Travel

Ninjas Clear Weeds From Castle Wall

SHIGA, Feb 10 (News On Japan) - Workers dressed as ninjas are carrying out weed removal on a castle stone wall in Koka, Shiga Prefecture, a city known as the home of ninja.

"Nin nin! We will clean the stone wall!" the ninja-clad workers declared as they appeared on the stone wall of the Minakuchi Castle ruins in Koka. The activity is part of an effort to promote the city’s ninja heritage while conducting routine maintenance work such as removing weeds.

Using ropes to descend and work on a stone wall roughly 9 meters high, the workers’ movements resemble real ninjas attempting to infiltrate a castle. Visitors to the site enjoyed the uniquely Koka spectacle, taking photos and watching the unusual scene unfold.

Kyoto Raises Lodging Tax as Peak Travel Season Begins

Kyoto City significantly raised its lodging tax from March 1st, increasing the maximum charge per person per night from 1,000 yen to as much as 10,000 yen, in a move aimed at tackling overtourism and funding the preservation of cultural assets, even as questions remain about its impact on visitors and the local economy.

Foreign Visitors and Ex-Rescuer Pull 80-Year-Old Woman From Hakuba Crashed Car

A former emergency responder and foreign tourists worked together to rescue a woman in her 80s who was trapped inside an overturned light vehicle in Hakuba Village, Nagano Prefecture.

Tokyo Metro Begins Touchless Ticket Gate Trial

Tokyo Metro and Toshiba have launched Japan’s first demonstration test allowing passengers to pass through ticket gates without touching them by using their smartphones’ Bluetooth function.

Himeji Castle Hikes Admission Fee for Non-Residents

The admission fee for the World Heritage-listed Himeji Castle in Himeji, Hyogo Prefecture, was revised on March 1st for the first time in 11 years, introducing a dual pricing system that significantly raises costs for visitors from outside the city.

Australian Girl, 8, Dies After Snowmobile Overturns in Hakuba

An eight-year-old Australian girl died after a snowmobile overturned in Hakuba Village, Nagano Prefecture, at around 11 a.m. on February 28th, with authorities investigating the cause of the accident.

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