Society

Pot-smoking Japanese snowboarders set for Olympic reprieve

Nov 26 (Japan Today) - Two Japanese snowboarders banned last year after being found guilty of puffing marijuana could be cleared to compete at the 2018 Winter Olympics, ski officials said Friday.

One of the athletes admitted taking the drug at a party while on tour in Colorado, where cannabis was legalised for recreational purposes in 2012, provided the user is 21 years old.

Their names were not released as they were minors at the time and will not be made public until they register formally with the Ski Association of Japan (SAJ), an official told AFP.

That is expected to be rubber-stamped after an SAJ executive meeting next month, clearing them to compete in World Cup events, according to local media.

If they subsequently meet the qualifying standard, they would then be eligible for selection for the Pyeongchang Olympics, which begin on February 9, the JSA said.

The pair were suspended indefinitely after traces of marijuana were detected in their hair following a party in December 2015, prompting the resignation of former snowboarding head Fumikazu Hagiwara.

Do Bears Prefer Acorns or Berries?

Bear sightings across Japan have already climbed to nearly twice the level recorded during the same period last year, prompting entry bans in mountain areas behind Kyoto’s Ninna-ji Temple and the cancellation of hiking events in Kansai, while new research suggests that the key to reducing encounters may lie in understanding what bears eat in each region.

Copper Thieves Target Japanese Shrines

Copper roofing panels were stolen from several shrines in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture, including a city-designated cultural property, in the latest case amid a nationwide surge in copper thefts targeting shrines and temples across Japan, where soaring metal prices have fueled crimes that leave historic religious buildings damaged, exposed to the elements, and facing repair costs of millions of yen.

1200-Year-Old Temple on Miyajima Reduced to Ashes

Flames broke out on the morning of May 20th on Miyajima Island in Hiroshima Prefecture, home to one of Japan's World Heritage sites, destroying Reikado Hall near the summit of Mount Misen.

From Bento Boxes to Garbage Bags, Rising Costs Hitting Daily Life Across Japan

Uncertainty surrounding the situation in the Middle East is beginning to affect daily life in Japan, as concerns over crude oil supplies spread to restaurants, cleaning services and even household garbage disposal systems across the Kansai region.

Tochigi Robbery-Murder Suspect’s Wife Posted Dance Videos on Social Media

A 25-year-old woman arrested as a suspected ringleader in a robbery-murder case in Tochigi Prefecture once posted cheerful dance videos on social media and was remembered by those who knew her as an energetic and outgoing young woman.

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