Society

O-Bon holiday could last nine days for some Japanese workers, but not everyone is happy about it

Aug 01 (Japan Times) - For many in Japan, this yearâ€™s Bon holiday period in mid-August may be expanded to nine consecutive days, but not everyone is excited about the idea of a long break due to fears that their work will keep piling up.

Mountain Day, a national holiday established in 2016 to encourage people to become familiar with mountains and be thankful for their benefits, is on Aug. 11. Because that falls this year on a Sunday, the following Monday becomes a substitute holiday, creating a three-day weekend.

The Bon holiday period generally runs from Aug. 13 to Aug. 15, although there are some regional differences. Workers can create a nine-day holiday period if they take Friday, Aug. 16 off, leading into another weekend.

Congestion is expected on trains and highways during the holiday period as people travel and visit their hometowns. Japan Railways Group officials said a spike in reservations was expected during Bon.

Reservations for shinkansen and limited express trains between Aug. 9 and Aug. 18 have seen a 2 percent increase over last year, JR officials said. The Sanyo Shinkansen and Kyushu Shinkansen were in particularly high demand, they said. The mass exodus from major cities is expected to peak on Aug. 10, the first day of the nine-day period.

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

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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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