Monthly Archives August 2016

Densha Ojisan

By: Roz I take the Chuo Line train from Yoyogi to home after work. The train is always very packed because it is one station before a major stop, Shinjuku. I know at Shinjuku most people will leave the train and I will have only a couple seconds to get a seat before more people get on. The train arrived at Shinjuku when I saw a seat open up and an Ojisan(old man) saw it too. We both ran towards it avoiding eye contact with each other. This is an unwritten custom of traveling by train or subway in Tokyo.
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Tokio Marine & Nichido Fire Insurance will start offering fire insurance and car insurance to same-sex couples.

 On August 10th, Tokio Marine & Nichido Fire Insurance announced that the company will release fire insurance and car insurance that recognize same-sex partners as “spouse.” With certification from Financial Services Agency, the insurances will be available as personal insurance from January, 2017.  Fire insurance allows policyholders to receive compensation when their spouse’s household belongings are damaged in a fire, however, same-sex partners are not eligible for the compensation since they are not legally treated as “spouse.” As for car insurance, same-sex partners are also excluded from benefits of “Drivers’ Discount” and “No Accident Discount” due to the current systems
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