The city kicked off a monthlong trial of daylight saving time Thursday involving the Sapporo city government, 220 local companies and about 6,000 people.
Unlike daylight saving system in the United States and Europe, under the Hokkaido version of "summer time," participating organizations open offices an hour earlier without setting clocks ahead.
One of the participants, North Pacific Bank, opened its head office at 8 a.m. Thursday--an hour earlier than usual. Twenty-one employees in aloha shirts, the special uniform for the daylight saving period, welcomed customers.
A 25-year-old female employee said, "I was so nervous this morning that I woke up early." A 31-year-old male employee said, "Now I'll be able to attend pro baseball games at Sapporo Dome." A 46-year-old male employee said: "I had to set two alarm clocks last night. I'll be short of sleep for a while."
Yomiuri Report
