Society

Emperor to take 1st domestic trip outside Tokyo since Jan. 2020

Sep 13 (NHK) - Japan's Emperor Naruhito will attend the opening ceremony of the National Sports Festival on October 1 in Tochigi Prefecture, north of Tokyo.

It will be his first domestic trip outside Tokyo in about two years and eight months.

The Imperial Household Agency said the Emperor will make a one-day trip to the city of Utsunomiya to deliver a speech at the ceremony. The agency said Empress Masako will accompany him if her health condition allows.

The agency said it considered having the Emperor make a two-day trip or an online appearance. But it decided a single-day trip was the best option after taking Japan's coronavirus situation and the programs at the ceremony into account.

The agency said it would conduct thorough anti-infection measures, such as having the Emperor make the trip by car rather than by train to avoid crowds gathering at stations or along roads. It added that the Emperor's entourage will take PCR virus tests.

The Emperor and Empress decided to abstain from their annual summer retreat to Nasu Imperial Villa in Tochigi Prefecture this year, after Japan's number of COVID-19 infections surged.

The Emperor last visited a location outside Tokyo in January 2020, when he traveled to Saitama Prefecture, north of the capital, with the Empress. ...continue reading

Source: ANNnewsCH

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.

MEDIA CHANNELS

MORE Society NEWS

Garbage Burnoff Spreads to 3 Buildings in Okayama

A fire that broke out in Kagamino, Okayama Prefecture, shortly after noon on May 20th destroyed three buildings, including a home, after flames from open burning spread to dead leaves and then to nearby structures.

Gang Members Arrested After Opening Office Near Nursery

Six people, including a senior member of a group affiliated with the Sumiyoshi-kai crime syndicate's Kohei-ikka faction, have been arrested on suspicion of opening a gang office in a prohibited area near a nursery school in Tokyo's Itabashi Ward.

Six Police Officers Injured After Man Sprays Liquid at Station

A man who visited a police station in Hiratsuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, in the early hours of May 21st allegedly sprayed a transparent liquid inside the building, causing six police officers to complain of eye and throat pain and be taken to hospital with minor injuries.