Extreme Energy Saving In Japan

choi

Phred Dvorak, In Japan, People Get Charged Up About Amping Down; Some lower capacity of circuit breakers to conserve energy; Brooms, clay pots. Wall Street Journal, Oct 3, 2012 (front page).
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB ... 03524193492696.html

Note:
(a) The report in Japanese:
Phred Dvorak, 日本で進む「アンペアダウン」―震災後の節電で活発化. WSJ, Oct 5, 2012.

, which was republished in
http://logsoku.com/thread/anago.2ch.net/bizplus/1349443118/

(b) Nirasaki, Yamanashi  山梨県 韮崎市
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nirasaki,_Yamanashi

* nira 《韮; 韭》 【にら】 (n): "Chinese chive; garlic chive (Allium tuberosum)"
All Japanese definitions are from Jim Breen's online Japanese dictionary.
(c) Japanese names:
(i) Arakida   荒木田 (given names for husband Makoto 誠, wife Megumi 恵)

* makoto 誠; 実 【まこと】 (adv,n): "(1) truth; reality; (2) sincerity; honesty"
* megumi 恵み 【めぐみ】 (n): "blessing; grace  <神は私に富をお恵みくださった。        God has blessed me with riches>"
(ii) Michiko HASEGAWA  長谷川 美知子
(d) The report indicated Peter Howlett in Hokaido "was casting about for ways to reduce the amount of power his family of five used."

cast about (vi): "to look around : SEEK <cast about for a seat>"
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cast%20about
(e) circuit breaker
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circuit_breaker
(Unlike a fuse, which operates once and then must be replaced, a circuit breaker can be reset (either manually or automatically) to resume normal operation; Circuit breakers are made in varying sizes)
(f) For toaster oven, see toaster
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toaster
(section 2.2 Toaster ovens)
(g) The report mentioned "Hiroshi Kato, who runs one Ampere Down group in Fukui prefecture."
* The Japanese version of the WSJ report does not have Kanji for Hiroshi KATO, whose surname is written as 加藤.
* Fukui Prefecture  福井県
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fukui_Prefecture
(h) The report observed, "After relinquishing the TV a few months ago * * * Ms Arakida brings in the car navigation system, with its built-in TV tuner, when she wants to watch samurai dramas."

Tuner (radio)
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuner_(radio)
(More complex transmissions likePAL/NTSC (TV), DAB (digital radio), DVB-T/DVB-S/DVB-C (digital TV) etc. uses a wider frequency bandwidth)
(i)
* For "Japanese-style charcoal grill," see
Japanese Konro Charcoal Grill.
http://kitchenarts.com/products/ ... Charcoal-Grill.html
(made in Japan; For OUTDOOR use only!)
* konro《焜炉》 【こんろ】 (n): "portable cooking stove"