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The page may not be displayed properly if the JavaScript is deactivated on your browser Japanese version Don’t you think it is killing two birds with one stone if you can enjoy running and traveling in a new destination Going on a brisk run to enjoy the scenery and then later getting out to take in the sites and taste the local cuisine is a great way to enjoy a trip My friend from Okinawa invited me to join him for the Road Race Chikura I was reluctant to accept his offer because I did not want to use all my summer leave staying in the area where I live I changed my mind because I thought it would be a good opportunity to learn more about my home prefecture Chiba Prefecture starts just outside Tokyo’s eastern border and spreads southeast to the Pacific Ocean The prefecture is famous for Narita International Airport the second largest convention center in Japan it is actually blessed with a lot of nature It is home to the most beaches of all Japan’s prefectures and is also where you’ll find Minami Boso Quasi-National Park and the Suigo-Tsukuba Quasi-National Park Most of the prefecture is on the Kanto Plain Chiba’s gross agricultural production is ranked fourth behind Hokkaido according to Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture Chiba is known for processing a large number of fish and seafood through its many ports Chiba has plenty more that I was looking forward to discovering we stopped for a visit at Daifukuji Temple This temple on a mountain slope is dedicated to Kannon The nearest station is the unmanned JR Nakofunakata Before leaving the station to go to the temple we made sure to check the train schedule since they don’t stop at Nakofunakata often It took us about 15 minutes to get to Daifukuji Temple and another 15 minutes to climb up to the building dedicated to Kannon It was a good warm-up for the next day’s half marathon Maybe the reason why the temple was built on this mountainside was so Kannon and visitors alike could enjoy the stunning view After enjoying the temple and the magnificent views we hopped on a train to JR Chikura Station in Minamiboso City which is the southernmost municipality in the prefecture The hotel was another 15-minute walk along a magnificent oceanfront street from the station I thought my friend was enjoying the view as well until he mentioned that this was the first time he’d ever seen a black sand beach two-story blue and white building owned by a man and his daughter we met a lady who was also going to run in the race Chatting with perfect strangers is another interesting thing that happens when you’re traveling we made our way to the race starting point in Minamiboso at 9 a.m Since my friend is an experienced marathon runner Since I did not even practice one step prior to the race Though there were few residences in the area some of the locals were along the course cheering us on I was beaten by almost all the participants My friend and I had plans to do more sightseeing after we were done with the race at noon we were so exhausted that instead we went ahead to our next hotel The guest house served up a hearty dinner with many dishes including splendid alfonsino fish boiled in soy broth We could not believe how much food we were served having only paid about 6,000 yen per person for our one night stay we dragged ourselves to breakfast at the guest house before resuming our sightseeing On the agenda for the day was a visit to one of Japan’s top markets The market is over 400 years old and has about 80 stalls selling fresh fish One of the signature items at this market is locally-caught bonito fish Make sure to grab some dried bonito flakes from the market as the prices and quality are excellent compared to those in Tokyo each biting at an ankle with each step I took it was a painful walk to the market where we arrived a little after 10 a.m but some stores were already closed or sold out by the time we arrived We should have left the guest house earlier The market was what we were most looking forward to visiting we had no time to cry so we took a train to Choshi City we took a train to Cape Inubosaki in the Suigo-Tsukuba Quasi-National Park The cape’s lighthouse was built in 1874 and is the 32-meter-high symbol of Choshi City the lighthouse was designated a national important cultural asset We visited the lighthouse and climbed the narrow spiral staircase to the top It was windy and chilly on the gallery deck and I felt the harshness of nature as the waters whipped the coastline Chiba Prefecture is the center of Japan’s extensive soy sauce production The prefecture is responsible for one third of the domestic production and three of the major Japanese soy sauce companies call Chiba home a tour of the Yamasa Soy Sauce Factory in Choshi City requires a reservation but we were in luck because we were the only visitors when we dropped by The staff allowed us to take a tour and check out the factory operation we watched a 20-minute video (Japanese only) then had a guided tour of the facility Though no photography or videography was allowed in the factory except a photo spot beside the souvenir shop it was fun to listen to the guide and experience the changes in the aroma of soy sauce at different points in the process which was great since the tour itself was also free but they have an English brochure to follow along Chiba has many tourist attractions that even I Whether you decide to challenge yourself to a marathon there is plenty to see without physically exerting yourself like we did Consider Chiba for your next trip in Japan Sign up for our weekly newsletter of articles from Japan we present our projects and business activities in each country and region to show how they contribute to local communities and the world as a whole View More Enriching+ is Sumitomo Corporation's official owned media bringing you the real thoughts of employees and the stories behind the projects together with the Katsuura City Society of Commerce and Industry conducted a demonstration experiment for the provision of a drone-based localized delivery service in Katsuura City from February 9 to 11 a flight demonstration was carried out for the media with the demonstration observed by participants such as Mayor Hajime Tsuchiya of Katsuura City The demonstration experiment was conducted to examine models for a drone-based localized logistics service provided in cooperation with local stores Such a service is expected to help solve local issues related to logistics and access to shopping facilities while also contributing to the revitalization of local shopping areas and the establishment of a system to transport goods during disaster situations emergency goods as well as products provided by local stores in Katsuura City Katsuura tantanmen noodles (a locally specialty) and cooked seafood items were delivered by drones and trucks to facilities in the city The experiment was intended to raise local public awareness of the delivery method and identify problems to be solved for the regular operation of a drone-based delivery service After the successful implementation of the demonstration experiment expressed his heartfelt gratitude to Katsuura City the Katsuura City Society of Commerce and Industry Seino Holdings and Aeronext for their contribution to the experiment "We will strive to build an optimal logistics system for local communities toward the commercialization of the system," he added "Katsuura City is an attractive city with great possibilities We will continue to embrace challenges to help solve local problems and put smiles on the faces of local citizens." Sumitomo Corporation is working for the practical commercial use of air mobility systems and drones from the aspects of service operation and infrastructure for the delivery of goods and the transportation of people Sumitomo Corporation has formed a business partnership with Japan Airlines and Bell Textron for the creation of a new business in the air mobility field and has been carrying out demonstration tests with them using a large drone Sumitomo Corporation will conduct a joint demonstration experiment with ST Engineering and Skyports for unmanned cargo delivery from land to a ship at anchor a developer of unmanned aerial vehicle control systems and is conducting an industry-academia demonstration project on quantum technology and pioneering new markets for the simultaneous operation of multiple unmanned aerial vehicles in the future under the project implemented in Katsuura City Sumitomo Corporation will also examine the kinds of services that could be provided based on the combined use of drones and trucks intraregional delivery and food delivery services Sumitomo Corporation will thereby foster the establishment of new social infrastructure to revitalize and increase the efficiency of regional logistics systems toward building a localized delivery service * All required measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 were implemented in conducting the demonstration experiment for the drone-based delivery service you can go to just about any grocery store and grab an avocado from South America The ease of global travel has made the world smaller Sometimes we forget the origin stories of these farwaway foods I wanted to follow a fish from the other side of the Pacific to a plate at one of the buzziest underground supper clubs in LA a bright red fish with giant golden eyes that ranges in size from 12-18.” I went to Katsuura a small port town in the Chiba prefecture of Japan to find them The town itself is a little over an hour train ride from Tokyo past Disneyland and deep into the verdant rural land right at the Pacific’s edge It has dramatic green hills that crash into the crystal clear waters of the port I’m met by a framed taxidermied fish in the train station Billboard ads for charter boats to catch them are everywhere the kinmedai is like the patron saint of Katsuura The kinmedai is impossible to miss in Katsuura So I head to the port as the fishermen are bringing in their hauls and boxing them up for the day but got a line about Japanese custom not allowing women onboard I watched from the dock as they loaded pallets upon pallets of fish up to send off to auctions and even to restaurants that night Boxes and boxes of kinmedai just before they ride the rails into Tokyo the fishermen hit the dock and start fishing for their dinner It feels like just about any fishing town I’ve ever been to — people gathering after work casting out lines as birds circle above hoping to snag a bite But I have to leave and hop on the train back to Tokyo with some of the fish destined for sushi bars Fishermen line up on Katsuura’s dock after a long day to catch mackerel they head to market where they are bought at auction then shipped throughout the country and the world after the morning’s auction to talk about this stop on their journey Rika Takeuchi) the journey of the fish so far: “It takes about one day to come into Tokyo It's delivered to the market and then it is delivered to each individual wholesaler After that they processed the fish they take out the guts and everything so that takes like like a half day or so Taking the guts out keeps the fish fresh on its journey so it lasts longer He’s been in the business for over eight years waking up before dawn to make sure his customers get the freshest fish possible We went to the freezing cold warehouse where the fish are then packed and readied for the next step in their journey to head to Haneda Airport Junki Emori shows off a freshly cleaned kinmedai before it hops a plane from Haneda to LAX Once the fish arrive at LAX, an importer named Kawai Toshi picks them up and brings them to another freezing warehouse, that of Luxe Seafood in downtown LA and lets local chefs and restaurants know it’s time to grab their orders it should be about 60 to 72 hours,” Toshi notes with pride Kawai Toshi outside Luxe Seafood in downtown LA the kinmedai changes names and is given the rather fancy english name: splendid alfonsino that will have changed again to the simple The fish has made it from the waters off Japan to one of LA’s most exclusive underground supper clubs: Wolvesmouth in East Hollywood It’s a small wooden house with a large communal dining table that seats 22 and an open kitchen manned by three very busy people I’ve known Craig Thornton, the chef at Wolvesmouth a deadbeat ex of mine worked for him many moons ago and we’ve stayed in touch here and there since the breakup He’s the one who pointed me to kinmedai in the first place Chef Craig Thornton and Caleb Chen at work on one of the six courses in the night’s menu in Wolvesmouth’s open plan kitchen His approach to cooking this fish is involved But the gist of it is he loves this fish as much as everyone else who handled it along the way and wants to do it justice on the plate “The goal with the whole dish,” Thornton explains “is just trying to think of ways - whether it's seafood or meat or anything else- thinking of different ways that we can extend the amount of different dishes that we can create out of this rather than just saying: ‘Oh he explains to the 22 hungry people who have paid $185 for a spot at the table and waited months for a reservation what they’re about to eat: “Here you go some daikon and Asian pear oroshi and then a fritter that we made out of the bream belly with a little bit of pickled ginger topped with a little bit of freeze dried scallion.” kinmedai/splendid alfonsino/bream after it’s been plated by chef Craig Thornton at Wolvesmouth This fish has traveled 5,466 to make its (east) Hollywood debut and it is nothing short of dazzling KCRW follows a fish’s journey from the ocean in Japan to a plate on one of LA’s most exclusive tables LAX is constructing a people mover that will whisk you to its terminals and transport hubs Artists are producing video installations for selected stations KCRW listeners share their stories of love and strife including who is (and isn’t) worthy of making a journey to LAX for FLASH SALE: Snag The OG Black Zip-Up designed by LA artist Chuy Hartman— inspired by the 24/7 service we provide to the LA community ends tonight Get the latest from KCRW in your inbox 3x a week Today's print edition Home Delivery There’s an old folk tale passed down in Katsuura a sleepy city on the eastern edge of the Boso Peninsula known for its pristine beaches and 400-year-old morning market where vendors sell fresh seafood as fishing boats return to the port a local kimono store owner named Gonzaemon asked his head clerk to assemble a bag sewn together with 10 tatami’s worth of sheets of nori He then asked Tasuke to hike up to Cape Hachiman and fill it with the wind blowing in from the Pacific Ocean.googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1499653692894-0'); }); He gathered the gusts and hoisted back the bag that had expanded into a gigantic balloon He was then asked to open the end of the sack that was tied shut and direct it toward his master — a cool breeze gushed out offering some much needed respite from the intolerable heat That cool wind Gonzaemon craved is what put the city in Chiba Prefecture in the spotlight this summer boiling many parts of the Japanese archipelago and leading a panel of scientists working under the Meteorological Agency to describe the weather as “abnormal.” Katsuura — around 90 minutes by express train from Tokyo — has never seen the mercury climb above 35 degrees Celsius a benchmark the agency uses to describe “extremely hot” weather has seen a record-breaking 22 “extremely hot” days so far this season with daily highs only just dipping below 30 C even though the weather typically cools in September While Japan’s climate and topography make it particularly vulnerable to natural disasters heat and typhoons triggered by a variety of weather conditions amid the backdrop of global warming have resulted in soaring interest in regions with more temperate environments — a phenomenon that could have an impact on domestic migration trends as the world braces for a scorching “new normal” boosted by human-induced climate change “The number of consultations we receive from those interested in relocating to Katsuura has really gone up during the hot months,” says Kise Chiyura an official in the city’s emigration and settlement support team a tanned 26-year-old who studied at a university in Katsuura moved back to the seaside city in April last year after working for two years near Tokyo “I didn’t appreciate it during my time in college but now I realize how much cooler it is here There are many days during the summer when I don't need to turn on the air conditioner at home.” The 21st century is often described as the era of climate migration with extreme weather events including heat waves floods and wildfires — catastrophes that many nations have seen aplenty this year — prompting people to leave their homes the World Bank said that climate change could force 216 million people across six world regions to relocate within their countries by 2050 While a climate-induced migratory shift may not yet have taken hold in Japan reports have shown that among those interested in resettling elsewhere regions with a temperate climate are consistently at the top of the list Furusato Kaiki Shien Center (roughly translated as the Hometown Return Support Center) a Tokyo-based nonprofit that offers support for people interested in moving to rural areas received a record high 52,312 inquiries in 2022 The three most popular prefectures were Shizuoka Nagano and Tochigi — all within relatively close proximity to Tokyo and all known for having cities that offer at least some relief from Japan’s sweltering summers climate is definitely a component when people consider moving,” says Satomi Abe “Many Tokyoites thinking of relocating elsewhere look for areas with both an abundance of nature and good access to the capital.” as the effects of climate change began to be felt more acutely this summer that came through an extended period of heat 106 of the 915 monitoring stations nationwide set new records — or matched them — for the highest daily maximum temperatures A variety of weather conditions have been cited as contributing to the phenomenon: High-pressure systems covering the main island of Honshu — as well as typhoons bringing in warm air masses as they inched northward — caused temperatures to soar as well as westerlies flowing in higher latitudes than usual are considered to be behind the summerlong heat wave is whether Japan should brace for hotter summers in the years ahead The average temperature between June and August this year was 1.76 C higher than the 30-year average for 1991 to 2020 making it the hottest summer since record-keeping began in 1898 The Japan Meteorological Agency says average summer temperatures in the nation have been rising and are increasing at a rate of 1.25 C per 100 years “This summer was outstandingly hot,” says Hiroaki Kawase a senior scientist at the Meteorological Research Institute and a member of the Meteorological Agency’s expert panel And when examining the phenomenon through extreme event attribution a field within meteorology that tries to measure how climate change impacts extreme weather the events we experienced this summer would have been rarer.” Several factors are behind Katsuura’s famously cool breeze “Around 10 kilometers off the coast of the city the water depth plunges to 200 meters,” says Masayoshi Yoshino an official at the city’s tourism department the southerly winds push away the warm water near the surface and stir up cold seawater from the deep ocean floor which is believed to cool the winds that reach land “It seems to be a phenomenon distinct to Katsuura Other neighboring coastal municipalities are hotter,” he says the average maximum daily temperature in July and August in Katsuura was 26.7 C and 29.0 C compared with average highs of 33.9 C and 34.3 C in Tokyo that the city of 16,000 suddenly found itself in the headlines after Chiba-native and celebrity Matsuko Deluxe praised Katsuura’s cool summer climate on a television program “We’ve been receiving many inquiries since then,” Yoshino says the number of consultations from those interested in relocating to Katsuura reached 409 in fiscal 2022 there were 106 queries in July and August alone from those interested in moving to the coastal city compared with just five during the same period in 2020 It’s not only Katsuura that has come onto the radar of those wanting to escape scorching urban centers whose human-made structures make them hotter than natural landscapes Summer resorts in Japan are typically located out in the countryside are the city of Karuizawa in Nagano Prefecture as well as the Kiyosato Highlands in Yamanashi Prefecture and Nasu Highlands in Tochigi Prefecture are often packed with expensive hotels and holiday homes and are heaving with tourists during the high season the northernmost city of Ibaraki Prefecture and bordering Fukushima Prefecture to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the east the rather nondescript city shot to fame this summer due to its pleasant climate “It seems a city resident contacted a television broadcaster running a show about cooler places and introduced Kitaibaraki,” says Noritoshi Matsukawa I suppose our city is rather cool compared with other areas in the prefecture but we’ve never really publicized that aspect.” Kitaibaraki’s average maximum temperatures in July and August were 25.7 C and 27.4 C Matsukawa says this is likely due to how a cold subarctic current known as oyashio flows along the coast of Kitaibaraki from the north while cool winds blowing from the ocean hit the inland mountains “We’ve been receiving many calls from people asking whether it’s really that cool in Kitaibaraki,” he says but I also do feel that it’s getting hotter here It’s still too early to tell if recent climate trends in Japan will translate to more significant migration patterns The draw of cities like Tokyo remains strong as an aging and shrinking population accelerates rural depopulation and chips away at transportation and other essential infrastructure in the countryside the capital experienced its first net population outflow in 2021 That trend quickly reversed the following year as the health crisis began to show signs of waning “When faced with a choice between a more temperate environment and the convenience of the city I believe many will still choose the latter,” says Takaharu Niimi a researcher at the Japan Research Institute and a certified weather forecaster “But it’s definitely an effective sales pitch for municipalities looking to attract tourists and new residents.” is known for its milder summer temperatures especially in eastern coastal cities such as Kushiro and Nemuro that have been promoting their climates to attract newcomers other areas such as the prefectural capital Sapporo experienced record-breaking heat this year which prides itself on not seeing the mercury climb above 35 C had a close call when the temperature reached 34.5 C in July “I’m sure officials were on edge,” Niimi says people can simply turn on their air conditioners,” he says air conditioners can be found in the vast majority of Japanese homes With electricity prices soaring, however, switching them on is becoming a luxury, especially for the elderly and economically vulnerable. And that’s leading to deadly consequences an average of 1,145 people died of heatstroke annually between 2017 and 2021 up sharply from the 179 reported between 1996 and 2000 90% either didn't own air conditioners or didn’t use them there is a clear appeal to cooler cities like Katsuura whose pleasant winds inspired the story of the wind-filled bag made of nori Yunosuke Saito and his family moved to Katsuura from Tokyo in 2020 and now operates a burrito shop and campsite in the city called Black Rams and was looking for an area close to the sea on the eastern side of the Boso Peninsula,” says the 38-year-old father of two “It’s definitely cooler here compared with Tokyo but the wind is still refreshing,” he says every 10 years or so Katsuura finds itself in the media for its relatively cool climate I do feel that global warming is playing a part.” In a time of both misinformation and too much information quality journalism is more crucial than ever.By subscribing Your subscription plan doesn't allow commenting. To learn more see our FAQ Sponsored contents planned and edited by JT Media Enterprise Division The months-long strikes took a toll on both parties but resulted in concessions supporting writers and actors If actors and writers are placing limits on AI why shouldn’t physicians do the same physicians should question the quick adoption of AI We are exhausted, overworked, and burned out. Surely, AI could never fully replace the human comfort and touch required for good bedside manner, a concept that we use to self-soothe. Wake up. AI can already pass the USMLE with a 90 percent accuracy rate Doctors are already using ChatGPT-4 for curbside consults to reduce the difficulty of producing a differential diagnosis and planning next steps in treatment There are downsides to handing over the keys to a physician’s human intellect Although AI may make our lives simpler in the moment what will the future hold as we physicians train these systems and as they continue to improve Should AI systems be able to learn from your clinical “likeness” and those of other physicians without remuneration they may quickly displace those of us who have spent decades training The physician authors of the EHR will be overlooked when powerful AI systems use this wealth of information to become trained The collective knowledge of all doctors on the EHR is primed to be transferred to AI There are other diabolical problems with AI in medicine. In the future, it may become impossible to get insurance approval for a diagnostic or procedure without AI analysis which will have powerful AI at their disposal to process denials without the burden of human gatekeepers health care providers/systems will have to deploy AI on their own in an insurance claims arms race decision-making will be totally removed from physicians by linking the economics of care to AI systems This will complete the abdication of decision-making authority from human doctors Physicians should be aware of when and if they are being used to train AI systems or improve AI products Regulations should be enshrined that limit the use of AI systems in clinical decision-making or for removing the human wardens of payor decisions The use of AI should never be mandated or required to provide medical treatment Health care can and should always be between a patient and a human physician We stand on the precipice of losing control of not only our livelihoods but also our bond to patient care While AI promises to improve human endeavors such as research and clinical decision-making Certain groups of physicians may suddenly find themselves obsolete as corporate medical institutions find a cheaper way to deliver care with the assistance of physician-trained AI A whole generation of doctors-in-training may fail to realize their careers and recuperate financial loss from medical training William B. Schwartz wrote in 1970 “Computing science will probably exert its major effects by augmenting largely replacing the intellectual functions of the physician.” Fifty years later Doctors go into medicine to pursue a career with endless challenges and demand for creativity we are entering the realm where difficult clinical decisions and even procedures will be taken out of our hands Actors and writers realized the peril of AI and were early to demand that the technology be checked We as physicians must ensure that AI augments our capabilities and avoid training AI free of cost only to be ultimately replaced Physicians need to look inward instead of to the tech world to improve our fitness to practice and our iron-clad character to provide empathic care argue that AI will not displace humans but instead augment our capabilities I was trained to consider the worst-case scenario This article was written entirely by human hands and minds Yoshihiro Katsuura is an orthopedic surgeon and author of The Spine Encyclopedia: Everything You’ve Wanted to Know about Back and Neck Pain but Were Too Afraid to Ask Eric Chang is an orthopedic surgery resident Kie Shidara and James Schmidt are premedical students and research coordinators Get free updates delivered free to your inbox Founded in 2004 by Kevin Pho, MD KevinMD.com is the web’s leading platform where physicians and patients share their insight and tell their stories An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 5.4 jolted Chiba Prefecture and was also felt in Tokyo's 23 wards on Thursday but no tsunami warning was issued and registered 4 on the Japanese seismic intensity scale of 7 in the cities of Katsuura and Isumi in Chiba according to the Japan Meteorological Agency The temblor originated off the eastern coast of Chiba at a depth of around 50 kilometers Debate on "dark tourism" looms over Japan's quake-hit Noto Peninsula PM Kishida vows travel aid program 6 months after central Japan quake 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 Your browser does not support JavaScript, or it is disabled．Please check the site policy for more information Chiba Prefecture—The Katsuura Big Hina Matsuri is under way here dazzling tourists with massive displays of around 10,000 “hina” dolls donated from across Japan The dolls will be on display at various sites throughout the port city of Katsuura until the Hina Matsuri (Doll Festival) on March 3 roughly 1,800 figurines line the 60 stone steps Residents decorate the steps with the dolls every morning of the event and put them away at night photo panels were showcased instead of the dolls due to rain the dolls were on display the following day I was very impressed to see the (stone steps’) decoration today,” she said “I want to eat some famous Katsuura tantanmen before going home,” she added roughly 600 hina dolls are sitting on a special tiered stand in front of the gate of Kakuoji temple near Tomisakijinja shrine and around 1,000 dolls are showcased at the Tona intersection on National Route 128 Stores in the morning market also display hina dolls The event is expected to attract a total of 150,000 visitors and will run until March 3 Corridor of 10,000 Girls’ Day dolls dazzles at Nagoya hotel 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 Copyright © The Asahi Shimbun Company. All rights reserved. No reproduction or republication without written permission. Explore the capital’s captivating offerings before taking a relaxing journey along Wakayama's scenic coastline With its enchanting neon skyline and array of lively side streets Tokyo is a feast for the senses that never fails to delight as anyone who has taken the time to truly discover it can attest Beyond the bustling crowds are wide-open areas that delight lovers of nature and culture while offering serene intimate glances at the country’s unique character only one hour away by plane lies Wakayama Prefecture it is regarded by many as the spiritual heartland of Japan ancient trails lead wanderers along tree-lined mountaintops and through sacred valleys we have put together the ultimate five-day itinerary sure to delight keen travellers seeking heritage Start with a Zazen meditation session at Korin-in Temple in Hiroo Located at the end of the main shopping street in Hiroo its historic main hall was built during the Edo period with the temple being on the site since the 1660s Stepping off the street and into the quiet courtyard lined with greenery is the perfect way to start the morning Here visitors can also take part in calligraphy classes and yoga head over to the Harajuku area for a walk around Meiji Jingu Catch the train to Chofu City to visit Jindai-ji Temple to ease yourself into the day One of the oldest Buddhist temples in Tokyo it has been home to the sacred Hakuhoh Buddha statue since the 8th Century it was under the stage of Ganzandaishi Hall in 1909 With the complex’s charming buildings serene courtyards and sprawling botanical gardens it’s the perfect spot for lovers of nature main hall and the impressive Sanmon Gate are all worth exploring The site is nestled amidst the charming Monzen-machi temple township consisting of quaint gift shops and soba restaurants The noodles here are made with local buckwheat flour and are served in their own distinctive ways crisp batter keeps the integrity of the quality ingredients used Rise early and visit the famed JF Katsuura Seafood Market, where visitors can view tuna auctions from a special platform from 7am. After that, soak your feet at the ashiyu or onsen foot bath located just outside the market before enjoying a breakfast of a tuna set meal or tuna bowl at Katsuura Gyokou Nigiwaiichiba Daimon-zaka is part of the Kumano Kodo Pilgrimage Route Following that, take a 25-minute bus inland to climb the picturesque Daimon-zaka slope, a cobblestone staircase through a cedar-lined forest that leads to Kumano Nachi Taisha Grand Shrine, Seiganto-ji Temple and Nachi Waterfall. It’s the perfect taste of the Kumano Kodo Pilgrimage Route and has inspired wanderers throughout history The journey of discovery ends by returning to Kii Katsuura to get a 90-minute train to Shirahama for a flight from Nanki-Shirahama to Haneda culture and heritage through stories from people who bring the city to life National Report Bon holiday travel will be disrupted due to precautionary measures being taken by rail companies following a government warning after a major earthquake struck off Miyazaki Prefecture on Aug The Japan Meteorological Agency issued the Nankai Trough Earthquake Extra Information (Megathrust Earthquake Alert) which calls on the public to take precautions against a possible megaquake over the next week 8 announced that it will operate the Tokaido Shinkansen between Mishima and Mikawa-Anjo stations at a reduced maximum speed of 230 kph from 285 kph on both the inbound and outbound lines The purpose of lowering the top speed is to minimize damage in the event of an earthquake by reducing the time it takes for bullet trains to stop The slowdown is expected to continue for about a week It is expected to cause at least 10 minutes of delays for trains traveling on the route The disruption will affect packed trains as Aug 9 to 18 is the peak Bon holiday season when many travelers use the Shinkansen JR Tokai has scheduled many extra bullet trains to accommodate the increased number of passengers the Tokaido Shinkansen will operate a record 483 trains per day JR Tokai said that trains running between Mishima and Mikawa-Anjo stations are expected to be delayed by 10 minutes or more and that as the number of trains in operation increases each day delays on each train are also expected to increase the Kinokuni Line’s “Kuroshio” express train will not operate between Wakayama and Shirahama/Shingu stations The “Nanki” limited express train running between Nagoya and Shingu/Kii-Katsuura will be canceled the entire day for the time being 8 announced that trains between Hiratsuka and Atami on the Tokaido Line and between Otsuki and Chino on the Chuo Line will run at reduced speeds for the time being Train services suspended in Kansai region as typhoon nears 8 suspensions on Tokaido Line due to the typhoon Heavy rain halts services on Tokaido Shinkansen Line Bullet train that reigns ‘Supreme’ the new hero of Tokaido Line No reproduction or republication without written permission Saitama Prefecture featuring a "kaitsuburi" grebe character)[Supplied photo] Japan - License plates for scooters featuring characters adopted as municipal symbols have been targeted by thieves in eastern Japan with some 350 cases reported this year in Saitama and Chiba prefectures near Tokyo Investigators suspect the plates may have been sold to collectors overseas A couple arrested in August on suspicion of stealing one license plate is suspected of involvement in a number of other cases as well 80 license plates with designs featuring a character based on the grebe were reissued between January and July this year after they had been stolen A city government official said the plates may have been targeted because the bird character has proved a hit Saitama police received 295 reports of license plates being stolen from January to July this year Nearly 80 percent were illustrated with local designs Illustrated plates issued by 19 other Saitama municipalities as well as Tokyo's Adachi Ward and the city of Hamamatsu in Shizuoka Prefecture have also been stolen on suspicion of stealing a license plate from Kazo in Saitama which is in the shape of a carp streamer The two were later indicted on a charge of theft but both have denied the allegation and the police have yet to find the stolen plate around 120 license plates featuring Katsuura city's bonito character were stolen in July Many university students park their scooters at local apartment buildings when they commute to a campus situated on a hill and their plates were targeted at night (Katsuura City's bonito character)[Supplied photo] Footage from security cameras near the parking lots showed two people who looked like Nitta and Tokunaga The couple emerged as suspects in the investigations of the Chiba police as well One investigative source said police believe the couple sold the plates via the internet through a broker as they are not collectors themselves The police advised putting anti-theft screws to prevent the plates from being stolen as scooters' screws can be easily removed by ordinary drivers without such a measure about 580 municipalities in Japan had introduced scooter license plates with local designs according to a survey by the Japan Economic Research Institute Chiba Prefecture--Thousands of dolls are on display here for the upcoming Hina Matsuri (Doll Festival) that is celebrated across Japan on March 3 The big event is called the Katsuura Big Doll Festival with about 7,000 dolls displayed around the city The festival was held after three years of being canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic “I feel like spring has come for the first time in four years,” one resident said Tomisakijinja shrine in the center of the city has about 1,800 dolls on display with the figurines lined up along the 60 stone steps within the grounds residents decorate the steps with the dolls every morning who runs a soft-serve ice cream store near Tomisakijinja has helped decorate the shrine with the dolls since 2001 when the event was held for the first time “I want people to come to Katsuura during this season when Kawazu cherry blossoms are in full bloom and bonito fish are delicious,” she said inflation feature in special doll display this year Mechanical dolls dating to feudal times on display at Aichi museum A small plant-eating deer species that rarely draws much attention in Japan is now a major source of concern after an explosion in the population in the Boso Peninsula of Chiba Prefecture Despite a program to control the invasive non-native animal fears are growing that muntjac deer are expanding their habitat with a spate of sightings in neighboring Ibaraki Prefecture and possibly Saitama Prefecture “Muntjacs are much more common than wild boar in our daily life,” said Masako Ochi who runs a strawberry farm in Chiba Prefecture’s Onjuku “I once came across one nearby while hanging out the laundry to dry.” Ochi discovered that a muntjac had broken into her greenhouse to feed on seedlings Given that replacing the damaged entrance and its glass door with a new one would cost in the region of 100,000 yen ($630) “Many people around me have set up tall mesh fences to keep muntjacs out,” Ochi explained “Others have just given up on growing (vegetables or other crops).” Muntjacs are native to China and Taiwan and typically measure 70 centimeters to 100 cm long The deer variant also inhabits Izu-Oshima island south of Tokyo Muntjacs in Chiba Prefecture are said to have become feral after escaping from a private tourism facility that used to operate in Katsuura The estimated number of muntjacs across Chiba Prefecture soared from 12,600 in fiscal 2006 to 86,000 in fiscal 2023 is believed to be a key reason for the explosion in numbers Muntjacs were blamed for causing 8.9 million yen in damage to agriculture in fiscal 2023 The creature’s barking resembles a human shrieking occasionally resulting in emergency calls to local authorities from startled people hearing the deer’s macabre sound for the first time Isumi Railway reported 44 incidents involving muntjacs and wild boars in fiscal 2023 along its track in the eastern part of the Boso Peninsula The rail operator is currently installing equipment to generate high-frequency noise to scare off the animals Chiba Prefecture has devised a specialized plan to eradicate muntjacs and drawn an east-to-west defense boundary at the prefecture’s center to cap their spread it pays a bounty of up to 6,000 yen for every muntjac captured The sum includes a 1,000-yen state subsidy to municipal governments Upward of 10,000 muntjacs were caught in fiscal 2023 But the figure hardly made a dent in population numbers given the species’ reproductive capability Muntjac sightings are now relatively common in neighboring Ibaraki Prefecture Muntjacs were observed on three occasions in Chikusei city and elsewhere between 2022 and 2023 Ibaraki Prefecture mounted an incentive system in 2024 under which 2,000 yen is paid to people who provide photos and videos of muntjacs Experts were surprised that muntjacs were able to cross the prefectural border deputy chief curator at the Ibaraki Nature Museum noted that young males often travel long distances when they branch out on their own to look for a new place to live “Muntjacs are probably moving while trying to avoid detection,” said Goto “It seems that muntjacs proliferating in southern Chiba Prefecture have migrated northward crossing the bridges over the Tonegawa river to enter Ibaraki Prefecture.” Goto said male muntjacs had reached Chikusei along the border with Tochigi Prefecture raising the “possibility that their habitat could soon expand further.” He also took note of a report of “what appears to be a muntjac” in nearby Saitama Prefecture “Containing muntjacs within Chiba Prefecture is first and foremost essential,” Goto said “We desperately need a program to eliminate them based on data that has been gathered.” Capturing muntjacs is the only viable approach for the time being while other methods such as administering vaccines to control their proliferation (This article was written by Miki Takenaka East Hokkaido farmers struggle as stray dogs attack livestock Phantom deer sighted in central Tokyo vanishes without a trace Wild deer forces botanic garden to close in central Sapporo Hokkaido joins Glico to boost public’s appetite for deer meat Animal collisions inspire idea for ‘safari’ train tour at Iwate railway Struggling regional banks stagger branch operations Metrics details Studies on the associations between soy food consumption and arterial stiffness are rare The aim of the present study was to evaluate their associations in Japanese men who underwent the measurement of brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) as an index of arterial stiffness were evaluated in this cross-sectional study Information on their lifestyle characteristics was obtained from a structured self-administered questionnaire The frequency of total soy products as well as fermented and non-fermented soy products intakes was calculated and the amounts of soy protein and soy isoflavone intakes were also estimated; these were then divided into tertiles and their associations with baPWV values were evaluated using general linear models Higher frequency of fermented soy products intake was associated with decreased baPWV after adjusting for the multivariable covariates (P value for trend was 0.002 This association did not alter after further adjustment with a biomarker of systemic inflammation (serum high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP)) (P value for trend was 0.001 Total soy isoflavone consumption was also inversely associated with baPWV even after adjusting for multivariable covariates including serum hs-CRP (P value for trend was 0.043 in Model 4); however total soy protein consumption was not These results demonstrated that greater consumption of soy food especially fermented soy products and soy isoflavone was associated with reduced arterial stiffness baPWV measurement has become popular in screening for arterial stiffness in Asian countries Such antioxidative activity receives special attention because of its potential beneficial effect on cardiovascular health reports on the relationships between the consumption of soy food products especially the consumption of fermented soy products and soy isoflavone and arterial stiffness which can detect early cardiovascular damage are few The present study evaluated the possible relationships between frequency of intake of the total soy products and arterial stiffness using baPWV as the parameter in Japanese men We also evaluated the relationships between the consumption of soy protein and soy isoflavone and arterial stiffness the J-MICC Study aims to examine the relationships of lifestyle and genetic factors as well as their interactions with lifestyle-related diseases All the participants in the J-MICC Study provided written informed consent prior to participation The committees of Nagoya University School of Medicine and Tokushima University Graduate School approved the study protocol This study was conducted according to the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki and all methods were performed in accordance with the relevant guidelines and regulations Exercise was divided into three levels as follows: light (e.g. The degrees of leisure-time exercise for the three levels were expressed as metabolic equivalent (MET)-hours/week (MET level × hours of activity × events per week) and summed and vigorous exercises were assigned with 3.4 Japanese population rarely consume soybeans compared to natto Natto occupies the majority of intake in Group3 (natto and soybeans) while natto is made from soybeans fermented with Bacillus subtilis the frequency of fermented soy products intakes was calculated as the sum of the frequencies of Group1 (miso soup) and Group3 (natto and soybeans) intakes The frequency of non-fermented soy products intakes was calculated as the sum of the frequencies of Group2 (tofu) and Group4 (fried tofu paste a subject was examined while resting in the supine position in an air-conditioned room Extremity blood pressure was measured using an oscillometric method and the ankle brachial index (ABI) was automatically calculated baPWV was calculated through a time-phase analysis between the right brachial artery pressure and volume waveforms at both ankles all baPWV measurements were performed by a single researcher throughout the duration of the study Individual baPWV and ABI data were expressed as the means of the bilateral baPWV and ABI Body mass index (BMI) was calculated as weight (kg) divided by height (m) squared Venous blood was aspirated from each participant and serum was separated within 3 hours and stored at −80 °C including lipids and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) as a biomarker of systemic inflammation were measured at an external laboratory (BML Inc. From 708 men who underwent the measurement of baPWV in the baseline survey The total frequency of soy products intakes was divided into tertiles; the lowest category was used as the reference Continuous variables were expressed as mean ± standard deviation (SD) or median values (25th percentile Categorical variables were expressed as numbers (%) or chi-square test was used to compare the characteristics between the tertile categories of the total frequency of soy products intakes General linear models were used to evaluate the relationships of frequency of total and non-fermented soy products intakes (tertiles) as well as the amount of total soy protein and total soy isoflavone intakes (tertiles) with baPWV after adjusting for the covariates in four model groups age (continuous) and systolic blood pressure (5 categories: <120 which are recognized as being very closely associated with arterial stiffness were adjusted for hypercholesterolemia (≥220 mg/dL or receiving medical treatment no/yes) low high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol (<40 mg/dL the covariates adjusted for in Model 2 as well as coffee intake (≤1 cup/day log-transformed) and total fiber intake (g/day log-transformed) which might be associated with baPWV were adjusted for the covariates adjusted for in Model 3 as well as serum hs-CRP levels (mg/L; quartiles) were adjusted for baPWV values and total fiber intake showed right skewed distributions and were included in the analyses after logarithmic transformation Tests for trends were performed by assigning the ordinal variables of 1 All calculations and statistical tests were performed using SAS version 9.4 (SAS Institute Inc. Statistical tests were based on 2-sided probabilities and the level of significance was set at P < 0.05 75th) of the study subjects were 48.8 (8.6) years and 24.2 (22.3 Tables 1 and 2 show the respective characteristics of the subjects according to the frequency of total and fermented soy products intakes as well as fermented soy products intakes showed higher degree of leisure-time exercise Subjects in the highest tertiles of total as well as fermented soy products intakes showed the highest mean ages baPWV values were marginal-significantly different between the tertiles of the frequency of fermented soy products intake (P value was 0.080) and these values gradually decreased as the frequency of fermented soy products intake increased Table 3 shows the adjusted associations of the frequency of total and non-fermented soy products intakes with baPWV (analyzed by general linear models) Higher frequency of total soy products intakes was associated with decreased baPWV after adjusting for the multivariable covariates including coffee and total fiber intake (P value for trend was 0.005 This association did not alter after further adjustment with serum hs-CRP (P value for trend remained 0.005 Further analyses categorizing soy products into fermented or not fermented revealed that the frequency of fermented soy products intakes was inversely associated with baPWV after adjusting for multivariable covariates including serum hs-CRP (P value for trend was 0.001 the frequency of non-fermented soy products intakes was not associated with baPWV As shown in Table 4 total soy isoflavone consumption was inversely associated with baPWV even after adjusting for multivariable covariates including serum hs-CRP (P value for trend was 0.043 the inverse association between total soy protein consumption and baPWV attenuated becoming non-significant when adjusting for coffee The current study revealed that greater consumption of total soy products especially fermented soy products and soy isoflavone was dose-dependently associated with decreased arterial stiffness independent of traditional atherosclerotic risk factors or systemic inflammation showed no association between soy intake and the risk of stroke or coronary heart disease although a significantly inverse association between soy intake and the risk of stroke and coronary heart disease was observed in case-control studies the conclusions for the favorable effect of soy intake on the risk of cardiovascular diseases have remained inconsistent equol may have greater anti-atherosclerotic properties than other isoflavones Because fermented soy products can skip the initial steps of soy metabolism in the intestine they may contribute to larger production of equol than non-fermented soy food Further studies determining equol-producing abilities of the individuals will be needed to determine the relationships between soy isoflavone consumption and cardiovascular health Soybean products contain rich calcium and fiber we additionally adjusted for coffee intake which may be associated with arterial stiffness in the analyses The inverse associations between the frequency of fermented soy products intakes as well as soy isoflavone consumption and arterial stiffness were slightly attenuated but remained significant although the association between soy protein consumption and arterial stiffness became non-significant This finding suggests that fermented soy products as well as soy isoflavone intake may be associated with reduced arterial stiffness This association may be slightly dependent on intakes of coffee as well as calcium and fiber which are rich in soy products and hs-CRP measurement in blood has recently become popular in clinical and health examination settings for assessing low-grade systemic inflammation After further adjusting for serum hs-CRP levels (Model 4) the inverse associations between the frequency of fermented soy products intakes as well as soy isoflavone consumption and arterial stiffness did not alter the observed associations with arterial stiffness might be independent of chronic systemic inflammation the amounts of soy protein and soy isoflavone intakes as well as the total energy intake may be underestimated due to our short FFQ; however we did not determine the equol-producing abilities of the subjects although we adjusted for a number of potential confounding factors in the analyses residual confounding could not be eliminated our study included a relatively small number of subjects because all of our subjects were Japanese men the results may not be generalizable to women or to other ethnic populations our study demonstrated that greater consumption of soy products as well as soy isoflavone was associated with reduced arterial stiffness independent of the classical atherosclerotic risk factors and of chronic systemic inflammation Prospective or interventional studies that additionally include women are required to confirm our findings Clinical value of aortic pulse-wave velocity measurement substances with multi-biological and clinical properties Enhanced antioxidative activity of soybean koji prepared with various filamentous fungi Yan, Z., Zhang, X., Li, C., Jiao, S. & Dong, W. Association between consumption of soy and risk of cardiovascular disease: A meta-analysis of observational studies. Eur. J. Prev. Cardiol. 24, 735–747, https://doi.org/10.1177/2047487316686441 (2017) Lou, D., Li, Y., Yan, G., Bu, J. & Wang, H. Soy Consumption with Risk of Coronary Heart Disease and Stroke: A Meta-Analysis of Observational Studies. 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A single-dose of oral nattokinase potentiates thrombolysis and anti-coagulation profiles. Sci. Rep. 5, 11601, https://doi.org/10.1038/srep11601 (2015) Effects of nattokinase on blood pressure: a randomized The effects of dietary and nutrient interventions on arterial stiffness: a systematic review Associations between flavonoids and cardiovascular disease incidence or mortality in European and US populations Setchell, K. D. & Clerici, C. Equol: history, chemistry, and formation. J. Nutr. 140, 1355S–1362S, https://doi.org/10.3945/jn.109.119776 (2010) Method of defining equol-producer status and its frequency among vegetarians Setchell, K. D. & Clerici, C. Equol: pharmacokinetics and biological actions. J. Nutr. 140, 1363S–1368S, https://doi.org/10.3945/jn.109.119784 (2010) Ahuja, V. et al. Significant inverse association of equol-producer status with coronary artery calcification but not dietary isoflavones in healthy Japanese men. Br. J. Nutr. 117, 260–266, https://doi.org/10.1017/S000711451600458X (2017) Yoshikata, R., Myint, K. Z. Y. & Ohta, H. Effects of Equol Supplement on Bone and Cardiovascular Parameters in Middle-Aged Japanese Women: A Prospective Observational Study. J. Altern. Complement. Med. https://doi.org/10.1089/acm.2018.0050 [Epub ahead of print] (2018 May 3) In vitro antioxidant activity of coffee compounds and their metabolites and tea consumption in relation to incident type 2 diabetes mellitus: a systematic review with meta-analysis Habitual coffee but not green tea consumption is inversely associated with metabolic syndrome: An epidemiological study in a general Japanese population Inverse Correlation Between Coffee Consumption and Prevalence of Metabolic Syndrome: Baseline Survey of the Japan Multi-Institutional Collaborative Cohort (J-MICC) Study in Tokushima Uemura, H. et al. Consumption of coffee, not green tea, is inversely associated with arterial stiffness in Japanese men. Eur. J. Clin. 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Nutr. 65, 1233–1241, https://doi.org/10.1038/ejcn.2011.100 (2011) C-reactive protein and other circulating markers of inflammation in the prediction of coronary heart disease C-reactive protein as a risk factor for coronary heart disease: a systematic review and meta-analyses for the U.S Acute phase proteins with special reference to C-reactive protein and related proteins (pentaxins) and serum amyloid A protein Download references The authors thank the following researchers for providing us the useful food frequency questionnaire and a program to calculate nutrient intake; Shinkan Tokudome at National Institute of Health and Nutrition (formerly Nagoya City University) Yuko Tokudome at Nagoya University of Arts and Sciences Masato Ikeda at University of Occupational and Environmental Health Shinzo Maki at Aichi Prefectural Dietetic Association This study was funded by Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research on Priority Areas of Cancer (No and Platform of Supporting Cohort Study and Biospecimen Analysis (JSPS KAKENHI Grant Number JP16H06277) from the Japanese Ministry of Education and by Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C) (JSPS KAKENHI Grant Number JP15K08778) from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science Department of Public Health and Applied Nutrition collected data and reviewed the manuscript All authors read and approved the final manuscript The authors declare no 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/s41598-018-28038-0 Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content: a shareable link is not currently available for this article Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science Japanese version Vox Populi Vox Dei is a daily column that runs on Page 1 of The Asahi Shimbun In the final days of the Pacific War 77 years ago the Imperial Japanese Army was preparing to fight a decisive final battle on Japan’s mainland One relic near a bathing beach in Tateyama recalls this era-- a slope built to launch "Shinyo" special motorboats for suicide attacks Shinyo (ocean shakers) were wooden motorboats armed with explosives and developed as suicide weapons “It is said that shipwrights in nearby communities built these boats,” said Emiko Ikeda of Awa Cultural Heritage Forum Six Shinyo boats were deployed to the site on Aug They were immediately loaded with explosives and readied for a mission there were bases and facilities for suicide missions in various parts of Japan involving suicide speedboats Director Kihachi Okamoto’s “Japan’s Longest Day,” a 1967 film about the final hours of World War II depicts how Japan’s wartime leaders wavered between surrendering or fighting a decisive battle with U.S a member of the staff argued for fighting to the end: “Japan will surely win if 20 million more 'tokko' (suicide) attacks are launched if we fight with the resolution to allow half of our male population to do tokko missions.” but things that were not far from this idea were probably being seriously considered Drills were conducted around the nation to train for a suicide attack in which the attacker was supposed to hold a bomb in his arms Ordering people to fight enemies with a bamboo spear was no different from pushing them into suicide attacks Tokko suicide attacks and missions offering certain death are extraordinary combat tactics but they may only be grotesque manifestations of the nature of war which forces people to fight with a willingness to sacrifice their lives Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture Wartime Japan and COVID-19 conformity offer some parallels Young soldier’s hand shook as he wrote kamikaze mission orders City in Kyushu pitches war past in VR format as peace message and this was never more true in Japan where a rash of natural disasters over the last decade gave birth to all sorts of life-saving refinements in methods and services using information and communication technology a map showing unblocked roads was released online in the aftermath of the 2011 earthquake and tsunami disaster that left nearly 20,000 people dead or missing And after a typhoon lashed the Kii Peninsula in western Japan in fall 2011 killing or leaving dozens of residents unaccounted for an easier-to-use water gauge that takes advantage of the Internet of Things (IoT) solution made its appearance less than 24 hours after the Great East Japan Earthquake stuck northeastern Japan and unleashed towering tsunami started displaying a map of roads still accessible to automobiles and other vehicles Routes that cars actually took in devastated areas of the northeastern Tohoku region showed up in blue on the Web page While road networks were severed in many areas streets still in use turned blue like capillary vessels in the human body drawing more than 1.3 million views over the four days after the map’s introduction How was it possible to pitch such a map so soon after the magnitude-9.0 earthquake hit It emerged that Honda made use of the Internavi interactive car navigation system to trace and show where vehicles equipped with the technology had traveled The map data was also provided to Google and Yahoo It was done so quickly that online users were unable to mask their surprise One Twitter post expressed astonishment that “such an advanced system could be incorporated in so short a time.” chairman of the Agency for Promoting Disaster Mitigation and Damage Reduction to figure out how Internavi technology could be put to better use in times of disaster As a researcher of information handling in emergencies was grounded in the belief that “data on roads represents the most important lifeline information.” His rationale was that deliveries of relief goods and reconstruction materials along with personnel from the Self-Defense Forces and private volunteers from around the nation depend on traffic networks leading to disaster zones to get the work done Suzuki was convinced that information about roads still passable was more helpful than knowing every thoroughfare He started by inputting into Google Maps Honda’s records of unblocked roads collected when the Niigata Chuetsu Earthquake struck in 2004 At the time of the 2007 Niigata Chuetsu-oki Earthquake Suzuki received traffic data from Honda a day after the temblor which allowed for a road map to be uploaded to the internet in PDF style within three days Suzuki continuously sent information by email to the Kashiwazaki city government office in a heavily affected region in Niigata Prefecture because it was inundated with inquiries from truck drivers on possible routes to bring in aid supplies The scope of the accessible road map was further expanded with dramatically improved accuracy after the 3/11 earthquake hit started a similar service a week after the disaster a nonprofit organization comprised of automakers and other entities and Toyota with that gathered by Nissan Motor Co to display more details on traffic conditions around Kamaishi and Rikuzentakata in Iwate Prefecture After floods were triggered by powerful Typhoon No truck manufacturers joined the program to offer their own data compared with the previous frequency of once a day Although staff members at ITS Japan took the trouble of sending a request for information submission to each company and sorting out provided road data by hand at times after the 2011 quake and flooding almost all the procedures are now automatized The mapping system proved its worth after torrential rains lashed the Kyushu region and areas in western Japan as well as an earthquake off Fukushima Prefecture this past February “The coverage area was extended based on the lessons learned from the 2011 disaster realizing a virtual real-time mechanism to offer information,” said Masanori Hayashi 12 triggered massive flooding in the Kii Peninsula in 2011 the risk of inundation from local rivers could not be gauged properly As a water level meter was not in operation in the upper reaches of the flooded Nachigawa river residents remained unaware of the danger in Nachi-Katsuura Water gauges that meet government standards cost more than 10 million yen ($91,730) apiece Even simpler versions are priced at hundreds of thousands of yen meaning the devices are never installed on a whim a professor of space engineering at Wakayama University’s Center for Disaster Science and Resilience Collaborative Development to develop an inexpensive IoT-based water indicator who was part of the team that launched the Hayabusa space probe program decided to make use of the LoRaWAN radio communications format intended for satellite communications and other objectives to cover more areas while conserving power at the same time He began his research and development at Nachi-Katsuura and Totsukawa in Nara Prefecture after especially serious damage was reported in the municipalities The finished IoT water gauge is 20 centimeters tall Water levels are measured by ultrasonic waves allowing residents to check the figures via the Line free messaging app on their smartphones costs around 100,000 yen or less to install and continues working for six months even on dry cell batteries alone It was also introduced in Gobo and Wakayama in Wakayama Prefecture A federation of residents’ associations in Wakayama ensured the water level meter ran at five locations along the Wadagawa river and irrigation canals “It (the gauge) is of help for zones troubled by possible inland flooding ,” said Naoto Tanaka said he expects the equipment to lead to the “faster evacuation of residents.” Strong quake shakes Miyagi; minor injuries Tsunami deaths under the microscope in bid to save lives Volunteer keeps searching in sea to help survivors move forward Honda rolls out world’s first level 3 automated car for the public Honda plugs self-driving rideshare with GM in 2030s This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page But the alien species Reeves's muntjac — called kyon in Japanese — is now increasing in numbers at an explosive pace on the Boso Peninsula in Chiba Prefecture causing headaches for local farmers and residents annoyed by damage to crops and plants.googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1499653692894-0'); }); originally from Taiwan and southeastern China were kept in a local amusement park in the city of Katsuura in the prefecture 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 This year’s first bonito catch is landed at Katsuura Port in Katsuura The first pole-and-line bonito fishing boat of 2023 arrived at about 6:30 a.m which is one of the nation’s major bonito-landing points The fish were quickly auctioned and shipped to the Tokyo metropolitan area “Rising fuel costs have made things difficult but based on what I hear from my fishing colleagues it seems we can expect a large haul this year,” said Ryugen Yamamoto Our weekly ePaper presents the most noteworthy recent topics in an exciting © 2025 The Japan News - by The Yomiuri Shimbun Japanese version Wakayama Prefecture—During dry periods and soggy natural disasters has consistently played an essential role in this community the Butsubutsugawa river is only 13.5 meters long about 1 meter wide and less than 30 centimeters deep local efforts to conserve and protect the waterways have become more important The Butsubutsugawa river provides a good example rivers are classified into three categories: Class A rivers managed by the central government; Class B rivers managed by prefectural governments; and smaller rivers administered by municipal governments The Butsubutsugawa river received a Class B designation in 2008 “It is preferable for the prefectural government to take management measures to conserve and maintain the riverine environment,” said an official at the Wakayama prefectural government’s river division “We had it designated to promote it as ‘Japan’s shortest’ river and revitalize the community.” The river is an arm of the Konoshirogawa river that flows into the nearby Tamanoura swimming beach The Butsubutsugawa apparently got its name from how bubbles rise when water wells up upstream An entry in a 1918 history pamphlet for the village of Shimosato “There is a spring that produces clean spring water local residents founded an association to keep the river and its surrounding area clean and grass-free and I used to jump into it after swimming in the sea,” Toshiyuki Hatanaka The locals still use the river water for drinking The river is also a place for socializing and relaxation The water temperature remains around 16 degrees throughout the year Eels and “ayu” sweetfish had been seen in the river in the past When water supplies were cut in 2011 due to Typhoon No people formed a line to draw water from the river to drink “The water keeps flowing without interruption It’s the water that is vital to our lives,” said Kyoichi Kuwabara has been studying the natural environment in the neighborhood for more than 10 years as an associate professor and head of Kyoto University’s Kii-Oshima Research Station have been found in the area surrounding the river “Many types of rare plants have survived thanks to well-thought-out management practices by the locals,” Umemoto said “It remains a challenge whether prefectural officials can avoid imprudent repair work while the locals can continue their environmental conservation activities.” Before the Butsubutsugawa was listed under the rivers law the shortest rivers in Japan were the 30-meter-long Honbetsugawa river a Class B river managed by the Hokkaido government in Shimomaki and the 15-meter-long Higashimachi-Shionogawa river administered by the Mamurogawa town office in Yamagata Prefecture Wish upon a shooting star as Perseids dazzle over Wakayama By Ryo Takeuchi / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer Wakayama — A surprising number of places mainly in eastern and central Japan are called “Fujimi,” usually meaning that the location offers a view of Mt The sacred mountain’s majestic appearance has long evoked awe and this year marks its 10th anniversary on the UNESCO World Heritage list The town of Nachi-Katsuura in Wakayama Prefecture is thought to be the most distant point from which Mt Fuji can be seen — some 323 kilometers distant from the peak Nachi-Katsuura is near the southern tip of the Kii Peninsula and the viewpoint is in a mountain pass about 6 kilometers northwest of JR Kii-Katsuura Station visitors must walk along a roughly 30-minute off-trail route on Mt Myoho near Kumano Nachi Taisha Grand Shrine — another World Heritage site A sign at the pass reads: “This is the furthermost point in Japan from which Mt it is difficult to pick out even the Shima Peninsula in Mie Prefecture — a mere 100 kilometers away from the pass Fuji can sometimes be seen from this very same point Fuji from here.” So runs an old saying in the Kumano region which stretches from southern Wakayama Prefecture to southern Mie Prefecture This phrase is likely based on the fact that there are no high mountains to block the view of Japan’s highest peak a professional photographer captured a view of Mt Fuji from the mountainous area of Nachi-Katsuura — some 320 kilometers away the same photographer snapped another view of the peak 2.6 kilometers more distant from the location of the previous snap Masaru Naka was among those whose ears pricked up with a particular interest in landscapes and the night sky Naka had happened across a remark that said Mt Fuji was theoretically visible from a point 300 meters further removed from the most distant point recorded so far — the 1997 pro cameraman’s snap Inspired by this “furthest-photo-yet” idea Naka and his friends began devising ways to photograph the mountain from this rumored spot in 1998 devices that could tap into the global positioning system were not widely available making it difficult to pin down a suitable location to shoot the view Naka wandered around animal trails in the forest He eventually zeroed in on the perfect spot with help from local mountain enthusiasts He carefully marked his route — walking the path more than 20 times — to avoid getting lost “I felt there was a certain romance in capturing a photograph of Mt Fuji from the furthermost point,” Naka said The morning air was crystal clear following a recent typhoon as the skies brightened just before 5 a.m. Naka looked through his camera’s lens and beheld the hallowed mountain’s outline like the world was on my side,” Naka recalled Naka talked with officials of the local forestry cooperative and they decided to dub the point “Irokawa Fujimi Toge” (Irokawa Fuji-view mountain pass) and it remains in use more than 20 years later Fuji can only be observed from the pass under certain conditions the best times are clear summer mornings when the lowest ambient temperature is similar to that of the sea you might be able to see it with the naked eye around 30 minutes before sunrise,” Naka said he noted that he has only heard of a few people capturing photographs of the mountain from the spot but he says he retains a vivid memory of the peak “floating” into view in the morning glow Measuring 133 meters tall and with one ton of water plunging downwards each second Nachi Waterfall is considered one of Japan’s three most famous vertical cascades The breathtaking view leaves a deep impression on many visitors The waterfall — registered as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2004 as part of the Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range — is worshipped as the deity of Hiro Shrine the auxiliary shrine of Kumano Nachi Taisha Grand Shrine An annual illumination event is held in the fall during the year-end and New Year season Reaching the Irokawa Fujimi Toge pass requires a roughly 90-minute drive from the Susami-Minami Interchange on the Kisei Expressway to the Nachi Highland Park parking lot as the road near the mountain pass is narrow and there is a danger of falling rocks A big bluefin tuna is unloaded at Katsuura fishing port in Wakayama Prefecture TOKYO – Japan is facing a dilemma after it was disclosed that the nation's bluefin tuna catches exceeded the annual limit set under an international accord on resource conservation – evidence of its poor management of marine resources Observers are calling the violation of the regulation by Japan It will likely result in growing calls from Europe the United States and other countries for Japan to improve its resource management of Pacific bluefin tuna At the Pacific Bluefin Tuna International Stakeholders Meeting in late April in Tokyo member countries discussed restrictions on bluefin tuna fishing Japan's annual catches of small Pacific bluefin tuna weighing less than 30 kilograms (66 pounds) will likely exceed the ceiling set for the period from July last year through June this year a senior official of the Fisheries Agency said at the meeting The ceiling for Japan's annual catches of bluefin tuna is set at 4,007 tons Japanese fishermen's catch of bluefin tuna reached 4,008 tons exceeding the annual ceiling for the first time since the restriction was introduced Pacific bluefin tuna stocks topped 160,000 tons in 1961 but plunged to as low as about 10,000 tons due to excessive fishing Japan took the initiative over the need to raise bluefin tuna for breeding purposes to increase stocks introducing international restrictions on smaller fish a series of illicit practices have come to light with some fishery operators failing to report their catches to fisheries cooperatives and unauthorized fishermen catching bluefin tuna Poll results are published every Monday in The Guam Daily Post University of Guam students and faculty are leveraging international academic conferences to foster economic innovation and workforce development positioning the island as a hub for what School of Business and Public Administration Dean Roseann Jones Saturday’s Mad Collab Block Party in Hagåtña brought together more than 70 local businesses and artists in celebration with hundreds of attendees It was all about the wonders of Artificial Intelligence in the palm of your hand All of the latest features in Samsung's Galaxy AI were showcased at a GTA-sponsored event Thursday Your browser is out of date and potentially vulnerable to security risks.We recommend switching to one of the following browsers: A Japanese ryokan inn is offering a rental plan for an entire island at a cost of ¥1 million for an overnight stay The island is located in Katsuura Bay in Nachi-Katsuura and the whole of the island belongs to the ryokan Kumano-bettei Nakanoshima An exclusive ferry transports guests from Katsuura Port to the island in about five minutes The ¥1 million rental fee is for a party of two people The rental plan is being offered until Dec the special rental service is limited to only one party each time If the number of guests increases from two The main room to accommodate the special overnight guests is named the Nagi-no-sho Luxury Deluxe and measures about 75 square meters The interior is mainly wooden and has a modern but Japanese-style atmosphere guests can enjoy the scenery of Katsuura Bay Guests will find a bottle of French high-grade champagne in the room’s refrigerator Dinner is served in one of the inn’s lounges The inn’s grand chef will prepare iseebi Japanese spiny lobster Kishu-brand raw tuna and other local specialties There is an onsen hot spring bath on the premises where sea waves approach very close Guests can also enjoy fishing in a private spot only one party has used the whole rental service we hope that guests can enjoy a trip without worrying about crowded situations in the midst of the novel coronavirus crisis.” Yakuza are not usually thought of as disabled but more than a few have had their pinky fingers this disabling is punishment for violating the gang code In Hideo Sakaki's yakuza shocker "Kiyamachi Daruma" ("Daruma") a former boss in Kyoto's Kiyamachi entertainment district To atone for an underling's apparent betrayal of trust threw himself on the tender mercies of a rival gang and is waited on hand and foot by young gangster Sakamoto (Masaki Miura) at the behest of the current boss Furusawa (Yuichi Kimura).googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1499653692894-0'); }); an armless and legless doll that rights itself when tilted but there is no making Katsuura right again The film is not an uplifting tale of triumph over adversity Based on Hiroyuki Maruno's novel of the same title I alighted at Kii Tanabe Station to hike the Kumano Kodo a wooded trail through Japan's spiritual heartland in Wakayama Prefecture that leads to the Three Grand Shrines of Kumano: Hongu Taisha I was on a mission to carve out a culinary map and eat my way from the beginning of this World Heritage-designated pilgrimage to the end — 70 kilometers over four days on the Naka Hechi Trail — to Kii Katsuura My experience with Japanese cuisine has taught me that the local pabulum can impart a great deal about the terrain and the culture.googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1499653692894-0'); }); The Tanabe City Gourmet Map lists an array of eateries to satisfy the palate of every epicure from carnivores (Kumano beef so tender it melts in your mouth) pescitarians (whitebait sardines downed with a bit of local ume plum spirits) vegetarians (umeboshi pickled Japanese plum specialties) to flexitarians (yakitori grilled chicken restaurants where the meat is grilled over binchotan coals the fuel of choice for grilling and a Wakayama specialty) Many of these recommended restaurants have English menus and allow you to tuck into authentic cuisine only available in these parts of Japan HOME > Information > 2019 > School of Media Science Holds Cultural Exchange Session with the Management & Science University (MSU) from Malaysia this changed when the Japanese students formed groups with MSU students for an activity to learn about Malaysian batik (wax resist dyeing) the students were quick to mingle with ease and had lively conversations with some help from Google and other tools It was touching to see how animated conversations could be when the desire to share and understand was strong enough That’s the fundamental value of learning English and it was a very worthwhile experience for me Movie cats playing to their fullest with "mouse rattling" stimulating hunting instinct The top ten of famous companies whose annual income is only "1 dollar" Jan 11, 2010 21:59:11 in Video