Your browser does not support JavaScript, or it is disabled．Please check the site policy for more information National Report The next name from Wajima Junior High School's graduating class echoed throughout the Ishikawa Prefecture gymnasium on March 14 only a photo of her was present as parents attentively watched a teacher announce each of the 89 students The 14-year-old was among the victims of a torrential rainstorm in Okunoto in September 2024 Her teachers and classmates had brought the photo with them when they entered the gymnasium for the ceremony and Hanon's diploma will be given to her family at a later date was in the art club with Hanon for three years and lamented that she would never take a graduation picture with her friend remembers Hanon as “a very attentive person.” Hanon had been in charge of the club and hoped to go on to high school in Kanazawa She spoke of commuting from her grandfather Satoshi Kiso's home in the neighboring city of Nonoichi is a lacquerware craftsman who originally lived in Wajima his house was damaged in the Noto Peninsula earthquake on Jan and he relocated to a house in Nonoichi after learning of it from an acquaintance Sitting in the kitchen corner where his new workspace is he runs his lacquer brush over his current piece in progress the other light blue and both with round eyes as he had always worked with realistic paintings Satoshi came up with the bubbly design with his granddaughter when she came to stay with him during summer break in 2024 “It would be cuter if the black eyes were bigger,” Hanon said they look like a parent and child or a couple.” Satoshi’s store was located on the Wajima Asaichi morning market street in Wajima; it was completely destroyed in the fire caused by the earthquake the “traveling Wajima Asaichi morning market” started appearing within and beyond Ishikawa Prefecture in March 2024 Satoshi participated from the beginning and Hanon came to help out on holidays It was during that time when she told her grandfather she wanted to go to high school in Kanazawa and commute from his place wanted her to concentrate on studying for the entrance exam and told her not to help with the market after August he debuted the cups with the owl design at a traveling market event in Toyama after going through a series of prototypes “Your son's house was swept away,” they said record-breaking rainfall battered northern Noto causing the Tsukadagawa River running through the city of Wajima to overflow Satoshi arrived at his son's home the next day to find that only the foundation remained and no trace of the house was left Hanon was alone at home when the deluge washed everything away Satoshi and his acquaintances continued their search a girl's body was found about 150 kilometers away off the coast of Fukui The tag on her pants read “Kiso.” It was Hanon If only she had come to help with the market that day If only it had been a school day instead of a Saturday These thoughts replayed over and over in his mind Satoshi now has over 200 orders for the owl cups and cannot keep up with the work “This is the order Hanon gave to me,” he said The bottom of each finished cup is signed with her name and Satoshi includes a handwritten note for every customer that reads “I hope that this cup will remind you of the disaster and that you will not let (her) death be in vain and prepare yourself on a daily basis.” Satoshi often talks to a photo of his grandchild He has many things he wants to discuss with her a total of 114 students graduated from three junior high schools in Wajima this is a drop of more than 20 percent compared to the 147 graduates in the class of 2023 before the Noto Peninsula earthquake on Jan It believes the disaster and torrential rains had an impact Noto students graduate from junior high in quake-hit city Many schools inoperable in quake-hit areas Ceremonies for 20-year-olds held in quake-stricken areas of Noto Florida man fuses old-school music amp with Wajima lacquer 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 Ishikawa Prefecture--A man reflected on what went wrong in his family after learning through news reports that his son “I was a complete failure as a father,” he says in his memoirs “Did Yoshihiro ever feel happy that he had been born into this world?” for a number of heinous crimes carried out by the Aum Shinrikyo cult including mass murder on Tokyo’s subway system in 1995 A book containing letters from the former senior Aum member and his father’s memoirs was released by the Gendai Shokan publishing house exactly five years after the execution It is titled “‘Aum Shikeishu Chichi no Shuki’ to Kokka Kenryoku” (“Memoirs of an executed Aum convict’s father” and state power) provides Inoue’s accounts of self-reproach and explains the inner struggles of his family who was previously a reporter for Hokuriku Asahi Broadcasting Co. Takahashi gained an opportunity to report about the letters that Inoue had addressed to the head priest of Josenji The priest and Inoue had both attended the same senior high school Takahashi’s coverage was part of a broader project looking back on the Heisei Era (1989-2019) which was soon to end with the emperor’s abdication A passage in one of Inoue’s letters says: “From day to day I tell myself that my execution is probably still ahead “But I also feel sorry for victims about the very fact that I am obsessed with such emotions I am not free from the thought that I wouldn’t want to die like this.” Takahashi created a documentary program titled “188 letters of an executed Aum convict,” which aired in 2019 He learned during the process that Inoue’s father was writing memoirs He communicated extensively with the father as part of his continued research on the theme The father says he regretted that his son joined Aum Shinrikyo but he partially blames himself for that decision Inoue had been drawn to the cult since he was in junior high school partly because his father had not taken an interest in his son The father also writes that he contacted Chizuo Matsumoto ahead of his son’s graduation from senior high school not to encourage his son to become a full-time Aum follower his father hoped his son would look squarely at the fact he had taken human lives “Your father hopes from the bottom of his heart that you will confess honestly to everything so you have no qualms about looking up at a cloudless summer sky,” he wrote in one letter to his son Inoue was given a sentence of life imprisonment by a district court But he was later sentenced to death by a high court mainly for his role in a terrorist attack that shocked the world Aum Shinrikyo members in five subway trains on the Hibiya Chiyoda and Marunouchi lines used sharpened umbrella tips to puncture plastic bags containing sarin nerve gas as they were approaching Kasumigaseki Station in central Tokyo The dispersed nerve gas killed 14 people and injured more than 6,000 Inoue was described as a general coordinator of the morning rush hour attack The Supreme Court finalized his death sentence in January 2010 Thirteen senior cult members were sentenced to death for the subway attack and other crimes On the basis of the memoirs of Inoue’s father titled “Telementary 2020: Atonement--Memoirs of an executed Aum convict’s father.” And partly encouraged by feedback from viewers he adapted additional findings from his research into the latest book who saw up close the difficulties suffered by Inoue’s family members hopes to share their inner struggles through the published memoirs “All we were allowed to do as family members of an offender was to keep enduring everything with patience,” the father says “Family members of a suspect lose all privacy and portrait rights from the very day they are branded as such.” Takahashi asked rhetorically: “Are family members of an offender also offenders themselves How much do we know about the death penalty system Couldn’t we discuss a system that would allow offenders to face up to victims and atone for their crimes while they’re alive?” Former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was fatally shot in July last year The suspected killer said his mother had donated the family’s fortune to the Unification Church and he cited Abe’s ties to the religious group as the reason behind the attack The assassination brought the issue of religious cults and children of cult followers to public attention Takahashi said problems with religious cults continue to exist in Japan “The case of Aum Shinrikyo is a historical landmark of the Heisei Era I feel the Aum case has yet to be closed,” he said Ceremony held for victims of 1995 sarin gas attack in Tokyo INTERVIEW/ Former justice minister: Death penalty a tool of the powerful Unification Church claims abuse as it faces more questions Ministry: Church meets standards for questioning in investigation Daughter of Aum Shinrikyo cult leader demands his remains 1995 sarin victim makes film to confront member of Aum Shinrikyo Copyright © The Asahi Shimbun Company. All rights reserved. No reproduction or republication without written permission. After the Sister Cities AGM, Josh Wharehinga got to thinking about New Zealand’s global connectedness again. He reports from Gisborne. Deputy mayor of the Gisborne District, Josh Wharehinga, is the first Māori deputy mayor of the region | Photo: Asia New Zealand Foundation As with many relationships in a Covid-affected world, those involved with Sister Cities have had to adapt their means of maintaining connections. The key means of staying connected has been digitally, via email, social media and the likes of Zoom. We are lucky that in our current point in human history we get to maintain contact using all of these fantastic tools. In that regard, we are blessed. At the Sister Cities conference in Wellington, I had the pleasure of hearing about the relationships towns in Aotearoa New Zealand have with towns overseas and hear about the deep history of some of those connections. The Gisborne District’s Asian Sister relationships are the Port of Rhizhou in China, the City of Nonoichi in Japan and the Port of Gamagori also in Japan. We export the majority of our logs to Rhizhou and we have wine growers that export their wines to Rhizhou too. With our Japan relationships we have student exchanges, delegations that will visit each other and an annual photo competition. Speaking at the Sister Cities conference, Asia New Zealand Foundation executive director Simon Draper commented that while the aforementioned digital modes of connection are essential for maintaining already established relationships, we must strive for face-to-face connection again once that is possible. I couldn’t agree more. As someone who is heavily involved in international relationships it behoves me to grow relationships with my international peers and stakeholders. True growth can only happen when face-to-face connection is part of the relationship strategy in conjunction with the other tools that are available to us. Face to face is so important, particularly in an Asia/Māori context. It was due to these similarities and my inherent Māori understanding of kanohi ki te kanohi (face-to-face) being important, that in 2019 I chose to with our Japanese Sister Port and Sister City in the hopes of reigniting the relationship between the Gisborne District and our Japanese connections. I was already heading to Japan to participate in the Asia New Zealand Foundation Japan hui, however prior to the hui starting I went to see our Japanese Sister City Nonoichi and our Japanese Sister Port Gamagori. There were three points of connection I knew my Japanese colleagues and I could share common ground on, kanohi kitea, koha and kai. Kanohi kitea literally means ‘seen face’. A cultural norm that values being present. Koha is commonly referred to as a gift. We often use the word ‘koha’ to mean ‘the token of appreciation we will give a person’. However, koha in its truest sense is about reciprocity. If we really think about the reciprocal nature of relationships and apply that to our thinking when we give a koha then it elevates the meaning to be more than a token of appreciation and gives it value on a relationship level. I challenge you to reflect on koha you have given in the past and whether it met your own values of true reciprocity. We all know what kai is, food. Food is a great lubricant of social interaction. It has a status of taking things from tapu to noa, sacred to common, or formal to informal. However food wasn’t the only kai. In Te Ao Māori there is a saying ‘Ko te kai a te rangatira, he kōrero’ The food of the chiefs is words. To be honest, I was very nervous. Particularly for the relationship with Nonoichi as it is one of our longest relationships and had been very active. I wasn’t sure how I was going to be received because no elected person from my district had visited in a while therefore I knew I had some making up to do. I was fulfilling the first point, kanohi kitea, by being there in person. The spirit of true reciprocity led me to overcompensate on koha. I took so many gifts! Multiple gifts for the municipality, multiple gifts for the mayor and even a gift for his wife. I presented them all one at a time too, to ensure everyone in the room understood the level of importance the relationship was to my region. Suffice to say it went down well enough that we had much kai and kōrero later on that evening. As a result, Nonoichi visited the Gisborne District for the sestercentennial commemorations at the end of 2019 as a guest of our district. We in turn planned to attend an important Nonoichi city celebration in Oct 2020 to mark the 30-year anniversary of our relationship. Obviously the trip in Oct 2020 didn’t happen due to Covid, however, the revitilisation of the relationship would not have been possible without kanohi ki te kanohi, face to face connection. And a lot of koha. In 2022 and beyond, face-to-face connections is one of the very real reasons to actively encourage safely engaging back into international travel: of course, in conjunction with all the health and safety protocols in country and out. If (as a human race) we continue to strengthen our international health security, with vaccination roll outs, better health infrastructure, continued promotion of the social acceptance of mask wearing, isolating when sick, and working from home, then this will help our countries maintain the security and confidence of our face-to-face relationships. This only helps grow our international trade, sport, culture and education relationships. Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under Creative Commons licence. Other relevant storiesFeatureSS Ventnor links Chinese and MāoriGround has broken on a planned memorial marking historic links between Chinese and Māori formed in the aftermath of the 1902 SS Ventnor shipwreck. FeatureMāori and Asian cultural connectionsMāori culture forms a distinct part of our national identity. But you might be surprised by the similarities between some aspects of Māori and Asian cultures. OpinionShip links Māori and ChineseThe sinking of the SS Ventnor in 1902 was an event that continues to connect New Zealand Chinese with Māori more than a century later, writes James To. 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 Today's print edition Home Delivery restaurants draw in locals and out-of-town visitors alike with feasts centered around the finest freshest fish they can procure from the nearby Japan Sea coast Nowhere is the maritime bounty of this region more evident than at Omicho Market the cluster of narrow streets often referred to as “Kanazawa’s kitchen.” Especially in the lead-up to the new year it is jammed with people buying provisions for the holidays lining up outside specialist eateries or simply gawking at the eels mollusks and crustaceans arrayed alongside the yellowtail salmon and other fish.googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1499653692894-0'); }); For a small but significant number of epicurean travelers the most revered address for seafood dining lies a 20-minute drive out into the suburbs to the neighboring commuter town of Nonoichi that you’ll find chef Takayoshi Yamaguchi and his revered restaurant Sushidokoro Mekumi 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 Following the powerful earthquake that hit central Japan on New Year's Day authorities have started accepting applications for temporary housing in quake-hit municipalities and other areas a total of 27 municipalities in the prefectures of Ishikawa and Toyama have started accepting applications for "deemed temporary housing" provided by the local government about 6,500 vacant public residences are available in municipalities nationwide: ▼Toyama Prefecture ▼Toyama City ▼Takaoka City ▼Uozu City ▼Himi City ▼Numerikawa City ▼Kurobe City ▼Tonami City ▼Oyabe City ▼Nanto City ▼Imizu City ▼Kamiichi Town ▼Tateyama Town ▼Nyuzen Town ▼Asahi Town ▼Niigata Prefecture ▼Niigata City ▼Nagaoka City ▼Sanjo City ▼Shibata City ▼Ojiya City ▼ Kamo City ▼ Tokamachi City ▼Mitsuke City ▼Tsubame City ▼Itoigawa City ▼Gosen City ▼Joetsu City ▼Sado City ▼Minamiuonuma City ▼Tainai City ▼Aga Town ▼Yuzawa Town ▼Fukui Prefecture ▼Fukui City ▼Tsuruga City ▼Obama City ▼Katsuyama City ▼Sabae City ▼Awara City ▼Echizen City ▼Sakai City ▼Heieiji Town ▼Minamiechizen Town ▼Echizen Town ▼Mihama Town ▼Takahama Town ▼Aoi Town Public housing is offered in all 47 prefectures and a list of municipal contact information is available on the Ministry of Land https://www.mlit.go.jp/jutakukentiku/house/jutakukentiku_house_tk3_000149.html (Japanese only) Some municipalities take longer to provide public housing than others Procedures for using deemed temporary housing and moving into public housing provided by local governments are available at each local government office How natural disaster in Yamanashi formed a decades-long bonds By Bonds can be formed in all sorts of different ways — through work A plane-load of pigs and corn isn’t one that naturally springs to mind but that’s exactly the way that Iowa and Yamanashi became sister-states way back in 1960 The event is known as the Iowa Hog Lift and it all started in 1959 when Yamanashi Prefecture was devastated by two typhoons in less than one month was living in Yamanashi at the time and arranged to have support flown over from the U.S in order to help revive the local livestock industry Iowa farmers rounded up 35 pigs and 100,000 bushels of corn This event gave rise to the first sister-state relationship between Japan and America in 1960 and has resulted in countless business and educational activities between the two states ever since those 35 pigs multiplied to over 500 and now most pigs in Japan trace their lineage back to those original 35.  bacon inspired cuisine from over 20 local restaurants bacon eating contests and the annual Bacon Queen Pageant Bacon Festival) will once again be held in Kofu from October 22 – 24 One of the sponsors helping the festival make its triumphant return this year is Jones Dairy Farm an American business who have been around since the late 1800s and doing business in Japan since the mid 90s They’ve sponsored the Japan Bacon Festival since its inception in 2017 providing over 1 tonne of free bacon samples in collaboration with Berkwood Farms each year In addition to their participation in the Japan Bacon Festival this year Jones Dairy Farm are embarking on their own nation-wide roadshow which they’re calling “Porktoberfest.” Porktoberfest will take its crew across the country to Costco warehouses in Hokkaido Each stop will feature special events and giveaways and the Kisarazu legs will act at a welcome party to celebrate Costco moving their Japan headquarters to that location.  An unlikely friendship born from disaster and forged through the love of all things bacon the decades long history of relationship between Yamanashi and Iowa is a strange one the Iowa Hog Lift and the bonds between Yamanashi and Iowa continue to be celebrated at the OOOH as they say at the festival “A bond initiated with the sharing of pigs will be strengthened with the sharing of bacon.” From purple sweet potatoes to wild horse sightings here’s how to make the most of Okinawa’s tropical escape Explore the best local brands shaping Tokyo’s fashion scene From vintage clothing to Hawaiian-themed goods here’s what’s worth checking out before it’s gone From buying and registering a bike to key rules of the road Collagen staples for beauty and health in Japan Our handpicked list of the best events going on this month and the untold tales of Japan’s queer community Everything you need to know before and during a natural disaster Stay up to date with Tokyo news and events Japanese version Curry fans searching for something different need look no further than Ishikawa Prefecture which local chefs don’t shy away from touting as the curry to beat all curries “The curry boasts a classic taste so you’ll never get tired of it even if you eat it every day,” says Ota who manages Champion’s Curry’s Kudan Sanbancho outlet in Tokyo’s Chiyoda Ward which is named in tribute after Ishikawa Prefecture’s capital and is standard fare for locals is a combination of a “tonkatsu teishoku” deep-fried pork cutlet julienned cabbage and rice with sticky curry It arrives at one’s table served on a stainless steel plate with a fork or spork This is the style of Ishikawa Prefecture in central Japan But perhaps the secret of the curry’s success lies in keeping it simple “This is exactly the concept,” says Yoshiko Takakuwa a sales representative in Champion’s Curry’s sales promotion department in Ishikawa Prefecture’s Nonoichi who invented the curry with the unique features around 60 years ago whose father was a chef specializing in Japanese cuisine headed for Tokyo to study Western-style cooking he worked as a chef and in other positions at many restaurants and hotels called Yoshoku Tanaka (Western-style cuisines Tanaka) the predecessor of today’s chain of Champion’s Curry “Our current style of curry had been established by 1963 at the latest,” Takakuwa says he (Tanaka) put together the whole set meal popular at his restaurant--a pork cutlet garnished with cabbage--on curry Since pork available in the market at the time was tough the restaurant served it with a fork so customers could pierce it more easily The idea also allegedly resulted from Tanaka’s experience of working in the Western-style cuisine industry it doesn’t really spill out,” Takakuwa says Customers of some Champion’s Curry outlets who order the curry for takeout will find it comes with chopsticks Now there’s hardly a place one can go in Japan where the curry isn’t well known The main offering at the Kudan Sanbancho outlet of Champion’s Curry is served with sauce for tonkatsu (pork cutlet) on the table even those trying Kanazawa curry for the first time may find it somehow comforting and familiar The aroma of the curry is rich but not oppressively so diners can savor the complex elements present in its flavor Though what’s on your plate is a product of tradition It’s up to you how to scarf it down with the pork and rice You can also add salt to the cabbage from a bottle set on the table all you have to do is ask the staff and they’ll provide it as well One option is to scoop some curry-covered rice and thin strips of cabbage into your mouth side by side and eat pork cutlet which simultaneously makes each bite of spicy curry a bit milder as its sweetness unfurls The fresh raw cabbage also has the bonus of washing away oil from the pork cutlet which will make you feel like one you might just have room left to soon eat another plate of Kanazawa curry Once you’ve tried eating pork cutlet curry that way you may find yourself regularly ordering it with shredded cabbage in honor of the Kanazawa-derived specialty Plate of curry at eatery changed life of struggling dancer GOHAN LAB/ Milanese-style fried tenderloin cutlet: Use breadcrumbs that are fine and dry for a golden ‘Yokozuna-class’ curry becomes a fan favorite at sumo tourney dress rice in the flavor of green onion oil GOHAN LAB/ Pork and rape blossom dressed in tofu mix: Olive oil puts a Western twist on this traditional tofu dish In-flight meal makers find new market on the ground No reproduction or republication without written permission.