Being buried alive isn’t something I ever imagined I’d do willingly passively watching sand land on top of my body with a weighty thud “Are you feeling comfortable?” asked the man wielding the shovel It was a farcical question for a person submerged in steaming-hot sand from the neck down Far fewer international visitors make it to the southern end of Japan’s Kyushu region but those who do are rewarded with soft adventure experiences It was precisely what this New Yorker needed Any trip that forces me to slow down is a blessing – even if it involves being buried in volcanic sand As beads of perspiration accumulated above my brow I tried to relax into the experience without watching the clock above me too intently Fifteen minutes is long enough to reap the health benefits of a sand bath without risking overheating and it was already obvious I’d need every ounce of my willpower to remain buried for the duration I had been enjoying daily visits to onsens watching the sunrise from the hot-spring-fed pools of hotels but this heat felt supercharged in comparison Suna mushi dates back some 300 years in Ibusuki when samurai warriors used it to treat sword wounds sustained in battle It’s now believed to aid a range of conditions Although several hotels in the area offer hot sand bathing as a treatment locals prefer to DIY the practice at Surigahama and Fushime Beaches where steam rises from the sand in ethereal swirls “Hot springs are a part of my life and have been since I was born,” says Hiroko Otani a tour guide raised in Ibusuki who observed her family and friends’ sand-steaming throughout her childhood “We dug our own holes in the beach and spent time pouring sand over each other with shovels,” she says before adding that the locals here see the geothermal waters as a blessing from the gods sandy robe in a laundry hamper and covering myself with a too-small towel I strode to the nearest shower and let the cool water cascade over me It was too early to say whether my aches and pains had been successfully steamed away but I left feeling equal parts roasted and rejuvenated After a 40-minute flight from Kagoshima Airport lush island is protected forestland threaded with quiet trails that showcase its unique biodiversity It’s a place where misty forests drink in near-constant rainfall and waterfalls tumble down ancient rock faces–a striking contrast to volcanic Ibusuki There are no predators on Yakushima nor overcrowded viewpoints It’s a hiker’s paradise by all accounts–except for one: it rains somewhere on the island almost every day The morning our group set off to explore Shiratani-Unsuikyo Gorge the sky was already heavy with dark We made a last-minute stop at a local rental store to pick up head-to-toe waterproof gear and sturdy hiking boots because “This is actually perfect hiking weather,” our guide, Junichi Aida, told us brightly while handing out hiking sticks. “The forest is even more beautiful when it’s wet.” We set off along a ravine, passing waterfalls so clean and clear you can drink from them. As the trail began to slope gently upwards, winding deeper into the forest, everything within eyesight was awash with green. Yakushima’s 600 different species of moss blanket rocks and envelope the trunks, branches, and roots of trees, collecting individual droplets of rain that sparkle like sequins. I was beginning to understand why Aida prefers hiking on rainy days. As we approached a river, Aida instructed us to cough twice. “In Japan, there is no border between humans and nature,” he said, referring to the Shinto principle of ​​kami, the divine spirits or deities believed to inhabit all natural things. “The goddess in the mountain needs a warning that we are coming. If we don’t cough to let her know we are here, we could get lost, or something bad could happen.” The concept of Kami makes sense of what I’d been feeling since we began our hike in Shiratani reserve. Something about the place is enchanted or otherworldly. The light is muted and emerald-tinged and the atmosphere is so quiet you can hear raindrops striking the ground. You could easily imagine fairies living inside the forest’s most famous trees – ancient cedars, some thousands of years old, known as yakusugis, which tower overhead and anchor their twisty roots to the footpath. Fans of the film often make a pilgrimage to the section of the hiking trail known as the Moss-Covered Forest, and as we pass through, we notice tiny figurines of the Kodama (tree spirits) nestled among the mossy mounds. It feels as if we’ve stepped into a scene from the animation. As the group continued its ascent to Taikoiwa Rock, a 20-meter-high granite bounder perched on the mountain top, Aida warned us that good visibility was unlikely. It was still raining, but as we finally reached the viewpoint, the low mist cleared, revealing unspoiled forested mountains and tumbling rivers as far as the eye could see. I thought back to what Aida said about kami, the godliness in all things. Whether or not one believes, it’s impossible to ignore the presence of something ancient and enduring here on Yakushima. Connecting decision makers to a dynamic network of information, people and ideas, Bloomberg quickly and accurately delivers business and financial information, news and insight around the world High waves along the shore in Ibusuki in Kagoshima Prefecture on Aug 2024 at 9:19 PM EDTBookmarkSaveTyphoon Shanshan weakened to a tropical storm after hitting Japan’s southwestern island of Kyushu with the government continuing to warn that landslides could be triggered by heavy rain as the weather system beats its way slowly across the country in the coming days according to the Japan Meteorological Agency Let’s just say I’m glad I’m not claustrophobic This was a far cry from the luxurious wellness experience I envisioned But there are plenty of treatments—like cupping and acupuncture—that people love despite being kind of off-putting at first glance So I took a one-hour train from Kagoshima to Ibusuki the only place in Japan that offers this rare wellness treatment could being buried in sand really do much for my body besides leave me with granules of sand in unwanted crevices After changing into the provided slippers and robe with nothing underneath I shuffled out to the sand bathing area at Ibusuki Hakusuikan a spacious room with four separate sand plots One of two attendants escorted me to one of the sand plots and pointed to a small wooden block for me to rest my head on I placed a face towel over the block and lay down in the sand careful to get as little sand in my robe as possible The attendant then shoveled sand over my body until my entire body was buried except for my head “Thank god I’m not claustrophobic.” I’ve always felt most safe in enclosed spaces—it’s probably why I love taking baths so much Being buried in sand was a similar sensation But I imagine the weight could feel stifling for someone who is averse to being confined Heated by the steam from the hot spring water beneath it the volcanic sand can reach a temperature as high as 130 degrees Fahrenheit so the body naturally begins sweating even when lying completely still but it was nothing like the uncomfortable sweats I’ve had in other heated wellness experiences like a Mexican Temazcal (sweat lodge) or even a hot yoga class where the hot air can make it difficult to breathe having my head exposed to room temperature made the heat of the sand less stifling The only mild discomfort was the weight of the sand as each inhale required extra effort to lift the heavy sand piled atop my lungs This made the experience almost meditative as I was forced to focus on each inhale and exhale and became soothed by the vision of watching the mound of sand resting atop my ribs gently rise and fall with each breath My attention was soon diverted outward with the arrival of four other guests who joined my plot of sand be experiencing sand bathing for the first time as they giggled and fidgeted as they were buried One person busted their arms out of the sand for some air they pushed their limbs upward and climbed out of the sand speaking to each other in another language I couldn’t tell if they were laughing at me or applauding me Their reaction made me realize something: I had no idea how long I was supposed to remain buried he wasn’t able to brief me on any kind of exit protocol I assumed he would return to retrieve me from the sand so I decided it was time and got myself out of the sand like the other guests The first thing I noticed was how light I felt without the weight of the sand Surprisingly there was less sand in unwanted crevices than I’d expected and it was easy to rinse off in the shower immediately after I spent the next half-hour soaking my jelly-like limbs in the hotel’s hot spring pools I expected sand bathing to be a much rougher wellness experience than I’d normally prefer I’m someone who can’t stand getting even a few granules of sand in my shoes on an average beach day I surprisingly loved being buried in the sand With there being so few opportunities to get this intimate with the natural elements in my everyday urban life being buried in the ground left me feeling incredibly grounded At The Colonics Spa, I Gained the Strength to Battle My DragonWhat Your Favorite Substack Newsletter Says About YouWhen in Boise... Kagoshima — Makers of shochu in Kagoshima Prefecture are using various measures to attract new people to the distilled liquor animation and tokusatsu special effects productions please disable the ad blocking feature and reload the page This website uses cookies to collect information about your visit for purposes such as showing you personalized ads and content By clicking “Accept all,” you will allow the use of these cookies Users accessing this site from EEA countries and UK are unable to view this site without your consent By Ko Yokomine / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer Kagoshima Prefecture is one of the nation’s major production areas of shochu This is the fourth in a series introducing the charm of the distilled spirit and the people involved in its creation Kagoshima — Makers of shochu in Kagoshima Prefecture are using various methods to attract new people to the distilled liquor in December with labels featuring characters from the manga “Kinnikuman” and scenes featuring the eponymous hero a Tokyo-based company that plans and sells licensed products he was moved by the rich nature and the warmth of the local residents and suggested the idea to the shochu maker Two products with “Kinnikuman” labels are available instead of the “sand hell” depicted in the manga The other product’s label modifies a frame from the manga in which a character exclaims “I saw Nessie!” The label changes Nessie to Issy an unidentified giant creature that people often claimed to see in Lake Ikeda in the city in the 1970s Koike said: “I wanted the designs to quickly convey where the shochu was made.” Managing director Noriharu Kamisako watched “Kinnikuman” as a child “I hope this shochu will encourage people to visit Ibusuki,” Kamisako said Yeast and koji mold are essential for shochu production Some yeast and koji were stored aboard the space shuttle Endeavour and the International Space Station for 16 days from May to June 2011 uses yeast and koji cultivated from that space-traveled yeast and koji for some of its products the company has been selling sweet potato shochu with labels bearing images of popular monsters such as the space dinosaur Zetton and the space ninja Baltan Both are enemies of the tokusatsu hero Ultraman the company has also been selling products with labels depicting Godzilla and King Ghidorah Kami-shuzo is selective about the ingredients it uses purple sweet potatoes link the mysterious atmosphere of the color purple with the monster which can magically create copies of itself Red sweet potatoes are used for the shochu featuring the monster Red King Mayumi Dowaki of Kami-shuzo was involved in planning the products “We wanted to create products that not only taste good but are also more enjoyable for people who know the featured monsters,” Dowaki said Company President Kosuke Kami said: “These products made in collaboration with high-profile works are accessible to people who aren’t familiar with shochu Our company will continue to provide opportunities for people to become interested in shochu.” Our weekly ePaper presents the most noteworthy recent topics in an exciting © 2025 The Japan News - by The Yomiuri Shimbun Today's print edition Home Delivery a seasoned typhoon-chaser and video producer based in Japan has built a career of venturing into the eye of nature's most ferocious storms positioning himself at the center of the action As Typhoon Shanshan bore down on Japan last week braving the elements to get a firsthand experience of the storm's fury.googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1499653692894-0'); }); The Japan Times spoke with him to gain insight into what it was like to be in the heart of Shanshan, referred to as Typhoon No. 10 by the Meteorological Agency as it unleashed its power on the Kyushu region What made Typhoon Shanshan stand out as worth chasing My threshold for chasing a storm is usually when it reaches hurricane or typhoon force — sustained wind speeds of at least 65 knots That’s when a storm is intense enough to potentially cause serious impacts upon landfall weaker storms can still have major impacts there was unanimous agreement among all the major weather models — the ECMWF (European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts) from Europe the GFS (Global Forecast System) from the U.S. They all predicted that Shanshan would become a strong typhoon With that level of consensus in the forecast I had a strong suspicion it was going to be a high-impact storm there wasn’t really anything different in my preparations I kind of approach all storms in the same way The most important thing is you have to be flexible and fluid in your movements when it looked like Shanshan was going to hit Wakayama Prefecture or Shikoku I planned to drive from Tokyo in my own car So that’s what I did — I headed down to Wakayama on Sunday to base myself there and see what would happen But then everything started shifting westward I have seen that kind of thing happen before Shanshan was unique from a personal perspective — it threw me off in terms of where I was locating myself Most storms I chase are more straightforward — I either drive to the area and figuring out locations to film where the storm would come ashore It turned into a more unorthodox chase than usual How would you describe the conditions on the ground as the storm approached But that was about 12 to 15 hours before landfall the weather progressively got worse and worse the sustained winds on the coast steadily picked up and by the time we were along the coast in Kyushu the weather had started to get quite dangerous The winds were strong enough to knock over trees and start doing damage Things really got intense when the inner eye wall — the strongest area of wind and rain that surrounds the storm’s center — crossed over the town where we were stationed That’s when you get the classic typhoon conditions: howling winds and visibility so poor you sometimes can’t see across the street That’s always the spot I try to get into because it’s where the most severe weather is taking place What was the most challenging aspect of chasing Typhoon Shanshan The terrain in southern Kyushu can be really challenging and many of the roads go through forests and over hills it often involves a lot of last-minute relocations in bad weather and you have to make those decisions with careful deliberation and those risks increase when you’re dealing with terrain where flooding can happen easily or when you’re driving through forests where trees are falling down Those are the kinds of places I like to avoid if possible One challenge that often presents itself is that in many small towns and villages in Japan where storms hit there’s often a lack of weather equipment or weather stations We carry portable weather instruments such as barometers to measure the central pressure of the storm Getting the most accurate measurement means being in the center of the eye of the storm Makurazaki (in Kagoshima Prefecture) has a fully functioning JMA (Meteorological Agency) weather station which took some pressure off us regarding accurate measurements While we still did a lot of weather readings with our devices having that government facility provided additional data and reassurance Another challenge with Shanshan was trying to read exactly where the eye wall was going to hit the coast The forecast had the storm missing the southern part of Kyushu but then curving up and crashing south of Nagasaki something quite unique to southern Kyushu happened — the storm started interacting with the mountainous island of Yakushima and I believe that interaction helped drag the storm east closer to the coast of southern Kagoshima instead of letting it drift further west This was an unforeseen influence that brought the storm closer to the coast Did you encounter any unexpected phenomena during the chase The interaction between Shanshan and Yakushima definitely fits into the category of unexpected phenomena There was also some interesting weather going on in Kagoshima city itself It almost seemed like the Sakurajima volcano across the bay was enhancing the wind as it came across There was noticeable turbulence and added disturbance in the vicinity of the volcano with strange vortexes and sudden powerful gusts of wind that seemed isolated to the area immediately downwind of the volcano There was a lot of weird and unexpected weather going on in that area What kind of interactions did you have with locals during the storm we very much just kept our heads down and focused on what we needed to do so we didn’t have much interaction with local people and then heading back out to Makurazaki later in the night I always have a motto: either make yourself useful during the storm You just get on with the job at hand without getting in anyone’s way But there was one interaction that stood out I had a quick chat with a fisherman in the port who was watching with concern as his ship was being battered by strong winds in the inner bands of the typhoon and gave him an approximate timing of when the storm was really going to kick off people are typically just minding their own business we often have a lot more interaction with locals during storms How do you prioritize safety during a storm chase I cut corners in that respect and had close calls that could have been prevented Chasing a typhoon is a continual exercise in risk assessment we’re always assessing how we could possibly get killed or injured and trying to negate as many dangerous factors as possible are we going to be safe from waves or storm surge flooding Are we going to be safe from landslides or flash floods Are we going to be near a river that could burst its banks Are we going to be by a building that could blow apart or throw debris at us It’s always a case of considering those factors and I was confident we found a solid building to take shelter behind We knew what the wind direction was going to be This was one of those chases where everything went to plan We put a lot of effort into planning it properly the better you get at trying to foresee what could go wrong and mitigating those risks 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. 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The page may not be displayed properly if the JavaScript is deactivated on your browser Japanese version Western United secured a third straight win thanks to goalkeeper Matt Sutton as Brisbane Roar’s second reached a new A-League men’s low Catch up on the latest from the weekend’s action Don't miss out on the headlines from A-Leagues Followed categories will be added to My News Brisbane Roar have slumped to the equal worst start in A-League history after nine matches following a 1-0 loss to Western United at Ironbark Fields on Sunday A penalty goal to United’s Hiroshi Ibusuki just before halftime proved to be the difference as the Roar go to a 0-2-7 start for the campaign – matching the Central Coast Mariners’ record for the worst start to a season after nine games from season 2018-19 The 44th minute goal came after Angus Thurgate won his side the penalty on the edge of the box when he was brought down following heavy contact with Roar’s Antonee Burke-Gilroy Thurgate had made the most of Burke-Gilroy coming into the challenge with pace as he narrowly got to the ball first before falling to ground when contact arrived soon after It was a bitter moment for the Roar after having the better of the chances before the breakthrough goal United then took control thereafter and make it a third win in a row In a nervous moment in the final two minutes United’s Charbel Shamoon brought down Jack Hingert but it was just outside the box The victory for the home side lifts them into fifth spot on the table as they head into the new year with a 4-3-3 record United goalkeeper Matt Sutton was enormous in the encounter putting in multiple saves to keep his side in it as the Roar won shots (14-11) shots on target (5-4) and possession (54 per cent) It continued a strong run for United who are coming off whooping 4-3 and 4-0 wins over Sydney FC and Auckland respectively on the road the Roar were the better of the two sides in the opening 25 minutes winning shots (2-0) and possession (53 per cent) in what was largely a dire start Jacob Brazete put in the first shot of the game in the 12th minute before skipper Jay O’Shea made an exciting attempt from beyond halfway which turned out to be a smart option after Sutton was caught well off his goal line But the shot ended up striking a ball kid who had to head off for an assessment before returning to the action 11 minutes later to the tune of a loud cheer from fans With a strong breeze influencing their run forward United didn’t register their first shot until the 28th minute which was when the game came alive Brazete had another strong chance this time from a cut back in the 29th minute but Sutton was there to put a clutch hand to the ball The Roar continued their impressive first half with a Keegan Jelacic shot in the 40th minute but Sutton came out of his goal line to make another strong save that should be 1-0 Brisbane Roar if not for the outreached paw of Matt Sutton,” Grace Gill said about Jelacic’s chance in commentary But then United broke through with the “soft” penalty goal minutes before halftime to head into the break with an unlikely lead Ben Halloran could have scored an equaliser in the dying stages of the first half Few chances went both ways in the second half but it was largely kept under control from John Aloisi’s side to secure the win Roar coach Ruben Zadkovich said he was proud of his players post-game today I am extremely proud of my players,” Zadkovich said “We were the better team in probably every facet of the game “Sometimes when your luck is not going your way we obviously need to be a little bit better in front of goal Sydney FC has stayed in touch with the A-League Men’s top six after two goals from Joe Lolley helped the Sky Blues to a controversial 3-0 win over the Melbourne Victory on Saturday night Sydney-Melbourne derbies are renowned for their flashpoint moments with a contentious red card to Victory midfielder Zinédine Machach giving the Sky Blues a significant leg-up at Allianz Stadium Machach was marched in the 16th minute of play after an alleged studs-up tackle on Sydney FC defender Jordan Courtney-Perkins Referee Adam Kersey had initially shown Machach a yellow card for the challenge but opted for a straight red after an intervention from VAR While television pundits Alex Brosque and Archie Thompson claimed the red card wasn’t warranted Football Australia’s Head of Referees “The foot of the Victory player went over the ball [and] made contact above the ankle,” Moss said While not necessarily agreeing with the decision interim Victory manager Arthur Dillies was diplomatic in his assessment of the situation so you just see what you see on the big screen,” Dillies said “I thought he [Machach] got to the ball first Sydney FC led 1-0 when Machach was dismissed and never looked threatened from that point on Lolley’s second goal gave them a 2-0 lead at half-time while Jaiden Kucharski put the cream on the cake in the 87th minute The Sky Blues now sit in seventh spot on the A-League ladder with 13 competition points one point behind crosstown rivals Western Sydney with Brazilian superstar Douglas Costa replaced in the 47th minute after appearing to pick up a hamstring injury With a groin strain keeping regular striker Patryk Klimala out for a second-straight game Sydney manager Ufuk Talay opted to push Lolley further forward than his usual wing position against the Victory The Englishman certainly rose to the challenge “Good players adapt to any position on the field,” Talay said post-match “We worked on what his role would be during the week and I think he executed it quite well.” Lolley’s first goal came after just 90 seconds when he tucked away a Courtney-Perkins cross that had ricocheted off Roderick Miranda with the former Nottingham Forest man calmly nodding a sublime aerial ball from Costa into the Victory net Lolley thought he’d completed a first-half hattrick when he hammered home a low ball from captain Rhyan Grant in the 43rd minute which ruled the Sydney skipper had been offside in the build-up Lolley likewise hit the post in the lead-up to Kucharski’s goal Douglas Costa was finally starting to live up to his rockstar billing The former Juventus and Bayern Munich star scored his first two A-League goals last weekend against Adelaide and he had been causing plenty of havoc against the undermanned Victory on Saturday night before limping from the field two minutes into the second half Talay will be praying that his marquee man will not be missing for an extended period “He felt his hamstring tighten up and he didn’t want to continue I think he made a good decision,” Talay said “We’ll get an MRI to assess it and go from there.” Costa was forced to withdraw from Sydney’s match against Auckland in November after injuring a hamstring against Sanfrecce Hiroshima but Talay insisted that the latest incident wasn’t a recurrence of the initial injury “It’s a different type of hamstring injury it’s a little bit lower,” the coach said “But I can’t say anything at the moment because we don’t know the full extent of it.” “In the first half we didn’t start great “We adjusted some things at half-time and I think we were excellent in the second half “The group just showed incredible resilience they showed courage and they got [back] into the game.” we finished the game quite strongly and were unfortunate to cop one [another goal] at the end there.” Auckland FC has produced a first half goal frenzy to ensure its position as A-League leaders goes unchallenged for another week The New Zealand side beat the Central Coast Mariners 4-1 on Saturday at Industree Group Stadium a week after losing its first game of the season Hiroki Sakai opened the club’s account in the 13th minute with the his maiden goal for Auckland before Mariners player Alfie McCalmont slotted his first for his side two minutes later with a stunning volley Jake Brimmer (31st minute) and Guillermo May (39th minute) both added their names to the scoresheet to give Auckland a two-goal buffer going into halftime before Logan Rogerson put the game well beyond doubt in the 84th minute Kosta Barbarouses has scored one of the greatest goals in A-League history to help end Wellington’s three-game losing streak with a 2-1 win over Newcastle It was just two-minutes into the round 10 clash at Sky Stadium on Saturday when Barbarouses intercepted a pass from the Jets before unleashing a scintillating strike from inside the centre circle that sailed beyond Newcastle keeper Ryan Scott and hit the back of the net on the full Barbarouses now has 99 A-League goals to his name and his efforts and ensured the Phoenix took a 1-0 lead into halftime despite the opening stanza being largely dominated by Newcastle Paulo Retre doubled Wellington’s lead in the 59th minute courtesy of his maiden goal for the club before Ben Gibson brought the game back to life in the 73rd minute by scoring for the Jets Rob Stanton’s time at Newcastle ended with a final-round draw against Melbourne Victory on Sunday with all eyes now shifting to the A-League finals A pair of Claudia Bunge goals has given Melbourne Victory the early advantage over Adelaide United in the ALW semi-final series on Sunday Sydney FC have just re-signed coach Ufuk Talay but after the club’s failure to reach the finals a memorable finals clash to come and why the sky is the limit for Adelaide Claudia Jenkins has gone from bench warmer to star performer for Adelaide United Meet the billionaire US property tycoons who have saved A-League strugglers Western United with what is believed to be the richest deal in Australian sporting history Sydney FC failing to make finals was fantasy when the A-League Men’s season began Robbie Slater and Marco Monteverde discuss why the "Ibusuki no Tamatebako" or simply"Ibutama" tourist train runs daily on Japan's southernmost line and why not bury yourself under the sand on the beach The " Ibusuki no Tamatebako -Ibutama " train is based on the legendary story of Umashima Taro who was invited to the palace of the Dragon King Ryujin after saving a turtle from the abuse of naughty children on the beach After having spent some quality time there he left with a superb little lacquered 'Tamatebako' chest as a souvenir of this enchanting place but not to open it under any circumstances to keep the good times alive in his memory Umashima Taro couldn't resist opening the Tamatebako Our "Ibusuki no Tamatebako" train is just like this box an image that can be found everywhere in the decor The difference is that we have access to this box that we're not going to grow old all at once but rather take a beautiful journey on board There's a library on board for a few art books on the region A golden line runs the length of both carriages the pleasure of spending a unique moment in an exceptional train Ibusuki no Tamatebako kids seats & baby park (JLM) The "Ibusuki no Tamatebako" aims to be as close as possible to the legendary story of Umashima Taro which is why when the train stops at the station at the end of the journey to Ibusuki or Kagoshima-Chuo in the opposite direction as soon as the doors open a white smoke appears and envelops you as if by magic Misters installed above the doors on the outside are activated but into a traveler conquered by this formidable sensory experience All you have to do is get back on board for one more round trip you can try burying yourself under the warm sand of the beach like a hot spring like so many around here Ibusuki no Tamatebako Dragon smoke (JR Kyushu) The "Ibusuki no Tamatebako" runs daily between Kagoshima-Chuo and Ibusuki Reservations are compulsory for this train, but it won't cost you anything thanks to the Japan Rail Pass The New Utsunomiya Tramway The city of Utsunomiya has finally got itself a fast and pleasant means of urban transport with this new tramway with a futuristic look that is changing the city The "Hinabi" Joyful Train JR East has just launched a Joyful train in northern Honshu Chiba Urban Suspended Monorail The Chiba Monorail is a very special urban transport system but also a handy way to escape the daily traffic jams Japanese Stations Getting Around Tokyo Shinkansen Travel Tips Itineraries for Japan Getting Around Kyoto Train in Japan Sign up and be the first to hear our news and special offers The Meteorological Agency announced Friday a significantly heightened risk of rain-induced disasters in Kagoshima Prefecture due to the formation of linear rain bands driven by an active seasonal rain front a landslide warning has been issued for the Satsuma and Osumi regions until Friday evening.googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1499653692894-0'); }); The agency's warning does not cover the prefecture's Amami Islands Residents in the affected regions have been urged to remain on high alert for localized landslides flooding in low-lying areas and river overflows and to take necessary precautions to ensure their safety 418 millimeters of rain were recorded over 24 hours as of 7:20 a.m setting a new all-time high for the location towns and villages in the Satsuma and Osumi regions have also issued warnings for heavy rain Flood advisories have been issued for the Manose and Kaseda rivers in the Manose River system The agency forecasts up to 130 mm of additional rainfall in Kagoshima Prefecture until Saturday morning with the potential for localized increases due to the linear rain bands The front is expected to remain stationary through Saturday causing unstable atmospheric conditions in the region Photo: James Ross/AAP PHOTOSCoach John Aloisi is adamant the best is yet to come from Western United's remodelled attack after new signing Hiroshi Ibusuki struck to salvage a comeback 1-1 A-League Men draw against Western Sydney All articles from our websiteThe digital version of Today's PaperBreaking news alerts direct to your inboxAll articles from the other regional websites in your areaContinueUnited were on the back foot early at Ironbark Fields after Socceroos forward Brandon Borrello struck in the 14th minute But former Adelaide United marksman Ibusuki volleyed home in the 48th minute to earn Aloisi's charges a second draw in as many matches He also combined with young striker Noah Botic with aplomb as United chased a winner late on "We know he's done it in the A-League before the way that he can help our younger players "We've had young Oli Lavale play next to him and Rhys Bozinovski - all those younger players are helped by Hiroshi "So it was important that he scored for his confidence but also to show that he's going to be a handful for any team this year." Aloisi was also delighted with young playmaker Grimaldi and 17-year-old defender Dylan Leonard who impressed at centre-back in his first start Socceroos forward Brandon Borrello (second left) struck in the 14th minute for the Wanderers (James Ross/AAP PHOTOS)Alen Stajcic's Wanderers took the lead when Nicolas Milanovic slipped through Borrello It was Borrello's first goal after fighting back from a foot injury that ruined his 2023-24 season and scuppered his hopes of featuring at the Asian Cup "He's obviously trying to rebuild his confidence and he's such a such a amazing weapon for us," Stajcic said It's not easy to get that belief back in yourself and in your body so you just know what you're going to get with with Buzz "He works extremely hard for everyone and is a great person to have on our team So it's good when he gets a little reward like that." Wanderers boom recruit Juan Mata made his first league start - in the south-west Melbourne fringe suburb of Tarneit of all places - and played 62 minutes Stajcic said Mata was "influential" but expected him to improve as team chemistry grew The Wanderers head home to CommBank Stadium to face Adelaide on Saturday night United next play Melbourne City on November 4 Sign up for our newsletter to stay up to date We care about the protection of your data. Read our Privacy Policy Metrics details EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) are effective against EGFR-mutated lung cancer but tumors eventually develop resistance to these drugs Although TP53 gain-of-function (GOF) mutations promote carcinogenesis their effect on EGFR-TKI efficacy has remained unclear We here established EGFR-mutated lung cancer cell lines that express wild-type (WT) or various mutant p53 proteins with CRISPR-Cas9 technology and found that TP53-GOF mutations promote early development of resistance to the EGFR-TKI osimertinib associated with sustained activation of ERK and expression of c-Myc Gene expression analysis revealed that osimertinib activates TNF-α–NF-κB signaling specifically in TP53-GOF mutant cells osimertinib promoted interaction of p53 with the NF-κB subunit p65 translocation of the resulting complex to the nucleus and its binding to the TNF promoter Concurrent treatment of TP53-GOF mutant cells with the TNF-α inhibitor infliximab suppressed acquisition of osimertinib resistance as well as restored osimertinib sensitivity in resistant cells in association with attenuation of ERK activation and c-Myc expression Our findings indicate that induction of TNF-α expression by osimertinib in TP53-GOF mutant cells contributes to the early development of osimertinib resistance and that TNF-α inhibition may therefore be an effective strategy to overcome such resistance in EGFR-mutant lung cancer with TP53-GOF mutations the mechanisms underlying most cases of osimertinib resistance have remained unclear To investigate whether GOF mutations of TP53 contribute to attenuation of the therapeutic efficacy of osimertinib we have now examined the sensitivity to and survival during osimertinib treatment for EGFR-mutated lung cancer cell lines engineered to harbor various TP53 mutations We also performed comprehensive investigations including RNA-sequencing (seq) and chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP)-seq analyses to probe the mechanism by which such mutations were found to confer osimertinib resistance and total and phosphorylated (p) forms of EGFR and PC9/p53MUT cells determined with a colorimetric assay c Immunoblot analysis of EGFR signaling as well as of p53 and p21 in PC9/p53EV and PC9/p53MUT cells treated with 100 nM osimertinib for 0 and PC9/p53MUT cells exposed to the indicated concentrations of osimertinib for 72 h as determined with a colorimetric assay Data in (b) and (d) are means ± SEM of triplicates from one experiment and are representative of three independent experiments These findings suggested that TP53 status did not affect the survival of EGFR-mutated NSCLC cells exposed to osimertinib for up to 72 h and PC9/p53MUT cell number during treatment with 1 μM osimertinib for up to 28 days b Time course for the development of osimertinib resistance in PC9/p53EV The concentration of osimertinib was gradually increased from 10 nM to 1 μM each time the cells achieved 70% confluence Immunoblot analysis of EGFR signaling as well as of p53 and p21 during treatment with 1 μM osimertinib for up to 72 h for osimertinib-resistant PC9/p53GOF cells (c) and PC9/p53EV and PC9/p53WT cells that had been previously treated with osimertinib for 30 days (d) Data in (a) and (b) are means ± SEM for triplicates from one experiment and are representative of two independent experiments a Venn diagram showing the overlap in the number of significantly upregulated (log2[fold change] > 1 p < 0.05) genes in set A (PC9/p53R248Q cells incubated with 600 nM osimertinib for 24 h versus those incubated with DMSO vehicle) and in set B (PC9/p53R248Q cells versus PC9/p53EV cells each exposed to 600 nM osimertinib for 24 h) as determined by RNA-seq b KEGG pathway analysis for the 111 genes commonly upregulated in sets A and B Hallmark pathways with the highest −log10[p values] are shown Pathway enrichment analysis for the significantly upregulated genes in set A (c) and set B (d) Hallmark gene sets with the highest −log10[p values] are shown e Volcano plot based on −log10[p value] for TRRUST analysis of set A and set B The dashed lines indicate a −log10[p value] of 2 (p = 0.01) RT-qPCR analysis of TNF mRNA abundance in PC9/p53EV and PC9/p53MUT cells incubated with or without 600 nM osimertinib for 24 h (f) or for 2 weeks (g) Data are means ± SEM of triplicates from one experiment and are representative of three independent experiments h Concentration of TNF-α in serum-free culture supernatants of PC9/p53EV and PC9/p53MUT cells incubated in the absence or presence of 600 nM osimertinib for 48 h Data are means ± SD for duplicates from one experiment and are representative of two independent experiments NS not significant (one-way ANOVA followed by Tukey’s test) a Schematic representation of ChIP-qPCR analysis ChIP-qPCR primers were designed to amplify promoter (a) or control (b) regions of the TNF gene locus Percentage of ChIP-qPCR amplicons derived from the promoter (b e) regions of TNF that were immunoprecipitated with antibodies to p65 (b or PC9/p53R248Q cells incubated with or without 600 nM osimertinib for 24 h Data are means ± SEM of triplicates from one experiment and are representative of two independent experiments Fluorescence microscopic images of p53-p65 complexes (yellow) detected by an in situ PLA for PC9/p53EV and PC9/p53R248Q cells under basal conditions (f) or for PC9/p53R248Q cells incubated in the absence or presence of osimertinib (600 nM) or TNF-α (1 ng/ml) for 24 h (i) The representative images were obtained by optical sectioning j) and percentage colocalization of PLA signals with DAPI staining (h k) determined from z-projection images constructed by z-stacking of optical sections for cells as in (f) and (i) Data are means ± SEM (n = 9 fields including a total of at least 50 cells) NS (one-way ANOVA followed by Tukey’s test) these findings suggested that translocation of p65 to the nucleus induced by osimertinib promotes TNF expression in PC9/p53R248Q cells via formation of a p53-p65 complex Percentage cell number for PC9/p53GOF mutant cells (a) as well as PC9/p53EV and PC9/p53V218del cells (b) treated with 1 μM osimertinib (Osi) in the absence or presence of infliximab (1 µg/ml) for the indicated times Viability of osimertinib-resistant PC9/p53R248Q (c) and PC9/p53R273H (d) cells treated with the indicated concentrations of osimertinib in the absence or presence of infliximab (1 µg/ml) for 72 h as measured by a colorimetric assay e Immunoblot analysis of EGFR signaling as well as p53 and c-Myc expression in osimertinib-resistant PC9/p53GOF mutant cells incubated in the absence or presence of osimertinib (100 nM) or infliximab (1 µg/ml) for 24 h Data in (a) through (d) are means ± SEM of triplicates from one experiment and are representative of three independent experiments a Time course of changes in tumor volume for subcutaneous tumors formed by PC9/p53EV or PC9/p53R248Q cells in nude mice and treated with vehicle or osimertinib (Osi) beginning at day 0 (corresponding to 10 days after cell injection) b Tumors isolated from mice in (a) at day 30 c Time course of changes in tumor volume for subcutaneous tumors formed by PC9/p53R248Q cells in nude mice and treated with vehicle or the combination of osimertinib and infliximab from day 0 infliximab administration was initiated 14 days after the onset of osimertinib treatment d Tumors isolated from mice in (c) at day 30 osimertinib was administered orally once daily at a dose of 1 mg/kg and infliximab was administered intraperitoneally once a week at a dose of 10 mg/kg All quantitative data are means ± SEM (n = 5 mice per group) ****p < 0.0001 (one-way ANOVA followed by Tukey’s test) Osimertinib treatment induces p65 activation whereas TP53-GOF mutations promote formation of a p53-p65 complex that binds to the TNF promoter region and thereby increases TNF-α production in osimertinib-treated cells TNF-α then not only promotes formation and nuclear translocation of the p53-p65 complex but also activates ERK and c-Myc The anti-TNF-α antibody infliximab inhibits TNF-α signaling and thereby suppresses osimertinib resistance the relation of TP53-GOF mutations to the efficacy of EGFR-TKI treatment has remained unknown We have now shown that TP53-GOF mutations promote the interaction of p53 with p65 and accelerate the development of resistance to osimertinib in osimertinib-treated cells Whereas the detailed mechanism underlying the increased binding of p53-GOF mutants to p65 and nuclear translocation of the resulting p53-p65 complexes remains to be characterized such mutant proteins might activate p65 by influencing molecules that contribute to regulation of the transcriptional activity of p65 such as the NF-κB subunit p50 and the inhibitory protein IκB We have now shown that osimertinib treatment increases TNF expression to a much greater extent in TP53-GOF mutant cells compared with cells without such mutations Concurrent treatment with infliximab suppressed the development of resistance to osimertinib promoted by TP53-GOF mutations as well as restored osimertinib sensitivity in resistant cells These findings indicate that upregulation of TNF-α expression as a mechanism of resistance to osimertinib is a characteristic of TP53-GOF mutant cells the mechanisms responsible for most cases of such resistance remain uncharacterized Our results now implicate positive feedback signaling dependent on TNF-α production in cancer cells with TP53-GOF mutations as a target for overcoming resistance to osimertinib treatment Whereas treatment with osimertinib resulted in a decrease in the expression of most of these genes in vitro it remains possible that the encoded proteins exert effects on the tumor itself or the tumor microenvironment in vivo that contribute to the development of osimertinib resistance most patients who received the combination treatment still experienced disease progression within 2 years underscoring the importance both of the identification of the precise mechanisms of resistance and the development of corresponding therapeutic strategies It is possible that upregulation of TNF-α is also associated with resistance to the combination therapy in NSCLC with TP53-GOF mutations and that anti-TNF-α treatment might be beneficial for such resistant tumors whether TP53-GOF mutations confer an inferior efficacy for osimertinib in comparison with non-GOF mutations is unclear Further clinical investigation of the effects of TP53-GOF mutations in NSCLC positive for EGFR mutations is warranted our study provides new insight into a mechanism of osimertinib resistance attributable to TP53-GOF mutations and suggests that TNF-α inhibition might be an effective strategy to overcome osimertinib resistance in patients with EGFR mutation-positive NSCLC with coexisting TP53-GOF mutations and HCC4006 cells were cultured in RPMI 1640 medium (Gibco and A549 cells were maintained in DMEM (Gibco) Each medium was supplemented with 10% fetal bovine serum and 1% penicillin-streptomycin (Gibco) All cells were maintained under a humidified atmosphere of 5% CO2 and at 37 °C USA) was dissolved in DMSO (Fujifilm Wako Pure Chemical Industries Japan) and doxycycline (#631311; Takara Bio Selleck Chemicals) was dissolved in DMSO (Fujifilm Wako Pure Chemical Industries) and stored at −20 °C Recombinant human TNF-α (#210-TA-005; R&D Systems USA) was dissolved in sterile phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) containing 0.1% bovine serum albumin and was stored at −20 °C Single-cell clones showing complete loss of p53 protein (PC9/p53KO For establishment of cell lines stably expressing WT or mutant forms of p53 the constructed plasmid vectors described above or the empty plasmid vector (EV) were first introduced into HEK293T cells (ATCC #CRL-1573) with the use of a Retrovirus Packaging Kit Ampho (#6161 Takara Bio) and the Lipofectamine 3000 reagent (Invitrogen The culture supernatants containing the recombinant retroviruses were then passed through a 0.45-μm filter and the filtrate was incubated overnight at 4 °C with a Retro-X Concentrator (Clontech Japan) and then centrifuged at 1500 × g for 45 min at 4 °C for isolation of virus pellets or H1975/p53KO cells were infected with the retroviruses for 24 h in the presence of polybrene (Nacalai Tesque Japan) at 8 μg/ml and were then cultured in growth medium for an additional 24 h before selection by culture in the presence of puromycin (Invitrogen) at 1 μg/ml For establishment of cell lines for doxycycline-inducible p53 expression GP2-293 packaging cells of the Retro-X Tet-One Inducible Expression System (#634307 Takara Bio) were used to produce retroviruses instead of HEK293T cells Cells (3000 per well) were seeded in a 96-well flat-bottom plate (Greiner Bio-One Austria) and incubated at 37 °C under 5% CO2 for 24 h before exposure to test agents and incubation for an additional 72 h Cell Counting Kit 8 (Nacalai Tesque) reagent (10 μl) was then added to each well the cells were incubated for an additional 2 h and absorbance at 450 nm was measured with a Multiskan FC instrument (Thermo Fisher Scientific) For generation of osimertinib-resistant cell lines and examination of the development of osimertinib resistance we adopted two different experimental protocols or H1975/p53 cells (1.2 × 105 per well) were seeded in 12-well plates (Greiner Bio-One) and treated with 1 μM or 600 nM osimertinib for 28 days and the number of cells per well was counted with a LUNAII automated cell counter (Logos Biosystems Republic of Korea) at the indicated times during drug treatment PC9/p53 cells (1.2 × 105 per well) were seeded in six-well plates (Greiner Bio-One) and exposed to increasing concentrations of osimertinib from 10 nM to 1 μM over a maximum of 30 days with the osimertinib concentration being increased when the cells had achieved 70% confluence and PC9/p53R175H cells that acquired resistance to 1 μM osimertinib were defined as osimertinib-resistant cells and studied further For measurement of TNF-α levels in culture supernatants cells were cultured in serum-free medium and treated with 600 nM osimertinib for 48 h Culture supernatants were then collected and were concentrated with the use of an Amicon Ultra centrifugal filter (#503012; Millipore and the concentration of TNF-α was measured with an AuthentiKine TNF-α ELISA Kit (#KE00154; Proteintech and PC9/p53R248Q cells were cultured to 70% confluence on 12-mm-diameter coverslips (Matsunami PC9/p53R248Q cells were treated with either DMSO as a control Cells were fixed for 15 min with 4% paraformaldehyde in PBS permeabilized for 10 min with 0.3% Triton X-100 in PBS and incubated overnight at 4 °C with 1:500 dilutions of mouse antibodies to p53 (#2524 Cell Signaling Technology) and rabbit antibodies to p65 (#8242 Cell Signaling Technology) for detection of p53-p65 complexes with the use of Duolink PLA Fluorescence Kits (#DUO92002 and #DUO92004; Sigma-Aldrich Images of PLA signals were obtained with a BZX800 all-in-one fluorescence microscope (Keyence Optical sectioning images of p53-p65 complexes in multiple cells acquired from top to bottom of each cell were combined into a z-projection image with the use of full-focus imaging (BZ-H4A The number of PLA signals per cell and percentage of the signals in the nucleus stained with DAPI were quantified in nine fields including a total of at least 50 cells for each condition with the use of BZ-X Analyzer software (BZ-H4A Four-week-old female athymic mice were obtained from CLEA Japan (Tokyo, Japan). PC9/p53EV or PC9/p53R248Q cells (5.0 × 106) were injected subcutaneously into the flank of the mice, which were randomly divided into the treatment groups described in Fig. 7 at 10 days after cell injection Tumor dimensions were measured twice each week and tumor volume was calculated according to the formula: (length × width × width)/2 Mice were killed by cervical dislocation under anesthesia when tumors achieved a volume of >2000 mm3 or 30 days after treatment onset tumors were isolated 14 days after treatment onset Data are presented as means ± SEM or ± SD and were compared with the unpaired Student’s t test or one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) followed by Tukey’s test as performed with GraphPad Prism 9 software A p value of <0.05 was considered statistically significant Animal experiments were approved by the Kyushu University Animal Experiment Committee (approval number: A22-379-1) and were performed in accordance with Kyushu University Animal Experiment Regulations and ARRIVE (Animal Research: Reporting of In Vivo Experiments) guidelines Further information on research design is available in the Nature Research Reporting Summary linked to this article All RNA-seq and ChIP-seq data sets have been deposited, and processed values and complete gene lists are available at GEO (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/geo) under GEO series IDs GSE232890 and GSE253478 Global cancer statistics 2020: GLOBOCAN estimates of incidence and mortality worldwide for 36 cancers in 185 countries Not all epidermal growth factor receptor mutations in lung cancer are created equal: perspectives for individualized treatment strategy Activating and resistance mutations of EGFR in non-small-cell lung cancer: role in clinical response to EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors Osimertinib in untreated EGFR-mutated advanced non-small-cell lung cancer EGFR-independent mechanisms of acquired resistance to AZD9291 in EGFR T790M-positive NSCLC patients AXL confers intrinsic resistance to osimertinib and advances the emergence of tolerant cells Acquired BRAF V600E mutation as resistant mechanism after treatment with osimertinib Emerging treatment paradigms for EGFR-mutant lung cancers progressing on osimertinib: a review TNF-driven adaptive response mediates resistance to EGFR inhibition in lung cancer EGFR inhibition triggers an adaptive response by co-opting antiviral signaling pathways in lung cancer Unravelling mechanisms of p53-mediated tumour suppression Nondisruptive p53 mutations are associated with shorter survival in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer Impact of TP53 mutations on outcome in EGFR-mutated patients treated with first-line tyrosine kinase inhibitors Exploration of resistance mechanisms for epidermal growth factor receptor-tyrosine kinase inhibitors based on plasma analysis by digital polymerase chain reaction and next-generation sequencing Concomitant TP53 mutation confers worse prognosis in EGFR-mutated non-small cell lung cancer patients treated with TKIs Why are there hotspot mutations in the TP53 gene in human cancers Unequal prognostic potentials of p53 gain-of-function mutations in human cancers associate with drug-metabolizing activity Gain of function of mutant p53 by coaggregation with multiple tumor suppressors Therapeutic ablation of gain-of-function mutant p53 in colorectal cancer inhibits Stat3-mediated tumor growth and invasion Mutant p53 disrupts mammary tissue architecture via the mevalonate pathway A Pin1/mutant p53 axis promotes aggressiveness in breast cancer Induction of gene amplification as a gain-of-function phenotype of mutant p53 proteins Genomic characterization of metastatic patterns from prospective clinical sequencing of 25,000 patients The cBio cancer genomics portal: an open platform for exploring multidimensional cancer genomics data Integrative analysis of complex cancer genomics and clinical profiles using the cBioPortal TP53 mutation mapping in advanced non-small cell lung cancer: a real-world retrospective cohort study Gain-of-function p53 mutants co-opt chromatin pathways to drive cancer growth Ubiquitination and degradation of mutant p53 JASPAR 2022: the 9th release of the open-access database of transcription factor binding profiles HTLV-I Tax induces a novel interaction between p65/RelA and p53 that results in inhibition of p53 transcriptional activity Cross talk between stimulated NF-κB and the tumor suppressor p53 Mutant p53 shapes the enhancer landscape of cancer cells in response to chronic immune signaling Targeting c-Myc to overcome acquired resistance of EGFR mutant NSCLC cells to the third-generation EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor Resistance mechanisms to osimertinib in EGFR-mutated non-small cell lung cancer Mutant p53 prolongs NF-kB activation and promotes chronic inflammation and inflammation-associated colorectal cancer FAS and NF-kappaB signalling modulate dependence of lung cancers on mutant EGFR NF-kappaB-activating complex engaged in response to EGFR oncogene inhibition drives tumor cell survival and residual disease in lung cancer Mutant p53 enhances nuclear factor kappaB activation by tumor necrosis factor alpha in cancer cells Mutant p53 reprograms TNF signaling in cancer cells through interaction with the tumor suppressor DAB2IP Gain-of-function mutant p53 in cancer progression and therapy Gain-of-function mutant p53: all the roads lead to tumorigenesis a tumor necrosis factor alpha inhibitor in patients with metastatic breast cancer Tumor necrosis factor alpha as a new target for renal cell carcinoma: two sequential phase II trials of infliximab at standard and high dose A clinical study assessing the tolerability and biological effects of infliximab IL-8 signaling plays a critical role in the epithelial-mesenchymal transition of human carcinoma cells The EGFR-STYK1-FGF1 axis sustains functional drug tolerance to EGFR inhibitors in EGFR-mutant non-small cell lung cancer Cancer-associated fibroblasts treated with cisplatin facilitates chemoresistance of lung adenocarcinoma through IL-11/IL-11R/STAT3 signaling pathway Osimertinib with or without chemotherapy in EGFR-mutated advanced NSCLC The over-expression of p53 H179Y residue mutation causes the increase of cyclin A1 and Cdk4 expression in HELF cells Gene splicing and mutagenesis by PCR-driven overlap extension Metascape provides a biologist-oriented resource for the analysis of systems-level datasets Transcriptional control of the inflammatory response Regulation of pathogenic T helper 17 cell differentiation by steroid receptor coactivator-3 BEDTools: a flexible suite of utilities for comparing genomic features featureCounts: an efficient general purpose program for assigning sequence reads to genomic features Simple combinations of lineage-determining transcription factors prime cis-regulatory elements required for macrophage and B cell identities Download references This work was supported by Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (KAKENHI grant number JP21K07100) We also appreciate the technical assistance from The Research Support Center Research Center for Human Disease Modeling Kyushu University Graduate School of Medical Sciences has received honoraria from Chugai Pharmaceutical and AstraZeneca has received honoraria from Chugai Pharmaceutical has received honoraria and research funding from Chugai Pharmaceutical and Bristol-Myers Squibb as well as honoraria from Pfizer and research funding from Astellas The remaining authors declare no financial or nonfinancial competing interests Publisher’s note Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations Download citation DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41698-024-00557-2 Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content: a shareable link is not currently available for this article Clinical and Translational Oncology (2024) Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science falling birth-rates and an ageing population are major social issues in Japan and the government has called for regional revitalisation especially since the beginning of the second Abe administration in December 2012 Some movements have begun to create an autonomous and sustainable society that takes advantage of regional characteristics the challenge of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050 must also be met making regional development increasingly difficult we look at the efforts of Ibusuki City in Kagoshima Prefecture which is aiming for regional development using geothermal power generation and consider how to implement sustainable town planning by using regional assets PwC Consulting LLC started working remotely from my hometown in Kagoshima in 2021 I was able to rediscover a variety of the area’s charms including tourism resources such as hot springs and rich nature various foods that are said to be the best in Japan rich historical heritage and connections to historical figures such as the samurai Saigo Takamori kind and warm communities and unique industries that utilise regional resources the rapidly falling birth-rate and ageing population are serious issues in Kagoshima with senior citizens accounting for more than 30% of the total population I feel the frequency of natural disasters such as typhoons and earthquakes is increasing I began to think more deeply about the wellbeing of myself and the local residents and the ideal future state of town planning The COVID-19 pandemic has created a crisis in the social economy and given us the opportunity to redefine capitalism Economic growth under capitalism has no end and people are always competing for lasting growth Measures to restrict human mobility aimed at curbing the spread of COVID-19 have slowed economic activity and had a significant impact on people's wellbeing Although technological advances have led to the rise of services that transcend time and space constraints augmented reality (AR) and metaverse technologies people always yearn for physical connections and will begin to move again thereby creating a negative loop of rebounding CO2 emissions and the re-emergence of COVID-19 Is it possible to achieve economic growth that is friendly to both people and the earth we’re focussed on the circular economy as one key to solving sustainability issues such as climate change biodiversity and the need for improved resilience The circular economy refers to a cyclical economic model that turns various forms of waste into value and we believe that businesses in the energy utilities and resources sectors have the potential to play a major role in its development By taking on challenges with circularity as a fundamental principle we believe that new business models that provide high added value and competitive advantages can be created The environmentally advanced city of Amsterdam in the Netherlands published its ‘Amsterdam Circular Strategy 2020-2025’ in June 2019 with the ambitious goal of becoming ‘100% circular’ by 2050 The centrepiece of their strategy is British economist Kate Raworth's 'doughnut economics' model This model compares sustainable living to the shape of a doughnut with the social foundation inside the doughnut hole and the ecological ceiling outside the doughnut and states that people can live safely and securely in a doughnut-shaped space between the social foundation and the ecological ceiling with no environmental excesses or social deficiencies This model has received a great deal of attention as a theory for improving the wellbeing of people and maintaining social equity Ibusuki City in Kagoshima Prefecture is a case study in the doughnut economics model that aims to realise a circular economy by using geothermal energy.  With over 1,000 sources of hot springs in Ibusuki the majority of the 2,753 sources in Kagoshima Prefecture (the second largest in Japan) the city can be regarded as a 'hot spring city' with rich hot spring resources Ibusuki is rich in unique and historic hot springs from hot springs on the site of the former villa of the Shimazu family who ruled the Satsuma clan during the Edo period (1603-1867) to communal bathhouses for the local residents The hot spring water is not only used for bathing and drinking in public bathhouses but is also used for tropical plant cultivation salt manufacturing and geothermal power generation.1 which uses heat from underground hot water or hot springs at temperatures below 150°C has gained attention as a means of effectively utilising geothermal resources due to lower entry barriers than geothermal power generation There are two binary power plants in Ibusuki which uses hot water that cannot be used for power generation at the Yamakawa Geothermal Power Plant and is returned to the ground (reinjected hot water) to heat a medium with a low boiling point (pentane) to evaporate and uses the steam to turn a turbine to generate power The power station started operation in February 2018 and has a maximum output of 4.99 megawatts (MW) making it one of Japan's largest binary power plants.2 The other is the Medipolis Ibusuki power station Medipolis Ibusuki is a resort-style residential proton cancer treatment facility built on the site of a former recreation facility built with pension funds which has treated over 4,000 cases since 20113 As particle beam accelerators and other equipment used for cancer treatment require large amounts of electricity the facility’s management decided to build the power station in order to offset the costs by selling electricity generated from the geothermal heat of the hot springs The power station has been in operation since February 2015 with an output of 1.5 MW which is equivalent to the electricity used by approximately 2,500 households It has also contributed to reducing CO2 emissions by 3,000 tonnes per year equivalent to the emissions from 1,300 regular passenger cars.4 In addition surplus steam from the hot spring source is used to grow mangoes and mushrooms in greenhouses which are sold to hotel restaurants and nearby supermarkets Source: Kyushu Electric Power Company (https://www.kyuden.co.jp/var/rev0/0322/1052/s3y1c68m9g.pdf) several local news outlets reported that a new geothermal power station would be built at Kurinodake Onsen in the Kirishima region a popular hot spring resort as famous as Ibusuki the power station plans to open in 2024 with a maximum output of 4,990 kilowatts (kW) glamping and open-air baths will also be built in the vicinity as well as a tourist facility where people can experience agriculture This development comes amidst recent management challenges for hot spring facilities such as an ageing and decreasing number of users which have caused many hot springs in Kagoshima Prefecture have closed down we expect the popularity of teleworking and workcations to continue to increase in the future due to changes in values brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic and the promotion of flexible working styles And the co-location of a binary power station and medical tourism and recreational facilities will help to bring reasonable and sustainable earning capabilities to the community as a promising location for such remote work the income generated from power generation could be used to introduce community buses to provide transport for local residents and to operate mobile supermarkets These would not only increase convenience for residents but also serve a ‘neighbourhood watch’ function and be a means of creating a safe aims to realise a future that is human-led and tech-powered By combining human ingenuity with technology and better results whilst building trust across the value chain Please contact us for more information on sustainable urban development that realises the wellbeing of local residents by using regional resources in a carbon-neutral society For more information on the circular economy, see the PwC report ‘Taking on tomorrow: The rise of circularity in energy, utilities, and resources’ the City of Hot Springs: World-class Seaside Hot Springs in Ibusuki Email Share your travel photos with us by hashtagging your images with #visitjapanjp However, the Pokémania did not end there! For the past few years people's beloved creatures have been appearing all over Japan on special manhole covers! Called Poké Lids, they can be found from northern Hokkaido to southern Miyazaki prefecture on Kyushu. It all started in Kagoshima’s Ibusuki in 2018 when the first Poké Lid was installed but now you can find 148 Pokémon manholes all around the country The ‘legend’ goes that they are secretly hiding tunnels created by Diglett which have been later covered by eager artists We can neither confirm nor deny the truth to these claims but you won’t really know the truth until you see them in person Manholes in some areas only represent Pokémon associated with the area but others like Ikaruga in Nara have a variety of monsters meaning you really can catch ‘em all every manhole is a PokéStop with special rewards You can find all of them on the official page here but we have picked our top four areas with the most manholes in closest walking distance of each other you can even take a break on the local beach The most recent addition to the Pokéfamily is Ikaruga in Nara with five PokéLids each featuring a different Pokémon Ikaruga is well known for the beautiful Horyuji Temple one of Japan’s first acclaimed UNESCO World Heritage sites With stunning natural backdrops filled with rice paddies and magnificent mountains Ikaruga is an oasis filled with historical temples We especially recommend taking a break to walk along the local Tatsuta River flanked by reds oranges and yellows of Japan's irresistable autumnal colour palette The best way to reach this historical gem is taking a 10 minute train from Nara station Browse the JNTO site in one of multiple languages Hiroshi Ibusuki is unsigned for next season but surely for not much longer after his double secured Adelaide United a 4-3 away win over Brisbane and direct qualification into next season's Australia Cup Adelaide moved to eighth on the A-League Men ladder and The top eight-placed ALM sides have direct entry into the Australia Cup so I'm glad we got the points," Adelaide coach Carl Veart said The 33-year-old Ibusuki now has 15 goals for the season but his future is in limbo He has been linked to a possible move to the Roar "Ibusuki has been around a long time in the A-League so most of us know his exploits and what he is capable of," Roar coach Ruben Zadkovich said He is one of many strikers we are looking at and that process is only just getting started." Veart said Adelaide would make a decision on Ibusuki and other off-contract players at the end of the season "He has done everything he can for us this season and we will make that decision after Wednesday's game," he said of the meeting with the Mariners Brisbane looked dead and buried when trailing 4-1 late on but roared home with 19-year-old substitute Thomas Waddingham scoring in the 78th minute and winger Henry Hore notching his second goal five minutes later to set up a grandstand finish had a dream start with a goal in the third minute to Hore who went on a scything 30-metre run after a slick ball from midfielder Florin Berenguer Hore made his way into the box and unleashed a right-footer with Adelaide keeper James Delianov making a mess of the attempted save The Roar had plenty of chances to add to their tally but the visitors equalised A slick ball into the box by Zach Clough was slotted home by Ibusuki in the 39th minute Ibusuki was at it again in the 47th minute with a clinical header after silver service from Ryan Kitto completing his second brace in as many weeks Panashe Madanha came off the bench for the visitors with a great run and delivery for Stefan Mauk to make it 3-1 Madanha set up Harry Van Der Saag for Adelaide's fourth before the Roar scored two in quick succession The clash was the last for the Roar for captain Tom Aldred who is yet to come to terms on a new deal for next season Defender Kai Trewin is also unsigned and is reported to be in the sights of Melbourne City Roar goalkeeper Macklin Freke inked a new two-year extension during the week while versatile Antonee Burke-Gilroy signed on for one more season Your browser does not support JavaScript, or it is disabled．Please check the site policy for more information National Report Shoichi Ibusuki humbly calls himself “a labor movement activist wearing a lawyers’ pin,” but the U.S government has gone further and labeled him a “hero.” Ibusuki became the second Japanese named a Trafficking in Persons Report Hero by the U.S State Department for his long battle protecting the rights of foreign technical trainees in Japan “Contradictions in the system have surfaced,” he said “The technical training program should be abolished.” took the national bar examination for the first time at age 27 and passed it on his 17th attempt after he turned 44 His labor activities started during his college days when he was working part time at a convenience store and then joined the activities of a larger labor union that represented workers at small and midsize companies When an attorney supporting the union fell ill due to overwork whose executive posts were filled with young college graduates decided to nurture a young lawyer on its own He tried to refuse the offer because he wanted to “continue working as an activist throughout my life.” a colleague told him that he “could pursue a career as a lawyer while remaining an activist.” After receiving encouragement from his peers Ibusuki studied for the bar exam between his labor activities Immediately after he was finally registered as a lawyer he began handling cases involving foreign technical interns who had contacted the labor union He had seen small and midsize companies mistreat their employees but the circumstances facing overseas trainees were far worse His many years of commitment to the issue were cited in the commendation by the State Department in July Ibusuki said he is still determined to bring an end to the framework of the trainee program The intern program is intended to provide skills that trainees can use after they return to their home countries complaints are rife about employers forcing them to do menial or dangerous tasks under terrible working conditions saying it contributes to international society The trainees have also been essential for filling labor shortages in Japan’s agriculture COVID-19-related travel restrictions have now prevented foreign interns from entering Japan High court rules deportation of Sri Lankan men unconstitutional 5 Vietnamese firms blacklisted over trainee program in Japan Sisters question ‘final’ report on death of detainee from Sri Lanka Sisters of Sri Lankan who died in detention slam officials’ account EDITORIAL: Inhumane stance on immigration control needs urgent review 40,000 foreign trainees enter Japan amid virus as others fired 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 Adelaide United striker Hiroshi Ibusuki’s controversial red card against Sydney FC has been rescinded as an “obvious error” leaving him free to face Perth Glory Ibusuki was shown a straight red for fouling Anthony Caceres as he slid for the ball in the 40th minute of Sunday’s A-League Men game at Allianz Stadium Closer inspection showed only minor contact with Caceres’ foot but the video assistant referee upheld the on-field ruling and the Reds were reduced to 10 men with more than half the game left to play Hiroshi Ibusuki of United is given a red card by referee Daniel Elder Sydney took a 2-1 lead and while Adelaide fought back to draw 2-2 they were clearly hindered by their numerical disadvantage Football Australia’s independent match review panel (MRP) of Simon Micallef (chairman) and Alan Davidson assessed the incident on Monday with Adelaide contending the red card was an obvious error “The MRP held that no direct red card was warranted in the circumstances and the other matters required by the regulations were satisfied,” Football Australia said in a statement as there was an obvious error in the issuing of the red card the MRP has determined that Ibusuki would not be required to serve the mandatory match suspension will face no further action for the incident and will have the red card rescinded and removed from his record.” The decision means Ibusuki remains eligible for the Johnny Warren Medal for the competition’s best player as well as making him available for Sunday’s clash with the Glory.  Players who receive straight red cards during the course of the season are ruled out of the voting The A-Leagues warned coaches in the pre-season referees would take a dim view of tackles where a player’s studs made contact with their rivals referees boss Nathan Magill said officials would continue to home in on the three main focuses established in pre-season: “player safety and enhancing the image of the game” Are you the ultimate team manager?  Pick your own superstar team and go head to head with other football fans for glory and cash prizes on Draftstars You are using an outdated browser. Please upgrade your browser to improve your experience It is different from normal hot spring," said a visitor Vietnamese artist showcases gold powder Buddha painting at UN Vesak Day Inauguration India showcases 2000-year cultural legacy at UN Vesak Day Celebrations in Vietnam diplomacy lead talks between India-Vietnam during Union Minister Rijiju's meeting with Ho Chi Minh City Secy Nguyen Van Nen Researchers from United Arab Emirates University develop technology for non-surgical blood flow monitoring Ho Chi Minh glows ahead of Holy Buddha relic exposition as global delegates arrive Pakistan: Sindh Food Authority uncovers widespread milk Gate of Sudan Festival cultural platform for UAE-Sudan exchange copyrights © aninews.in | All rights Reserved Kagoshima is located on the southern tip of Kyushu and is endowed with some of the most spectacular scenery in the country including seas These are seven things that you should be sure to do on your tour of the land that was once known as Satsuma Opened in Ibusuki City in Kagoshima in 1960 this seaside hotel has long been revered for its hospitality and service The hotel has also kept up appearances with refurbished rooms completed to the highest modern standards featuring large lounge areas and Western or Japanese style beds choose one of the suites with a balcony bath that looks on to the wide ocean Cape Nagasaki marks this point on the Satsuma Peninsula The bright red and orange colors of the shrine contrast sharply with the blue sea Shells replace traditional wooden mamori boards and shrine-goers can write their wish and place it carefully into a wooden bucket nearby The drive to the cape is quite scenic as well; it takes you around Mt Perhaps the most impressive part of Makurazaki City is not the delicious southern food Makurazaki produces much of the fish flakes found in Japanese supermarkets – and yes although it doesn’t take long to get used to and the vista has inspired countless works of art Even Hollywood used Makurazaki and its mountains as a backdrop during the production of the 1967 James Bond film You Only Live Twice Considered to be the “Satsuma Fuji,” Mt. Kaimon rises prominently in the midst of Kagoshima’s “healthy lands,” where the soil is richest for farming and the hot springs are the clearest and freshest Although it’s considered an active volcano the last sign of any activity was an emission of light volcanic gas in 2000 and before that the last great eruption was in 885 and you can hike to its 924m-high summit in a few hours Ibusuki celebrates a goal against the Roar who could be moved to sign him for next season Henry Hore was first to score for the Roar Kagoshima — Train fans nationwide come to see an unmanned station in Kagoshima Prefecture with its single platform and simple roof on the JR Ibusuki-Makurazaki Line connecting Kagoshima-Chuo and Makurazaki stations is located at 31 degrees 11 minutes north latitude and has a sign that reads “Southernmost JR station.” It was the southernmost station in Japan until the Okinawa Urban Monorail Nishi-Oyama Station is about 1 hour and 50 minutes by train from Kagoshima City The northernmost station in Japan is Wakkanai Station in Hokkaido which is about 3,000 kilometers from the southernmost JR station Japanese version Japanese version Copyright THE MAINICHI NEWSPAPERS. All rights reserved. fun and practical.Get the latest with our exclusive in-language podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.SBSSBS Japanese News