Society

Year-end exodus begins in Japan

Dec 29 (NHK) - Highways, airports and train stations around Japan are busy on Saturday as year-end travelers head for their hometowns and holiday destinations.

Japan Railways companies say that non-reserved cars on Shinkansen bullet trains from Tokyo were filled to capacity. The most crowded trains reached 180 percent capacity.

Almost every reserved seat on Shinkansen trains leaving Tokyo and other major cities are fully booked for Sunday. Non-reserved cars will likely be packed, too.

Airline officials say most flights leaving Tokyo and Osaka are fully booked through Sunday.

Many expressways around the country were congested on Saturday. According to the Japan Road Traffic Information Center, vehicles at the Isehara Junction in Kanagawa Prefecture were backed up for 25 kilometers a little after 8;00 a.m.

No marked congestion was reported as of 8:00 p.m.

Traffic congestion on expressways is forecast to be greater for Sunday. On the Tomei expressway in Kanagawa Prefecture, a traffic jam is expected that will stretch more than 30 kilometers.

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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