the Kaminoyama forest is being eyed for an 8.6-acre protected preserve BY Kaelen BellPublished Jun 10, 2022 Be the first to get our biggest stories delivered to your inbox. The yokai kasedori are messengers of the gods in the local folklore attendees sprinkle a bit of water on the kasedori they vigorously throw buckets of water at the kasedori This year in 2023, five hundred spectators gathered at Kaminoyama Castle to pray for safety and good luck chairman of the Kaminoyama City Kasedori Folk Customs Preservation Society introduced the 29 kasedori performers who had gathered from all over Japan.  Then, one of the performers from Tokyo came forward and declared, "Praying for protection from fires, I swear to dance with all my might, without giving in to the temptation of drink or succumbing to the strong cold winds from the Zao Mountains." As the other kasedori performers appeared They [the performers] look like they're having a lot of fun dancing The festival also welcomed visitors from overseas. Joel Paxton, a tourist from Australia said "We don't have a festival like this in Australia (Read the related Japanese article.) You must be logged in to post a comment ' + scriptOptions._localizedStrings.webview_notification_text + ' " + scriptOptions._localizedStrings.redirect_overlay_title + " " + scriptOptions._localizedStrings.redirect_overlay_text + " Some Japanese companies are ramping up efforts to maintain and improve employees' health such as sending employees to a remote health resort where they can acquire exercise habits 16 employees of Sompo Japan Nipponkoa Himawari Life Insurance Inc in their 20s to 40s with differing lifestyle habits and exercise experiences attended a walking program in the northeastern Japanese city of Kaminoyama in Yamagata Prefecture The program is called "Kurort health walk," named after the German word for a health resort where people can stay for a number of days in which people exercise and recuperate in natural environments such as in mountain or forest scenery Kaminoyama has laid claim to being one of Japan's first kurorts The city has been selected as a host with accommodation for the health program focused on walking and other activities a pilot health guidance scheme adopted by the Health participants are instructed to walk without raising their body temperature or pulse Among notable effects observed are lowering blood pressure and effective metabolism of fats "Please feel the natural breeze while walking as if you are trying to lower your skin temperature by 2 degrees Celsius," an instructor told the employees of the insurance firm before walking One of the participants looked puzzled at the instruction "Will our body temperatures drop even though we exercise?" After warm-ups and measuring body temperatures the participants walked through a 3-kilometer course without significant ups and downs checking their pulses three times during the walk They enjoyed the smell of fallen leaves and dipped their arms in spring water said it was not as hard as they imagined and that people who do not like exercise could take part in the program The insurance firm plans to eventually let all employees participate in the program to raise their health awareness with the company covering most of the expenses including transportation and accommodation "As a company which promotes customers' health we cannot recommend our products to clients unless our employees stay healthy," an official of the company said has been teaching employees methods to stay healthy including diet stretching and a way of bathing to improve the functioning of the autonomic nervous system at its welfare facility in Takatsuki the company started selling general customers a tour to the UNESCO World Heritage "Kumano Kodo" pilgrimage routes in Wakayama Prefecture in western Japan allowing them to go through the same programs offered at the welfare facility The approaches shown by these companies putting emphasis on health management are expected to improve their images among business partners and financial institutions and lure more investments "We can enhance the health of our employees and the value of the company at the same time," a public relations official of Sunstar said "We can also convince job-seeking students that our company cares about employees." the government has started publicizing companies which make strategic efforts to manage employees' health Trade and Industry recognized 330 companies and organizations nationwide for their efforts for the first time additional 223 small-and medium-sized enterprises were added to the list The ministry is also teaming up with the Tokyo Stock Exchange to jointly select listed companies that strategically engage in health and productivity management programs To have the latest news and stories delivered to your inbox Simply enter your email address below and an email will be sent through which to complete your subscription Please check your inbox for a confirmation email Thank you for reaching out to us.We will get back to you as soon as possible Revelers dressed in bird-shaped straw coats take part in the Kasedori Festival in Kaminoyama They make their way to a village to perform a traditional dance as cold water from buckets is splashed on them The straw coats worn by the participants are called "kendai," which represents a bird believed to bring good luck It was said that the bird called kasedori brought water to put out a fire that had been raging in the region long time ago the locals have held the festival to commemorate the bird The festival is also held each year to pray for a good harvest and good fortune It originated in the 1600s and was inscribed on the list of UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage last year Your browser does not support JavaScript, or it is disabled．Please check the site policy for more information Storied Tokyo amusement park Toshimaen may have shut down for good but its rides and attractions live on at theme parks all over Japan which acquired them after they were sold off which pioneered large leisure facilities in Japan ended its 94-year run in Tokyo's Nerima Ward in August 2020 Sendai's Yagiyama Benyland welcomed Toshimaen's yellow-painted Corkscrew roller coaster Yagiyama Benyland had introduced a Corkscrew in 1980 But Toshimaen's offers better safety and usability because it was updated in the early 1990s "It would be such a waste if it were disposed of We also wanted to take over the legendary ride from Toshimaen," said Yagiyama Benyland's director explaining why he decided to buy the attraction Benyland's first Corkscrew has since found a new home in an amusement park in Hokkaido Part of Toshimaen's large wooden Trick Maze used at the park for four years before it shut down was back in action at the Lina World amusement park in Kaminoyama The park plans to rename it and said it will ask the public for suggestions with one half relocated to Lina World and the other half to the Nasukogen Rindoko Family Bokujo park in Tochigi Prefecture The maze at Lina World runs 12 meters wide Even adults should be prepared to spend 20 minutes to get to the goal at the top."  The park also transferred ownership of three attractions to the Hakkeijima Sea Paradise aquarium in Yokohama The company added that it is considering finding other park operators willing to take over Toshimaen's iconic El Dorado carousel (This article was written by Hideaki Ishibashi People queue for farewell ride on beloved carousel as park closes Time’s up for Tokyo’s storied Toshimaen amusement park Harry Potter theme park to open in Tokyo in first half of 2023 retro 1960s vibe greet visitors to Seibu Amusement Park Information on the latest cherry blossom 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The page may not be displayed properly if the JavaScript is deactivated on your browser 　NEXCO東日本東北支社（宮城県仙台市）は、平成31年4月13日（月）に開通したE13東北中央自動車道（以下、「東北中央道」という。）南陽高畠（なんようたかはた）インターチェンジ（IC）～山形上山（やまがたかみのやま）ICの区間（延長24.4km）の整備効果をとりまとめました。 　日頃から高速道路をご利用されるお客さまをはじめ、沿線地域の皆さまにも東北中央道の効果を広く知っていただくために、お知らせします。 開通後整備効果 PDFファイルをご覧いただくには、AdobeSystems社のプラグインソフト「Acrobat Reader（日本語版）」が必要です。お持ちでない方は、こちらからダウンロード（無料）してご利用ください。 Copyright©2020 East Nippon Expressway Company Limited All Rights Reserved Japanese version Copyright THE MAINICHI NEWSPAPERS. All rights reserved. Yamagata-ken) is a large prefecture along the Sea of Japan coast in the Tohoku Region The prefecture is blessed with natural beauty such as Mount Zao It also has more than 100 hot spring locations it is the largest producer of cherries and pears in Japan A large quantity of other kinds of fruits such as grapes persimmons and watermelons are also produced Here are 7 things you can do in Yamagata Prefecture the take off was on time and the aircraft is great we bought the JR EAST PASS（Tohoku area) for unlimited rides on the Shinkansen and limited express trains to Eastern Japan the cleaning crews will clean the whole train within 7 minutes which is in the southern part of Yamagata Prefecture It is on the Yamagata Shinkansen line between Tokyo and Yamagata with the trip taking just over 2 hours and costing ¥10,000 Yonezawa may be an unassuming rural town but do you know that it is known throughout Japan for its beef (米沢牛 yonezawa-gyū) Its beef became famous after an Englishman named Charles Henry Dallas an English teacher at the Yonezawa clan school took a Yonezawa cow to his friends at Yokohama in 1875 They lvoe it and words start spreading about how delicious it is Yonezawa cows are fed such rice straw that sucked up the minerals Most of the cows are raised and fattened for the period as long as 32 months which explains secret to the quality and flavour of the meat We had our lunch at Uesugi Joshien (上杉城史苑 • ウエスギジヨウシエン) where Yonezawa Steak Don and beef fillet The steak don has sliced beef grilled to perfection and every piece literally melts in your mouth Website: http://www.uesugijoshien.jp/ Yonezawa is also a favourite amongst sake lovers and the best-known local tipple is Tōkō (東光) we took a bus to visit Japanese Sake Brewery I am impressed with the punctuality with all buses in Japan Sake-Brewing Museum Tōkō Sake Warehouse helps us to understand the traditional Sake-Brewing within Yonezawa Tōkō has been around for more than 400 years and Mr Kojimaya Zaremon is now the 23rd generation is taking care of it They have 53 sake breweries in Yamagata and are the 4th biggest around With the aim of sharing the traditional art of sake brewing to the world – the museum was restored from and old sake distillery in 1984 Various sake production implements are on display including a huge vat made of Japanese cedar once used for fermentation Sake making typically happens from October to March and fermentation itself can take up to a good 2 months the TV commercial for SKII is also done here unpasteurized sake that cannot be found anywhere else Go for their top-of-the-line daiginjō (¥12,000/1.8L) Website: http://www.tokonosakagura.com we took a train and alighted at Yamadera Station where we visit Risshaku-ji Temple JR trains are extremely efficient and fast and a major part of their efficiency is due to all the different kinds of express trains Risshaku-ji Temple was founded over a thousand years ago in 860 as a temple of the Tendai sect under the official name Risshakuji literally means “mountain temple” in Japanese The temple is a nationally designated Place of Scenic Beauty and Historic Site You need to take about 1015 steps to climb up to the top Just do it at your own pace and when you reach the top all is worthwhile as you will get to see the great view down onto the valley You can take a short walk to one of several entrances at the foot of the mountain This natural lake formed in the crater of a volcano is the symbol of Mt The lake was 27m deep but it was gradually buried over years due to the collapse of Goshikidake cliff walls It is sometimes called the Five Color Lake due to the way its water changes colors from day to day The circle crate is surrounded by the three mountains of the Zao Mountain Range This lake was named Okama after Japanese traditional cooking pot (kama) from its shape Crater Lake Viewing Season happens early May to late October Get on the Zao High Line (tolled road) from Zao Echo Line and drive up to the park of Zao Mountain Peak Restaurant where you can find the view deck There are two buses per day between Kaminoyama Onsen Station on the Yamagata Shinkansen and the Kattadake peak outside of winter The one way trip takes about one hour and is free of charge After the visit to Mount Zao which takes up about half a day you can drive down to Zao Liza World to have a slice of pizza you can enjoy vast greenland while enjoy a piece of pizza made upon order Website: http://www.zaoliza.co.jp/summer/rest01.html One of my favourite destination in Yamagata Prefecture is Takahashi Fruit Land where we get to pick the seasonal fruits Grapes were in season during my visit in October so we get to try a few varieties of grapes Takahashi Fruit Land makes fruits all year round with 100% organic farming Website: http://kaminoyama-spa.com/tourism/data/000077.php you can take the train to Kaminoyama Onsen Station and visit different onsen Since there are so many things to see in the prefecture I recommend you to spend your night at Ryokan Koyo where you get the best of both worlds – a scrumptious dinner and very good onsen There are three standard hot baths – one cold bath There are different shampoo for you to choose from in your onsen all dishes were already laid out beautifully for us and even seasonal vegetables in stacked boxes Remember to change into a yukata cotton robe for a truly leisurely night Each night costs 20,000 yen while a dinner here costs 12,000 yen Website: http://www.koyoga.com Site by Stitch Interactive Terms of use•Privacy policy The forest that inspired Hayao Miyazaki when he was making My Neighbour Totoro is to be preserved as a nature reserve Follow us for daily movie and TV news on Facebook, X, and Google News