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Tokyo Experience the charm of Nasu in northern Tochigi prefecture at the D’harvest Walk Fest in front of Nasushiobara Station This new festival offers visitors a chance to explore the city with their appetite: by sampling a variety of local gourmet delicacies at a massive farmers market with over 70 shops the festival’s first day will host travelling chef Nao Mikami for an exclusive dining experience local produce and vegetables will be cooked over an open fire and participants can share the dining table with the producers and local residents who are part of the local agricultural economy The second day of the event will feature a large-scale farmers market along the main street in front of Nasushiobara Station Here you’ll find a cheese picnic area and a food area where you can enjoy local Nasu specialities including toteyaki a popular crepe-like dessert which is a delicacy of nearby Shiobara onsen Saturday will also feature a line-up of community guests and industry experts for a talk event discussing the urban development of Nasushiobara Original Inc president and Time Out Tokyo representative Hiroyuki Fushitani will be participating in a panel discussion on Nasu’s unique way of life that celebrates individuality along with Dean & Deluca CEO Masaki Yokokawa and Niki Club founder Hitomi Kitayama Five million red spider lilies are now blooming at this Saitama park Here’s the official 2024 autumn leaves forecast for Japan – updated A zombie shinkansen is running from Tokyo to Osaka this month Gakugeidaigaku is one of the world’s coolest neighbourhoods in 2024 teamLab opens a new permanent exhibition at a rice terrace in Ibaraki Want to be the first to know what’s cool in Tokyo? Sign up to our newsletter for the latest updates from Tokyo and Japan. facebook twitter pinterest instagram About us Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker Tochigi – A series of accidents on the northbound Tohoku Expressway in Nasushiobara City claimed the lives of three individuals on Saturday night including a crash involving a wrong-way driver which caused traffic congestion and led to an additional pileup occurred between the Nasu and Kuroiso-Itamuro interchanges 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 According to the Tochigi prefectural police’s Expressway Traffic Patrol Unit a passenger vehicle traveling against the flow of traffic collided head-on with an oncoming car at about 10 p.m This initial crash involved a total of four vehicles The victims are believed to be the male driver of the wrong-way vehicle and the male driver of the other passenger car involved in the head-on collision In a secondary incident stemming from the ensuing traffic jam a large truck collided with a line of vehicles This collision resulted in the death of a woman Several other people also sustained injuries Our weekly ePaper presents the most noteworthy recent topics in an exciting © 2025 The Japan News - by The Yomiuri Shimbun 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 Mount Arayu-fuji viewed from Onuma Park amid the autumn foliage Late October is typically the best time to enjoy the view. Photo: the tourism bureau of Nasushiobara city Nasushiobara City is located in the northern part of Tochigi Prefecture which lies to the north of the Tokyo metropolitan area located around 200 kilometers north of Tokyo were selected as one of the “100 Best Forests in Japan for Forest Bathing”** where they are collectively known as “Onuma Forest.” According to INOSE Takahiro of the tourism bureau of Nasushiobara city “Onuma Park is a marshland located 980 meters above sea level It spans an area from the south to the east of Mount Arayu-fuji (1,184 meters above sea level) you can see a variety of forest landscapes and ecosystems throughout the four seasons Onuma Park features Yoshi Swamp and Lake Onuma they are surrounded by broadleaf trees such as the Mongolian oak (mizunara) The forests of Tochigi boast many kinds of maple trees and the autumn colors of about 23 species can be observed around the park.” The park features well-maintained walking trails and people can stroll around both Lake Onuma and Yoshi Swamp “The walking trail around Yoshi Swamp is a wooden boardwalk with a universal design*** while enjoying the changing leaves of the Japanese horse-chestnut and Mongonlian oak (mizunara) The picturesque 1.8-km promenade circles the Onuma lakeside offering visitors a scenic route to enjoy the autumn foliage The trail is blanketed with a carpet of yellows and walking here offers a sense of great relaxation.” “The various autumn leaves paint the surrounding forest in a gradation of color and if you move your eyes to the water’s edge you can also enjoy the golden-colored reeds along the water’s edge I believe that Onuma Park offers unique autumn scenery that can only be enjoyed here you can also enjoy the reflection of Mount Arayu-fuji on the surface of the water also hosts regular Nature Walks **** from April to November These walking tours are led by a park conductor who guides visitors through the forest allowing them to observe the unique scenery and natural phenomena that can only be experienced at that particular time of year “Onuma Park is characterized by a gradual change in foliage from the tall trees to the shrubs the leaves begin to change in places to create a patchwork effect The whole area will be a beautiful sight like a richly colored fabric.” Inose encourages visitors to visit the famous suspension bridges in the surrounding area during the fall foliage season the Kurenai (or “crimson”) Suspension Bridge (about 53 meters long) and the Momiji-dani Otsuribashi (or “Maple Valley Large Suspension Bridge in Japanese) (about 320 meters long) have become popular spots in autumn When you visit Onuma Park to see autumn foliage we hope you will stop by Shiobara Onsenkyo and unwind in a hot spring bath after enjoying the colorful autumn foliage.” * Nikko National Park: A national park that spans Tochigi Its total area is approximately 115,000 hectares with most of the park area being mountainous land belonging to the Nasu volcanic belt.** A selection of Japanese forests established in 1986 by the Forestry Agency in collaboration with related organizations*** While “accessibility” (commonly referred to as “barrier-free” in Japan) focuses on removing barriers caused by disabilities “universal design” is the concept of designing cities and living environments from the ground up that are accessible to all people It refers to places that are designed with this concept in mind.**** The Fall 2024 session includes five dates: October 25 By MOROHASHI KumikoPhoto: the tourism bureau of Nasushiobara city; PIXTA If you have any feedback or comments on this content please enter them in the space provided below Your valuable feedback and commnents will be referenced for our future operations Subscribe to our e-mail newsletter for receiving monthly updates You will be redirected to an external website Would you like to proceed?If you wish to continue The superstition surrounding four-leaf clovers is rooted in the belief that finding one brings good luck A five-leaf clover is even rarer than the four-leaf variety and is also considered a symbol of extra good luck While the four-leaf clover traditionally represents faith the fifth leaf is often interpreted as symbolizing extra money or wealth The increased rarity of finding a five-leaf clover enhances its reputation as a powerful good luck charm Yoshiharu Watanabe has made him "the luckiest man alive," the Guinness World Records wrote on its website last Thursday as it announced the world record for the clover with most leaves Yoshiharu Watanabe (R) presents a certificate granted by the Guinness World Records for his 63-leave clover (L) in his garden in Japan has been cross-pollinating clovers in the garden at his home since 2012  He told Guiness that whenever he saw a clover with four leaves or more "The plant is pretty strong and you don't have to do anything to it After discovering a 20-leaf clover in his garden a few years later the idea of achieving the world record began to seem possible to him The previous record for the most leaves on a clover was set in 2009 by Shigeo Obara from Hanamaki City Yoshiharu recalled that he had hand-pollinated clovers with the most leaves in addition to natural pollination he nearly matched the world record with a 55-leaf clover he was unable to increase the number of leaves further after that He explained that the number of leaves can fluctuate and while genetics play a role in producing more leaves He was "pleasantly surprised" to see his now-record-breaking clover surpass 60 leaves when he counted them "People say that a four-leaved clover brings you happiness so it would be great if this 63-leaved clover would bring surprise and pleasure to people." Email: evne@vnexpress.netTel: 028 7300 9999 - Ext 8556 A new library and community center in Nasushiobara by the Japanese architecture studio of Mari Ito, UAo the building feels at once modern and at home in its wider context – as its design which are ‘an important part of the city’s identity.' u-a-o.jp Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox. The “forest pockets” are atria resembling small clearings in the woods where the sky suddenly becomes visible and light pours in. They have no clearly defined purpose but instead are available for community events, exhibits, and other uses. Sounds and sights escape upwards and outwards, allowing people in other parts of the building to sense the activity in these spaces. You'll now receive updates based on what you follow Personalize your stream and start following your favorite authors If you have done all of this and still can't find the email Photo: Paradox Engineering / MinebeaMitsumi Group July 2023 will likely be Earth’s hottest month in hundreds if not thousands of years according to NASA experts from the Goddard Institute for Space Studies with persistent heat waves hitting the US and Europe Most US states are experiencing burning temperatures Nearly a third of Americans – about 113 million people – are currently under heat advisories and the National Weather Service has urged people not to underestimate the risk to life The situation is severe in Europe too and heat waves are repeatedly hitting southern countries also pushing extreme weather and devastating fires A recently published report attributed 61,000 deaths in Europe to its searing temperatures last summer heat waves are directly related to global warming and climate change The scale of action required to avert worse consequences is wide and calls for governments’ commitment and extensive public and private investments as they are often on the front line when an unfortunate event happens and are also asked to contribute to prevention and risk mitigation Smart technologies can play a role in climate-resilient cities the Internet of Things enables sentient urban networks with a more accurate tracking of power consumption and natural resources use thus enabling data-driven decisions to save energy smart environmental sensors can be implemented to efficiently monitor parameters such as temperature Having hyper-local environmental data allows cities to alert residents in case of upcoming heat waves in summer smart cities are gaining momentum: as a resource-poor Japan has put energy efficiency and citizens’ wellbeing high on its political agenda and is looking at smart cities as a way to address both demands at the same time started to deploy smart technologies in 2020 with the primary objective to become a more sustainable and more livable city for its residents using data to effectively access and manage its resources MinebeaMitsumi’s Smart City Solution was the technology of choice The city implemented 30 pyranometers and 10 smart environmental sensors to monitor sun irradiation levels and weather conditions alerting authorities and citizens when solar irradiance reached levels that could provoke heatstroke Data was also used to adjust the accuracy of photovoltaic output forecast in order to predict and manage fluctuations in the energy supply from solar panels Smart devices are installed on streetlight poles: the city had previously decided to deploy about 400 smart LED streetlights and equip them with wireless dimming control technology the energy consumption linked to streetlights was greatly reduced which in turn contributed to a decrease in CO2 emissions Nasushiobara is now planning to add cameras and rain gauges to the streetlight poles to monitor the road conditions during heavy rain and act if/when needed in order to prevent hazardous situations and increase road safety Driven by the quest for climate resiliency other cities across Japan are following Nasushiobara’s example and installing MinebeaMitsumi’s Smart City Solution Established in 2005 and headquartered in Switzerland Paradox Engineering is the Internet of Things (IoT) Excellence Centre of MinebeaMitsumi Group The company pioneers technologies to implement highly scalable IoT network solutions to control critical public services such as streetlighting emergency response & critical asset monitoring Thanks to intelligent technology solutions Paradox Engineering strives to unleash opportunities for people and communities helping the transition towards more liveable For further information, please visit https://www.pdxeng.ch You have reached the limit for the basic subscription. Please upgrade to Premium to download more You have reached the limit for the basic subscription. Please upgrade to Premium to save more ' + scriptOptions._localizedStrings.webview_notification_text + ' " + scriptOptions._localizedStrings.redirect_overlay_title + " " + scriptOptions._localizedStrings.redirect_overlay_text + " Today's print edition Home Delivery The article you have been looking for has expired and is no longer available on our system Mari Ito’s Nasushiobara City Library connects to the community through the building’s facade and light-filled atria For Japanese architect Mari Ito, designing a new library in Nasushiobara, a city of 120,000 about 93 miles north of Tokyo Although based in Tokyo where her studio UAo is well known for design cues taken from nature Ito was born in Nasushiobara and is well aware that its aging population needed a cultural and social hub 53,000-square-foot building was the winning entry of a recent competition and although the eye-catching geometric form in glass it is nevertheless deeply rooted in tradition the glow from the softly lit semi-transparent glass facade recalls a traditional Japanese shoji lantern 24 skylights heighten the dappled light effects inside Ito says she wanted “to create a warm and inviting public place that encourages people of all ages to meet.” The unusual polyhedral louvered roof is not just a bold architectural statement: it is specially designed to withstand seismic forces its crisp angles create a distinctive light-filled forest-like landscape with atria for activities from reading to community events The 26 to 32-foot-high semi-transparent glass facade blends in and outdoors minimalist curved concrete bench and lush lawn allow activities to spill outside trees including a dramatic five16-foot-high Ficus Benjamina reinforce the impression of a forest canopy Ito wanted to attract views deep into the interior of the library where double height laminated oak book shelving partitions at a diagonal and slender columns minimize the boundary between the building and the surrounding neighborhood shelves are arranged to mirror the pie charts used in the Japanese library classification system The generous 23 by 19-inch compartments are large enough for books and they also display art and local projects The custom design furniture includes simple blocks and chairs in a natural tactile material palette that adds to the contemporary Movement throughout the interiors is intuitive the bookshelves—rendered in galvanized steel in contrast to the oak inside—extend outside the facade onto the terrace and there is an outdoor minimalist concrete hand basin “It all helps to activate a relationship between the city and the community through the building’s facade,” Ito explains Register here for Metropolis’s Think Tank Thursdays and hear what leading firms across North America are thinking and working on today Subscribe to our mailing list to receive the latest updates subscription deals delivered straight to your inbox Japanese version Photographs of deformed daisies have been posted to Twitter, four years after the devastating 2011 Fukushima nuclear incident in Japan. Taken by Twitter user @San_kaido on July 21 in Nasushiobara city the images have people suggesting that the deformities were caused by radiation leaked from the three nuclear power plants that melted down following a colossal tsunami radiation-induced fasciation in wild plants is extremely unlikely Fasciation - otherwise known as cresting - is a rare mutation that can affect the stem and sometimes even the fruit of over 100 species of vascular plants around the world The mutation manifests in the plant tissue as a flattened just like how the yellow centres of the daisies in the image above and below have been elongated and split in half "It should be noted that just because a plant has fasciation it doesn't mean it will still be affected when it dies and comes back the next year - there's no guarantee In many cases it has been reported that plants are 100 percent fine the following year and show no sign of being fasciated there is a strong chance of reoccurrence and you may very well have to dispose of the plant completely." The case against the Nasushiobara daisies being the result of Fukushima radiation comes from a 2009 study by researchers at Japan's National Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, published in the Journal of Experimental Botany: "The proportion of plants showing stem fasciation increased with gamma-irradiation … Each single mutant also showed stem fasciation at a low frequency without gamma-irradiation while gamma-irradiation induced stem fasciation the frequency of stem fasciation was very low ( But we're going to put it down to coincidence that mutated daisies happened to crop up in Nasushiobara city till we see more convincing evidence that they are the result of Fukushima radiation Photographs of deformed daisies are doing the rounds in cyberspace four years after the deadly Fukushima nuclear incident in Japan The white flowers are claimed to be the latest in the long-list of victims which have experienced deformation over nuclear disasters The images of the deformed flowers were posted by Twitter user @San_kaido from Nasushiobara city The tweet the user posted read: "The right one grew up split into 2 stems to have 2 flowers connected each other The left one has 4 stems grew up to be tied to each other and it had the ring-shaped flower The atmospheric dose is 0.5 μSv/h at 1m above the ground." there was a meltdown in three of Fukushima's six nuclear reactors due to the devastating tsunami which struck the region Japan continues to grapple with the scale of the disaster reports said some fruits and vegetables became mutated after the nuclear leak got mixed with ground water