Crowds of deer have emerged from the woods to the sound of a horn in an annual winter event in Japan's ancient capital Nara. (NHK)

Crown Prince Akishino, the younger brother of Emperor Naruhito, has urged his daughter Princess Mako to update the public on her planned marriage to boyfriend Kei Komuro by February. (Japan Times)

The Japanese government plans to raise its fiscal spending to more than 10 trillion yen ($91 billion) in economic measures that will be finalized in early December, Nikkei has learned. (Nikkei)

Slurping down a steaming hot bowl of ramen is a great way to warm the soul on a cold winter’s day but overindulging in the dish could prove deadly, a British medical paper has warned. (Japan Times)

The main stadium of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games has been completed. (NHK)

Two Japanese restaurants have shot to the top of the La Liste ranking of best places to eat in the world, with a third one getting the second highest mark from the authoritative "guide of guides". (Japan Today)

More than 70,000 people on Saturday walked along the Imperial Palace's Inui-dori (road) to enjoy the late autumn foliage. (Japan Today)

In a country where they say the customer is God, Japanese customer service is second to none across all types of sectors, from the biggest corporations to the smallest of small businesses. (soranews24.com)

A marionette clock based on Doraemon, the robotic cat from one of Japan’s most popular manga, was unveiled Friday in Tokyo’s Odaiba waterfront district to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the character, which has since been turned into anime, movies and video games. (Japan Times)

Japan's revised guidelines for tackling child poverty call for more detailed analysis to provide "seamless support" for struggling families. (NHK)

The transition from Heisei to Reiwa came at a relatively peaceful time, with the nation’s crime rate falling to a postwar low in 2018, an annual white paper released Friday by the Justice Ministry has shown. (Japan Times)

The Nara Hotel offers royal-class hospitality, but right now you won’t have to pay a king’s ransom to experience it. (soranews24.com)

A Japanese department store is reconsidering a plan for employees to have the choice to wear badges when they're menstruating. (SBS)

High school games played at the spiritual home of Japanese baseball will get a new look in 2020 after the organizer of the prestigious national championship on Friday announced its first pitch limits. (Japan Times)

The finance and health ministries are thinking of setting up funds in each prefecture to support private hospitals trying to rid themselves of excess beds that are driving up medical costs, it has been learned. (Japan Times)

In a country famous for the longevity of its inhabitants - this year Japan’s population of people age 100 or over topped 70,000 for the first time - Aomori Prefecture is an outlier. (Japan Times)

South Korea is expanding its screening team for strategic exports by 50% to 45 members on Jan. 1, in response to Japanese concerns that chipmaking chemicals shipped to the country were being leaked for military use. (Nikkei)

In the run-up to next year's anticipated rise in international travel demand, last month, the curfew on landings at Narita Airport was extended to midnight. (Japan Today)

Real estate experts say that the three most important things are location, location, and location, and that holds true for advertising too. (soranews24.com)

Former Japanese prime minister Yasuhiro Nakasone has died. He was known for forging strong ties with the US and privatizing industries. (NHK)

A government panel has approved a plan to limit the scope for what constitutes illegal downloads of all copyrighted works -- including manga, computer games and literary writings -- reversing its initial plan to restrict wide-ranging online actions. (Japan Today)

Japanese officials say North Korea launched two ballistic missiles on Thursday afternoon. (NHK)

A man pleaded guilty Thursday to murdering a passenger and trying to kill two others in a random knife attack on a shinkansen last year. (Japan Times)

Japanese electronics manufacturer Panasonic Corp is abandoning the semiconductor business with the sale of its last business in that sector to a Taiwanese company. (Japan Today)

Tourist boats operating in Tokyo Bay, including traditional roofed boats serving food and drinks, are worried that their business will be hurt when next summer's Olympics and Paralympics water games prevent them from operating on popular routes during the high season. (Japan Today)