2025 Sendai City 20-Year-Old Ceremony to be Held on January 12 (Sun)

• Time＝1: 15 p.m.～2：30 p.m.（Venue opens at 12：30 p.m.）
• Venue= Kamei Arena Sendai（Sendai City Gymnasium）
• Eligibility : Those who live in Sendai City and were born between April 2, 2004 and April 1, 2005 (Those who have a resident registration in Sendai City as of October 31 have been sent an invitation in late November. Those without an invitation can also attend.)
• Please RSVP by December 15 (Sun) by filling in a designated form that can be accessed either by scanning the QR code on the invitation or found on the official website of the City of Sendai.
• On the day of the event, please enter the venue following the routes printed on the invitation cards.
• The parking lot cannot be used. Please come to the venue using public transportation.
• Those in possession of or are drinking alcoholic beverages will be denied entry.

Inquiries: Lifelong Learning Section TEL: 022-214-8887

City Services During the Year-End and New Year Period

City services, except those mentioned below, are scheduled to be closed from December 29 (Sun) to January 3 (Fri). As ward offices and other service counters are usually extremely crowded during the year-end and New Year period every year, we recommend that you visit early to avoid the peak period.

• Ward Offices
  Each ward office and general branch will provide the following services at the security office on a 24-hour basis (8:30 a.m. – 8:00 p.m. for the Akiu General Branch) from December 29 (Sun) to January 3 (Fri):・Acceptance of notifications regarding family registers, such as reports of marriage and reports of death.・Issuance of burial and cremation authorizations.
• City Buses/Subway
  Timetables and business hours for ticket counters, the Information Center and the Lost & Found Center will be changed during the year-end and New Year period. For more information, please check the website of the Sendai City Transportation Bureau (http://www.kotsu.city.sendai.jp/) or contact the Information Center of the Sendai City Transportation Bureau at 022-222-2256 (8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. from December 29 (Sun) to January 3 (Fri)).
• Gas Bureau/Waterworks
  Gas and waterworks services will be available 24/7 during the year-end and New Year period via the following routes:

1. Gas Bureau TEL: 022-256-2111（if you suspect that there is a gas leak, etc.）
2. Waterworks Repairs Reception Center TEL: 022-304-3299（burst water pipes, leakages, etc.）

• Sewerage
  Please contact the Sendai City Hall Security Office (TEL: 022-261-1111) if there is a blockage between main sewage pipes and public catch basins, or if there are damages to public manholes or sewage pipes, etc. For issues related to household drainage system, please directly contact a plumber sewage contractor.
• Closure of facilities
  Closures of sports, education and cultural facilities may differ. Please directly inquire each facility about holiday season closures.
• Waste Collection, etc.
  Please put out your waste at designated collection points from early in the morning until 8:30 a.m. on the designated waste collection days.
  Inquiries：Your local Collection Office
  Aoba Collection Office TEL: 022-277-5300
  Miyagino Collection Office TEL: 022-236-5300 
  Wakabayashi Collection Office TEL: 022-289-2051
  Taihaku Collection Office TEL: 022-248-5300
  Izumi Collection Office TEL: 022-773-5300

Changing the Method of Payment for the National Health Insurance Premiums and Advanced-age Medical Insurance Premiums

For those whom special collection of insurance premiums apply (deducted from a public pension), you can change the method of payment for the premiums to bank transfer. If you would like to change the payment method, you must submit an application of bank transfer and an application of termination of special collection. Please note that the timing of termination of special collection will differ depending on when the application was submitted.
Inquiries: National Health Insurance and Pension Section of each ward office, Miyagi General Branch, or Public Health and Welfare Section of Akiu General Branch

AIDS and Syphillis Rapid Testing 

• Reservation required
• How to apply:
  Reservations can be made by calling the dedicated reservation line (TEL: 090-4478-4641), between 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays, from two weeks before the testing date up until the day before the testing, or from the official website of the City of Sendai.

1. Night-time Rapid Testing: 
   Date and time: December 27 (Fri) and January 10 (Fri), 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. 
   Venue: 5F, AER Bldg. 
2. Holiday Rapid Testing : 
   Date and time: January 11(Sat), 1:30 p.m. to 3 p.m.
   Venue: Health Consultation Office, Koseikan (1-1-5, Miyamachi, Aoba-ku)

Capacity: approximately 30 people each（first-come first-served）
The test taker will be directly informed of the results about one hour after blood samples have been taken. (In the case of indeterminate results, the test taker will be notified of the results at a later date.)

Inquiries：Infectious Disease Countermeasure Section　022-214-8029

Currently Accepting Applications for Municipal Housing
―Applications Open Until December 16 (Mon)―

• "Application Guide for Sendai City Municipal Housing" will be available from December 6 (Fri) at the following locations:
  Application Section of the Sendai City Construction Public Corporation (Sendai City Hall Kokubuncho Building 2nd Floor)
  Sendai Information Center (Sendai City Hall 2nd Floor)
  Information Desk of each Ward Office
  General Branches
  Family and Resident Registration Section of Sendai Station Service Center, Aoba Ward Office (AER Building 5th Floor)
  Certificate Issuance Center
  Central Civic Center of each ward
  Sendai City Council of Social Welfare offices located in each ward
  Lifelong Learning Promotion Center, etc.
• How to apply: Choose one municipal housing unit from the chart, fill out the application form attached to the Application Guide and mail the form in using the provided envelope by December 16 (Mon). In the event that the number of applications exceeded that of available housing units, decisions will be made via lottery.
• Earliest move in date: February 27 (Thu), 2025 (tentative)
• Eligibility: Individuals who fulfill all of the following requirements

1. Those who are facing difficulties in their current housing situation.
2. Those with relatives whom they are currently living together with or are planning to move in together with.
3. Those who reside or work in Sendai City.
   There are other conditions such as that one's income must be lower than a certain amount, etc. For more details, please see the Application Guide.

Although applications from individuals who resided in areas under evacuation orders by the 2011 nuclear disaster, evacuees who resided in areas eligible for support based on the Children and Victims Support Act, and victims of domestic violence and crimes are also accepted, application requirements may differ. Please inquire for further details.
Inquiries: Application Section of Sendai City Construction Public Corporation
TEL: 022-214-3604

Notice Regarding the National Health Insurance and Advanced-age Medical System:
Starting on December 2 (Mon), the current type of health insurance cards will no longer be issued.

From December 2 (Mon), insured medical treatment will generally be provided using “Myna health insurance cards”. These are Individual Number Cards registered for use as health insurance cards. After December 2, the current health insurance cards will no longer be issued. 
Please note that the validity period for each type of insurance card issued before December 1 (Sun), 2024 may differ: 
・National health insurance cards can be used until September 30 (Tue), 2025.
・Insurance cards for the Advanced-age Medical System can be used until July 31 (Thu), 2025.

• For those who do NOT have a Myna health insurance card
  Before July 31(Thu), 2025, we will send out an “Eligibility Certificate”, which can be used as a health insurance card. There is no need to apply to receive the certificate. You can receive medical treatment as usual by presenting the certificate instead of a health insurance card at the counter of medical institutions. 
• For those who have a Myna health insurance card
  Before July 31(Thu), 2025, we will send out a “Notice of Eligibility Information”which you can used to check your insurance information. 
  When visiting medical institutions that have not installed a card reader, you can still receive insured medical treatment by presenting your Myna health insurance card along with the “Notice of Eligibility Information”. 
  Regarding applications for procedures such as the termination of registration for a Myna health insurance card, please contact the ward office or general branch of the ward where you reside. 

※Regarding the Advanced-age Medical System: If you newly register for the system or change your address, we will send out an “Eligibility Certificate” for you to use until the end of July, 2025, even if you already have a Myna health insurance card.

Inquiries: National Health Insurance and Pension Section of each ward office, Miyagi General Branch, or Public Health and Welfare Section of Akiu General Branch.