Keeping cool in summer －4 key points for preventing heat stroke－ See page 2 for the details. Kishine Park Photo: Yuta. K The rainy season Fumiko Hayashi Mayor of Yokohama We have entered the rainy season. As greenery thickens, hydrangeas blooming in drizzling rain add color to our streets. Rain in the right amounts is a precious water resource that is indispensable for our lives. For plants and animals, it is truly a blessing. I believe many people also look forward every year to seeing fireflies flashing in the night air after a rain in various spots in the city. In addition, there are many urban farms in Yokohama, and summer vegetables are coming into season. The availability of fresh local vegetables carefully grown by our farmers is another treat that can only be enjoyed in this season. At the same time, the rainy season also brings a higher risk of flooding and landslides due to the overflowing rivers, weakened ground foundations, and other factors. It is important for us to pay close attention to information about heavy rains and to stay away from hazardous places during protracted rainfalls. And when going out, please be on guard against traffic accidents due to poorer visibility and slippery roads. Once the rainy season ends, summer begins in earnest. The change of seasons is a time to be extra careful about managing your physical condition. I hope we all come through it in good health! Let’s prevent heat strokes! From May to September last year, 734 people were taken to hospitals in Yokohama by ambulance because of suspected heat stroke. When the rainy season ends and temperatures suddenly rise, there is an increase in the number of people who are thought to have heat stroke and are taken to hospitals by ambulance. Let’s prevent heat stroke by taking action to keep cool throughout the summer! Watch out for heat stroke on days like this! ●High temperatures　●Little wind ●High humidity　●Quick onset of heat 4 key points for prevention of heat stroke Daily health management Frequent replenishment of water and salt Cool clothing, parasols, and hats Adjustment of temperature indoors Pay particular attention to the following. Elderly ● You need to frequently replenish your body’s supply of water and salt, even if you are not thirsty. ● Because faculties for sensation of heat decline, make sure to check the temperature indoors at frequent intervals and make skillful use of air conditioners and other equipment for cooling. Toddlers and small children ● On sunny days, the temperature is higher nearer the ground. Toddlers and small children are therefore in a hotter environment than adults. ● Pay close attention to toddlers and young children, because their faculties for adjustment of body temperature are not fully developed. If you think someone has heat stroke: ・Take the person to a cool place ・Take off the person’s clothes and cool the body ・Have the person drink water and take salt Call an ambulance immediately if the person has lost consciousness or does not respond to questions! If you are not sure whether or not to call an ambulance, contact: The Yokohama Emergency Consultation Center (open 365 days a year, 24 hours a day) #7119 or Tel: 045-222-7119 ・Information on hospitals and clinics ready to see patients at that time (No. 1) ・Advice on the degree of urgency and need to see a doctor, based on the symptoms (No. 2) Yokohama Emergency Consultation Guide 　You can confirm the urgency of sudden illnesses and injuries using your computer or smartphone. You can also access the guide with a 2D code. *Booklets are also available at fire departments in each ward. 横浜市救急受診ガイド　　Search 横浜市　熱中症　　Search 【Contact for inquiries about this article】 Ambulance Service Division, Fire Bureau Tel: 045-334-6494 Fax: 045-334-6785 Or: Public Health Affairs Division, Health and Social Welfare Bureau Tel: 045-671-2451　　Fax: 045-671-4469 Be prepared for heavy rains! June marks the start of the rainy season and the period when typhoons strike Japan. In preparation for inundation, landslides, and other occurrences caused by heavy rains, check methods for properly collecting information and action to take for evacuation in emergencies. It is vital to collect information. You can check meteorological and evacuation information by means including TV, radio, and the city website. The city disseminates information using disaster-prevention information e-mail and applications. Register in advance to receive such information. Disaster-prevention information e-mail Read the 2D code or send a blank e-mail to: entry-yokohama@bousai-mail.jp. You will then receive an e-mail guide to registration. Yahoo! Disaster Alert You can receive emergency disaster information by registering for this service either by reading the 2D code to download the app version, which can be used on smartphones, or by registering for the e-mail version, which can be received by computers and ordinary mobile phones. Confirm the meaning of evacuation information in advance. Evacuation information Action Preparation for evacuation and beginning of evacuation by elderly etc. Elderly, children, disabled, sick, and other people who take more time to evacuate are requested to begin taking evacuation action. Evacuation advisory Begin evacuating to a safe place. Evacuation order (urgent) If you have not yet taken evacuation action, immediately begin evacuating. *In addition, make sure to check the meaning of meteorological information and other items in advance. Check the types of risk in the vicinity of your home. Check the types of risk using hazard maps and other information in advance. *Yokohama is revising the flood and inundation hazard districts along the Tsurumi, Katabira, Sakai, and Ooka rivers. Take action that is right for the situation when evacuating. Begin evacuating early, based on meteorological and evacuation information, and in correspondence with the situation in the surrounding area, before the danger is imminent. Horizontal evacuation Evacuate to designated emergency evacuation sites or other evacuation sites, high ground nearby, the homes of relatives outside zones at risk of landslides, or other such places. Vertical evacuation Evacuate to the second or higher floor of a sturdy building, or to a high building in the vicinity. Indoor evacuation It is dangerous to go outdoors to evacuate at night or when a crisis is imminent. In such cases, evacuate to a safe place within the building where you are at the time (the second or higher floor on the side opposite to slopes or other dangerous places). About hazard maps 横浜市　防災の地図　　Search About disaster prevention and mitigation 防災よこはま　　Search 【Contact for inquiries about this article】 Crisis Management Division, General Affairs Bureau Tel: 045-671-2012　　Fax: 045-641-1677 What should you do in this case? Consumer trouble There has been a steady increase in cases of consumer trouble involving fraudulent business practices. But with a little vigilance, you can avoid becoming a victim! Consumer life promotion member Original mascot Kashiko-chan ©　YUKI ISHII Applicable? Inapplicable? Cooling off The term “cooling off” refers to a provision allowing consumers to cancel a contract unconditionally within a prescribed period of time after they have concluded one to purchase products as a result of sales by methods that are highly likely to take them off guard, such as sales by surprise home visits. However, this provision cannot be applied in cases like the following. “I bought an article of clothing for 7,530 yen through a TV shopping program. But when I tried it on, it was different from what I had imagined. The material was stiff and did not stretch very much. When I told the sales company that I wanted to return it, they said products that had been unpacked and tried on could not be returned, and that there was a message to this effect shown on the program. Isn’t there anything I can do?” Advice from the Center Mail-order sales are not covered by the cooling off provision. For this reason, it would be difficult for you to return the product, unless the contract is a special one permitting returns. Before ordering products, make sure to carefully check the rules regarding cancellation and returns. The cooling off provision also does not cover purchases made during visits by consumers to a store or other sales site, or purchases with a price of less than 3,000 yen, paid for in cash, in a lump sum. Cases covered by the cooling off provision within a prescribed length of time Within 8 days: purchase or sale of jewelry etc. during visits by salespersons, or through telephone sales, provision of specified continuous services such as treatment at esthetic salons and language classes, etc. Within 20 days: Multi-level marketing, side work involving purchase of equipment etc., and service as a product test user based on promises of discounts on purchase of goods and services. ★ Contact the Yokohama City Consumer’s Center for information on the cooling off procedure and other matters. Discount 0 yen the first time Does this also mean regular purchase? Some people buy goods after seeing ads for “a 90% discount the first time” or “in effect 0 yen (shipment charge only) the first time” on websites and social networking services (SNS), and only later realize they have concluded a contract for regular purchase. Their attention was taken by the “try it” and “first time only” blurbs in the ads, and they failed to notice the regular purchase contract in small print. Such cases are on the rise. For example… ● You ended up regularly purchasing a health beverage you thought was a trial purchase. You purchased a health beverage for a first-time price of 600 yen through the web, with the intention of trying it once. But later on, a second one you didn’t remember ordering was delivered to your door. →Before placing an order, carefully check to see whether or not regular purchase is one of the conditions. ● You ended up regularly purchasing a product after requesting what you thought was a sample. You requested a diet supplement advertised on SNS as a sample item, but kept receiving shipments of it thereafter. When you checked the details, you discovered you had concluded a contract for regular purchase, and the payment was deducted from your account. →As a general rule, mail-order sales are made in line with return special contracts determined by the seller. Therefore, make sure to carefully check the purchasing conditions and rules applied. ★ In the event of trouble, consult the Yokohama City Consumer’s Center. Absolutely no recollection… Ignore postcards with fraudulent requests for payment! Some consumers receive a postcard making a fraudulent request for payment from a scam operator pretending to be a public institution, with names such as “Civil Suit Management Center” and “XX, a branch bureau under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Justice”. The postcards make them think they have forgotten to pay a business they patronized in the past; cause them anxiety with threats about actions such as filing of a suit with a court or confiscation of pay, movable property, or real estate; and attempt to dupe them into consultation for withdrawing the suit etc. Ignore payment requests of which you have absolutely no recollection. Examples of names used by operators sending postcards containing fraudulent requests for payment ・Civil Suit Management Center ・Civil Suit Management Center, a branch bureau under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Justice ・Japan Central Organization, a branch bureau under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Justice ・National Suit Notification Center, a branch bureau under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Justice Help each other! If you notice that a neighbor or colleague appears to be in trouble, speak to him or her and tell him or her about the Yokohama City Consumer’s Center and other organizations for consultation about such trouble. If you want to know about the latest cases of trouble etc., make sure to view “Shukan Hama no Tasuke Mail,” an e-mail newsletter containing information for consumers. For consultation, first make a phone call. Yokohama City Consumer’s Center If you are at a loss about what to do, call for consultation. Tel: 045-845-6666　　Fax: 045-845-7720 Hours: 9:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m., Monday – Friday, and 9:00 a.m. – 4:45 p.m., Saturday & Sunday　* Closed on holidays and during the New Year’s holiday break. 【Contact for inquiries about this article】Consumer Economy Division, Economic Affairs Bureau Tel: 045-671-2568　　Fax: 045-664-9533