A thousand Vietnamese lanterns are on display in the city of Namerikawa in which lanterns are displayed at various spots in the city because the city’s Sewa district resembles the cityscape of Hoi An a city in the central region of Vietnam which is known for its own traditional lantern festival 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 The Kyuu Miyazaki Shuzo Sakagura (old Miyazaki brewery sake storehouse) requires attendees to make reservations if they will arrive before noon on Saturday between 1 pm and 9 pm on Saturday and Sunday Our weekly ePaper presents the most noteworthy recent topics in an exciting © 2025 The Japan News - by The Yomiuri Shimbun Your browser does not support JavaScript, or it is disabled．Please check the site policy for more information National Report the firefly squid catches this March will still be talked about for years to come but it was triple the average for the past 10 years and the largest in 70 years since 1953 according to Toyama Prefecture’s Fisheries Research Institute in Namerikawa The yield shows that many young squid born a year ago reached adulthood in coastal waters of the Sea of Japan the catch for Toyama city came to 496 tons Figures of 479 tons and 106 tons were confirmed in the ports of Shinminato and Namerikawa The research institute said the firefly squid season is from late March to early May officials predicted that catches will continue to remain stable Firefly squid are born in spring and grow in coastal waters of the Sea of Japan They return to Toyama Bay in Toyama Prefecture the following spring to spawn Officials attributed the strong harvest this spring to the fact that water conditions were favorable which allowed hordes of firefly squid to return to the bay safely The annual catch last year hit a record low with a total of 418 tons Good harvests were not reported in other producing areas on the Sea of Japan side chairman of the Shinminato fishery association in Imizu city admitted to having fretted about a possible poor haul before learning of the record catch “I felt relieved to hear that firefly squid have recovered significantly as a resource,” said Shiotani “But catching too much results in a cheaper price We simply want the market value to return to normal.” Shiotani was referring to the fact that firefly squid from Toyama Bay are now available at a more affordable price tag than the last season at supermarkets in Toyama city A 200-gram package sells for as little as 200 yen ($1.20) the fishery association said the red snow crab’s catch more than halved from the usual level following the powerful offshore Noto Peninsula earthquake in January The crab haul was down to 30 percent to 40 percent of the figure for normal years after the magnitude-7.6 temblor in Ishikawa Prefecture on New Year's Day “There’s a feeling that many crabs were buried due to seabed landslides or relocated elsewhere,” explained an official of the Fisheries Research Institute “The number of fishing operations also plummeted because crab trap cages and other fishing tools were lost or damaged in the disaster.” Rare deep-sea unicornfish pops up in fishing net off Imizu VOX POPULI: Blue king crabs may be the secret to establishing good Russia ties Japan clinches deal with Russia over salmon Miyagi port city finds way to lure young people to deep-sea fishing Information on the latest cherry blossom conditions Please right click to use your browser’s translation function.) A series based on diplomatic documents declassified by Japan’s Foreign Ministry Here is a collection of first-hand accounts by “hibakusha” atomic bomb survivors chefs and others involved in the field of food introduce their special recipes intertwined with their paths in life A series about Japanese-Americans and their memories of World War II In-house News and Messages No reproduction or republication without written permission but packs a stunning feature in that small package At the end of their tentacles are special organs called photophores that light up like glow sticks at a rave the squid are found in fantastic abundance a v shaped canyon in Toyama bay pushes the current the millions of squids turn the bay into a writhing when the fishing boats dump the nets onto the boat floor the squirming squids light up and turn the boats themselves into blue beacons one need not sign up to work on a Japanese fishing-boat tour to see the phenomenon Sightseeing boats depart from the Namerikawa fishing port around 3am to see the nets 1 to 2 km offshore It should be noted that Namerikawa is also home to the world’s only museum dedicated to the firefly squid An isolated dive site teeming with cnidarians This portion of a lovely Belize beach is infested with (harmless) sharks and rays The world's brightest bioluminescent bay The world's largest bioluminescent area was undiscovered by science until 2005 This fountain has a growing (animal) population and other amazing creatures from the ocean’s depths—some of which are in an aquarium for the first time ever canine-friendly alternative watering hole near the more famous Barton Springs The "dark (ramen) noir" manga follows the unlucky gangster Namerikawa and his ferocious eating Yū Hayato has been drawing a different spinoff titled Yamikin Ushijima-kun Gaiden: Nikumamushi Densetsu on Yawaraka Spirits since February The manga depicts the human drama in the black market world as seen through the eyes of the titular loan shark an outfit that lends money at an illegal interest rate — "Togo" or 50% every 10 days Police presented a bravery award Thursday to a pet dog for helping capture a burglar at a home in Toyama Prefecture on the Sea of Japan coast in May alerted her owner in Namerikawa to the presence of an intruder The man had entered the home belonging to Lucy's owner on the night of May 4 before trying to make off with several thousands of yen in cash The Namerikawa Police Station presented Lucy with a certificate of appreciation and her favorite dog food Lucy showed heroism in barking loudly to alert her owner The burglar was indicted and given a prison term of two years Police dog awarded for role in yakuza arrest 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 The phenomenon attracts visitors from around the globe eager to witness this unique natural light show The best viewing time is in the early morning hours offering a mesmerizing display that captivates all who witness it there is a unique viewing facility available where visitors can observe the squids from an underwater perspective without getting wet This visit offers a deep dive into how these creatures play a vital role in local culture This visit is an educational experience that adds context to what you've witnessed in nature It is a must-see for those interested in marine life Shogakukan is listing that the fifth volume of Ōdō Yamazaki's Yamikin Ushijima-kun Gaiden: Ramen Namerikawa-san (Ushijima the Loan Shark Side Story: Ramen Namerikawa) manga will end in its fifth volume Yamazaki launched the manga in Shogakukan's online magazine Yawaraka Spirits in December 2017. The "dark (ramen) noir" manga is a spinoff of Shohei Manabe's Ushijima the Loan Shark manga and it follows the unlucky gangster Namerikawa and his ferocious eating Manabe launched main Ushijima the Loan Shark manga in Weekly Big Comic Spirits in 2004, and ended the series on March 4 The manga's 46th and final volume will ship on May 30 Source: Shogakukan Shogakukan's Yawaraka Spirits website revealed on March 7 three new manga that will start serializations this spring Yūsuke Ochiai and Yūji Takemura will launch the Gūzō Senbatsu Game (Idol Selection Game) manga on March 14 The "idol death game" manga's story is set in an unprecedented era of idol wars where some idols have drifted away from the stage for different reasons They are given another chance to shine on stage when 527 idols are invited to "THE FINAL" idol audition They gather at a venue and put their lives on the line to stand on the stage again Kurano will launch the Teito no Kakushimiko (The Imperial Capital's Hidden Shrine Maiden) manga on March 18. The manga is an adaptation of Ichiha Hiiragi's light novel series of the same title the daughter of a long-established clan of diviners the family gets overtaken and Ruri spends her days working as a servant With a great desire to escape her miserable life Ruri is willing to be used even as a tool for a political marriage with her father's spirit always staying by her side but he could be a good opportunity for Ruri to leave her situation Shogakukan published the original light novel series' first volume with illustration by Jō in May 2023 Youichi will launch a new spinoff manga of Shohei Manabe's Ushijima the Loan Shark manga titled Namerikawa-Gumi Yakuza Meshi (Namerikawa Group's Yakuza Meals) on March 24 The spinoff manga centers on the meals of the Namerikawa yakuza group led by Hidenobu Namerikawa his sworn younger brothers Kajio and Tobita What do they eat in their peaceful yakuza days Yū Hayato launched the ongoing Yamikin Ushijima-kun Nikumamushi Densetsu (Ushijima the Loan Shark: The Legend of Nikumamushi) spinoff manga on Yawaraka Spirits in February 2017 Shogakukan published the manga's 22nd volume on November 28 Yamazaki launched the ongoing Shōnen-in Ushijima-kun (Ushijima-kun in Penal School) spinoff manga on Shogakukan's Manga ONE app in January 2023 Shogakukan published the manga's fifth volume on December 26 Manabe launched the main Ushijima the Loan Shark manga in Weekly Big Comic Spirits in 2004, and ended the series in March 2019 The manga's 46th and final volume shipped in May 2019 The manga inspired a three-season live-action series, four live-action films, and a spinoff live-action series Source: Yawaraka Spirits the original character who appeared in the 2014 Ushijima the Loan Shark Part 2 film as protagonist Kaoru Ushijima's greatest enemy The new series takes place six years after Yamikin Ushijima-kun The Final Masatoshi Yamaguchi returns from the manga's previous films to direct the new series. Maryjun Takahashi (center in image below) will reprise her role as Akane Saihara from Ushijima the Loan Shark Part 2. Ryūbi Miyase (left) will play Yūto Hazama Source: Comic Natalie Manabe launched the manga in Weekly Big Comic Spirits in 2004, and ended the series in March 2019 Satoshi Sasasani recently launched a spinoff manga titled Naniwa Time Leap Aizawa-kun (Osaka Time Traveling Aizawa-kun) in Shogakukan's Monthly Spirits magazine in April 2024 Ōdō Yamazaki launched another Ushijima the Loan Shark spinoff manga titled Shōnen-in Ushijima-kun (Ushijima-kun in Penal School) in Shogakukan's Manga ONE app in January 2023 Yū Hayato also launched the ongoing Yamikin Ushijima-kun Nikumamushi Densetsu (Ushijima the Loan Shark: The Legend of Nikumamushi) spinoff manga on Shogakukan's online magazine Yawaraka Spirits in February 2017 who runs into a speeding truck and time travels back to the 1990s Ōdō Yamazaki recently launched another Ushijima the Loan Shark spinoff manga titled Shōnen-in Ushijima-kun (Ushijima-kun in Penal School) in Shogakukan's Manga ONE app on January 30 Shogakukan published the manga's 16th volume in November