News On Japan

Nara deer conservation group to issue advisories to help keep visitors safe

NARA - A deer conservation group in Nara City, western Japan, will start issuing advisories to the public at times when the deer pose a heightened risk to visitors.

Wild deer in and around Nara Park are popular with tourists. But authorities say 43 people were gored by the deer's antlers last month. The figure is a 2.5-fold increase from September last year.

The Nara Deer Preservation Foundation has been urging visitors to be careful when getting close to the animals.

The group will now cooperate with the Nara prefectural government and other parties to issue advisories and warnings in three stages, during seasons when visitors are at higher risk of getting hurt.

Visitors will be asked to exercise caution when lots of female deer become pregnant and are irritable.

They will also be asked to be extremely careful when the male deer's antlers grow.

When the risks are deemed very serious, a warning will be issued.

The group is expected to issue an "extreme caution" advisory from Thursday.

Through messages on social media and digital signboards in the city, visitors will be urged to stay away from the deer.

Group official Yamazaki Nobuyuki says they want more people to become aware that deer are very dangerous during some seasons.

News On Japan
POPULAR NEWS

Two typhoons moving across the Pacific southeast of Japan are expected to remain well away from the Japanese mainland, but powerful swells could bring rough seas to a wide stretch of the country's Pacific coastline throughout the three-day holiday weekend, according to forecasts updated at 3 a.m. on October 10.

A series of cyberattacks has disrupted business operations and exposed millions of customer records across Japan, with a ransomware attack on a cloud service provider affecting 495 companies and local governments nationwide, while convenience store operator Lawson has disclosed a separate breach involving more than 2.15 million personal information records.

Japan's first 360-degree projection mapping show will open at the Osaka City Museum of Fine Arts on October 10, transforming the historic building into an immersive world of light, music, and seasonal imagery, with organizers hoping the attraction will also help stimulate the city's nighttime economy.

Tokyo University of Science professor emeritus Kenzo Soai has been awarded this year's Nobel Prize in Chemistry together with French chemist Henri B. Kagan for discoveries that transformed scientists' understanding of how chemical reactions can favor one of two mirror-image forms of a molecule.

The US military suspended activities by all forces stationed in Okinawa for 48 hours from noon on October 7, an unusual measure following the arrest of a US Marine in connection with a robbery and murder case that has renewed scrutiny of crimes involving American service members.

MEDIA CHANNELS
         

MORE Travel NEWS

A man in his 40s was injured after being attacked by a troop of wild monkeys in Yugawara, a popular hot spring resort town in Kanagawa Prefecture, on September 17, marking the area's first reported case of a person being bitten by a monkey and prompting authorities to strengthen monitoring of the animals using GPS tracking devices.

Tokyo's Bunkyo Ward will expand restrictions on private lodging businesses across the entire ward from January 2027 after the ward assembly approved an ordinance amendment on October 7 aimed at tightening controls on minpaku short-term rentals.

Bears are becoming increasingly active across Japan ahead of winter, with poor acorn harvests in parts of the country raising concerns that hungry animals may venture closer to homes and tourist areas in search of food.

Japan Airlines has revamped its domestic lounge at Tokyo's Haneda Airport, adding private workspaces, meal options timed to passengers' departures and facilities for families as it seeks to meet the needs of an increasingly diverse range of travelers.

Fans from across Japan gathered in Furano, Hokkaido, on October 3 to visit filming locations from the television drama "From the Northern Country," marking the first weekend since the death of the series' screenwriter, So Kuramoto.

Young men leaped onto horses racing at full speed through the grounds of Kasuga Shrine in Takahama, Aichi Prefecture, on October 3 as the city's traditional Takahama Omanto Festival got underway.

Around 38,000 dolls, including traditional Japanese dolls and stuffed animals, were brought to Meiji Shrine in Tokyo's Shibuya Ward for the annual Doll Appreciation Festival, where visitors bid farewell to old and damaged dolls in a ceremony expressing gratitude for the years they had been cherished.

Nearly one year after the Osaka-Kansai Expo closed, the former exhibition grounds were opened to the media on October 2, revealing that around 90% of the pavilions and other facilities have been demolished, while the Forest of Tranquility remains a peaceful green space at the center of the site.