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The page may not be displayed properly if the JavaScript is deactivated on your browser Japanese version Your browser does not support JavaScript, or it is disabled．Please check the site policy for more information National Report A hole-in-the-wall Italian restaurant now resides in a home in Onojo where an American family stationed at a nearby former U.S Sumi to Budo opened within a renovated home built seven or so decades ago near JR Onojo Station in 2019 “There are only large apartment buildings nearby,” said Hattori I decided to rent this old-fashioned house because it would stand out from them.” Hattori intentionally left the brick foundation of his eatery exposed A succession of people has become interested in the rare design stopped at the restaurant and become regular customers Previous homes for service members stationed at the former site of Itazuke Air Base most of which was returned to Japan half a century ago are keeping memories of those bygone days from fading among locals many of the American-style residences have been converted into a restaurant and accommodation facilities over a wide area Onojo city in the prefecture is inspecting all the structures that remain in existence in the municipality while a memorial event is scheduled for autumn to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the base’s reversion to Japan Hattori became aware that many buildings that appear to have served as residences for U.S personnel and their families sit in his neighborhood Hattori said “a home behind is one” such structure referring to an American-style architecture with four rooms along with a living space Kobayashi said what convinced her to lease the house was the building’s high ceiling which is as much as 30 centimeters taller than that of ordinary Japanese residences The interior was suited to working on larger artistic productions standing 160 cm high Kobayashi repainted it in blue with its original appearance retained Kobayashi dreamed of traveling to other countries “Homes colored green and blue around what currently is JR Kasuga Station seemed lovely,” Kobayashi said about the America-like landscape she would see through a train window an accommodation facility that started operations in the Saitozaki district of Fukuoka’s Higashi Ward in 2019 Brady House Saitozaki consists of three one-story buildings sitting next to each other and their exteriors appear as they were when completed some 70 years ago Finding the old structures left unoccupied saw it as “regrettable for them to fall into decay with no preventive measures being taken.” who was raised nearby and would sneak into the former base site as a small child to play was so attached to the U.S.-style buildings that he hit upon the idea of utilizing them “for local revitalization." The sprawling Itazuke Air Base comprised the current-day Fukuoka Airport Brady Air Base and many other adjunct establishments Service members' homes were initially constructed inside the base personnel were deployed there after the Korean War broke out the owners of land outside the base were asked to provide extra accommodations to make up for the residential shortage the off-base homes remain in such cities as Onojo The base’s department responsible for the project ensured that flooring There were 1,200 such houses built during the peak period side paid much money for accommodations at the time an official from the Onojo Cocoro-no-furusato-kan City Museum which is looking into all the 50 off-base homes in Onojo “The rents (of off-base residences) were three to four times higher than those for homes targeting Japanese,” Yamamura said said her father took out a loan from a bank to erect two American-like houses in his farming fields in front of his residence “My father told me he was able to pay off his loan in an instant,” said Ikeda Ikeda worked part time as a babysitter for a U.S military officer’s family who lived across from her home She threatened in English to spank a misbehaving child’s bottom like the mother The former homes of American families are full of fond memories A group called the Kasuga Off-Base House Society was founded in 2014 to preserve American-style buildings Of 580 homes constructed in Kasuga and Onojo an estimated 100 are thought to still remain “They (the homes) may not have a high cultural value but we want to preserve our town’s memories,” said Hidetaka Nakano The Onojo Cocoro-no-furusato-kan City Museum is expected to hold an exhibition themed on the U.S.-like townscape that used to exist in the local community from Sept Guggenheim did not own Kobe house that still bears his name Artist trudges 5,000 km with ‘house’ on his back after 3/11 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 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 By Tomomi Eguchi / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer has been supporting artists with disabilities by helping them further expand their horizons by making unique works of art More than 10 of her students have been able to hold solo exhibitions or publish collections of their work hopes that more people will become aware of the potential of people with disabilities She has been teaching people with disabilities for more than 30 years ever since meeting one such boy and accepting him as her student the 10th annual exhibition displaying works by students of Matsuzawa titled “Minna no charenji ato ten” (An exhibition in which everyone takes on a challenge) a local facility for educational and cultural events including acrylic paintings and paper cutouts They drew attention with their unique use of color and adorable designs The exhibitors ranged from an artist who had won a top award at the annual prefectural art exhibition to an elementary school student who had difficulty with anything other than coloring “I think many of the works convey energy and power to viewers,” Matsuzawa said “I want people to feel how great it is to be able to express their beautiful minds in a straightforward way.” Matsuzawa began teaching people with disabilities after meeting Kosuke Ota His mother took him to an art and design class taught by Matsuzawa who was active under the artist name Sawako Kido The boy had been diagnosed as autistic with intellectual disabilities and could not remain seated for as much as five minutes “How should I teach a child with severe disabilities?” Matsuzawa asked herself Because she had no experience with teaching such children But she was deeply moved by the enthusiastic look on his mother’s face Matsuzawa had him start by coloring the clay works he liked to make He gradually became able to draw pictures by making lines and painting colors over and over again Art brought about another big change for Ota “I realized that artistic activities are a way for people with difficulties in verbal communication to express their feelings,” Matsuzawa said As a result of his works being exhibited at local cultural festivals other children with disabilities came to her class following word of mouth Matsuzawa looked for and developed a suitable teaching method to meet the needs of each child with children who have difficulty focusing she devised a method in which the children are given a short time to paint colors and cut colored paper with scissors She has also tried to help these children broaden their horizons by exposing them to subjects that they had not been interested in Matsuzawa has cosponsored the annual “Minna no charenji ato ten” exhibition with the Onojo municipal government She hopes children with disabilities will develop their abilities through taking on challenges for themselves about 70 children and adults with disabilities from Fukuoka and Saga prefectures attend her classes 12 of her students have held solo exhibitions and five have published collections of their work paintings of animals and other subjects by Ota were used in the TV drama “Lion no Kakurega” (“Light of My Lion”) as the works of a young male character with autism spectrum disorder He has attended Matsuzawa’s class since he was a third-grade elementary school student he gradually started to choose subject matters and colors by himself used to worry about her son and was distraught feeling they were constantly making trouble for others Matsuzawa praised Ippo very happily as if he were her own son Our weekly ePaper presents the most noteworthy recent topics in an exciting © 2025 The Japan News - by The Yomiuri Shimbun Fukuoka Prefecture--A young Vietnamese technical intern trainee is being lauded for quickly springing into action to save a woman who fell off a bridge and into a river was taking a rest alongside the Mikasagawa river in Onojo city on the afternoon of June 9 he quickly dived into the river and swam toward her Huynh said the river was so deep that he could not reach the riverbed with his feet grabbed her arm and was able to swim her back to the bank The fire department for the cities of Kasuga Onojo and Nakagawa presented him with a letter of appreciation and a commemorative plaque on Aug Huynh grew up playing and swimming in a local river and pond He said he was able to save people from drowning on four other occasions Huynh is currently working at a company in Onojo as a technical intern training to become a professional plasterer 343 Vietnamese board special flight for home Vietnamese find lifeline at temple in Nagoya after losing jobs Activist puts life on the line to back abused foreign workers Japanese version By adminJan 19 an English man in 1965 has been a saving grace for the Igala people A lot of disputes bothering on customary practices and chieftaincy issues have been resolved by relying on it There is no traditional practice of the Igala people that he did not touch especially when it comes to kingship.  Without the book a lot of Igala festivity that were banned in 1956 would have been forgotten today The book was like the main authority during the 2018 Ocho festival which was stopped since 1956 One of such issues that the book has served as eye opener is false claims by Onu-Oko Ubi-Iga and Akwumabi discendants at Ane-Oba the space of villages from Ola-Ofu Ochadamu through Aloji Ojuwo Aj’aji and the surrounding villages are also part of Ane-Oba “…royal hamlets have come to dominate the partnership with local clans to such an extent that they have supplanted the land chief administratively The influence of these royal settlements in district affairs is in proportion to their influence at court and where this is exceptionally great the balance of power in the districts tends to be tipped in favour of the royal settlers In the Oba district (Ane Oba) adjourning the Ojo area the royal hamlet of Iga (Iga Ojo) has gained so much influence at the expense of the traditional district centre that the latter has been virtually abandoned and Iga has become the new centre of political and administrative control.  This change is fully apparent in the fact that the modern office of Gago which is to some extent a modern continuation of the land chief’s office has become hereditary in the royal section of the district community so that administrative control has been transferred from the landowing group to the royal group Amonojio (Ameh Onojo) was exceptional in being related to the ruling house on both sides paternally to the Itodo Aduga branch of the Ajaku lineage and maternally to the Ocholi lineage.  Amonojio retained the post of royal councilor for three reigns and was given titles by the Atas Aku Odiba In the face of powerful competition from the hamlet led by Amonojio the landowing clan in this district seems to have fragmented and become widely dispersed through the migration of its members.  The remaining members of the clan placed themselves under patronage of the royal group and came increasingly under their dominance until they finally abandoned their traditional clan centre and moved to Iga where they now occupy a subordinate hamlet.  Their duties at present are purely ritual in character and administrative duties connected with the land have been taken over by the leaders of the royal group.” some distance great grandchildren of the dispersed Oba land started sorting court actions against the royal group of Ameh Onojo at Iga Ojo.   in case number 143/73 at Idah Divisional Area Court Grade I one Edibo Ojata who was given the chieftaincy title of Onogobida of Ane Oba wanted to claim the Oba land from the descendants of Ameh Onojo at Igah Ojo.  He sued one Idajili Musa of Iga Ojo along with Usman Achimugwu Edibo Ojata’s case was dismissed.  This is because he earlier took the same persons to court he lost.  He went on appeal at Upper Area Court Lokoja and he lost.  He did not appeal to High court instead he instituted a fresh case over a case that has already been decided The Idah Divisional Area Court Grade I ruling reads: “This is a case of release of Oba land and its economic trees instituted against the defendant (Idajili Musa) by the plaintiff (Edibo Ojata) and having hear the plaintiff and the defendant with their witnesses we are satisfied this case had once been tried by competent courts of which judgement was given in favour of the defendant who was then the plaintiff.  This case first came before this court in our court case number 166/7/ and judgement was entered in favour of the defendant (idajili Musa).  The plaintiff then the defendant (Edibo Ojata) appealed to the Upper Area Court Lokoja where the decision of the lower court was upheld in the Upper Area Court case number 491/72 of 10/4/72.  What plaintiff (edibo Ojata) should have done was to appeal to the High Court Lokoja if he was not satisfied with the decision of the Upper Area Court Lokoja but not to bring a fresh action against the defendant (Idajili Musa) before this court on the same cause of action which had once been decided In Exhibit “B” it is proved judgement was entered for defendant then respondent in the Upper Area Court Lokoja In the Ata’s (Ali Obaje) presented evidence he said that until the parties are able to show to him any difference in the previous facts available before him and upon which he based his judgement in awarding the beaded title of Onogobida to Edibo son of Ojata he shall not make any change and he still maintain that Edibo is the beaded Onogobida The fact in issue before this court is the dispute over oba land and not chieftaincy over bead of Onogobida of which Ata igala’s evidence Judgement was entered in favour of the defendant (Idajili Musa) by the Upper Area Court Lokoja the plaintiff’s (Edibo Ojata) claim is dismissed with loss of the suit fees.” Edibo Ojata was given a right of appeal to the Upper Area Court within 30 days on payment of N4.20 appeals fees to the registrar of that court the current Onogobida at Aloji (acclaimed Ane Oba chief) launched a fresh claim to Ane Oba against the court ruling that did not favour his grandfather as mentioned above In a petition by the current Iga-Ojo Chief wrote to the Eje and Chairman Ofu Local Government Traditional Council to stop laying claim to Iga-Ojo and the entire Ane Oba The Ohiomogbolo in the letter referred the Eje to previous court judgements on the Ane Oba issue During the era of Opaluwa Oguche Akpa as Ata Igala there was dispute between Ohimogbo Gande and Ohioga Ata over Edugbe II (Onubele) and Ukpolo lands and ponds in Ibaji area Opaluwa Oguche Akpa ruled in a judgement dated 12th September 1933 that all lands in Igala Kingdom belongs to Ata Igala It means if a title holder on any land takes tributes to the Ata The dispute between acclaimed land-owning groups and royal family groups has lingered till this day despite the aforementioned historical facts persons designated to carry out ritual purification of the land wants to become the owners of the land Japanese version