Hokkaido and BBQ. Organize loads of outdoor activities to get people to go outside and stay there in your neighborhood, would be good for socializing too and it could be done at no cost. Open the openair swimming pools earlier this year and keep them longer. Get rid of the formal dress code at work. Cool belts really work, make sure to sell more. Those power shortages are not fair on factories and institutions who need them, like the ice factory I saw on TV. People should be responsible enough to understand the situation.

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Provide deep incentives for people to purchase and install solar paneling on their homes, thus reducing their energy consumption on a personal basis, and then they can sell back the extra power that is generated.

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Advance the clocks for summertime seems the best idea! Kanto perhaps not a good idea to spend more time outdoors.

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fairest? Some people think that fair would mean that every town should be subject to a black out but hopefully the government won't cave into their presure because lets face it, we want the power on where it's needed. Sorry to the people out in the boonies but that's what's best for the country and whats best for all even though it might not feel fair.

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advance the clock-hahaha-havent you ever lived without your aircon, one hour is not going to make a difference. I think Im gonna go swimming a lot, as usual. Fair only if everybody realizes how good it is perhaps:P

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Daylight saving means little when night-time temps are 3-5 degrees max below day-time highs.

Ge the feeling that the majority of people postings those savings are not in japan nor well versed on japanese cultures and how things work here.

The goverment offices can take blackouts as they got their own backup power the same way most companies that deal online do and host servers in-house.

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Although I don't know how the power grid is setup, cooperation from the populace and coordination among industries would ease power consumption. Industries can front load all administrative work as usual, while moving power intensive operations between midnight to 7am. Industries that need to operate during the day should coordinate hours determined by power consumption - one company that uses alot of power would work one part of the day, another would agree to use a different period. The populace would agree to shut off heavy electrical use after a certain hour - say after midnight. Cooperation and coordination is the hallmark of efficient use of resources.

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In the tradition of APEC, power use coordination should be non-binding and consensus oriented because some people CANNOT do it due to specfic job requirements. If the vast majority cooperates, it is a "go".

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Daylight saving means little when night-time temps are 3-5 degrees max below day-time highs.

Yes, but it save in electric light for businesses and homes.

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I'm starting to really like the idea of a total work re-balance. People had ideas of a 4-day workweek, but honestly companies will loose lots of efficiency with that. But how about each company to decide where the "weekend" is? Some companys have Sat-Sun, some companies have Sun-Mon, some have Mon-Tues, etc. Also, work hours should be re-evaluated, with factories shifting to evenings. Of course, this won't work for certain industries, like finance which needs to be operational when the markets are open...

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"Yes, but it save in electric light for businesses and homes."

I suppose.... If it means everyone leaves the office by what is now 4:pm (and still bright enough to commute home without any lights on in the trains.)

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Let's not forget that Tohoku is cooler than Tokyo, so daylight-saving would help. Tohoku has a population of 9.63 million.

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Everyone move to West Japan?

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Fewer billboard lights in Tokyo.

More frequent visit to the swimming pools.

More leafy plants around the window for shade.

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1) Extend the japanese summer vacation (August 1st - 17th) to July 15th - September 10th.

2) close the mega shopping malls Akihabara, Ginza, Shinjuku, and etc at 4pm.

3) Notify & enforce all Chiba people to stay in Chiba.

4) open disney only on the weekends ( reserved ticket only )

5) close all pachinko parlors for 2 years

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Last Saturday, I walked by a pachinko parlor at 8pm. It was open with only 3 men playing pachinko. The lights and machines were fully running. I hope the police or government get some balls and shut these wasteful establishments down.

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They had better get this fixed by summer. Of course they won't, though.

Approve my application for a loan to start up Sarge Power & Light!

OK, seriously, include every ward in Tokyo in the blackouts.

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whiskeysour: "Notify and enforce all Chiba people to stay in Chiba"

What?

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whiskeysour

Last Saturday, I walked by a pachinko parlor at 8pm. It was open with only 3 men playing pachinko. The lights and machines were fully running. I hope the police or government get some balls and shut these wasteful establishments down.

And that would be pachinko balls i guess youre talking about?? :p

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Is this not a silly question. Turn off lights and everything else that does not need to be on. When I escaped Fukushima after the accident and went down to the Kansai area they were burning energy like nothing had ever happened. All the neon was burning my eyes. A hotel I stayed at had a lobby with over 100 lights on while perfectly natural light was coming in thru huge windows. Greed and selfishness will not help. Turn things off!! It is so simple. And not only now. We need to change how we live in terms of energy consumption. Blackouts would not even be necessary if everyone did this.

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Tokyo's summers are possibly the most gruesome of any world capital - even with air conditioning. This is the only city I've lived in where I've actually felt fear going out on an exceptionally hot evening. I have heard, however, that supplementary power plants in Nagano and elsewhere are to be used to support Tokyo's needs this coming summer.

I doubt the center of Tokyo will remain uncooled, though; there are too many crucial operation centers in the center areas that need to remain viable environments for many people providing essential services.

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pretty simple. allow people to wear shorts to work in the summer. it won't solve all the problems, but it will definitely help

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allow people to wear shorts to work in the summer

But, my God, people might think we're Australians!

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It's really easy,

Change all lights to LED lighting would save 50 to 80% on the lighting needs. The most common tubes would go from 40W to 18W while the lightbulbs would go from using 60W to 6-7W. Also, because of the lack of heat emitted by LED lights, it would be possible to set the AC 1-2 degree lowers without it feeling any warmer.

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It is unfair to exclude the 23 wards.

How is it unfair? Because it affects your house? This is all about keeping the city running as smooth as possible, it's not a popularity contest. It makes total sense to blackout a mostly residential sector than a commercial sector, as the commercial sector will affect EVERYONE.

Try imagine if they shut down Shinjuku-ku between 6pm and 10pm on a weekday.

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When I escaped Fukushima after the accident and went down to the Kansai area they were burning energy like nothing had ever happened.

Since Kansai runs on 60Hz, they have no way to send up electricity our way without some infrastructure being built. So even if they tried to save electricity, it would have no impact whatsoever on the situation here. Of course they could try and save power for the good of saving.

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Of course they could try and save power for the good of saving.

Where I live in the Chubu Electric area, the supermarkets are running on reduced lighting. Whether it is out of solidarity with Kanto/Tohoku or just because they can save on the electricity bill without customers complaining it is too dark, I don't know. It is a good idea either way.

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For all companies - business casual that means wearing polo style shirts with collars. Make everybody wear golf type polo shirts. Especially tiger woods light fabric nike polo shirts

Please no more business suits.

Or make everybody wear yellow t shirts like Thailand.

Dress Code

Yellow shirts monday's , red shirt tuesday's, light blue wednesday's, light green thursday's, Hawaiian Shirt Friday's because if you hurl by overdrinking it will blend in nicely with your shirt

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Part 2 - all office workers have to have water gun fights in the office

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Go back to the 1700s.

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How bout not, providing the temporary housing for the victims of the tsunami who live in cold areas of Japan, with air-conditioners-Talk about favouritism of business! Of course it is totally different area of energy business, but while we are at the awareness deepening inspirational talk-why oh why doesnt anyone mention airconditioners and those drug-like dependants-whaaaaaah!.....1700s? well my goats will pull your goods for a fee?

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Daylight saving is an obvious one - it starts getting light soon after 4am in June and you really do not need it to be light before 6am. Those 2 cool, light hours are wasted, in exchange for air conditioned, artificially lit evenings.

My Japanese father in-law gets up with the sun in summer and goes to bed with it - up soon after 4 and in bed at around 8. In traditional Japan, I am sure that all would have kept these approximate hours in summer. Daylight saving is just a way of keeping in step with nature.

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Open the windows and use an electric fan instead of the A/C.

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Everyone move to Hokkaido for a couple of months.

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All factory need power 2 operate. Power shortage slows down Japan's recovery & food supply more than people's fancy living

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Reduce the working week by 1 day by prefecture, and cut power to Industry in those areas. More manageable than having power cuts here & there. For commuters coming from neighbouring prefecturers transportation bus-links will need to be laid on. However this may cause havoc with the Tax bureau.

Simpler solution, make Sunday completely a day of prayer/contemplation, so no commericial activity occurs whatsoever, hence everything shuts down... baring the basic services incl. Radio/TV.

Use of airconditioning units cant be restricted now in most highrises, since windows cant be opened.

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