Travel

Grand Maritime Parade Held in Osaka Bay

OSAKA, Jun 01 (News On Japan) - A grand maritime parade featuring the iconic Japanese tall ship Nippon Maru and around 50 small yachts took place in Osaka Bay on May 31st near Yumeshima, the man-made island hosting the Expo 2025 Osaka-Kansai.

The Nippon Maru is one of Japan’s most celebrated sailing ships, originally built in 1930 as a training vessel for cadets of the merchant marine. Constructed at the Kawasaki Shipyard in Kobe, the ship measures about 97 meters in length and features four towering masts rigged with 29 sails, earning it the nickname "Swan of the Pacific" for its graceful appearance at sea. For more than half a century, the Nippon Maru served as a training platform, preparing over 11,000 cadets during its active years.

The ship sailed extensively, both in domestic waters and abroad, representing Japan at international maritime events and goodwill visits. In 1984, the vessel was retired from active training duty and later preserved as a museum ship in Yokohama’s Minato Mirai district, where it remains docked today, welcoming visitors aboard. In 1989, a second-generation Nippon Maru was launched to continue training operations, ensuring that the spirit and tradition of the original vessel lived on.

Source: Kyodo

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.

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