News On Japan

No screaming allowed on Japanese roller coasters, and new video shows it can be done

Jun 20, 2020 (soranews24.com) - Top bosses of Japan’s most popular thrill ride park sit down and shut up.

With Japan’s overall number of COVID-19 cases decreasing, the country’s theme parks, which have been closed for months, are looking for ways they can safely reopen before the end of the summer vacation series. A recent initiative, which is being promoted by East Japan and West Japan Theme Park Associations includes the eyebrow-raising, mouth-shutting instruction for parks to urge guests to “refrain from screaming” when riding roller coasters.

The initiative has the support of Tokyo Disneyland and Universal Studios Japan, but it’s going to be a particularly big challenge for Yamanashi Prefecture amusement park Fuji-Q Highland. See, while Disney and USJ’s beloved cartoon characters and movie tie-ups are their chief draws, the primary reason people go to Fuji-Q Highland (which is a doable day trip from Tokyo) is because it has Japan’s finest selection of thrill rides, such as marquee roller coaster Fujiyama.

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Airports and railway stations across Japan were crowded on September 23 as travelers returned from their hometowns and holiday destinations on the final day of the five-day Silver Week holiday, with international flight arrivals reaching their peak and many afternoon Shinkansen services fully booked.

Extensive railway disruption continued across Chiba Prefecture on September 23 as JR East warned that several lines damaged by Typhoon No. 25 would remain closed beyond the Silver Week holiday, even as flights returned toward normal, all typhoon-related expressway closures were lifted and some highway bus services resumed. The storm has left widespread damage to railway tracks and embankments, with flooding, landslides and fallen trees complicating restoration work.

The death toll from Typhoon No. 25 rose to nine on September 23, with four people still missing in Chiba and Kanagawa prefectures, as renewed rainfall raised fears of further landslides in communities devastated by the storm.

The road leading to Otemon Gate at Tokyo's Imperial Palace was flooded on September 22 after heavy rain from a typhoon caused water in the surrounding moat to overflow.

Japan came within two runs of producing one of international cricket's biggest upsets on September 22, pushing reigning T20 world champion India to the final ball before losing a rain-shortened match at Sano International Cricket Ground in Tochigi Prefecture.

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Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako visited Ghibli Park in Aichi Prefecture on September 20, touring exhibits that recreate famous scenes from Studio Ghibli films and posing for a photograph with the character No-Face.

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Anonymous and fluid criminal groups known in Japan as "tokuryu" are adopting increasingly elaborate tactics, including a scheme in which elderly victims are persuaded to hide cash inside refrigerators before thieves enter their homes, as authorities struggle to combat networks whose members often have no direct contact with one another.

A luxury mansion in Bangkok described as resembling a palace was being used as a base for a specialized fraud operation targeting Japanese people, with Thai authorities detaining 14 people, including four Japanese men.

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