The latest news, trends and photo galleries from Japan by Japan News and Yomiuri Shimbun, a Japanese newspaper founded in 1874.
A highlight of the Otaru Ushio Festival, a summer staple in the Hokkaido city of Otaru, commenced July 29 with about 5,000 people from 76 groups dancing in formation in the city center for eight hours. Read more
A liquid hydrogen-powered Toyota Corolla completed a 24-hour endurance race at the Fuji International Speedway in Oyama, Shizuoka prefecture, in May. Read more
A red-and-yellow checkered pattern has been painted on a road preceding a pedestrian crossing in Chiryu, Aichi prefecture. Read more
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The number of international visitors to Japan exceeded 2 million during the month of June, the first time in three years and five months, according to the Japan National Tourism Organization. Read more
For the first time in four years, the women’s-only Gal Mikoshi parade was held July 23 in Kita ward, Osaka City. Read more
In addition to being a starting pitcher for the Toronto Blue Jays, Yusei Kikuchi is an accomplished karaoke crooner who is proud of his spirited version of the fight song of his former team in Japan, the Seibu Lions. Read more
Americans are increasingly raising a glass of sake. Exports of the drink to the country reached $78.6 million last year, three times the figure from 10 years ago. Read more
With 2023 marking the 10th anniversary of Mount Fuji’s designation as a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site, authorities are debating how to curb the number of tourists on Japan’s highest mountain and ease the environmental burden tourists create. Read more
A woman finds some relief from the scorching heat under cooling mist installed in Tokyo. Read more
An American man who loves ninja is teaching ninjutsu, the martial art strategy and tactics practiced by the ninja, as a grand master. Read more
The tourist association of Iga, a city known for its historical ties with ninja, has established a program that brings the ninja experience to tourists. Read more
cenes of goldfish breeding ponds have come to be one of the symbols of Nara prefecture. Read more
It’s been a long, four-year wait, but Yamaguchi’s slipper table tennis tournament is expected to return this month after repeated cancellations due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Read more
The Japanese government has set a goal for large companies to have at least 30% of their executive positions filled by women by 2030, according to a draft compiled by the government’s Gender Equality Council that was expected to be adopted by the cabinet by the end of June. Read more
For rice farmers, ducklings aren’t all about cuteness, they’re working animals, and shipments of the birds peaked in early June at a breeding facility at Tsumura Honten in Matsubara, Osaka prefecture. Read more
Fender, the guitar of choice for some of the world’s biggest stars, from Jimi Hendrix to Eric Clapton, opened what it calls its “first flagship store” in its 77-year history. Read more
Universities are preparing to turn to robots, artificial intelligence and drones to help with campus security. Read more
A ministerial meeting on hay fever held in May will result in a 20% reduction of pollen-producing cedar forests — currently 10.62 million acres, or 4.31 million hectares — in the coming decade. Read more
A visitor attaches a strip of paper with her wish written on it to a bamboo branch at a shop in Tokyo for the Star Festival, or tanabata, which celebrates the meeting of deities Orihime (Vega) and her lover Hikoboshi (Altair), who are separated by the Milky Way and allowed to meet only once a year on July 7. Read more
Anko (sweet bean paste), an indispensable ingredient in Japan’s wagashi (traditional) sweets, has been in the spotlight recently for its use in new kinds of treats. Read more
A new method of collecting insect DNA involves simply spraying water on plants, a group of researchers has announced. Read more
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