Wooden Church in Gifu Collapses Following Creaking Sounds

May 06, 2025 | News On Japan

GIFU, May 06, 2025 (News On Japan) - A wooden church in Kasamatsu, Gifu Prefecture collapsed on Saturday evening, after years of delayed demolition plans due to financial constraints.

The main hall of the Ontake Kyosho-Okyo Church headquarters in Naramachi was recorded collapsing around 7:15 p.m. by a nearby resident. The resident reported hearing creaking noises earlier in the evening and began filming out of concern.

According to people affiliated with the church who live on the premises, no one was injured. The local fire department also confirmed that no one required emergency transport, and there were no injuries among nearby residents.

Sources said the building had been deteriorating for years, and discussions about demolishing it began four to five years ago. However, the plan was never realized due to funding difficulties.

Despite the use of the word "church" (教会 kyōkai) in its name—common among groups within Sect Shinto (Kyōha Shintō)—the Ontake Kyosho-Okyo Church is affiliated with Ontake-kyō, a Shinto sect that venerates Mount Ontake as sacred. These groups sometimes adopt organizational terms like "church" or "headquarters" to reflect their structure, especially in the Meiji period when religious groups had to register formally under state-defined categories.

Source: Nagoya TV News

Typhoon No. 15 Disrupts Obon Travel as ANA Cancels 58 Flights

Typhoon No. 15 (Chan-hom) began causing significant disruption to Japan's Obon holiday travel on August 11, with ANA canceling 58 flights serving Haneda and Narita airports, JAL canceling four flights, and JR East suspending some services on the Joban Line as the storm approached eastern Japan.

Typhoon No. 15 Set to Make Landfall in Kanto

Typhoon No. 15 (Chan-hom) was closing in on the Kanto region on the evening of August 11 and is expected to soon make landfall in or around Ibaraki Prefecture before crossing Honshu from east to west, an unusual path that could bring heavy rain, powerful winds and high waves across a wide stretch of Japan through August 12.

H3 Rocket No. 9 Successfully Launches Japan GPS Satellite

Japan's H3 Rocket No. 9 successfully placed the Michibiki No. 7 navigation satellite into its planned orbit after lifting off from the Tanegashima Space Center in Kagoshima Prefecture at 4:23 a.m. on August 11, marking the country's second consecutive successful H3 launch.

Tokaido Shinkansen Runs First Overnight Service

The Tokaido Shinkansen operated its first overnight service ahead of the Obon holiday period, offering travelers a 15,000 yen trip from the Tokyo area to Kyoto and Shin-Osaka while allowing them to save on hotel costs and arrive earlier than the first regular morning trains.

Typhoon No. 15 to Disrupt Travel on August 11

Typhoon No. 15 is expected to approach and likely make landfall somewhere in the Kanto region on August 11, bringing strong winds and heavy rain that could disrupt conventional rail services, expressways and flights while also affecting a wider area extending into Tohoku.

MEDIA CHANNELS

MORE Society NEWS

Osaka Police Pound on Door Before Raiding Yakuza Office

Osaka Prefectural Police searched an office linked to the Yamaguchi-gumi crime syndicate in Toyohashi, Aichi Prefecture, on July 29 as part of an investigation into suspected receipt of money obtained through special fraud.

Zombie Cigarette Drug Busts Rise Across Kansai

Authorities in Kyoto and Osaka have arrested three men in separate drug cases involving so-called zombie cigarettes containing the designated drug etomidate, as investigators step up efforts against the illegal trade in the Kansai region.

Raccoon Damage Surges Across Japan

Raccoons are increasingly invading homes across Japan, damaging roofs and wiring, contaminating buildings with large amounts of urine and feces, and raising concerns over agriculture, native wildlife and the spread of disease as their population continues to expand.

令和8年8月8日 Sparks Wedding Events Across Japan

Japan marked August 8, 2026, with a wave of weddings, special discounts and commemorative events as the date produced a rare alignment of three eights - the eighth day of the eighth month in Reiwa 8 - a combination regarded as especially auspicious because the character for eight is traditionally associated with expanding prosperity.

Woman Arrested Over Fatal Assault on Brother-in-Law

A 41-year-old woman has been arrested on suspicion of fatally assaulting her brother-in-law at her home in Shibukawa, Gunma Prefecture, after allegedly telling emergency services that he had fallen from a roof.

Imperial Family Enjoys Nasu Retreat

The Emperor and his family are spending time at the Nasu Imperial Villa in Tochigi Prefecture as the retreat marks 100 years since its establishment, with the visit coming as debate in the Diet over revisions related to the Imperial House Law enters a critical stage.

The Case of the Missing Kappa

Two kappa statues that served as symbols of a bridge in Ebina, Kanagawa Prefecture, have been stolen after being cherished by local residents for 34 years, with police investigating whether the thieves targeted the sculptures for their copper.

Man Arrested for Selling Stolen Bridge Nameplates

A 63-year-old man from Shizuoka Prefecture has been arrested on suspicion of selling 10 stolen metal plaques, including nameplates bearing the names of bridges, to a scrap metal dealer in Ichinomiya, Aichi Prefecture.

< 2 3 4 5 >