Dec 09 (Linfamy) - Long ago in Japan’s biggest pleasure quarters, there was a beautiful courtesan with a strange name. Other ladies of pleasure chose elegant, poetic names like Evening Mist and Spring Meadow, but this lady called herself Jigoku, or Hell.
Osaka City decided on September 30th to suspend new applications for so-called special zone minpaku, a category of private lodging that has seen a sharp rise in disputes with local residents.
North Safari Sapporo, a private zoo in the southern district of Sapporo, closed its doors on September 30th after 20 years of operation, leaving around 300 animals including lions and wolves without a confirmed relocation plan.
Japan's weather is expected to change suddenly from October 1st, with severe conditions such as thunderstorms, gusty winds, and hail likely to develop from Kanto through Hokkaido, even though much of the country saw clear autumn skies on Tuesday.
Photos of cult founder Shoko Asahara, whose real name was Chizuo Matsumoto and who was executed for his role in the 1995 Tokyo subway sarin attack, are being displayed alongside childhood pictures of his son in facilities linked to Aleph, the successor group to Aum Shinrikyo, according to findings by the Public Security Intelligence Agency (PSIA).
In a September opinion poll conducted by TV Tokyo and the Nihon Keizai Shimbun, former Minister of State for Economic Security Takaichi was the frontrunner with 34% when respondents were asked who they believed should be the next Liberal Democratic Party president.
A terror plot in 1949 changed Japan forever. But who really did it? (Spectacles)
Getting stopped by police and charged with driving without a license can feel overwhelming.
Parents of a young girl victimized in a voyeurism case at a swimming school in Himeji, Hyogo Prefecture, have filed for mediation, seeking stronger measures to prevent recurrence.
Women’s colleges in Japan are at a turning point. Once numbering 98 at their peak, their ranks have been steadily declining due to demographic pressures and changes in how women build their careers, with many institutions opting to transition to coeducation or suspend student recruitment altogether.
Average rents in Tokyo’s 23 wards have climbed to record levels, creating a situation where even student districts are no longer affordable for students.
A tear gas spray accident at an elementary school in Kusatsu, Shiga Prefecture on September 22nd left 13 children hospitalized, though all are conscious and suffered only minor injuries.
Utagaki 歌垣, a wholesome Japanese festival that’s not at all inappropriate. (Linfamy)
A traffic safety class was held in Osaka’s Miyakojima Ward as police aim to reduce accidents, which typically rise from autumn through the end of the year.
