Tokyo officials announce flu season has begun

Interesting. If only 416 Tokyoites catch 'flu (0.993), there's nothing to worry about.

Better button up my cardigan, straighten my mask, and change into my winter ministry slippers.

Are we officially allowed to catch flu now?

Nyoh my God, it's back...

"...thoroughly wash their hands, gargle and take other preventive measures..."

Yes, please, do tell us more!

If you get a cold it is very important to go to the doctor and make sure you do not have influenza. If you do have influenza, at least two weeks should be taken off from work and a medical certificate should also be obtained and shown to the kaisha before resuming work.

TIger is dreaming. I got the shot over a month ago. Sure wish the sneezers would get off the trains. Ruins my traveling fun in bullet train first class and romance cars.

@tiger What? I'd like to find out if anyone under retirement age has ever missed two weeks of work with the flu in Japan. Going on 25 years here and one week is the longest I've heard of. Over the years I've missed a number of days here and there due to illness and never needed a medical certificate of any kind.

@tiger What? I'd like to find out if anyone under retirement age has ever missed two weeks of work with the flu in Japan.

This is the official protocol in my workplace however many do not admit to having influenza for this very reason. People can get very angry if they find out you do or did have influenza so it is better to just say you have a kaze.

I could have sworn that the Flu season officially started around November 1st based on the number of sniffles and coughs I was hearing on the trains around Tokyo that week on. I even caught that nasty flu that hit so fast and hard but stayed around for almost three weeks refusing to go. Never had one like that before. It almost felt as if it was two flu versions hitting back to back because of the two days of calm in the middle of that nearly three week ordeal.

Here we go again. If you want to stop flu spreading allow those who are sick to stay at home from work.

Any cold or influenza virus could spread really fast in Tokyo given all those crowded commuter trains and subway trains. Might want to take some proactive measures, though some of them are of questionable value.

If you get a cold it is very important to go to the doctor and make sure you do not have influenza. If you do have influenza, at least two weeks should be taken off from work and a medical certificate should also be obtained and shown to the kaisha before resuming work.

No, you really don't need to see anyone for a cold. Colds and flu are two completely different things, either way you keep away from others so not to pass it on.

I thought it was started at least a month ago.

Do not get a flu shot -- they are dangerous.

WHAT, exactly, is everyone worried about? Got the flu? Stay at home, in bed, drink plenty of fluids and let it work its way out of you. Got a cold? Pooftah! Same prescription. What irks me about the attitude of people in Japan is they think a face mask will save them, or prevent them from spreading germs or viruses. I've never seen, in all my travels around the world such a paranoid society. And I love Japan, by the way. Can't stay away. But those face masks have to go. I even saw one mother wearing a face mask at Kyoto's national garden give her cell phone camera to her three-year old daughter so she could have her picture taken in front of a cherry tree in full blossom. I'd be surprised, no, dumbfounded, if that child thought her mother was memorable in that photo. Some things just suck, and Japanese face masks are at the top of that list.

One thing I hate about people with the cold and flu is their inability to cover their noses and mouths when they cough and sneeze,makes me want to choke slam them! Hope everyone gets their flu shots so I won't have to:-()

Tokyo officials announce flu season has begun

flu season begins when you or someone close to you catches it. NOT when some Tokyo officials announce it.

I you wait until you can identify someone with flu close to you to take preventive measures you will be too late. That is the meaning of announcing the flu season, so people will dedicate significant resources to prevent it.

Some things just suck, and Japanese face masks are at the top of that list.

Again, as every year, with the people with the irrational fear of masks or vaccines. Used properly, masks (even 100 yen ones) can be a very effective measure to prevent new infections. Used improperly not so much, but that is the same with all other measures.

Lots of people don't wash properly their hands, but the solution is NOT to ask people to stop washing their hands completely, the solution is of course to educate people to do it properly. Its easier to learn how to wear a mask properly than to wash your hands properly.

Do not get a flu shot -- they are dangerous.

Utter nonsense.

Time to jack up the costs of unnecessary flu shots for the paranoid! The flu's been spreading for a couple of weeks now, it didn't start now any more than it starts getting cold and you get permission to turn on the heaters from December first. It's arbitrary.

Flu shots are not unnecessary for many. Not for me, my husband, our elderly mothers. There are huge numbers of vulnerable people out there who can be killed by flu.