I was glad to see the June 28 article "Daylight savings is it finally time to convert?" I have been a summer resident and law teacher in Kyoto for six of the past eight summers and have found many things about Japanese life that are more sensible than in America, my home country.
However, one glaring exception is the lack of daylight savings time. The sun rises (and sets) much too early in the summer in Japan. With the dire need to save energy this summer, it would seem to be obviously beneficial to transfer an hour of early morning daylight, when most of us are sleeping, to the evening hours when we are commuting or enjoying evening exercise, while also reducing by one hour the need for outdoor neon and indoor electric lights.
The article instructively noted that Japan is one of only 20 countries in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development not to take advantage of daylight savings time.
I would add that in 2005 most U.S. states extended their period of daylight savings for an additional month beginning in 2007. It now extends into spring and fall, starting the second Sunday of March and ending the first Sunday of November.
The opinions expressed in this letter to the editor are the writer's own and do not necessarily reflect the policies of The Japan Times.