Yamagata and Akita prefectures experienced heavy rain due to moist air moving toward the Meiyu front This unprecedented rainfall has caused rivers to flood and landslides with at least four people reported missing prompting the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) to issue a special heavy rain warning for Sakata City and Yuza Town at 1:05 pm on July 25 This warning was downgraded to a regular warning at 8:10 pm the same day atmospheric conditions remain highly unstable from the Tohoku region to western Japan Authorities are urging the public to stay vigilant for potential landslides the JMA continues to advise following evacuation instructions from local authorities and prioritizing safety Rain is expected to persist on the Japan Sea side of Tohoku until around July 30 Residents should stay informed and take early protective measures As of July 26, there have been confirmed casualties, with four people reported missing. In Shinjo City, Yamagata Prefecture two police officers were swept away along with their vehicle a man was carried away by the swollen river bringing the total number of missing persons in Akita Prefecture to two a report was received that a police car from Shinjo Police Station had been swept away near a bridge in Motoaikai Akita Prefectural Police stated that an 80-year-old man in Akita City was last in contact around 4 pm on July 25 His family reported him missing later that evening The man's bicycle was found on the embankment of the swollen Omono River and a helmet was seen floating near the floodgate another man was reported missing at a construction site in Yuzawa City on the morning of July 25 (Read the article in Japanese.) You must be logged in to post a comment ' + scriptOptions._localizedStrings.webview_notification_text + ' " + scriptOptions._localizedStrings.redirect_overlay_title + " " + scriptOptions._localizedStrings.redirect_overlay_text + " Metrics details The purpose of this study is to determine whether the angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) gene polymorphism is associated with retinal arteriolar narrowing a subclinical marker of chronic hypertension The Funagata Study examined a population-based sample of Japanese aged 35+ years; 368 participants had both retinal vessel diameter measurements and ACE insertion/deletion (ACE I/D) polymorphism analyses performed Assessment of retinal vessel diameter and retinal vessel wall signs followed the protocols used in the Blue Mountains Eye Study retinal arteriolar diameter was significantly narrower in subjects with the D/D genotype compared to subjects with I/D and I/I genotypes (mean difference −6.49 μm Our study suggests that the ACE I/D polymorphism may be associated with subclinical structural arteriolar changes related to chronic hypertension no definite candidate genes associated with retinal arteriolar diameter have yet been consistently identified medial hyperplasia and hyalinization and sclerosis of retinal arterioles has also been associated with atherosclerosis there were no studies that had examined the association of the ACE gene with quantitatively measured retinal vessel diameter The purpose of this study is to determine the independent association of ACE I/D polymorphisms and retinal arteriolar narrowing and whether this association is independent of measured blood pressure and other cardiovascular risk factors the study was conducted according to the recommendation of the Declaration of Helsinki and was approved by the Ethics Committee of the Yamagata University Faculty of Medicine Blood pressure was measured after rest for 5 min Hypertension status was defined for systolic blood pressure ⩾140 mm Hg or diastolic blood pressure ⩾90 mm Hg or if persons had a previous diagnosis of hypertension and were using anti-hypertensive medications Diabetes or pre-diabetes was defined as having fasting plasma glucose ⩾110 mg dl−1 or 2 h post-load glucose ⩾140 mg dl−1 Smoking status was assessed during an interview Body mass index was calculated as weight (kg) divided by the square of height (m) The genotypes frequency was found to be in Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium We further examined if the ACE I/D polymorphism was associated with systolic and diastolic pressure; linear regression was used to estimate the mean differences in systolic and diastolic blood pressure by ACE I/D polymorphism adjusting for other cardiovascular risk factors Demographic characteristics by ACE I/D polymorphism are presented in Table 1 There were no significant differences in demographic characteristics among ACE I/D polymorphism groups Mean systolic and diastolic blood pressure was highest in subjects with I/I polymorphism, although these were not statistically significant (Table 1). Table 2 shows relationships between ACE I/D polymorphism and blood pressure status Mean diastolic pressure was significantly lower in subjects with D allele (D/D or I/D) compared with that in subjects with I/I (−2.50 mm Hg 95% CI: −4.78 mm Hg there was no significant difference in systolic blood pressure (1.43 mm Hg 7.68 mm Hg) and no significant association between the presence of hypertension and the ACE I/D polymorphisms (odds ratio for D/D compared with I/I: 1.02 Table 3 shows CRVE by ACE I/D polymorphism I/D and I/I polymorphisms was 217.37±20.07 μm respectively Mean CRVE was non-significantly larger in subjects with D/D compared with that in subjects with I/I or I/D subjects with hypertension had significantly smaller CRAE than those who were normotensive by −3.63μm (95% CI; −7.11 μm the interaction between D/D polymorphism and hypertension was not significantly associated with CRAE after adjusting for CRVE (−8.71 μm There was no significant association between focal retinal arteriolar wall signs (focal arteriolar narrowing arterio-venous nicking and enhanced arteriolar wall reflex) or retinopathy and the ACE I/D polymorphisms (data not shown) In this population-based study of adult Japanese we reported associations between the ACE I/D polymorphism and retinal arteriolar narrowing a subclinical structural microvascular sign associated with chronic hypertension We found that retinal arteriolar diameter was smaller in subjects with D/D than those with the I allele after adjusting for systolic blood pressure and other cardiovascular risk factors We also found that diastolic blood pressure was significantly lower in subjects with D allele polymorphism compared with I/I polymorphism but there was no difference in systolic blood pressure and no association for the presence of hypertension by the ACE I/D polymorphism exact genes associated with retinal vessel diameter have not been identified our findings that D/D polymorphism is associated with narrower retinal arteriolar diameters might be explained by the activation of RAS in retinal vasculature Our study shows both ACE I/D polymorphism and hypertension-influenced retinal arteriolar diameters we could not confirm whether an interaction between the D/D polymorphism and the presence of hypertension affecting retinal arteriolar diameters exists Because there were only 13 subjects (38.2%) with D/D polymorphism who have hypertension in this study a statistical power may be weak to prove this association Limitations and potential biases of this study should be mentioned only 20.2% of total eligible subjects were included in this genetic analysis Low participant rate of genetic analysis may affect the statistical power to prove associations only 49.5% of this subsample had fundus photographs with sufficient quality for computer-assisted measurement of retinal vessels unknown selection biases could have altered these results we did not have a detailed history of medications Current use of ACE inhibitors to lower blood pressure could have influenced our findings of an association between the ACE I/D polymorphism and retinal vessel caliber we were not able to measure plasma ACE levels in this study we found that subjects with D/D of the ACE I/D polymorphism had significant retinal arteriolar narrowing a subclinical structural marker of chronic hypertension in this adult Japanese population This association was stronger in subjects with a known history of hypertension Our finding suggests that the ACE I/D polymorphism may influence the microvasculature thereby possibly contributing to genetic susceptibility for the development of hypertension further research is needed to confirm this finding in other population-based samples Conflict of interestThe authors declare no conflict of interest Retinal microvascular abnormalities and incident stroke: the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study Retinal arteriolar narrowing and risk of coronary heart disease in men and women The Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study Genome-wide linkage study of retinal vessel diameters in the Beaver Dam Eye Study Theodore Cooper Lecture: tissue angiotensin and pathobiology of vascular disease: a unifying hypothesis Polymorphism in the angiotensin converting enzyme but not in the angiotensinogen gene is associated with hypertension and type 2 diabetes: the Skaraborg Hypertension and diabetes project Angiotensin-converting enzyme I/D polymorphism and arterial wall thickness in a general population A meta-analysis of the association of the deletion allele of the angiotensin-converting enzyme gene with myocardial infarction An insertion/deletion polymorphism in the angiotensin I-converting enzyme gene accounting for half the variance of serum enzyme levels and angiotensin converting enzyme mRNA expression in the human eye: evidence for an intraocular renin-angiotensin system The relationship between hypertensive retinopathy and angiotensin converting enzyme gene polymorphism Cardiovasc Hematol Disord Drug Targets 2006; 6 (1): 57–61 Cardiovascular risk factors and retinal microvascular signs in an adult Japanese population: the Funagata Study Methods for evaluation of retinal microvascular abnormalities associated with hypertension/sclerosis in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study Reliability of computer-assisted retinal vessel measurementin a population Clin Experiment Ophthalmol 2002; 30 (3): 179–182 General caliber of the retinal arteries expressed as the equivalent width of the central retinal artery Retinal arteriolar diameters and elevated blood pressure: the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study A modification of the Airlie House classification of diabetic retinopathy Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 1981; 21 (1 Part 2): 1–226 The Wisconsin age-related maculopathy grading system A prospective evaluation of an angiotensin-converting-enzyme gene polymorphism and the risk of ischemic heart disease Measurement of retinal vascular caliber: issues and alternatives to using the arteriole to venule ratio Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 2007; 48 (1): 52–57 Angiotensin II potentiates vascular endothelial growth factor-induced angiogenic activity in retinal microcapillary endothelial cells Angiotensin AT(1) receptor antagonism normalizes retinal blood flow and acetylcholine-induced vasodilatation in normotensive diabetic rats Are retinal arteriolar abnormalities related to atherosclerosis?: The Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol 2000; 20 (6): 1644–1650 Association of essential hypertension in elderly Japanese with I/D polymorphism of the angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) gene Are retinal arteriolar or venular diameters associated with markers for cardiovascular disorders Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 2004; 45 (7): 2129–2134 Download references Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Science Centre for Clinical Research Excellence in Science in Diabetes This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Licence visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/ Download citation Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content: a shareable link is not currently available for this article alan.buis@jpl.nasa.gov NASA Airborne Sensor’s Wildfire Data Helps Firefighters Take Action Climate Change. 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Your browser does not support JavaScript, or it is disabled．Please check the site policy for more information National Report five mountainsides were fully lit up with giant bonfires forming kanji and other images in a traditional summer festival here on Aug Smaller bonfires were displayed in 2020 and 2021 during the Gozan no Okuribi festival to avoid crowds due to the novel coronavirus pandemic five mountainsides surrounding this ancient capital had a series of bonfires lit on them during the final day of the Bon holiday season The bonfires are a gesture to send off spirits of the deceased back to the spiritual world after they have visited their former homes This year's festival was delayed several minutes due to the weather the character “dai,” which represents the festival’s best-known character “Daimonji,” could be seen illuminated on the hillside of Mount Nyoigatake in Sankyo Ward in the eastern part of the city becoming the first series of bonfires of the night Bonfires were ignited at all 75 spots on the mountainsides to form the kanji The sites where fires could be ignited had been reduced to six to avoid close contact among those lighting the fires for the past two years Four other mountainsides were lit from east to west following the Daimonji The characters for “Myoho” (Buddha’s mastery teachings) a depiction of a boat called “Funagata,” another “dai” character known as “Hidari Daimonji,” and a depiction of a torii shrine gate called “Torii-gata” also appeared Kyoto’s bonfire festival to be held in full for the 1st time in 3 years Fake bonfire stunt gets Kyoto residents riled amid bon season Kyoto’s bonfire festival to be dimmed as virus precaution Takayama float returns to Gion Festival in Kyoto after 196 years Kyoto’s famed historical re-enactment parade to be held Test-pull held for massive float set to finally return to Gion Festival Information on the latest cherry blossom conditions Please right click to use your browser’s translation function.) A series based on diplomatic documents declassified by Japan’s Foreign Ministry Here is a collection of first-hand accounts by “hibakusha” atomic bomb survivors chefs and others involved in the field of food introduce their special recipes intertwined with their paths in life A series about Japanese-Americans and their memories of World War II In-house News and Messages No reproduction or republication without written permission Today's print edition Home Delivery Record-breaking rainfall in the northern Tohoku region has left one person dead at least three people missing and thousands displaced JR East shinkansen services between the cities of Yamagata and Shinjo remain suspended due to the heavy rain while the Akita Shinkansen is running normally.googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1499653692894-0'); }); Rain began hammering the northern region of Japan on Tuesday mainly in the northern Shonai and Mogami regions of Yamagata Prefecture Precipitation in the town of Mamurogawa reached approximately 430 millimeters by Friday morning with around 300 mm recorded in the city of Sakata In a time of both misinformation and too much information quality journalism is more crucial than ever.By subscribing Your subscription plan doesn't allow commenting. To learn more see our FAQ Sponsored contents planned and edited by JT Media Enterprise Division Japan is well shown in this combined radar image and topographic view generated with data from NASA's Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) a magnitude 8.9 earthquake struck offshore about 130 kilometers (80 miles) east of Sendai the capital city of Japan's Miyagi Prefecture generating a tsunami that devastated the low-lying coastal city of about 1 million residents The city is centered in the image and lies along the coastal plain between the Ohu Mountains and the Pacific Ocean The eastern part of the city is a low-lying plains area with the city center being hilly (the city's official elevation is about 43 meters Funagata at an elevation of about 1,500 meters (4,921 feet) above sea level the earthquake occurred as a result of thrust faulting on or near the subduction zone interface plate boundary between the Pacific and North America plates the Pacific plate moves approximately westwards with respect to the North America plate at a velocity of 83 millimeters per year The Pacific plate thrusts underneath Japan at the Japan Trench and focal mechanism of the March 11 earthquake are consistent with the event having occurred as thrust faulting associated with subduction along this plate boundary This image combines a radar image acquired in February 2000 during the SRTM mission and color-coding by topographic height using data from the same mission SRTM flew aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour SRTM used the same radar instrument that comprised the Spaceborne Imaging Radar-C/X-Band Synthetic Aperture Radar (SIR-C/X-SAR) that flew twice on the Space Shuttle Endeavour in 1994 SRTM was designed to collect 3-D measurements of Earth's surface engineers added a 60-meter (approximately 200-foot) mast installed additional C-band and X-band antennas and improved tracking and navigation devices The mission is a cooperative project between NASA the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) of the U.S Department of Defense and the German and Italian space agencies It is managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory 140.85 degrees East longitudeOrientation: North toward the topSize: approximately 174 by 160 kilometers (108 by 99 miles)SRTM Data Acquired: February 2000 Tanzania Images Highlight Improvements in Full-Resolution SRTM Africa Data Related TopicsNews. News. News. News. News. News. News. News. News. News. A riddle wrapped up in an enigma inside the TNM By Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on January 2010 Late Jomon (2000-1000BC)Hakodate City Board of Education Dogu with Heart-Shaped Face Late Jomon (2000-1000 BC)Private collection Jomon Venus Middle Jomon (3000-2000BC)Chino City Board of Education Standing Dogu Middle Jomon (3000-2000BC)Yamagata Prefectural Board of Education National identity is an interesting phenomenon It not only lays claim to portions of the Earth’s crust but can also be extended retrospectively over periods of time as well as demonstrated by “The Power of Dogu” at the Tokyo National Museum Based on a show held at the British Museum last year this exhibition is touted as an attempt to “deepen understanding of Japan’s history and culture.” In fact what it offers is an enigmatic glimpse of several cultures that were not Japanese and which all predate written history a catch-all archeological term used to describe the hunter-gatherer peoples and cultures that existed on the Japanese archipelago from around 14,000 BC to 400 BC we have the no-doubt bloody tale of the proto-Japanese arriving in these islands and conquering and absorbing the inhabitants to create the Japanese race and its early culture The Ainu in Hokkaido are supposed to be a remnant of some of the Jomon peoples who escaped this process an extremely drastic takeover by the more populous rice-growing people is one reason why dogu are now so mysterious the production of the clay figures was discontinued signifying the total eclipse of the culture that motivated their manufacture The exhibition reflects the resultant cultural blind spot by offering a wide array of possible but contradictory explanations in the process showing the entrenched academic ignorance on the subject invariably hides behind speculative theories An additional reason for the confusion is the wide variety of forms that the little mannequins take like the 45cm-tall Standing Dogu (3000-2000 BC) so the notion that they served as sacred figures representing the gods rests on shaky ground like the voluptuously curved Jomon Venus (3000-2000 BC) like broad-chested Hollow Dogu (2000-1000 BC) so theories that they were votary offerings designed to ensure fertility and successful births can’t quite explain all the evidence either More recent theories that dogu may have been toys or even works of art only underline the fact that the “experts” once again can offer plenty of theories but very little truth The fact that some figures bear a family resemblance to ET has even spawned a subset of theories that they represent visitors from outer space Although the true significance of the dogu will continue to remain shrouded by the mists of time and academic miasma what can be gauged is their relevance as inspiring objects of mystery over the years The Nobel Prize-winning novelist Yasunari Kawabata kept one on his desk Japan’s most famous artist of the modern era the Jomon and Yayoi came to represent a Japanese version of the Dionysian and Apollonian dichotomy of European culture What the sculptors of the dogu would make of such intellectualization is anybody’s guess The word “dogu” is similar to “gaijin” in that it is one word used to describe a multitude of things But it is the unanswered questions surrounding the figures that continue to give these quaint-looking totems their aura of unearthly power The Power of Dogu. Ceramic figurines. Until Feb 21, free (MS and under)/¥400 (HS)/¥600 (univ)/¥800 (adult). 13-9 Ueno Park, Taito-ku. Tel: 03-3822-1111. Open Tue-Sun 9:30am-5pm, closed Mon. Nearest stn: Ueno. www.tnm.jp From purple sweet potatoes to wild horse sightings here’s how to make the most of Okinawa’s tropical escape Explore the best local brands shaping Tokyo’s fashion scene From vintage clothing to Hawaiian-themed goods here’s what’s worth checking out before it’s gone From buying and registering a bike to key rules of the road Collagen staples for beauty and health in Japan Our handpicked list of the best events going on this month and the untold tales of Japan’s queer community Everything you need to know before and during a natural disaster Stay up to date with Tokyo news and events KYOTO--Organizers of one of Kyoto’s most eagerly anticipated summer festivals announced that the tradition of bonfires on city mountainsides will be held in full next month for the first time in three years 16 to form the shapes of kanji characters and symbols just as in pre-pandemic times Five mountainsides surrounding this ancient capital will be set ablaze on the last day of the bon holiday season when Japanese remember their ancestors The bonfires are a gesture to send off the spirits of the deceased after they “returned” to their former homes The festival’s best known character is Daimonji which is lit on Mount Nyoigatake in Sakyo Ward in the eastern part of the city is usually formed with bonfires lit at 75 spots The Daimonji will be followed on the other four mountainsides by Myoho (Buddha’s mastery teachings); Funagata in the shape of a boat; another dai character which is known as Hidari Daimonji; and Torii-gata which is in the shape of a torii shrine gate The festival was drastically scaled back in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 scare to avoid close contact among those lighting the fires and to reduce spectator congestion “Now we can finally light up (the bonfires) in their true form,” said a delighted Yoshio Okamoto “It is truly gratifying that traditional techniques on how to pile up the firewood can be passed down (to future generations).” Okamoto said city residents had pleaded with the organizers to hold the festival in its entirety this year “We want to do our best and light up while taking all precautions against the spread of the novel coronavirus,” he added Noh staged again in front of Atomic Bomb Dome to mourn lives lost Special 'nebuta' float created by 14 artisans on display in Aomori Sapporo Snow Festival to return in February on a reduced scale KYOTO--Organizers of one of Kyoto's most beloved summer festivals will keep the fires burning on the mountainsides but significantly curtail the spectacle to prevent the spread of the coronavirus a group that organizes the traditional Aug said on June 27 it will reduce the locations where bonfires are lit to form the shapes of characters and symbols the fiery images will pale in comparison to those that illuminated Kyoto’s night sky in past festivals “Let’s avoid congestion and hold a quiet festival,” said Hidefumi Hasegawa five mountains surrounding the ancient capital were set ablaze in a gesture to send the spirits of the deceased ancestors to the afterlife after revisiting their former homes The festival’s most well-known character is Daimonji only six bonfires will comprise the character The Daimonji will be followed on the other four mountainsides by Myoho; Funagata Those characters and symbols will be made with only one or two bonfires this summer compared with each varying from 53 to 108 blazes in past festivals The federation decided to reduce the number of locations to be lit to avoid the mass congregation of bonfire workers there The measure is also expected to reduce the number of spectators Symphony takes stage in Kyoto amid precautions against virus Kyoto geisha districts call off all autumn dance performances Sweets maker loses suit saying rival lied about founding date CT scan reveals tiny statue inside ancient Buddhist work in Kyoto No reproduction or republication without written permission.