A string of bear sightings and suspected attacks in western Tokyo is prompting urgent action from local authorities, with schools in Hachioji preparing students for possible encounters and concerns mounting that animals once associated with remote mountain regions are moving deeper into populated areas.
Two historic private residences in Hyogo Prefecture dating back to the Muromachi period are expected to be designated as National Treasures, marking the first time folk houses in Japan will receive the status.
Traditional Okinawan dishes made with rare seaweed are being revived by local residents and researchers racing to preserve both the region’s fading food culture and its rapidly deteriorating marine ecosystem.
Three men, including a company executive, are suspected of smuggling gold from Hong Kong into Japan dozens of times last year to avoid paying consumption tax and other charges, with investigators believing the precious metal was handed over inside a toilet at Kansai International Airport.
Universal Studios Japan (USJ) has begun renting out a wayfinding device for visually impaired visitors, becoming the first theme park in Japan to introduce the technology.
A black bear was filmed walking directly toward a camera from only a few meters away at around 2 p.m. on May 21st in the parking lot of a tourist facility in Susono, Shizuoka Prefecture, as the person recording the scene could be heard saying, "Call someone. Wait a minute. This is bad, it is coming this way. We could get hurt."
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.
The Nozomi service on the Tokaido and Sanyo Shinkansen lines, which has already switched to all-reserved seating during extended holiday periods such as the year-end and New Year break, will also operate with reserved seats only on three-day weekends from October this fiscal year.