Kyoto is one of the highlights of any trip to Japan, an ancient and fascinating city, packed with temples and shrines, a place to savor refined culture. But can it be kid- and family-friendly? Most definitely, especially if you take advantage of the variety Kyoto has to offer, hop on the city's easy-to-use bus system, and keep your eyes open for some of its surprising travel bargains.
Companies rush to issue stocks and bonds as markets boom
U.S. Stocks Edge Lower After Data
U.S. Stocks Mostly Lower on Weak Data; Philadelphia Fed Index Ahead
U.S. Stocks Mostly Lower After Weak Jobless Claims, Housing Starts
| May 17 | Nikkei rebounds from losses to end at 64-month high |
 The benchmark Nikkei Stock Average recouped earlier losses to end at a fresh 64-month high on the Tokyo Stock Exchange on Friday, reflecting continued bullish market sentiment. (Yomiuri  ) |
| May 15 | Nikkei ends above 15,000 for 1st time since Dec. 2007 |
 The Nikkei index gained over 2 percent to end above the 15,000 mark Wednesday for the first time since December 2007, propelled by a falling yen and buoyant global equities. (Kyodo ) |
| May 14 | Tokyo stocks end 0.16% lower |
 Tokyo stocks have closed 0.16 per cent lower on profit-booking after recent gains prompted by expectations that the yen would continue to weaken and benefit Japanese exporters. (ninemsn.com.au ) |
| May 13 | Nikkei up after Japan gets nod from G7 on stimulus |
 Japan's stock market jumped Monday after global finance leaders gave a seal of approval to the country's stimulus program and refrained from criticizing its weakening effect on the yen. Stocks were mixed elsewhere in Asia. (abcnews.go.com ) |
| May 10 | Nikkei jumps as dollar passes 100-yen mark |
 Japan's benchmark stock index surged Friday after the dollar hit a 4-year high against the yen. Gains were modest elsewhere as traders digested a positive U.S. jobs report. (wnem.com ) |
| May 09 | Nikkei ends 0.66 pct lower |
 Nikkei ended 0.66 percent lower on Thursday.
The 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average closed 94.21 points down from Wednesday at 14,191.48, while the broader Topix index of all First Section issues on the Tokyo Stock Exchange was down 12.51 points, or 1.05 percent, at 1,181.83. (Xinhua ) |
| May 08 | Nikkei hits fresh near five-year high; China data provides tailwind |
 Japan's Nikkei average closed at its highest in nearly five years on Wednesday, buoyed by a record finish on Wall Street and unexpectedly strong economic data from China and Germany, which helped to ease concerns over the global economic outlook. (Reuters ) |
| May 07 | Nikkei jumps 3.6 percent to five-year high led by exporters |
 The Nikkei average jumped 3.6 percent on Tuesday to break above 14,000 for the first time in nearly five years, with exporters leading the gains after last week's strong U.S. jobs data eased concerns over the health of Japan's major export market. (Reuters ) |
| May 07 | Nikkei surges almost 3%, tops 14,000 on robust U.S. data, weaker yen |
 The Nikkei stock index surged almost 3 percent Tuesday morning to top the 14,000 mark and hit its highest level in nearly five years, as investors took heart from better-than-expected U.S. jobs data for April and the yen's slide against the U.S. dollar. (Kyodo ) |
| May 02 | Tokyo shares close 0.76pc lower, Nikkei 225 index ended down 105.31 points |
 Tokyo shares closed 0.76 percent lower on Thursday as the yen remained strong, despite a decision by the US central bank to keep its easy money policies in place to bolster the world's biggest economy. (brecorder.com ) |
| May 01 | Once bitten, Japan's big brokers play it safe amid Abenomics boom |
 With losses from ill-fated expansions still fresh in their minds, executives at Daiwa Securities Group (8601.T) and other top Japanese brokerages are waiting to see if the "Abenomics" boost has staying power before they invest aggressively again. (Reuters ) |
| May 01 | Japanese shares fall after best month since 1999 |
 Japanese shares fell, with the Topix (TPX) Index dropping after posting its biggest monthly advance since 1999, as earnings reports from Alps Electric Co. to Tokyo Electron Ltd. disappointed investors. (Bloomberg ) |
| Apr 30 | Nikkei ends 0.2% lower, marks best April performance in 20 years |
 The Nikkei average eased on Tuesday partly due to disappointing earnings guidance from heavyweights Fanuc Corp and Honda Motor, but still ended April with its best performance in 20 years on the back of bold stimulus measures unveiled earlier in the month. (Economic Times ) |
| Apr 30 | Nikkei 225 deformed as Japan yardstick by Fast Retailing's rise |
| The Nikkei 225 Stock Average, the benchmark measure for Japanese equities, is being twisted by a single company more than at any time in the last 12 years. (BusinessWeek) |
| Apr 30 | As Nikkei soars, Japan attracts money |
| Japan's stock rally is chugging toward the six-month mark and is still going strong as the country pulls in large global investors, sending trading volumes to a record high. (Wall Street Journal) |
| Apr 26 | Tokyo stocks close down 0.30% |
| Tokyo stocks lost 0.30 per cent on Friday, dragged by a stronger yen ahead of a Bank of Japan decision to hold off unveiling any new measures to kick-start the economy. (news.com.au) |
| Apr 26 | New TSE index aimed at foreign investors / Exchange to put focus on ROE |
 Aiming to establish itself as a major exchange in Asia, the Tokyo Stock Exchange plans to create a new stock price index that focuses on return on equity (ROE). (Yomiuri ) |
| Apr 25 | Sentiment turning for Japan stocks? Foreign investors bail |
 Chatter over whether Japan's soaring stock markets are due for a correction gained momentum after data on Thursday revealed that foreign investors, who have been huge buyers of Japanese equities in recent months, became net sellers in the past week. (cnbc.com ) |
| Apr 25 | Tokyo stocks close 0.60pc higher, Nikkei 225 index, which gained 2.32pc |
 Tokyo shares rose 0.60 percent on Thursday as investors bet on Japan's economic recovery while looking ahead to a central bank policy meeting to see if it will announce any more stimulus measures. (brecorder.com ) |
| Apr 25 | Canon slumps after forecast misses estimates |
| Canon Inc. (7751), the world's largest camera maker, was the worst performer in the Nikkei 225 Stock Average after forecasting earnings below analyst estimates amid slumping demand for compact models. (Bloomberg) |
| Apr 24 | Nikkei climbs 2.3 pct to nearly 5-yr highs; weak yen buoys exporters |
 Japanese shares climbed 2.3
percent to their highest level in nearly five years on Wednesday
as the yen resumed its slide towards 100 to the dollar. (Reuters ) |
| Apr 24 | More listed firms turning to stock splits |
| An increasing number of companies listed in Japan are implementing stock splits to make their shares more affordable for individual investors amid a recent uptick in the stock market. (Yomiuri) |
| Apr 23 | Tokyo stocks close down |
 Tokyo stocks closed down 0.29 percent Tuesday as a stronger yen hit sentiment despite a positive performance on Wall Street. (IOL ) |
| Apr 22 | Nikkei index surges to highest level in almost five years |
 The stock exchange in Tokyo has experience another surge at the start of the new week. Nikkei shares rose by almost 2 percent following the endorsement of Japan's fiscal policy by the G20 in Washington. (Deutsche Welle ) |
| Apr 22 | Japan Inc. hesitates to invest as stocks rally on plummeting yen |
 The last time Masao Namiki bought machinery for his company, Emperor Hirohito had just died, Japanese investors took the Rockefeller Center as a trophy, and a new central bank chief was about to prick the bubble economy. It was 1989. (Bloomberg ) |
| Apr 22 | Why Japan is now the land of the rising stocks |
 Japan, by the numbers, looks like this: 11 finance ministers in seven years; a national debt topping one quadrillion yen, interest rates stuck near zero. Yet nowadays a different set of figures draws investors - rising stock values. The Nikkei 225 is up almost 30% this year. (MarketWatch ) |
| Apr 19 | Foreign investors' net buying of Japan stocks jumps last week |
 Foreign investors' net buying of Japanese equities hit the highest last week since the Ministry of Finance started collecting the data in 2005, buoyed by the Bank of Japan's sweeping stimulus measures unveiled on April 4. (Reuters ) |
| Apr 19 | Nikkei adds 0.7 pct in subdued trade; G20 outcome, earnings eyed |
 Japanese stocks rose on Friday in choppy trade after a downward trend in the yen helped offset negative sentiment from Wall Street and buoyed some exporters. (cnbc.com ) |
| Apr 18 | Nikkei drops 1.2% as Apple component suppliers weigh |
 Japan's Nikkei share average dropped 1.2 per cent on Thursday as Apple-linked shares came under pressure on concerns of slowing sales of the iPhone maker's products, while global growth worries dampened the appeal of exporters. (Economic Times ) |
| Apr 17 | Nikkei bounces 1.2 percent as exporters gain on renewed yen weakness |
 Japan's Nikkei share average rose on Wednesday, recouping some of the recent sharp losses, helped by demand for exporters as the yen resumed its recent weakening trend after U.S. stocks and gold prices rebounded. (Reuters ) |
| Apr 17 | Japan apartment real estate proving best: riskless return |
| Investing in Tokyo apartments beat putting money into office buildings, malls and the domestic stock and bond markets over the past five years as a housing shortage cushioned rental incomes from years of deflation. (Bloomberg) |
| Apr 16 | Load up on Japan equities for these 5 reasons, Credit Suisse says |
 Analysts at Credit Suisse are advising clients to add to Japanese equity holdings, raising their weighting to 16% overweight from 6%. Japan's Nikkei index JP:NIK -0.38% is up more than 27% year-to-date, while the yen trades near a four-year low versus the dollar, as the Bank of Japan embarked on an aggressive round of monetary stimulus aimed at breaking the Japanese economy out of a decades-long funk. (MarketWatch ) |
| Apr 16 | Tokyo stocks close down 0.41% |
 TOKYO stocks have fallen 0.41 per cent on the back of a Wall Street plunge while jitters also set in after deadly blasts hit the Boston Marathon. (news.com.au ) |
| Apr 15 | Nikkei moves away from near 5-year highs on weak China, US data |
 Japan's Nikkei share average dropped on Monday, moving further away from near five-year highs tapped last week as exporters lost ground after weak economic data from China and the United States raised concerns over the outlook for the global economy. (Economic Times ) |
| Apr 13 | Rising Japan bond yields underscore BOJ's challenge |
 A week after Japan's central bank started a massive bond-buying campaign to drive down yields in the country's quadrillion-yen government-bond market, yields instead have risen, a sign of the huge headwinds the bank faces in its push to end 15 years of deflation.
(Wall Street Journal ) |
| Apr 13 | Where Japan is shifting investor demand |
 With the Bank of Japan deciding to weaken the yen and double the country's monetary base, investors have turned to markets that stand to benefit from this policy shift in Tokyo, Cambridge, Mass. based fund trackers EPFR Global said Friday. (Forbes ) |
| Apr 12 | Nikkei slips after rally to near 5-year high |
 Japanese shares slipped on Friday, coming off a near five-year high, but they still ended the week sharply higher, buoyed by optimism that bold central bank policies would revitalise the economy. (Economic Times ) |
| Apr 11 | Nikkei rises to highest since July 2008; ends 1.96% up |
 Tokyo stocks rallied further on Thursday, closing at their highest level since July 2008 with exporters the main beneficiaries as the dollar approaches the 100 yen mark. (Economic Times ) |
| Apr 10 | Long-term foreign capital returns to Japan stocks |
 Trading signals are pointing to a good deal more committed foreign capital coming into Japanese equities since the Bank of Japan announced its massive monetary easing plan last week. (MarketWatch ) |
| Apr 10 | Nikkei at highest close in nearly five years as new money flows in |
 Japan's Nikkei average climbed to its highest closing level in nearly five years on Wednesday, with traders citing new money coming into the market after the central bank started its ultra-loose monetary easing this week. (nbcnews.com ) |
| Apr 09 | Nikkei ends 0.24 pct lower |
 The 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average closed down at 13,192.35, after rising as high as 13,331.39, its highest intra-day level since Aug. 12, 2008. The broader Topix index of all First Section issues on the Tokyo Stock Exchange ended up 0.30 points, or 0.03 percent, at 1,102.04, the highest level since Sept. 29, 2008. (Xinhua ) |
| Apr 08 | Nikkei soars to highest since August 2008, ends up 2.80% as yen further weakens |
 The Nikkei share average climbed to a near 5-year closing high on Monday, as investors gave the thumbs-up to the Bank of Japan's rapid move to immediately begin buying longer-dated bonds to whip deflation. (Economic Times ) |
| Apr 05 | Tokyo stocks rise sharply on monetary easing news |
Japanese shares rose sharply Friday, bolstered by aggressive monetary easing measures announced by the Bank of Japan, and a fall in the yen. (thehindubusinessline.com ) |
| Apr 04 | Nikkei rises 2.2 pc on BoJ's bold easing; reflation stocks gain |
 Japan's Nikkei average jumped 2.2 percent to a two-week high in heavy trade on Thursday after the Bank Of Japan announced a sweeping monetary expansion campaign that will include heavy investment in REITs and ETFs, boosting reflationary stocks such as real estate firms and banks. (Economic Times ) |
| Apr 03 | Nikkei climbs 3% on BOJ easing hopes |
 Japan's Nikkei average jumped 3% on Wednesday, its biggest one-day rise in almost two months, on growing expectations that the central bank will announce further easing steps on Thursday. (Business Standard ) |
| Apr 02 | Asia stocks mixed with central banks in focus; Nikkei down 1% |
 Asian stock markets were mixed during late Asian trade on Tuesday, with markets in Japan coming under pressure as the yen strengthened against its major counterparts ahead of the Bank of Japan's highly-anticipated policy meeting later this week. (investing.com ) |
| Apr 01 | Asian stocks drop after Japan's Tankan misses estimates |
 Asian stocks fell, with Japan's Topix Index falling the most since March 2011, after a survey of sentiment among the country's largest manufacturers missed estimates and an official gauge of China's factory output expanded at a slower-than-expected pace. (Bloomberg ) |
| Mar 30 | Nikkei ends FY 2012 at 5-year high |
 The key Nikkei stock average soared 2,314.35 points, or 22.95 pct, in fiscal 2012 to a five-year high in an uptrend continued since mid-November last year. (Jiji Press ) |
| Mar 28 | Nikkei falls 1.3 pct as profit-taking hits exporters; GS Yuasa tumbles |
 Japan's Nikkei share average
fell to a one-week closing low on Thursday as concerns about
Italy's funding costs and the rescue deal for Cyprus prompted
investors to take profits on exporters. (Reuters ) |
| Mar 27 | Nikkei edges up in choppy trade; ex-dividend effect limits gains |
 Japan's Nikkei average edged up in a choppy session on Wednesday as buyers of many shares no longer can get the current year's dividend, which offset a boost to risk appetites from Wall Street's data-led gains. (brecorder.com ) |