Society

Antler Cutting Ceremony Starts in Nara

NARA, Oct 14 (News On Japan) - It's that time of year for deer in Nara to get their antlers cut to prevent the aggressive males, which become temperamental during the mating season, from injuring people.

The 'deer antler-cutting' ceremony has been held since the Edo period

When the shrine official, dressed in traditional attire, successfully cut the antlers, the audience erupted in applause.

(Audience member) "The deer were so fast." (Audience member) "I thought it was an amazing task."

This year, the number of deer-related incidents has more than doubled compared to last year, and the local government is urging people to be cautious and not approach the animals carelessly.

Source: MBS

Aoi Festival Kicks Off in Kyoto

The Aoi Festival, one of Kyoto’s three major traditional festivals, began on May 15th with a vibrant procession of around 500 people dressed in elegant Heian-period garments making their way through the streets of the ancient capital.

Japan Marks 150 Years of Meters

Japan’s prototypes of the kilogram and meter, which once served as national standards for weight and length, were presented to the press this week ahead of the 150th anniversary of the Meter Convention, the international treaty that standardized global measurement systems, to be marked on May 20th.

Bluefin Tuna Season Starts Earliest Since 1982 Due to Ocean Warming

The season’s first bluefin tuna catch landed in Sakaiminato City, Tottori Prefecture, on Wednesday morning, marking the earliest start to the summer fishing season since records began in 1982.

Japan's Teachers to Receive Higher Pay and Shorter Hours

A bill to revise the Kyūtoku Law, aiming to improve the treatment of Japan's public school teachers by gradually raising the salary supplement in place of overtime pay from 4% to 10%, was approved by the Lower House Committee on Education on Wednesday after ruling and opposition parties agreed on revisions.

Student Fights for the Right to Be Taught in Japanese Sign Language

A lawsuit over the right to education in Japanese Sign Language concluded at the Sapporo High Court on May 13th, with a junior high school girl using the language in court to state that "Japanese Sign Language is my identity."

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