A masterpiece of Edo-period genre painting, the national treasure "Hikone Byobu," is currently on special display in Shiga Prefecture.
The annual 'Mamada-no Jaga Maita' was held Sunday in Oyama, Tochigi, where locals carry a giant snake made of bamboo and adorned with fern leaves to pray for favorable weather, abundant harvests, and protection from plagues.
Despite the unseasonable heat, many visitors crowded in to view a total of 333 carp streamers, both large and small, displayed today, on Children's Day, in front of Tokyo Tower.
Ahead of Children's Day, Japan's Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications released an estimate of the country's child population, revealing a decrease of 330,000 compared to the previous year. The population of children under 15 dropped for the 43rd consecutive year, reaching a record low since data collection began in 1950.
In the case where the bodies of a couple were found burned in Nasu Town, Tochigi Prefecture, it has been revealed that a man, suspected to be the one giving instructions, stated that he was directe to go to the empty house, where the assault is believed to have taken place.
A memorial service for the former Imperial Japanese Army kamikaze pilots who died during the Battle of Okinawa at the end of World War II was held on May 3rd in front of the Chiran Peace Kannon Hall in Minamikyushu City, Kagoshima Prefecture.