A craze for puffy, glossy Bonbon Drop Stickers is spreading rapidly among elementary and junior high school students, turning these colorful seals into one of the most sought-after items of the season while also emerging as an unexpected communication tool for families.
Cases of inappropriate childcare are emerging across the country, and a recent incident in Higashi-Osaka has renewed concerns about how young children are being treated in nurseries.
Kyoto Sangyo University has suspended access to its athletics grounds after a report of an animal resembling a bear was made near the facility in Kyoto City.
Tokyo Metropolitan Government issued an influenza epidemic warning on November 13th after the number of reported cases reached the alert threshold, marking the first such announcement in November in 16 years.
A recent survey has revealed that many students who do not attend school and their parents are unaware of Japan’s "online attendance" system, which allows remote learning to count as official attendance.
After a painful divorce that nearly tore his family apart, Kenji Kataoka quit his stable job and began a new life as a sweet potato farmer in Kōka, Shiga Prefecture. The single father has spent the past two years working the fields while caring for his teenage son, Sōshi, who stopped attending school in elementary years. As the family faces its second harvest season, small changes begin to appear in their lives.
Japan’s largest shogi tournament for children in elementary school and younger was held in Osaka on November 9th.
A shortage of domestically produced lacquer, essential for restoring Japan’s cultural properties, has reached a critical point. For centuries, lacquer—or urushi—has been integral to traditional crafts and national treasures, but production has fallen sharply.