2024Hidden Traces of Rice Terraces: TeamLab's New Location in Ibaraki Scheduled to Open Fall 2024TeamLab's new permanent installation will open in Izura "teamLab: Hidden Traces of Rice Terraces" Ibaraki AD International art collective TeamLab has announced a new location for the installation teamLab: Hidden Traces of Rice Terraces in Izura this permanent exhibition will transform the old rice fields hidden in the forest into a large-scale light art installation The grand opening is scheduled for the fall of 2024 but the official website's concept reveals the story behind the installation: where the scholar and art critic Tenshin Okakura (1863-1913) lived in his later years there was a mountain forest by the sea that was difficult to enter After passing through the forest deep in the mountains Here the remains of rain-fed rice terraces had become a marsh covered with reeds They appeared to be secret terraced rice fields Thinking about the existence of the long period of time in which the activities of nature and people are continuous we decided to create artworks of the remains of the terraced rice fields walking around the forest and surveying the vegetation we thought to make the entire forest covering the ruins of the rice terraces into a space for artworks that are at one with the surrounding plants The Hidden Traces of Rice Terraces installation is set to combine the art experience with the beauty of the night forest and the nature of the Izura coast much adored by art critic and philosopher Tenshin Okakura "Hidden Traces of Rice Terraces Hot Spring - Izura" will open simultaneously with the installation allowing visitors to stay overnight in the same location TeamLab: Hidden Traces of Rice TerracesSchedule: Open in fall 2024Address: Hidden Traces of Rice Terraces Hot Spring - Izura, 2132 Otsumachi, Kitaibaraki-shi, Ibaraki PrefectureOfficial website: https://www.teamlab.art/e/izura/ Today's print edition Home Delivery The Tokyo Metropolitan Government is planning to include subsidies in its initial fiscal 2025 budget so that municipalities can ensure people don't have to sleep on the floor at evacuation centers The capital hopes to improve living conditions at evacuation centers and boost its disaster response capability amid concerns that a huge earthquake may occur directly underneath the Tokyo metropolitan area and force up to around 2 million people to flee to evacuation centers.googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1499653692894-0'); }); Tokyo will also support efforts to enable evacuees to bring their pets with them Living conditions at evacuation centers set up following natural disasters remain difficult around the country Examples of that hardship include people being forced to sleep on the floor in gymnasiums which was seen following the Noto Peninsula earthquake in January That has prompted metropolitan assembly members to call for a review of how evacuation centers in Tokyo are operated While such centers are run by Tokyo's special wards the metropolitan government has drawn up related guidelines and is already in the process of revising them Tokyo has thus far provided subsidies to municipalities to help them install fire extinguishers stockpile portable toilets and establish Wi-Fi connections at evacuation centers projects subject to subsidies will be expanded to include improving the bedding situation at centers allowing people to bring pets to evacuation centers and providing warm meals The details of expenses eligible for subsidies will be discussed in the future the metropolitan government covers a third of the costs for fire extinguisher installation expenses and half for stockpiling portable toilets The capital will consider how much of the new initiatives will be covered from fiscal 2025 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 Please view the main text area of the page by skipping the main menu. The page may not be displayed properly if the JavaScript is deactivated on your browser Japanese version Copyright THE MAINICHI NEWSPAPERS. All rights reserved. Notifications can be managed in browser preferences. was found in the area surrounding the now-closed power plant I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice A murasoi fish, caught close the the Fukushima nuclear plant in Japan, is over 2,500 times the legal safe radiation limit for seafood, the plant's operator Tokyo Electric has revealed. The murasoi fish, which is comparable to a rockfish, was found in the area surrounding the now-closed power plant. It was found to contain 254,000 becquerels per kilogram of cesium more than 2540 times the limit of 100 becquerels/kg set for seafood by the government. A Becquerel is the basic unit of radioactivity used in the international measure of radiation units, the maximum level of radiation allowed in food for human consumption is 100 becquerels/kilogram. According to the magazine, Science, levels of cesium in seafood in the area around Fukushima have not really decreased since 2011. The company Tokyo Electric Power (Tepco) caught the fish in the bay close to the Fukukshima Daiichi main reactor. Samples collected last August indicate cesium levels that were 250 times what is considered safe by the Japanese government. There is concern in the region that other fish may be feeding off the murasoi and other contaminated species. Around 40 per cent of other bottom-dwelling fish in the area showed high levels of radiation that were 134 and 137 levels above the legal limit. The article by Ken O. Buesseler, a leading marine chemistry expert, is once again likely to raise fears over the safety of fish caught in the area as the two year anniversary of the nuclear disaster approaches The Japanese government has admitted that levels of contamination in the area are very high, but says that high levels of cesium were only detected in fish that are found nearest to the site of the disaster. Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies Japanese version Headlines Politics Diplomacy Ecnomy-Finance Business Energy Military Sci-Tech Environment Culture Op-Ed Media Monitor Official Statements Sports Other Japan emphasizes importance of ties with Gulf Cooperation Council PanOrient NewsTOKYO: Japanese Foreign Minister IWAYA Takeshi met with Jasem Al Budaiwi the Secretary General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) He emphasized the importance of the Gulf region for Japan’s energy security according to the Foreign Ministry in Tokyo.Both parties expressed their satisfaction with the first round of negotiations on the Japan-GCC Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) They emphasized their mutual desire to enhance efforts towards achieving a swift conclusion to the negotiations highlighting their shared objective.Iwaya highlighted the Gulf region's growing significance in promoting peace and stability amid the current turbulent international situation noting that Japan values its partnership with the Gulf Cooperation Council.Secretary-General Budaiwi stated that the relationship between Japan and the GCC member states is not only important but also strategically crucial He emphasized that the GCC aims to further strengthen its ties with Japan a sentiment echoed by Iwaya.Both sides have confirmed their intention to cooperate in various areas This commitment is grounded in the Japan-GCC Action Plan which was adopted during the first Japan-GCC Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in September 2023 This action plan highlights the breadth and depth of their relationship.The two sides engaged in an open discussion about the current situations in the Middle East and East Asia They explored potential areas for collaboration and expressed their concerns regarding the ongoing conflicts and tensions in these regions Jan. 31: Belgium Supports the Moroccan Autonomy Initiative For The Sahara Nov. 02: Macron’s state visit to Morocco recalibrates the two countries’ relations Sep. 26: Denmark backs the Moroccan autonomy plan for the Sahara Sep. 24: Japanese Foreign Minister asks Iran to restrain Hezbollah and other groups Aug. 15: Syrian Ambassador in Belarus, Al-Omrani, passed away after a heart attack Log-In >About Membership< 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.” Sponsored contents planned and edited by JT Media Enterprise Division.