2025Green House is transforming Japan’s food and hospitality industries while expanding globally with innovative health tech solutions and a deep commitment to wellness and sustainability.  is a leading company in Japan’s food and hospitality sectors quietly but profoundly transforming both industries for over 75 years What started as a contract catering service in the post-war era has since blossomed into a diverse enterprise under the sharp leadership of Chiaki Tanuma who serves as both president of Green House and the chairman of the Organization to Promote Japanese Restaurants Abroad (JRO) presides over a company that not only feeds Japan but is reshaping the global culinary scene and pioneering innovative tech solutions for health and hospitality Green House’s ventures span a wide range of sectors but they all tie back to one mission: providing quality delicious and health-conscious food experiences that resonate both locally and globally Tanuma explains: "Our vision has always been about more than just serving food—it’s about creating memorable and pleasant dining experiences enhancing health and driving innovation across industries." Green House has become a significant player in promoting washoku (traditional Japanese food culture) globally Tanuma is instrumental in spearheading efforts through the JRO to take it to new heights He recalls the pivotal moment in 2013 when washoku was awarded intangible cultural heritage status by UNESCO: "That recognition was the turning point for Japanese cuisine abroad quality and precision of Japanese food have captivated the world more than ever before." there were just 24,000 Japanese restaurants worldwide a testament to the global demand for Japanese food chefs at Japanese restaurants can earn quite a bit due to the growing appetite for washoku," says Mr "The next frontier for us is expanding the types of Japanese food we export and reaching new markets." Japan’s food exports reached JPY 1.45 trillion in 2023 the government is aiming to hit JPY 5 trillion Tanuma is keenly focused on supporting Japan’s culinary ambitions abroad but he’s also deeply aware of the challenges facing Japan’s food system at home but we are experiencing a paradox where the more we export the less we have domestically," he says pointing to declining rice production and a shrinking agricultural workforce solving these issues requires a multi-pronged approach that balances exports with ensuring food security at home Green House has also ventured into the hospitality industry marking a significant evolution in its business model The hotel concept was a natural extension of Green House’s culinary roots as it allowed the company to create synergistic experiences by combining gourmet dining and health through food with world-class hospitality and comfort by music “We’ve been in the hotel business for about 25 years but our focus with Hotel Grand Bach has been on creating a refined health-conscious experience,” says Mr The hotel's success is partially driven by its connection to the culinary expertise of Green House’s restaurant business frequently caters high-end meals at VIP rooms in baseball stadiums while the hotel itself serves as a destination for theatergoers taking in nearby Kabuki productions Hotel Grand Bach Tokyo Ginza (Street View)  Green House has introduced the role of a “Wellness Food Concierge,” a registered dietitian who crafts healthy "We want people to have a healthy but fulfilling dining experience," Mr tastes incredibly filling but is only 650 calories." With the health and wellness trend growing worldwide Green House’s focus on holistic hospitality positions it as a unique player in the hotel industry The company is considering expanding its hotel footprint internationally "The global hotel market is competitive 93 percent of foreign hotel brands in Japan operate under franchise agreements and management agreements We need to carefully consider our strategy before expanding further." While Green House continues to expand its hospitality footprint one of its most exciting ventures lies in digital transformation (DX) through its health tech arm offering personalized diet management using artificial intelligence (AI) Asken is one of the top-ranked health care apps in Japan in both downloads and revenue boasting over 11 million registered users as of 2024 "Asken is a pillar of our digital transformation strategy," says Mr "We’ve seen a surge of one million new users in only about six months which shows how much people value health-focused digital tools." The app offers tailored nutritional advice weight management tracking and even collaborates with sleep-related companies to give users a more holistic view of their health "The aim is to make people feel better overall," he says "Users can track their weight loss without putting a significant burden on their body see how their body changes and improve it—all within the app." Green House plans to push the boundaries of Asken even further by seeking certification from the Ministry of Health potentially transforming the app into a medically certified device Asken will be recognized not just as a wellness tool but also as a medical device," Mr Green House’s journey from a food service provider to a comprehensive hospitality company is a testament to its adaptability and forward-thinking leadership Tanuma credits much of the company’s success to partnerships and the careful expansion of its core competencies "We are very fortunate to have great partners around the world," he says "But it all comes down to chemistry—you need the right people in place." Tanuma has his sights set on expanding Green House’s food "Food is at the heart of everything we do but tech is how we’re going to scale those experiences globally," he says sustainable food programs or innovative hotel concepts Green House is set on creating a global brand that merges tradition with modernity Green House is transforming Japan’s food and hospitality industries industrial and financial news about global economies with a focus on understanding them from within By Christmas is coming early with the release of the seventh season of Natsume Yuujinchou on October 7th This is the perfect time for a little retrospective on this quiet This is what the powerful yōkai Madara tells Reiko’s grandson after he accidentally frees the yōkai from a forest shrine.  he was born with the supernatural ability to see and interact with yōkai This ability has always alienated Natsume from other human beings When yōkai scared him as a boy and he cried out in fear Natsume spent his entire life leading up to high school being passed from relative to relative he’s landed with a kind older couple who live in his grandmother’s hometown in rural Kyushu Natsume hopes to hide his abilities from everyone but avoiding yōkai in the countryside proves a challenge The mountains and forests and farms and traditional houses here have not changed much for centuries the ghosts stronger; superstitions hold genuine merit It isn’t hard to believe that moss-covered jizo statues might wink at you or that the crows in the branches are sentient and gossiping like aunties or that the fox darting across the road could actually be a centuries-old shapeshifter Drawn to Natsume’s resemblance to his grandmother as much as his spiritual power the yōkai of the countryside won’t leave Natsume alone his grandmother captured the names of yōkai in a calligraphy book she called The Book of Friends and ever since all the local yōkai have wanted one of two things: to get their names back or to steal the book and gain power over powerful spirits sees right through Madara’s interpretation of his grandmother as a yōkai-hunting villain Natsume resolves to return the names to the yōkai his grandmother wronged Many anime ghost stories are set in the countryside. But Book of Friends a slow-burn coming-of-age story that champions decency—human and inhuman both—above all but that need not determine what kind of person you are they are often surprised by my infatuation with yōkai I wear bakeneko shoes and kappa tees; I created a map of Japan that distinguishes the 47 prefectures not by cities or landmarks but by a representative yōkai said to live in the region I have a yōkai tattoo (it features sunekosuri or “shin-rubber,” a catlike yōkai that trips people in alleyways after dark) I am not the only foreigner infatuated with yōkai by any means You’ve got the giant rattling skeleton Gashadokuro who haunts former battlefields and eats people for fun (I have a Gashadokuro poster hanging over my toilet But then you’ve got doll-like household spirits called Zashiki-Warashi who may break a few pots but mostly take care of your home a three-legged bird-beaked fish lady who became popular during the pandemic because her name and image are said to prevent the spread of plagues (the handwashing signs at my workplace feature cute clip-art of Amabie There are yōkai severed horse heads that hang from tree limbs and knock riders from their steeds for fun and yōkai whose sole purpose is to lick the hair from empty washtubs and somewhere in Ehime there’s a yōkai rooster that spits fire And objects or animals that live to be 100 years old become tsukumogami gaining either a soul or sentience or both which means there are also yōkai karakasa kozō a one-eyed umbrella who hops around on one sandaled foot eyes that grow on the paper screens of neglected sliding walls.  For every monster that emerges from a toilet and kills those who dare use the wrong-colored toilet paper there’s an old clay cup hiding in the crawlspace that will sacrifice itself to protect the household shattering as it absorbs an incoming curse or disaster.  the general weirdness of yōkai means that even the potentially docile ones can be frightening yōkai are more misunderstood than malicious Natsume can’t help but give yōkai the benefit of the doubt even when they terrify him how many people have been afraid of him based on assumptions that he was either crazy or a liar or both his spiritual power allows him to punch them pretty damn hard when the need arises Socializing is never simple for a guy like Natsume “He doesn’t know how to be a friend,” Madara explains to Natsume’s human classmate Tanuma in the second season finale after Natsume yet again darts off into danger without asking for help Natsume has always seen himself as an inconvenience and he would sooner chop off his own leg than lay his burdens on someone else he fears inflicting pain on those he cares about but he can sense them and sometimes sees a haze where they stand he understands that good friends share their suffering But it has never occurred to Natsume that anyone would want to help him with his problems Natsume’s gradual willingness to accept help from others is a fundamental aspect of his character growth he values himself so little that he throws himself headfirst into danger “Protect me from other yōkai and help me return their names and you can have the Book of Friends.” But Natsume also can’t help being empathetic and in seeking to understand yōkai and people he finds himself less alone After he forms bonds with people and monsters in his midst Natsume continues to throw himself into danger Eventually he accepts that some of the yōkai can be his friends and that there are people in this countryside town who appreciate him a famous actor and secret exorcist who sees supernatural beings clearly thanks to a cursed birthmark of a lizard that travels around his body a girl who learned to draw magical yōkai-revealing circles from her grandfather There are classmates who know nothing of his yōkai relations but appreciate his kind Natori envies Natsume’s power over spirits but Natsume never sees himself as having any Some of the best moments of the series are those when we see Natsume through the eyes of those who know him an entire episode is dedicated to Touko and Shigeru They reflect on all his moments of strangeness and insecurity and recall how they longed to help their traumatized adoptee They are grateful for the privilege to watch him becoming whole and happier over time and how wondrous it is to have unexpectedly become parents late in life while Touka frets over Natsume returning home late “It eases my mind to see him going out on his own but there is such a thing as being too considerate.” Natsume still refuses to share his ability to see yōkai with his relatives Not because he fears rejection; he trusts them now it’s because he doesn’t want to give them any reasons to worry at times we view Natsume through the lens of the yōkai friends who have come to surround him They are fiercely protective of him because he has always been fiercely protective of them a beautiful yōkai woman who was infatuated with his grandmother He has earned their loyalty rather than their servitude Whenever they invade his bedroom to ask for favors or appear in the forest shield him from the attacks of nefarious creatures In the future I will certainly be writing more about yōkai and I could write about this series for eternity aka kobuta (piggy) deserves a novel of his own let’s pay homage to this irreplaceable character here It isn’t surprising that even though the last Book of Friends production (aside from the wonderful ongoing manga) Nyanko-Sensei merch has continued to sell like hotcakes and appeals even to those who have never seen the show But I think the context makes him even more appealing A fat cat who is secretly a badass shapeshfiting wolf-deity thing and also a sake lush and also a very wise friend developing his own empathy in Natsume’s company is impossibly charming although he certainly looks good on keychains He is a truly powerful yōkai who chooses to appear as a lucky cat because it’s comfortable in almost every episode he transforms into a giant white flying wolf to protect Natsume He also takes on the form of a human girl sometimes a girl who looks similar to Natsume’s grandmother Reiko “Yōkai don’t care about things like gender,” he has claimed but his choice of human form seems a little pointed Nyanko has a penchant for manju and sake and other delicious foods and in most episodes is either overeating or clutching a sake bottle in his paws and yet constantly saves Natsume from harm he agrees to be Natsume’s “bodyguard” only because Natsume has promised to bequeath the book to him he says that he stays with Natsume because “I just can’t get bored with you.”  If he wanted the book more than he wanted Natsume’s company he could have let Natsume die a hundred times over every time Natsume returns a name to a yōkai he feigns annoyance and complains that the book is growing less powerful an unspoken understanding between a boy and his almost-cat but Natsume is too nice to call Madara’s bluff after Natsume throws himself in the path of an attacking exorcist to shield Nyanko-Sensei from harm Natsume knows better than to tell the truth “I was just protecting the book of friends,” he says throwing Nyanko’s usual phrase back at him These two are absolute dorks and weirdos and very dear friend.” More than any other yōkai in the series it is Nyanko who embodies the duality of these creatures And he is also learning to be a superb friend Just as he would rather die than admit to being a cat Japanese culture is renowned for celebrating the ephemeral families gather under the cherry blossoms during hanami to say farewell to winter and welcome spring most sakura petals fall to the ground and rot people revel in the showers of pink that make the world feel “Human lives are short,” Madara tells another yōkai and a drinking party when asked why he is spending so much time with Natsume too ever philosophical in his private thoughts is all too aware of how precious and fleeting time with friends can be.  I have read criticisms that Natsume Yuujinchou as a series is slow While I can’t speak for others and I imagine that people used to shōnen action series about chosen ones might find this anime aimless at times I cannot think of a single episode that does not add nuance to the world and its characters celebrating the mundane moments of rural life and the seasons changing as its protagonist grows up Book of Friends strives to feel realistic.  has been among my favorite anime directors for years He is deliberate in his choices and always understands how much atmosphere matters the shifts from summer to winter uniforms matter and classroom banter is precious enough to bottle up and keep close forever Most seasons of the series culminate in either a festival or a social gathering it’s an autumn festival that Natsume attends with a little fox boy and in the third it’s a banquet Natsume’s yōkai friends hold to celebrate him he plays tag with friends for the first time in his life there’s an idiom often spoken during holidays and reunions: Ichi-go It’s a sentiment that we can all relate to one that may put a pang in our hearts: there is no telling when or if we will all be together again with those we love The impact Book of Friends has on those with whom these ideas resonate is no small thing While I have certainly met people who have never seen the show “I watched that show and it was okay.” Instead “That’s my favorite show,” or “I rewatch it every year.” It was inevitable that I would write this essay on what is I have admired this series for fifteen years now and it has arguably changed the trajectory of my life.  the least populous of all Japanese prefectures I was leaving an abusive workplace just outside Tokyo and like many newcomers with rudimentary Japanese skills I hesitated when the decision was presented to me so much so that even people in Japan rarely visit despite the prefecture’s many local charms (it isn’t just the sand dunes But then my trainer told me that the city I was moving to neighbors a place dedicated to yōkai a little port town where legendary mangaka Shigeru Mizuki spent his childhood boasts an entire street dedicated to the creatures Mizuki incorporated into his iconic manga Gegege no Kitaro The street is illuminated by eyeball streetlamps and there are yōkai statues everywhere a ghost-boy emerging from a TV (he almost certainly inspired Ringu) a creepy yōkai whose clopping footsteps you might hear behind you in the dark and visitors can collect stamps and omiyage from the unique little shops that line Kitaro Road.  “The pace of life is slower there,” my trainer added in no small part thanks to Natsume’s Book of Friends A place that celebrates yōkai is a place that values history and the oddities that make life interesting And if I have learned anything from loving Natsume and his friends it’s this: the best things in life are often uninvited the things you are most afraid of become the things you cherish most I boarded multiple trains and left Tokyo behind a rare horror-themed anime that is genuinely creepy that I have come to genuinely love a fictional character in Natsume It’s not that he’s a good person It’s that his alienation from those around him is something many of us can identify with and his gradual learning to trust those around him and himself because of his great heart touches me deeply I want to protect him on his journey maybe because it’s a journey I want to accompany him on The series is masterfully written to touch us emotionally More often than not I end up crying during watching it All the beings in it have lives that matter and many of the lonely characters find links with Natsume that show them that at least for a little while I first started watching the series in college after binging a slew of action-packed shounen series because I am a sucker for all things supernatural I was taken aback by the pace and the calm because it was so different from other series I had seen then But that feeling was soon replaced by a genuine appreciation for the show’s approach to character and Natsume’s genuine goodness as a person He is that character that deserves to be protected and deserves to be appreciated The audience realizes long before he does that he is finally in a place among people who truly care for him The series improves on a rewatch for these reasons because sometimes the growth of his character is only obvious in retrospect anyone would be lucky to be friends with someone like Natsume Is the beginning currently available anywhere The first three seasons are lumped together on Crunchyroll as one season under the Japanese title because I’m in Japan and all seasons are available on Netflix I couldn’t click on this article quickly enough I also love the gentleness of this series as well as the love and compassion clearly woven throughout it The occasional spooky moments are welcome as well As for recommendations–In/Spectre has an interesting take on yokai/human interactions and can be a little spooky sometimes as well It’s very different from the feel of Natsume: it’s a mystery series through and through with a tough-as-nails main character who proves over and again that appearances can be deceiving you prove that those who find this show fall in love with it cozy-spooky is such a rare and wonderful subgenre and few series nail it like this one the amount of research that author Yuki Midorikawa puts into the folklore of the region is so thorough and so consistent it feels disingenuous that I didn’t talk about her specifically in the article There’s just so much to say about this one I have had In/Spectre on my list for a while but what’s nice about writing for Reactor is the freedom to write about any series from any season from any decade for any reason but I’m behind on it and trying to catch up I have read the manga up through what’s current in the U.S. it isn’t the sort of show that needs to be binged I plan to wait for this season to end to watch it I try to get my friends with Crunchyroll to watch it I would like to note that it’s Tanuma (Tanuma Kaname) I am prone to mixing up article names with names of current acquaintances and students for some stupid reason Another devoted lover of this anime and it’s characters here It’s my very favourite iyashikei show One thing I was surprised you didn’t touch on when explaining some of the multitudinous charms of this series is the music in general and most especially the OP/EDs I expect that was a victim of the limited length Season 2’s OP is easily my favourite because of the way it shows you all these brief seemingly random shots everyday life and nature but then comes back and shows you the same shots again and every single yokai shown in the opening has an important role somewhere within the season Ano hi Time Machine certainly pulls it’s own weight there too I think ED2 (Aishiteru) very narrowly edges in front again because of it’s wonderful visuals of the people that have come into Takashi’s life do the performances of ED1 (Natsu Yuuzora) and ED3 (Kimi no Kakera) utterly wreck me every time with the MASSIVE levels of wistful melancholy they bring Kousuke Atari does both of these masterfully and what scraps we do learn are almost all inferences from little facts we learn from the way she did some things The second season episode regarding the name tied to the top of a tree is the perfect example of this: Despite her cold and distant exterior and action on the surface she was seemingly kind but super awkward and rather obscure in her reasons Though it is also clear that getting on her bad side was A Very Bad Idea.  In my headcanon she actually did have a happy I love how pretty much all of the characters yokai or other are displayed and developed more by the negative spaces around them Misuzu and Hinoe are also wonderfully cryptic in many ways even if he doesn’t realise it at first Nyanko-sensei’s goofy drinking buddies are always fun to see and their very obvious fear of humans is hilarious to see in a pair of yokai I have had almost no luck at all in convincing anime-watching friends to share my deep love with this series but then iyashikei shows do seem to be highly variable in their impact from one person to another One of them utterly adores Aria and all it’s seasons They seem to feel similarly about Natsume Yuujinchou in return I shall suggest another iyashikei anime that I loved with a similar ‘feel’ (despite the complete lack of any fantastic elements) of someone very isolated and lonely slowly growing out of their shell making friends and expanding their world: Super Cub The Reactor newsletter is the best way to catch up on the world of science fiction “The sky above the port was the color of television For compliance with applicable privacy laws: Your browser does not support JavaScript, or it is disabled．Please check the site policy for more information Vox Populi Vox Dei is a daily column that runs on Page 1 of The Asahi Shimbun Probably because I deal with somber news all the time as a newspaper reporter it does my heart good when I come across a photo of a beaming child by chance it turned out to be Takeyoshi Tanuma (1929-2022) One of his pictures showed a group of barefooted Malawi children in Africa racing a car right after they were let out of school for the day I could even imagine hearing their joyful squeals a young Guatemalan boy with a distended belly appears goggle-eyed as he listens to his own heartbeat for the first time from a doctor’s stethoscope In his photo book titled “Bokutachi Chikyukko” (literally “We Tanuma quotes poet and Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941): “Every child comes with the message that God is not yet discouraged of man.” Tanuma was in his mid-30s when he decided his life’s work would be to look at the world through children After multitalented Japanese entertainer Tetsuko Kuroyanagi was appointed as a UNICEF goodwill ambassador in 1984 Tanuma often accompanied her on her overseas visits He visited more than 120 countries and regions until his death at the age of 93 he photographed a youth holding a gun at the ready An Afghan girl looks directly at the camera lens I wonder if what she sees is the uncertain future of the world or the apathy of the international community But for all the vicissitudes of life he witnessed through the camera lens Tanuma continued to love and believe in humanity He once stated: “People come from varying social but that never stops them from living with hope That’s what makes the human race awesome.” A retrospective exhibition of his works titled “Viva Humanity!” (Ningen Sanka in Japanese) is currently showing at the Tokyo Photographic Art Museum through July 30 Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture VOX POPULI: Photographer spent his life capturing faces of smiling kids VOX POPULI: Kishida’s LDP blatantly tosses out ‘constitution’ pledged in 2010 VOX POPULI: Killing involving teen GSDF cadet is both shocking and puzzling VOX POPULI: Dam collapse in Ukraine recalls horrors of river flood in China 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 Metrics details Nicotinamide phosphoribosyltransferase (NAMPT) plays a major role in NAD biosynthesis in many cancers and is an attractive potential cancer target factors dictating therapeutic efficacy of NAMPT inhibitors (NAMPTi) are unclear We report that neuroendocrine phenotypes predict lung and prostate carcinoma vulnerability to NAMPTi and that NAMPTi therapy against those cancers is enhanced by dietary modification Neuroendocrine differentiation of tumor cells is associated with down-regulation of genes relevant to quinolinate phosphoribosyltransferase-dependent de novo NAD synthesis We also report that circulating nicotinic acid riboside (NAR) a non-canonical niacin absent in culture media antagonizes NAMPTi efficacy as it fuels NAMPT-independent but nicotinamide riboside kinase 1-dependent NAD synthesis in tumors depleting blood NAR by nutritional or genetic manipulations is synthetic lethal to tumors when combined with NAMPTi Our findings provide a rationale for simultaneous targeting of NAR metabolism and NAMPT therapeutically in neuroendocrine carcinoma our understanding of the dependence of various cell types on NAD biosynthesis or how precursor niacin regulates NAD pool size is limited PKM1 promotes glucose metabolism more efficiently than does the PKM2 isoform; yet it is unclear how PKM1-directed active glucose metabolism supports SCLC Here we analyzed metabolic advantages conferred by PKM1 expression in this cancer context and found that PKM1 promotes NAD biosynthesis These findings prompted us to evaluate NAD metabolism in SCLC We found that SCLC and other neuroendocrine carcinomas (NECs) were vulnerable to NAMPT inhibition dietary niacin counteracts the efficacy of targeting NAMPT in those cancers a Isolation and transformation of PkmM1/M1 or PkmM2/M2 LE cells and MEFs b Steady state levels of cellular NAD (left) and poly-ADP-ribosylated protein (PAR) (right) in PkmM1/M1 and PkmM2/M2 LE-Kras cells n = 3 biological replicates from 3 LE lines for each genotype The blot shown is representative of three independent experiments c NAD levels in PkmM1/M1 and PkmM2/M2 MEF-Kras cells before and after medium change (4 or 8 h) M2/M2) or 5 (others) biological replicates from two MEF lines for each genotype d Diagram of NAD synthetic pathways in mammals e Enrichment of labeled NAD (labeled vs total NAD) in PkmM1/M MEF-Kras cells cultured in the presence of [15N (amide)]-Nam for indicated times Shown are data from two independent MEF lines f NAD synthesis from Nam in PkmM1/M1 and PkmM2/M2 MEF-Kras cells m+1) levels were measured 4 hours after 15N-Nam loading n = 5 (M1/M1) or 4 (M2/M2) biological replicates from two MEF lines per genotype g Levels of total (left) and glucose-derived (right) PRPP (m+5) in PkmM1/M1 and PkmM2/M2 MEF-Kras cells loaded 4 h in medium containing [U-13C]-glucose Shown are the average of three independent MEF lines per genotype with duplicates P = 0.0062 (Total); P = 0.0047 (Gluc-derived) h Levels of total (left) and glucose-derived (right) ATP Shown is the average of three independent MEF lines per genotype P = 0.0269 (Total); P = 0.0248 (Gluc-derived) i Potential crosstalk between glucose-metabolism and NAD synthesis Data are presented as mean plus the range (e) or SEM (b ***P < 0.001 as determined by two-tailed t test (b Source data are provided as a Source Data file the latter may facilitate ATP regeneration from ADP a Key metabolic enzymes involved in NAD biosynthesis (shown in green) and potential nutrient sources (blue) taken up by cells. Note that Nam and Trp are the only NAD precursors contained in normal culture medium. See also Fig. 1 which describes substrates required for each reaction b Effects of siRNA-mediated knockdown of enzymes shown in (a) on NAD levels in 4 SCLC lines Shown are values relative to those seen in mock-transfected cells c Comparison of relative numbers of cells (relative to the number on day 0) in SCLC and NSCLC lines cultured 4 days with indicated NAMPT-inhibitors (FK866 Each symbol represents an individual cell line Shown are results of 8 (for FK866) or 7 (GNE-617 and TLM-118) SCLC lines and 8 NSCLC lines P = 0.0069 (FK866); P = 0.0045 (GNE-617); P = 0.0073 (TLM-118) d Analysis of the DepMap dataset showing effects of NAMPT knock-out on proliferation of cell lines in the CCLE collection P = 0.0001 (SCLC vs NSCLC); P = 0.0017 (SCLC vs Pan-cancer); P = 0.0652 (NSCLC vs Pan-cancer) e Time course analysis of NAD levels in 4 NAMPTi-treated SCLC lines (87-5 Shown is data representative of >2 independent experiments f Volcano plot of the metabolome of 4 SCLC lines in (e) treated 48 h with or without NAPMTi Significantly increased or decreased metabolites compared to untreated controls are shown in blue and red p values were based on a two-tailed t test g Summary of 13C-glucose tracer experiments in SCLC cells FK866 treatment blocked glucose metabolism at steps catalyzed by GAPDH h ATP levels in 5 SCLC lines treated 6 h with Koningic acid (KA) (a GAPDH inhibitor) or control vehicle i Proposed model of NAMPT inhibition-induced death of SCLC cells Data are presented as the mean of measurement duplicates (e) or the mean of biological replicates plus the SEM (b ****P < 0.0001 as determined by one-way ANOVA with a post hoc test (b we conclude that SCLC cell survival and proliferation is highly dependent on the NAD salvage pathway We also note that this activity would create a feedforward loop in which ATP decreases lead to further NAD decline as ATP is an essential substrate in NAD salvage b Relative NAD (a) and ATP (b) levels in 7 NSCLC and 4 SCLC cell lines treated 48 h with NAMPTi Results are shown as values relative to those seen in non-treated controls c Adenylate and guanylate energy charge of cells treated 48 h with or without NAMPTi Shown are results of 7 NSCLC and 4 SCLC cell lines e Expression of genes encoding enzymes shown in (d) in 50 SCLC and 135 NSCLC cell lines collected in the DepMap dataset f mRNA levels of three indicated genes whose expression significantly differs between SCLC and NSCLC groups P = 0.0006 (TDO2); P = 0.0012 (KMO); P <0.0001 (KYNU) g Immunoassays showing knock-down efficiency of indicated siRNAs in H1975 NSCLC cells h Effects of knockdown of either KYNU or QPRT on NAD levels in H1975 cells j Immunoassays (i) and NAD levels (j) of SCLC cells transduced with Flag-QPRT or empty vector (EV) The blot shown is representative of two independent experiments (i) n = 3 (87-5/EV and H209/EV cells) or 4 (87-5/QPRT and H209/QPRT cells) biological replicates in (j) k SCLC cells in i were treated 4 days with 20 nM FK866 and viable cells were scored Dashed lines represent cell number at day 0 87-5/QPRT and FK866-treated H209/EV or H209/QPRT cells) or 4 (untreated H209/EV or H209/QPRT cells) biological replicates ****P < 0.0001 as determined by one-way ANOVA with a post hoc test (c These results indicate that de novo NAD synthesis and suggest that this activity partially accounts for NAMPTi-resistance in some NSCLC cells P = 0.2459 (SCLC vs NEPCa); P <0.0001 (SCLC vs non-transformed); P <0.0001 (NEPCa vs non-transformed) ****P<0.0001 as determined by one-way ANOVA with a post hoc test (e a Effects of either NFD or WFD on GNE-617 (GNE) therapeutic effects Volumes of Lu-139 tumors at day 12 are shown relative to baseline (day 0) volumes n = 8 (Normal diet groups) or 6 (NFD and WFD) tumors b NAD levels in Lu-139 tumors from mice treated with NFD P = 0.9034 (CTRL vs NFD); P<0.0001 (CTRL vs GNE); P = 0.0016 (GNE vs Combo) SCPC (NCI-H660) and NEPCa (KUCaP13) xenograft tumors in mice treated with vehicle (CTRL) GNE-617 alone (GNE) or GNE-617 plus NFD (Combo) KUCaP13 graph also includes results from mice treated only with NFD n = 6 (CTRL and GNE) or 8 (GNE/NFD) Lu-139 tumors; n = 6 (CTRL) 5 (GNE) or 9 (GNE/NFD) NCI-H660 tumors; n = 4 (CTRL) 6 (GNE and NFD) or 10 (GNE/NFD) KUCaP13 tumors d Analyses using two structurally dissimilar NAMPT inhibitors (GNE-617 and TLM-118) (right panels) Growth curves of 87-5 SCLC tumors in mice treated with NFD a NAMPTi (GNE-617 or TLM-118) or a combination of NFD + the indicated NAMPTi 7 (NFD) or 12 (Combo) tumors in GNE-617 experiments; n = 8 tumors in TLN-118 experiments ****P<0.0001 as determined by one-way ANOVA with a post hoc test (a–c) or by two-tailed t test (d) metabolic changes seen in tumors receiving combined therapy resembled those seen in NAMPTi-treated cells P < 0.0001 (CTRL vs GNE); P = 0.0022 (GNE vs combo); P = 0.3450 (GNE vs Combo + NAR); P <0.0001 (Combo vs Combo + NAR) h qRT-PCR analyses of NMRK1 in parental and NMRK1 knock-out 87-5 clones Shown are mean values from two duplicate measures i NAD levels in parental and NMRK1-KO cells Parental cells were assessed as four biological replicates are the three independent clones shown in (h) Shown is representative analysis of two assays Parental cell levels are the same as those shown in (i) Also shown are results of two independent KO clones Data are presented as the mean plus SEM (c ****P<0.0001 as determined by one-way ANOVA with a post hoc test (g a Amounts of indicated niacin molecules found in the normal diet used for mice experiments Shown are averages of >2 technical replicates b Effects of niacin supplementation of NFD on mouse serum NAR levels P = 0.0002 (Normal diet vs NFD); P = 0.9188 (Normal diet vs NASD); P = 0.0002 (NFD vs NASD) c Effects of NA administration (by gavage) on serum niacin levels 1.5 and 6 h) or 4 (0.5 and 3 h) mice per time point d Levels of labeled and unlabeled niacin molecules in serum of mice administered deuterium-labeled NA ([D4]-NA) NAR (m+4) structure derived from [D4]-NA (m+4) is also shown e NAPRT expression in liver of WT and Naprt-KO mice f Effects of Naprt-deficiency on serum levels of niacin molecules g Effects of host Naprt-deficiency on NAMPTi therapeutic efficacy NaprtWT;Rag1-/- or Naprt-/-;Rag1-/- mice were inoculated with A2780 cells and treated with GNE-617 h Proposed model of how systemic niacin metabolism modulates efficacy of NAMPT-targeted therapy Data are presented as mean (d) or the mean plus SEM (b ****P <0.0001 as determined by one-way ANOVA with a post hoc test (b) or by two-tailed t test (f some sporadic cases may be vulnerable to NAMPT inhibition Determining the molecular basis of that vulnerability is a question for future study We observed significant differences in expression of genes relevant to NAD de novo synthesis, such as KYNU, in SCLC compared to NSCLC, and RNAi analysis confirmed that QPRT-dependent NAD synthesis underlies in part NAMPTi-resistance in NSCLC (Fig. 3) we found that residual NAD levels in QPRT-silenced cells remained higher than those seen in SCLC after NAMPTi treatment although SCLC and NSCLC cells likely exhibit as yet uncharacterized differences in NAD metabolism such as differences in NAD consumption rates Further study is needed to assess these possibilities Lower blood Nam may also lead to WFD’s toxicity since a NFD was tolerated by mice even when combined with a NAMPTi Further study is needed to address these issues we found no evidence that tumor cells could benefit from their ability to use NA or NR for NAD synthesis we do not exclude the possibility that in some tumor microenvironments local concentrations of NA and/or NR are high enough to promote NAD synthesis in tumor cells Since NAD is required for many physiological tissue or cellular functions altering NAD metabolism may impact both tumor and non-tumor tissues possible adverse effects on healthy tissues/cells should be carefully examined before translating our results into a clinical setting Although mice tolerated a combination of NAMPTi treatment and restriction of dietary niacin we note that humans and rodents may exhibit difference(s) in niacin/NAD metabolism our study reports a previously unrecognized role of NAR in cancer biology All animal experiments were performed with approval of the Miyagi Cancer Center Research Institute Animal Care and Use Committee Mutant mouse strains were deposited with the RIKEN BioResource Research Center (Tsukuba Three or four independent MEF and LE lines derived from 3 or 4 independent mice per genotype were used in this study medium was prepared by adding 10% FCS (dialyzed) and 2000 mg/L [13C-U] glucose to glucose-free RPMI medium (FUJIFILM Wako cells were simultaneously treated with FK866 and 10 μM NA PBS/EDTA-treated cells were resuspended in RPMI/FCS medium and then 5 μM Koningic acid (KA) (or control DMSO) was added medium was replaced with new RPMI/FCS medium containing 5 μM KA for adherent cells (as performed for all NSCLC cell lines used in this paper) TR-6TF organoids were maintained as standard Matrigel-embedded 3D culture Organoids were suspended in 25 μl of ice-cold Matrigel (growth factor-reduced and left 10 min at 37 °C to allow gel formation Basal medium was defined as follows: Advanced DMEM/F12 (Thermo Fisher MA) supplemented with penicillin/streptomycin and 1  mM N-acetylcysteine (FUJIFILM Wako) Complete medium was prepared by supplementing basal medium with the following niche factors: 50 ng/ml mouse recombinant EGF 100 ng/ml mouse recombinant noggin (Thermo Fisher) 100 ng/ml human recombinant IGF-1 (BioLegend 1 µg/ml recombinant human R-spondin-1 (R&D NE-differentiation was induced by adding 100 ng/ml doxycycline to complete medium lacking Wnt-3A and R-spondin-1 cells were harvested 3 days after transfection Recombinant Cas9 proteins (True Cut Cas9 Protein V2) and sgRNA targeting human NAPRT NMRK1 and NADSYN1 gene were purchased from Thermo Fisher Scientific Genome editing was performed by transfection of RNP complexes consisting of Cas9 protein and sgRNAs 87-5 and Lu-139 cells were transfected using LipofectAMINE CRISPRMAX reagent (Thermo Fisher) following the manufacturer’s recommendations NMRK1- or NADSYN1-KO clones were obtained by genome editing of a NAPRT-KO 87-5 clone Transfection of the NAPRT-KO 87-5 clone was performed by electroporation using a NEPA gene electroporator (Nepa Gene Japan) at the following settings: the poring-pulse was set for 175 V with a 5 msec pulse-width and the transfer-pulse was set for 20 V with a 50 msec pulse-width RNP-transfected cells were subjected to a cloning procedure using the standard limiting dilution method KO clones were selected based on loss of either NAPRT or NADSYN1 protein or loss of NMRK1 mRNA The lentivirus plasmids pLV-EFS-HA/NAPRT-Neo pLV-EFS-Flag/QPRT-Neo and appropriate empty vector were sourced from VectorBuilder (Chicago Lentivirus was produced by standard procedures using 293T cells Virus infections were performed using a 3:1 mixture of 293T culture supernatant and fresh medium Polybrene was added to the virus mixture at 8 μg/ml to promote infection Infected cells and organoids were selected in 500 μg/ml Geneticin The same dataset was used to analyze mRNA expression Histological classification of cell lines was according to the DepMap portal or Expasy operated by the BROAD Institute or the Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics Conventional Western blot analysis was performed using TXN gels and a Transblot Turbo blotting system (BioRad proteins were size-separated and immune-detected using an automated capillary-based immunoassay system (JESS Simple Western system from ProteinSimple 1:3000) and anti-rabbit IgG-HRP (5220-0336 1:3000) served as secondary antibodies in Western blotting no dilution) and anti-mouse Ig-NIR (043-821 1:200) were used as secondary antibodies for the JESS system Uncropped images of each blot are provided in the Source Data file An ATP Colorimetric/Fluorometric Assay kit and a NAD+/NADH Quantification kit were purchased from BioVision (Waltham MA) and used to quantify respective cellular ATP and NAD levels and protein concentrations in lysates were determined by a BCA protein assay (Thermo Fisher) and used to normalize metabolite levels cells treated or untreated with FK866 were washed with ice-cold PBS snap-frozen in liquid nitrogen and stored at -80 oC until use tissue samples were washed with PBS and snap-frozen immediately after resection whole blood samples collected from anesthetized mice were immediately subjected to serum isolation and then snap-frozen Water soluble metabolites were extracted from cells or tissues with the standard Bligh-Dyer method using H2O Resulting extracts were evaporated and reconstituted in H2O (for Liquid Chromatograph (LC)-mass spectrometry (MS) system) or H2O containing 200 μM 3-aminopyrrolidine and 200 μM trimesate (for capillary electrophoresis (CE)-MS system) samples were analyzed by CE-MS using the Agilent CE capillary electrophoresis system and the G1603A Agilent CE-MS adapter- and G1607A Agilent CE-ESI-MS sprayer kit (all from Agilent Technologies samples were analyzed by LC-MS either using an Agilent 6460 Triple Quad mass spectrometer coupled with an Agilent 1290 HPLC system (Agilent) or QTRAP 5500 (AB SCIEX LLC we evaluated the following metabolites/nutrients: NAMN All but the last four were below detection limits Energy charge was calculated using the following formulation: energy charge = ([ATP] + 0.5x[ADP])/([ATP]+[ADP]+[AMP]) Mice were maintained in specific pathogen-free (SPF) facilities with a 12-h light–dark cycle The maximal tumor size/burden permitted by our institutional review board is 10% of body weight (combined burden if more than one mass present) which corresponds to a tumor volume of 2200 mm3 in adult mice (~22 g) The maximal tumor size/burden permitted by our institutional review board was not exceeded in any transplantation experiment mice were fed a normal diet (MF from Oriental Yeast Co. Both Naprtflox and Naprt- mouse strains were deposited with the CARD (Center for Animal Resources and Development) (Kumamoto The niacin-free diet (NFD) and a series of niacin-supplemented NFDs were produced and sterilized at Oriental Yeast Co. Synthetic diets were composed of 25% vitamin-free casein and a 6% mineral and 2% vitamin solution either containing or not containing niacin Formulation of the vitamin mix was as follows (provided are amounts per 100 g vitamin mix): 0.15385 g vitamin A acetate (325 IU/mg) The W (tryptophan)-free diet (WFD) was purchased from Research Diets Inc (New Brunswick Niacin equivalent content of diets was determined by a standard bioassay using Lactobacillus plantarum ATCC-8014 at Japan Food Research Laboratories (Tokyo The content of each niacin isoform contained in diets was determined by LC-MS analysis at the Foundation for Promotion of Material Science and Technology of Japan (Tokyo All other experiments were performed at least twice Student’s t test (two-tailed) and a one-way ANOVA followed by a post hoc test were used when comparing two groups and multiple groups A P value of <0.05 was considered significant Further information on research design is available in the Nature Portfolio Reporting Summary linked to this article Myc-driven small-cell lung cancer is metabolically distinct and vulnerable to arginine depletion Inosine monophosphate dehydrogenase dependence in a subset of small cell lung cancers The hallmarks of cancer metabolism: still emerging PKM1 confers metabolic advantages and promotes cell-autonomous tumor cell growth Nicotinamide metabolism mediates resistance to venetoclax in relapsed acute myeloid leukemia stem cells Nicotinamide phosphoribosyltransferase inhibitors selectively induce apoptosis of AML stem cells by disrupting lipid homeostasis Oxidative metabolism drives immortalization of neural stem cells during tumorigenesis Computational correction of copy number effect improves specificity of CRISPR–Cas9 essentiality screens in cancer cells Next-generation characterization of the Cancer Cell Line Encyclopedia Glucose-dependent active ATP depletion by koningic acid kills high-glycolytic cells Neuroendocrine neoplasms of the lung and gastrointestinal system: convergent biology and a path to better therapies An organoid biobank of neuroendocrine neoplasms enables genotype-phenotype mapping Reprogramming normal human epithelial tissues to a common Lineage plasticity in prostate cancer depends on JAK/STAT inflammatory signaling Ectopic JAK-STAT activation enables the transition to a stem-like and multilineage state conferring AR-targeted therapy resistance Chromatin profiles classify castration-resistant prostate cancers suggesting therapeutic targets Establishment and characterization of a novel treatment-related neuroendocrine prostate cancer cell line KUCaP13 Developing dietary interventions as therapy for cancer Dietary intervention as a therapeutic for cancer Modulating the therapeutic response of tumours to dietary serine and glycine starvation Dietary methionine influences therapy in mouse cancer models and alters human metabolism Suppression of insulin feedback enhances the efficacy of PI3K inhibitors Quantitative analysis of NAD synthesis-breakdown fluxes Structural basis of beneficial design for effective nicotinamide phosphoribosyltransferase inhibitors NAD metabolic dependency in cancer is shaped by gene amplification and enhancer remodeling Extreme vulnerability of IDH1 mutant cancers to NAD+ depletion BST1 regulates nicotinamide riboside metabolism via its glycohydrolase and base-exchange activities Nicotinamide riboside kinases display redundancy in mediating nicotinamide mononucleotide and nicotinamide riboside metabolism in skeletal muscle cells NRK1 controls nicotinamide mononucleotide and nicotinamide riboside metabolism in mammalian cells Divergent metabolic responses dictate vulnerability to NAMPT inhibition in ovarian cancer Pan-cancer convergence to a small-cell neuroendocrine phenotype that shares susceptibilities with hematological malignancies Binary pan-cancer classes with distinct vulnerabilities defined by pro- or anti-cancer YAP/TEAD activity NAD synthesis pathway interference is a viable therapeutic strategy for chondrosarcoma Ex vivo model of non-small cell lung cancer using mouse lung epithelial cells Download references Yui Tanuma for help in Figure illustration This work was supported by JSPS KAKENHI grants (19H01036 and 21K19420 to N.T. AMED P-Create under Grant number 23ama221122h0001 (to N.T.) Extramural Collaborative Research Grant of Cancer Research Institute the Uehara Memorial Foundation (to N.T.) and Princess Takamatsu Cancer Research Fund (to N.T.) Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine Department of Molecular and Medical Pharmacology Center for Cancer Immunotherapy and Immunobiology Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology Cancer Research Institute and WPI Nano Life Science Institute Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine Meikai University Research Institute of Odontology Department of Integrated Medicine and Biochemistry NSCLC and organoid cells and analyzed data Sakamoto performed overall cell culture and biochemical and animal studies performed some animal experiments supervised by N.Y. performed MS analyses of serum niacin and interpreted data under supervision of T.N Sugiura performed metabolic analyses of mouse cells Kawasaki performed organoid experiments supervised by Toshiro Sato performed PCa experiments and analyzed the data performed and interpreted TLM-118 NAMPTi experiments wrote the paper with input from all of the authors The authors declare no competing interests Nature Communications thanks Joshua Rabinowitz and the other reviewer(s) for their contribution to the peer review of this work Publisher’s note Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations Download citation DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-43630-3 Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content: a shareable link is not currently available for this article Sign up for the Nature Briefing: Cancer newsletter — what matters in cancer research he played baseball – that American import that’s also quintessentially Japanese When the fever of war swept across the country were indoctrinated at school to defend the motherland and with their spindly arms taught to hold and wield bamboo poles as spears to poke at straw effigies of enemy soldiers a connoisseur who raised renowned hunting dogs that he had imported from Scotland All the filial duties and expectations to succeed fell on my uncle my father’s elder brother who my father no doubt worshiped ​ World War II and the devastation of the country left Japan with a per capita income less than that of India at the time Tokyo in a single firebombing raid saw over 100,000 civilians killed My mother’s mother sold off kimonos to buy rice and sewed the rice into blankets to smuggle from the countryside to Tokyo for family My father’s mother had to smuggle rice from more rural areas back to Chichibu Japan threw itself into the long arduous task of rebuilding the country and society My uncle Ohno Mitsuya sailed to the US to study journalism at the University of San Francisco he died presumably of a burst aortic aneurysm My father was still a teenager – and was now the only man of the house He came out to Tokyo to study at 9 years old and eventually went on to study medicine at Jikei Medical University – the school he would later return to as a researcher and professor My mother was born on the first day of summer in 1940 in Tokyo though her family hailed proudly from Kagoshima the southern holdout of the last of the samurai Her father Taniguchi Eizo served in the capital as an attorney for the City of Tokyo her family fled to the countryside near Hiroshima after their house in Tokyo was firebombed playing when she and her mother saw a flash in the sky in the distance – it was the first atomic explosion and the end of the war Eizo did his legal duty and served as a defense attorney during the Tokyo War Crimes Tribunal my mother’s father Taniguchi Eizo died in 1950 ​ My father was 13 and my mother was 10 years old when they lost their fathers died after struggling with severe depression for eight years My parents came of age without having a father in their lives One of the last times he and I shared an outing was a brisk February Sunday in 2004 We spent the afternoon at the Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Photography to see a retrospective of Tanuma Takeyoshi The exhibit spanned 60 years of Tanuma’s career beginning with images of post-War children in Tokyo from 1949 that he took as a young apprenticing photojournalist the Family of Man exhibition came to Tokyo Tanuma was inspired by this exhibition and went to see it again and again The exhibition is still regarded as a grand undertaking 503 photographs from 68 countries – its magnitude matched only by its own hubris and that of its curator the driving aspirations and ethos of the exhibit to capture and encompass humanity in its multitudes as a single connected family was situated firmly in the liberal ideology of its time reflected in the contemporaneously articulated charter of the United Nations: We the peoples of the United Nations determined to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war…to reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights in the dignity and worth of the human person in the equal rights of men and women and of nations large and small and… to promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom The post-war Japanese intellectual of the late-Twentieth Century was an amalgam of times and cultures Adorned with a black beret or a bucket hat the aficionado of culture and the cool connoisseur of consumer goods practiced as an amateur naturalist the intellectual eccentric saw himself as hero like a Sherlock Holmes – a Victorian avatar that still stubbornly abides in Japan ​ It is not surprising then that my father left us in the United States and returned to Japan Shinya and Michiyuki to the US when I was 6 years old My parents remained a married couple – we were still a family – just separated by 13 time zones and 6,740 miles I felt his absence and filled it with rage I was angry at myself for feeling angry toward my father – I felt like I was desecrating some sacred filial code It took me into adulthood until I stopped following in his footsteps and abandoned science and then making social justice change that I felt relieved of my anger forgiving my father and accepting and understanding him just a temporary necessity dictated by his work ethic My mother eventually joined him after Michi graduated from Rutgers Michi was perhaps the most American of us for having grown up in the US since he was 3 years old We had years ago discussed its lineage and its reputation as the pinnacle of craft and industrialization Industrialization and the availability of the easy point and shoot 35mm camera became a turning point for the modern world “Photography,” first published in the New York Review of Books in 1973 presaged my father’s relationship to his camera “The very activity of taking pictures is soothing,” she wrote “and assuages general feelings of disorientation that are likely to be exacerbated by travel.” For my family it was not travel but immigration in 1972 – jarring and alienating always kept my father a little apart from interactions I could always see his desire to drop the bon mot if only he had mastery over English the way he had over Japanese “Most tourists feel compelled to put the camera between themselves and whatever is remarkable that they encounter.” It is a fine instrument for capturing and collecting moments but also a tool for defense ​ My father taking a photograph with his Nikormat at a Bicentennial rooftop party perhaps more so with the advent of the cellphone “People robbed of their past seem to make the most fervent picture-takers Everyone who lives in an industrialized society is obliged gradually to give up the past the break with the past has been particularly traumatic.” Migration only exacerbates this break He was intubated and then given a tracheotomy but also his adulation for what he glimpsed in that Family of Man exhibit – a vision of humanity suffused with dignity and love for all people ​Now I strive to take photographs that express my love for the world it is a continuing conversation with my father The viewfinder of this old camera is his eyes Medhanit Tekle with two local children in Aksum We were married about 6 months after my father’s passing I took this during our honeymoon with the Leica M3 To take a photograph is to participate in another person’s mortality Precisely by slicing out this moment and freezing it all photographs testify to time’s relentless melt About the author: Shuya Ohno works in racial and social justice and is based in Washington, DC. The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author. You can check out Ohno’s photography on Flickr Become a PetaPixel Member and access our content ad-free Shinzo Tanuma began developing a way to emulate surfing on snow riders sick of twin tips and double corks are turning to the style of riding and shapes he pioneered decades ago As anyone versed in snowboarding history will tell you, while the X Games version of the sport may look nothing like surfing aesthetically (save the halfpipe that’s basically a frozen wave), snowboarding is deeply rooted in surfing savvy manufacturers Stateside found a market in the American skateboard and punk rock scene and sold snowboards as a way to take skateboard tricks to the snow the sport was known by an entirely different name and was being sold as a way to take the enjoyment of ocean surfing to the mountain skateboard-inspired snowboarding became the dominant trend for decades and led to the twin-tip era of board design that still remains slowly things are beginning to shift as riders eschew double corks and kink rails for Euro carves and pow turns we know the names of snowboarding’s early American pioneers by heart Names like Jake Burton Carpenter and Tom Sims given so many are now returning to the sport’s surfy roots the originator of snowsurfing in Japan and founder of Moss Snowstick to weigh in on the trend and how the sport has evolved over the years from his vantage Can you tell me a bit about those early years when you first wanted to design equipment to emulate the feeling of surfing on snow What were your early inspirations and how did you apply them to some of the first Moss prototypes I started thinking about ways to replicate surfing in the ocean The first prototype had a bottom like a ski right where the board comes into contact with the snow We tested the prototype out at Akakura Ski Resort in Nagano Prefecture But that board was similar to a Yuki-ita (pow surfer) in that it did not have bindings and was difficult to control freely Walk me through that evolution and the growth of snowsurfing in those days in Japan we developed an improved model equipped with bindings that changed the riding experience drastically we started selling them for the first time we started hosting demo-competition events with surf shops and clothing stores that were interested in what we were doing and we started selling our boards in those stores too we sold over 500 boards annually and we’ve gradually grown from there So snowsurfing was gaining traction in Japan but were you all also paying attention to what was happening over in the United States with a skateboarding-inspired approach to snowboarding and the types of tricks that were being done in halfpipes I don’t think of snowboarding as a particularly different sport tricks and jumps are a part of both surfing and snowsurfing The halfpipe seemed to me like a manmade 3D slope with a riding style similar to skateboarding It’s the philosophy behind snowsurfing that I wanted to share Snowsurfing culture is built around the idea of enjoying nature and leveraging nature for free play the way you do when you’re surfing on the ocean Forrest Shearer bottom turning somewhere in Niseko How did snowsurfing develop and progress in those years separate from what was going on in the skateboarding-influenced worlds or even the backcountry segments We focused our efforts on developing snowsurf boards that allow you to take advantage of the natural terrain and packed snow within ski areas Backcountry riding is great but it involves a lot of risk twin tips have been the dominant trend across the industry it seems like many people are looking for a different feeling on the hill and are turning back to shapes that draw inspiration from surfboard design I think it is supported by those who are looking for something new and those who seek out a lifestyle in harmony with nature The frontside gouge feels good on any surface how does it feel to see the trend almost come full circle in a way To see this trend really gaining momentum in the U.S. it appears that the trend is coming full circle but I believe that the deeper understanding of snowsurfing is still just beginning to spread What do you think the future holds for surf-style riding I believe that the snowsurfing world will grow richer and in more creative ways as more riders and shapers find and love this culture Editor’s note: For more snowsurfing radness when we’ll be premiering Moss Snowstick’s newest film 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 Tokyo (Jiji Press)—Prominent Japanese photographer Takeyoshi Tanuma known for documenting children around the world and traditional landscapes of “shitamachi” working-class districts for decades Born to a family running a photo studio in Tokyo’s Asakusa district Tanuma graduated from Tokyo Professional School of Photographic Industry and studied under the mentorship of the late renowned Japanese photographer Ihei Kimura As a part-time photographer for Japanese monthly art magazine Geijutsu Shincho He was also active in the world of photojournalism as a contract photographer for Time Life of the United States Tanuma took pictures of children around the world as his lifework Tanuma served in posts including chief of the Japan Professional Photographers Society He was awarded the Order of Culture from the Japanese government in 2019 becoming the first photographer to receive the honor Our weekly ePaper presents the most noteworthy recent topics in an exciting © 2025 The Japan News - by The Yomiuri Shimbun Rain giving way to foggy conditions overnight executive director of Community Caregivers explains the fine points of a walker to be loaned out through The Loaner’s Closet Wheelchairs and other pieces of durable medical equipment await their next borrower in the Loaner’s Closet in Derry executive director of Community Caregivers and The Loaner’s Closet “We’ll have an odd piece of equipment come in and Donna will ‘bury’ it,” Tanuma said with a chuckle The Loaner’s Closet makes sure they get it provides gently used durable medical equipment at no cost to members of the community As she led a tour of the new digs in the basement of an historic brick building Tanuma explained that the organization receives most of its donations from people who have been where the recipients are the widow of a man with a painful cancer who came home to spend his final days.” Their house is filled with equipment some paid for by the Veterans Administration she wants to get rid of the pieces — they remind her of his illness,” Tanuma explained People in that situation donate the pieces to The Loaner’s Closet and they have the peace of mind of knowing that the equipment is being put to good use “These pieces have nine lives,” Tanuma said The most frequently requested items from The Loaner’s Closet are bathroom seats “We have 15,000 pieces of equipment,” she said The patient or a loved one can request an appointment to look over the selection “Do they need a shower chair with a back or without one People want to test the equipment for their needs They’ll want to try two or three elevated toilet seats.” “are absolute gold.” They work for people wanting to move independently in their own home and also for those who need to get back to work Tanuma and Kluk field 60 to 70 calls a week In 2020 they served 87 New Hampshire communities They don’t look at your zip code or your bank account While the agency doesn’t have room for larger pieces like Hoyer lifts or hospital beds they keep a database of people wanting to donate large equipment we can give them a lead on who has a hospital bed or a stairlift,” Tanuma said They also accept consumables such as unused adult diapers and unopened energy drinks Tanuma’s staff members know exactly what their clients will need Do you know what’s on the list?’ and we can say Community Caregivers has been in the Derry area since 1988 and Tanuma has been with them since 2004 The Loaner’s Closet precedes her by two years Caregivers rented space from the Masonic Temple on East Broadway They stored equipment donations in a back room They obtained a grant to rent another room at the Masonic Temple for a year They moved to Londonderry in 2004 and equipment continued to come in “We were tripping over ourselves,” Tanuma said They didn’t start itemizing donations until 2008 In October they moved into the West Broadway site The agency closed for one day during the pandemic but was deemed essential and reopened with a staggered shift Office Manger Julie Levesque came in from 9 a.m “People still needed us,” Tanuma said simply They are still conscious of the virus and invested funds from two grants in a Hubscrub “The great thing about Hubscrub,” Tanuma said “is that it runs for six minutes and only uses 4 gallons of water.” Every piece of equipment that circulates passes through Hubscrub Tanuma and her staff are also aware of the fragility of the earth and they make sure each piece has as many lives as it can Two volunteer mechanics come in to fix brakes on wheelchairs and scooters and Kluk has become something of a mechanic herself watching YouTube videos on how to repair equipment They often become overstocked with a particular item and will pass them on to several other agencies will come in once a month to take breathing equipment and medical supplies recently took 15 walkers and 15 sets of crutches for its clients Tanuma calls them “overstock partners,” and is looking for more Any irreparable piece is scavenged for parts and then passed on to a junk metal recycler But many of those sources won’t take a small load “I am looking for more junk metal guys to take smaller loads,” she said More “overstock partners” is at the top of Tanuma’s wish list for the next five years “We burn them out pretty quickly,” Kluk contributed And they’ll never lose sight of their mission connecting people with the resources they need “I train my staff to make eye contact with every client,” Tanuma said For more information, call 432-0877; e-mail donna@comcaregivers.org; or visit www.comcaregivers.org/loaners-closet Your browser is out of date and potentially vulnerable to security risks.We recommend switching to one of the following browsers: Account processing issue - the email address may already exist Would you like to receive our daily news? Signup today Invalid password or account does not exist Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account after the collapse of the military dictatorship in Japan when the population was still coming to terms with the reality of brutal defeat in the war Tokyo was being reimagined and photography played a crucial role in the rebirth Years of censorship had ended and new magazines and newspapers promoted more objective reporting A young generation of documentary photographers was emerging borrowing the imported style of Life magazine and reflecting the realities of Japan back to its population Takeyoshi Tanuma quickly became prominent among these photographers He was only in his 20s when he took this picture The two women are part of an all-female dance troupe that had been resident at the theatre since it was built in 1937 Tanuma’s composition shows them turning their backs on the dustier cast of the city – the makeshift housing unweeded yards and the crowded walled graveyard – as they engross themselves in the glossier pages of a magazine begun to share billing with the latest Hollywood movies at the Asakusa Those fantasies seem part of the young dancers’ fashion sense and the ribbons in their hair seem to want to lift them higher still Tanuma, now 89, continued to take photographs of his native city as it transformed itself so dramatically through the subsequent decades. A collection of them was published in 1980, in which he was described as “the Japanese Cartier-Bresson”; in 1994 he became a professor at the Tokyo College of Photography. This picture is included in Ravens and Red Lipstick a survey of Japanese photography since 1945 it seems to hold a few clues to many of the images that follow Ravens & Red Lipstick: Japanese Photography Since 1945 ​by Lena Fritsch is out on 25 October (£35, Thames and Hudson) This is the archive of The Observer up until 21/04/2025 The Observer is now owned and operated by Tortoise Media National Report known for his UNICEF work in taking photos of children throughout the world which is designated "Photography Day" by the Photographic Society of Japan who was appointed UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador in 1984 and has traveled to many corners of the world with Tanuma on UNICEF tours every year he was the number one in the world,” she said in a statement on June 2 Kuroyanagi said every time she returned to Japan from the tours she saw the pictures Tanuma took during their travels “Then I understood how these children extended their hands to me and realized the eyes of starving children looked dry so much,” she recalled Kuroyanagi said the two talked about going on a UNICEF tour this fall she said the memory of their past tours will remain with her “I can almost see him talking to children and taking their pictures with three cameras hanging from his neck in the hot weather,” Kuroyanagi said Tanuma was born in Tokyo’s Asakusa district to a family running a photography studio Capturing the times through children in the world became Tanuma’s lifetime work He said the root of such motivation was a burnt infant he witnessed when fleeing in the Great Tokyo Air Raid on March 10 Tanuma expressed his strong resentment toward wars and empathy and encouragement toward oppressed children said the photographer “was a stubborn person.” “But he has always tried to be in line with the times learning how to use the latest digital cameras and traveling far to see the works of young photographers,” she said (This article was compiled from reports by Nanako Matsuzawa and Hiroshi Katsumata.) Disaster images shot by 49 top photographers compiled in book ‘rock’ book shows life work of photographer What do you do if you’re blessed with dazzling good looks and the girls at your high school keep asking you out you turn them down because you’ve come to realize that you prefer guys Since his one and only attempt (at the end of middle school) to tell his then-crush how he felt was rejected he’s been left wondering why and this unanswered question haunts his every interaction he’s made a good friend in the second year in Adachi-san (friend not crush) from hanging out together at lunchtimes and Adachi is easy-going and always happy to listen to Atami’s concerns He invites Atami home for a meal where Atami is made to feel very welcome (he lives with his father so he appreciates being part of the bustling Adachi watches as Atami turns down proposals from girls and falls for one unlikely guy after another and picks up the pieces afterward by discussing in a matter-of-fact way with him what’s happened Atami meets Adachi’s friend Kunijima (also in the second year) and the three hang out together When Atami’s class has to move places in the classroom he finds himself sitting behind the painfully shy and retiring Tsuji-kun who only communicates – at first – in strange grunts and avoids eye contact Atami has noticed that Tsuji spends much of his time in lessons doing elaborate doodles and eventually asks him one lunchtime to have a chat outside the classroom Has he made a friend in his own class at last Atami-kun is the first manga by Asa Tanuma to be published in English and won the 2023 Yofukashi Manga Award from Bungeishunjuu’s CREA magazine It’s described as Boys’ Love but if you pick it up expecting a romance The manga proceeds at a leisurely (some would even say slow) pace to follow Atami’s day-to-day life his encounters with other people and the conversations that he has with them Everyone speaks in the Kansai dialect (unobtrusively and effectively rendered into the US equivalent by translator Amanda Haley) It riffs gently and with wry humour on the issues that beset us all when we’re in our teens (and later) When Adachi gets interested in a young florist at a local store it takes courage to make a face-to-face confession and face rejection Even though the story revolves around Atami discovering that he’s gay and the potential problems that arise from this his discussions with Adachi (and Adachi’s family) about life and relationships and anything are very realistically and relatably depicted Adachi tells Atami early on that he isn’t interested him ‘in that way’ and rejects him ‘properly’ which Atami appreciates as that means he knows where he stands with his senpai It doesn’t get in the way of their friendship too (a refreshing situation to see portrayed in BL!) and it also means Atami can continue coming over for dinner on Fridays when a senpai from another school hits on Atami (he catches the same train which is awkward) Atami feels deeply uncomfortable The mangaka’s art style could best be described as minimal but is very distinctive given the way she portrays all her characters Atami-kun doesn’t look especially handsome or gorgeous compared with his peers which means that one of the main points of the story doesn’t quite work (not for me But seeing the world through Atami-kun’s eyes is what gives the manga its unique and special quality His earnest soul-searching is very relatable as Atami does: ‘The trains are still runnin’ on time And my feet keep movin’ on their own Amanda Haley’s translation for Yen Press works extremely well; I thought I might have been irritated by the ‘Kansai dialect’ (Kansai-ben) rendered in English but she does it so skilfully that it is in no way a problem She also gives us a very useful couple of pages of translation notes The lettering by Elena Pizarro is similarly unobtrusive; there’s a great deal of conversation in this manga but she delivers where it counts Volume 2 is already out in Japan and Volume 3 has just been released although no sign yet of when Yen Press are going to bring us the next in the series; I hope we won’t have to wait too long Atami-kun is the kind of manga that repays several readings The relaxed art style might lead the reader to assume they’re in for a different kind of story maybe a more in-your-face high school comedy but the character interactions are quietly infused with observations on life and relationships (of all kinds) and the humour is subtle Our review copy from Yen Press was supplied by Diamond Book Distributors UK Sarah's been writing about her love of manga and anime since Whenever - and first started watching via Le Club Dorothée in France.. Miyano (first year) likes BL – and Sasaki (second year) likes Miyano Will real life mirror Miyano’s reading material More snapshots from the everyday routine of high schooler Atami-kun as he and his friends discuss life and what it means to be in love… The ups and downs of day-to-day life of high school boys seen through the eyes of two dorm roommates getting to know each other… Christmas is approaching and Yamato wants to ask his childhood friend Kakeru out on a date – but will Kakeru accept And will going on a date place too much strain on their changing relationship Yuriko and Gakurouta have just got married – but they’ve embarked on a twenty-first century marriage of convenience and companionship Can this evolve into a rewarding relationship for the two of them Having been established since February 2004 Anime UK News is constantly striving to deliver high quality UK anime news and reviews to your computer screens each and every day being sure to maintain high standards of writing and reliability Designed and maintained by devoted anime fans Anime UK News and it’s fledgling forum community is growing with each passing month proving we are an ambitious and trusted resource for UK-based anime fans and beyond Participating theaters will start offering special ticket passes with this visual next Saturday and each pass will also come with a postcard Kanemoto's character Mitsumi is a small yōkai whom Natsume meets in the forest in the "Ishi Okoshi" story "The Visitor" is a mysterious figure who appears before Tanuma in the "Ayashiki Raihōsha" story The film will be made up of two stories: "Ishi Okoshi" and "Ayashiki Raihōsha." In "Ishi Okoshi," Natsume meets a small yōkai called Mitsumi in a forest Mitsumi is entrusted to wake up the divine yōkai "Iwatetsu" from its deep slumber so he sets out to help Mitsumi with his task In "Ayashiki Raihōsha," a mysterious visitor appears in front of Tanuma but Tanuma enjoys these exchanges with the yōkai but Tanuma's health slowly starts to deteriorate Aniplex is distributing the film. The returning staff includes chief director and scriptwriter Takahiro Ōmori at anime studio Shuka, director Hideki Itō, scriptwriter Sadayuki Murai, and composer Makoto Yoshimori Yuki Midorikawa's Natsume's Book of Friends (Natsume Yūjin-Chō) manga debuted in Hakusensha's LaLa DX magazine in June 2003. The manga's 25th compiled book volume shipped on June 5. Viz Media is releasing the ongoing series in English The manga has inspired six television anime seasons and several OVAs The anime seasons and Midorikawa's original manga revolve around Natsume a boy who has been able to see yōkai since he was little and there is not much fondness between him and yōkai either he inherits a Yūjin-Chō ("Book of Friends") from his grandmother The book is actually full of contracts that his grandmother made to trap yōkai Natsume tries to release or help them — even while many of them seek vengeance on him Sources: Natsume Yūjin-Chō: Ishi Okoshi to Ayashiki Raihōsha film's website, MoCa News in Singapore with a fan screening on February 27 The film will have English and Chinese subtitles and theatergoers will receive merchandise for the film The film is made up of two stories: "Ishi Okoshi" and "Ayashiki Raihōsha." In "Ishi Okoshi," Natsume meets a small yōkai called Mitsumi in a forest The Natsume Yujin-cho the Movie: Ephemeral Bond film, the previous anime in the franchise, debuted in September 2018. Odex released the film in Singapore in January 2019 Yuki Midorikawa's Natsume's Book of Friends (Natsume Yūjin-Chō) manga debuted in Hakusensha's LaLa DX magazine in June 2003 The manga's 26th compiled book volume shipped on January 4 Source: Muse Asia's Facebook page the upcoming anime series Those Snow White Notes revealed its 2nd promotional video The series is slated to premiere on April 2 and will be produced by Shin-Ei Animation under the direction of Hiroaki Akagi Fun fact: The music supervisor, Yoshida Brothers, are professional shamisenists and they are known worldwide! The Yoshida Brothers have released many albums on Domo Records – an independent record label based in Los Angeles, California! For this reason, the character’s performance in the anime will surely be brought to life!Yoshida BrothersOnce again we will be hearing Burnout Syndromes as they will be performing the anime’s two opening theme songs titled “Blizzard” and “Ginsekai” (Silver World) we’ve heard of Burnout Syndromes as they also performed the opening theme song for Dr three opening theme songs from the anime series Haikyu! Miriya Katou and The Yoshida Brothers will be performing the ending theme song titled “Kono Yume ga Sameru Made.”SynopsisWhen Setsu’s grandfather died so did Setsu’s “sound”—his unique creative spark he goes to Tokyo to find himself…but manages to become totally At first glance their lives seem totally different, but they’re both striving for their dreams—hers, of being an actress, and his, of developing his talent with the shamisen—and it could just be that life in the raucous, unfeeling urban sprawl of Tokyo could just be what binds their fates together…Synopsis via Kodansha Comics Given these points, the upcoming anime series Those Snow White Notes revealed its 2nd promotional video as well as additional casts.Moreover, you can access all of our stories here Source: Those Snow White Notes Official Website and Official Twitter©羅川真里茂・講談社／ましろのおと製作委員会Copyright © 2021 Kodansha Advanced Media Japan-based Moss Snowstick is the originator of the snowsurfing approach And the company’s designs have hardly changed since the 1980s – that’s how well they work As the sun quickly rose over the mountain top, a crisp morning gave way to a bright and temperate afternoon at a recent early season day at Mammoth Mountain. As I skated through the lift line, uncertainty turned to excitement. While researching a story earlier this year, I managed to connect with the good folks at the Japanese snowboard maker, Moss Snowstick has been making surf-inspired snow shapes since the early 1970s the opportunity arose to put two of these shapes – the C3 and the Jellyfish – to the test To say it was low tide at Mammoth would be overstating it Imagine instead an empty ocean filled a few bathtubs worth of water and the analogy would be more apropos a 12-inch manmade base isn’t exactly ideal for putting a few board models through their paces arguably those are the precise conditions in which a great all-mountain snowboard (of which there are few) distinguishes itself from the crop of good all-mountain snowboards (of which there are countless) set-back stance variety have taken the snowboard industry by storm in the last ten years mainly due to their float characteristics in deep powder many of these models (the C3 and the Jellyfish included) bill themselves as providing a surfy feel both in powder and on groomers Having none of the former and ample of the latter at my disposal I can honestly say the performance attributes of both models blew me away and delivered the surfiest feel I’ve ever experienced on hardpack The C3 (left) and the Jellyfish (right) in their natural habitat The Moss Snowstick C3 140cm ($1,240.00) The first Moss I had the benefit of testing was Moss’ C3 – so-called because of three channels that start under the back insert and carry through the tail Being somewhat familiar with the merits of channels in surfboard design but having never seen them on a snowboard I had little idea how the design would translate on snow the C3’s length was a bit of an adjustment to look at underfoot The C3 is short but makes up for it with its super-wide the C3’s bottom contours and Fishbone core are built to provide a locked-in feeling as you transition edge to edge I mentioned that the channels start under the back insert the same way typical shortboard designs in surf are best ridden with the back foot above the fin cluster It would seem that’s the logic here – channels (like fins) create hold without increasing drag in soft and hard snow alike their Step Back Rocker system is really designed to be driven from the back foot as you would a surfboard What I loved most about the C3 in icy-turning-slushy conditions as the day progressed was its ability to cut through chunder I’d rate this board as moderately stiff Moss says that’s due to its Fishbone core with a lighter and torsionally softer tip and tail I’d definitely recommend this board for the all-mountain charger (especially with big feet) looking for a surfy speed demon that doesn’t flinch when you put everything you have into a turn  The Moss Jellyfish 156cm ($1,040.00) If the C3 is the snowboard equivalent to a hi-fi six-channel thruster the Jellyfish is its cruisier cousin that seems to delight in low-angle shredding the Moss Jellyfish has an exaggerated swallowtail with wings the action is underfoot with a Step Back Rocker with a touch of camber under the back insert Where the C3 had superior hold on-edge at high speed sweeping turns and really excelled in parts of the mountain where you could use a steep section to get speed then bank into a turn on a flatter more open section and accelerate through it again I had zero toe or heel drag when laying into turns on the Jellyfish this is the board where I found myself wishing for a few feet of fresh to really see how the swallowtail shines in the deep stuff I’d recommend the Jellyfish to a cruisier all-mountain rider with a nose for pow stashes who also loves linking soulful For good reason, Moss Snowstick is often heralded as the snowboard maker kicking out the surfiest shapes on the market and after a few days on two shapes, in particular, it’s easy to see why. Check out Moss’ entire 19/20 line here Muse Asia announced on their social media that the Natsume Yujin-cho: Ishiokoshi and Ayashiki Raihou-sha (loosely translated as Natsume’s Book of Friends: The Waking Stone and the Suspicious Visitor) will be coming to Singapore for a special screening The fan’s screening is scheduled for February 27 and will have a general release on March 4 Ticket sales will start on February 11 and 25 for the fan screening and general screening respectively Dates for Malaysia and Brunei are unconfirmed due to COVID-19 regulations adapted from the original story by Yuki Midorikawa Takahiro Omori is serving as chief director and works with Sadayuki Murai on the screenplay while Hideki Ito is serving as director and works with Miyuki Oshiro on storyboarding and production Tatsuo Yamada is both the youkai designer and action animation director while Hiromitsu Hagiwara is the  sub-character designer Eri Yamazaki and Orie Tanaka are serving as animation directors The original cast from the Natsume’s Book of Friends franchise will be reprising their previous roles Hisako Kanemoto (Bottom-tier Character Tomozaki) joins the veteran cast and will be voicing the character Mitsumi The 52-minute movie will be released with its original Japanese audio featuring both English and Mandarin subtitles The movie will spotlight two stories from the manga “Ishiokoshi” and “Ayashiki Raihou-sha,” which are described as: It is said that he is entrusted with the task of “Ishiokoshi” which is to wake up the divine youkai “Iwatetsu” Nyanko-sensei and the youkai begin plotting to steal the task so he decides to help Mitsumi with his task A mysterious visitor appears in front of Tanuma Natsume is worried for Tanuma when he learns that the visitor is a youkai but Tanuma has come to enjoy these interactions with the youkai but Tanuma’s physical health gradually starts to deteriorate The fans’ screening ticket comes with an official Japan movie bundle set Muse Asia will also be hosting a Fans’ Screening giveaway featuring two autographed signature boards from the voice actors Kamiya Hiroshi (Natsume) and Kazuhiko Inoue (Nyanko-sensei) Fans who have purchased the fans’ screening tickets will be eligible to enter and can take part in the physical draw at the movie bundle collection counter The lucky draw will come on a first-come-first-serve basis — Arab News (@arabnews) October 22, 2020 (Video via @Mal_hothaly) pic.twitter.com/8ky3WLsqf8 — Arab News (@arabnews) October 22, 2020  I have no idea if that was planned or not but one-cour anime based on existing source material really shouldn’t need mid-cour breaks under normal circumstances If one goes back and looks at the earlier Natsume Yuujinchou material from Brain’s Base there’s no question that the fluidity and consistency of the animation and background detail has taken a bit of a hit under Shuka and this is still Natsume Yuujinchou under the hood (where it counts)  I hope it’s not the sort of thing that puts off the disc-buying public (with this series it’s mostly a female audience who tend to be less focused on animation and more on content than male fans on the whole) because Natsume has been an alarmingly consistent seller from the first season on and I really want to see this series have a conclusion in anime form once the manga wraps up Ito-san is really the key to this story, and she’s kind of a classic Natsume Yuujinchou character.  A guardian spirit attached to the shrine, she’s taken on human form to make it easier to blend in and watch over the local area.  She’s kind of scary (she threatens to eliminate Natsume and anyone he tells of her existence) but in fact she very much cares for the locals – especially Tanuma  It’s yet another case of a human and youkai not quite able to bridge the divide in their existence – Tanuma thinks so much of Ito-san that he’s come back mostly to show her that he’s OK now and has friends but she never reveals the secret of her true identity to him It’s only after Natsume helps get the mask back and swears that he’ll never tell that Ito-san seemingly agrees not to leave the town to protect her identity but perhaps even she doesn’t realize that Tanuma has begun to suspect the truth about her  As is so often the case with Natsume Yuujinchou the moral of the story is that kindness is not bound by identity – humans and youkai are capable of being just as good to each other as they are to others of their own kind  I still feel that’s what the series will settle on whenever Midorikawa-sensei is really to spin its final tale I think theres no need to worry about Natsume Yuujinchou its a series that has gone on for so long already and it seems that sales are still pretty strong we should be glad that Shuka has this property to count on since it doesn’t look like 91 Days is going to fare anywhere as well commercially Who (Voice Actor) play youkai like old lady named Ito Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value" Please consider becoming an LiA patron through one of the methods below Post-TSUNAMI The meaning of "Ikiru" The Japan Professional Photographers Society (JPS) will present an exhibition of photographs taken during the first year after the earthquake and tsunami that struck northeast Japan on March 11 The thema is "Ikiru" (in Japanese This exhibition and the published photo collection "Ikiru" on which it is based are an effort on behalf of JPS members to contribute to the recovery of the region affected by the earthquake and tsunami The photographs included in both reveal through these photographers's eyes how people in the region are transcending their anguish and getting on with their lives The exhibition was shown first in Tokyo in March 2012 The visitors who flocked to see the exhibition in both cities were deeply moved by what they saw Five hundred copies of the photo collection "Ikiru" were contributed to public libraries throughout the afflicted region The exhibition at Photokina will be the first showing outside Japan This exhibition conveys the heartfelt gratitude that we in Japan feel for the outpouring of support assistance and encouragement we received from all over the world following the earthquake and tsunami It is our hope that people from all over the world will take the opportunity to see these photographs at Photokina the world of photography's greatest biennial celebration COPYRIGHT©公益社団法人日本写真家協会 JAPAN PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHERS SOCIETY Japan Professional Photographers Society JCIIs Bldg Well – that wasn’t the returning character I was hoping for “Roku” continues to be a worthy heir to the Natsume Yuujinchou label offering up its third straight strong episode  And it also continues the season’s avoidance of areas of the plot that aren’t as appealing to my sensibilities (though the preview tells us that lucky streak is going to end next week)   This franchise rarely surprises me and I’m certainly not surprised that it continues to be this excellent but it does the heart good to see it continue to deliver time and again where so many franchises have ebbed and flowed in quality  Haunted house stories are always fodder for a good yarn but throw in living dolls and you’re in primo creeper territory  Why aren’t people smart enough to figure out that you just don’t mess with those damn things We haven’t seen Shibata-kun for a long time – not since way back early in Natsume Yuujinchou San  It’s interesting timing given that Shibata is played by Yoshimasa Hosoya who’s just announced that he’s taking a leave of absence from voice acting while he recovers from an unspecified illness (he’s a hot property at the moment was the boy who was a grade-school classmate of Natsume’s and fell in love with the spirit of a dying tree  That was a pretty heartbreaking episode in the classic Natsume Yuuinchou tradition of loneliness transcending the gap between two worlds but this one takes on an altogether different tone There’s a quietly important exchange late in the episode where Shibata notes to Tanuma that the whole situation with the house and the dolls would have been easy to ignore if only he hadn’t looked in the right place at the right time  That’s the story of Natsume’s life to a certain extent – he can’t ignore because he sees and he lacks the ability to stop himself from caring about what he sees  And because Natsume and the twin dolls (whose seal was broken by the lightning) have seen each other they’re now his responsibility – they’ll follow him wherever he goes  It’s classic Natsume Yuujinchou – but then “Roku” has been nothing but that right from the start Three episodes in and I’d say that Roku is stronger season than Go It’s also interesting that almost all three season in Go has affirmed in some way or the other the trust Natsume has built with other people about his ability to see youkai (primarily with Tanuma and Taki) could “trust” be the defining theme of this season but I’m still so frustrated that it’s still so episodic I thought we were finally going to get some real insight into who Reiko really was as a person it’s still early–and still nope The manga itself (even now) is still pretty episodic so it might be best to manage your expectations accordingly Not that I’m telling you how to enjoy the series ;+) it’s just if you are hoping for more overarching story lines you will probably continue to be frustrated it left him humbled in front of scores of fans and followers Roughly two months from now, ‘The Predator’ will meet ‘The Gyspy King.’ As much as the news on the Heavyweight crossover took many by surprise reports of Mike Tyson joining the Cameroonian-French fighter’s camp astounded everyone Clips of the two training together have been going viral for some time Ngannou was also the guest in one of the most recent episodes of Hotboxin’ So, the two joined for @Complex‘s ‘GOAT Talk.’ They only needed to pick a card and answer the GOAT question. The first question was about the most outstanding professional wrestler of all time. While Ngannou stated Hulk Hogan The next card quizzed the duo about the animal they felt was most significant It was interesting to see when Ngannou mentioned the lion because he does no work and gets all the benefits.” Then Mike Tyson shared that the knockout he held dearest to his heart – the Larry Holmes bout – allowed him to avenge Muhammad Ali’s 1980 loss at the hands of ‘The Easton Assassin.’ For ‘The Predator,’ the Alistair Overeem knockout shot up the two discussed the GOAT sneakers and the fashion era The GOAT workout song revealed Drake‘s ‘God’s Plan’ for Ngannou and Tupac‘s ‘Ambitionz as a Ridah’ for Tyson Both champions agreed that Jon Jones remained the greatest mixed martial arts fighter ever Then the question came: “GOAT Mike Tyson fight.” The youngest Heavyweight champion replied It has to be my loss to Buster Douglas.” He reasoned that the bout had made him a better fighter Getting disgraced in front of so many people and then making a comeback speaks volumes about such a person you’re getting humiliated in front of millions and millions of people and overcoming. Read More: Mike Tyson Thinks He Won the Buster Douglas Fight: ‘He Was Knocked Out for 14 Seconds’ Which bout of Mike Tyson would you rate as the greatest of his outstanding career Please share your thoughts and views with us in the comments below Watch This Story: George Foreman Snubs Muhammad Ali and Evander Holyfield to Give Mike Tyson the “Most Spectacular Athlete” Crown EssentiallySports is a digital-first sports media house that surfaces the best stories on America's favorite sports celebrities with a fan's perspective to 30+ M average monthly readers. Full Spectrum Services LLP © 2025 | All Rights Reserved What he did that day will forever be etched in history he may not be as prolific with appearances as other boxing elders No wonder when the media caught up with him they first wanted to know his thoughts on the recent developments in the Heavyweight division Finally, the question came up about Tyson Fury and Francis Ngannou‘s October clash Seckbach highlighted that Douglas’ former opponent was training the former UFC Heavyweight champion ‘Fury.” When Seckback asked for the reasons Victory over Tyson made James ‘Buster’ Douglas the undisputed Heavyweight champion. However, he could hold the title for only a few months. In October, Evender Holyfield dethroned him he returned six years later and fought for the next three years His last attempt at a world title ended in a loss Read More: “Stop Being So Harsh”: Unsettling Photo of Mike Tyson’s Injuries Brings Back Painful Memories for Fans Do you find yourself agreeing with ‘Buster’ Douglas’ assessment Watch This Story: 14 Years After His Death, Mike Tyson Finally Reveals the Secret to Michael Jackson’s Son About Late Icon’s Skin Color he reflects on the night at the Tokyo Dome thirty-three summers back It remains to be seen whether the retrospective strikes a chord with his millions of fans across the globe considering him having faced some mean opponents mentioning how Ngannou”….went through a lot of ill heavyweights yo.” The youngest Heavyweight champion joined in You saw he was bigger than him.” Then ‘The Predator’ explained how going through various fights made him complacent until a big bout changed his outlook and everything seems I get there and everything seems uh easy for me I didn’t have no experience but was knocking people out until I get the Stipe fight….” Calling the match on January 20 Francis Ngannou termed his second career loss ‘the best fight of his career’ because of the tremendous amount of learning it gave may have the honor of topping the favorite list The juggernaut that began in March 1985 seemed unstoppable Roughly a year after his professional debut He became the youngest Heavyweight champion in boxing’s history Tyson ruled the division for the next three years until he came up against a challenge from Columbus Though an uppercut found its mark, sending Douglas down, the happiness remained short-lived for Mike Tyson. The former got up within the referee’s count. By the tenth round, the plot turned on its head. A flurry of punches from the Ohioan did the unthinkable, knocking down Tyson understood that the fight was over for ‘The Baddest Man on the Planet.’ One of the greatest upsets in sports remains fresh in the memories of die-hards Read More: “Disturbing”: Mike Tyson’s Bold Prediction for Tyson Fury vs. Francis Ngannou Causes a Stir in Combat World Which Mike Tyson bout would you rate as your favorite Watch This Story: Everything We Know So Far About Tyson Fury vs. Francis Ngannou stepped into the Tokyo Dome ring with different thoughts crowds could see that it was not the ‘Mike Tyson’ they were used to seeing his mother’s demise barely twenty-three days before the bout renewed Douglas’ resolve to win such as during the eighth round when he had sent Douglas to the canvas with an uppercut a barrage of combinations from Douglas sealed Tyson’s fate still remember it for the hammering Mike Tyson received sitting in his corner with swollen left eyes for they soon joined in expressing their thoughts @Duch Moll thinks that Mike Tyson looks frightening even with a single eye He had lost the fight even before he entered the ring He had no interest in that fight besides from a little pocket money.” Many fans today lament that ‘Iron’ Mike was not his usual self at Tokyo Dome on February 11 The old pic allowed @Juan Bruce to take a dig Tyson was only concetrating on the ring girl.” But @Juan Bruce also thought that Mike Tyson wasn’t so focused that day “Clown trainer didn’t even have an enswell in the corner They were putting a rubber glove filled with water against his eye…which did nothing many fans believe that parting with long-time trainer Kevin Rooney was Mike Tyson’s undoing the newly installed crew proved inept in handling such big matches @Paul Spoonmore revealed that he got lucky that day he had put his money on ‘Buster’ Douglas to win Though he still rates Mike Tyson as the best Heavyweight of all time “I won a lot of money on that fight…once I bet on Buster at the house…..meanwhile and Don King gave him this ridiculous corner who knew nothing…Mike would have never lost under Rooney but he got his ass kicked this day …I still say Mike was the best fighter of all time including Ali… had he never fired Rooney…” @Jimmie Comage also toed a similar line about the trainer issue with Mike Tyson and highlighted “That man that stand there he should have never been Tyson trainer that why losts all of those fight …” troubles in his personal life precipitated Mike Tyson’s downfall Despite a brief interlude in the late nineties problems cornered him till he retired in 2005 Read More: Mike Tyson, Who Almost Died of Overdose, Reveals the Secret of Overcoming Cocaine and Alcohol Abuse What is your take on Mike Tyson vs ‘Buster’ Douglas match Share your views and opinions with us in the comments below Douglas was just an underdog and Tyson had been making headlines in the boxing realm What Teddy Atlas believes helped him flip the chances was his mother’s death In an interview with the YouTube channel VladTV the trainer who also once coached Tyson explains what really went into transforming Douglas into a well-rounded fighter for just that one fight Douglas had just lost his mother two months before he fought Tyson Nothing for him could be more painful than this The one thing that he lacked as a fighter was now found “He got a second chance and he got redemption It’s pretty of why they live Tyson and he got that at the price of his beloved mother dying.” said Atlas This occurrence unlocked a new fearless version of ‘The Dynamite’ The memory of his mother became a guiding light empowering Douglas to confront the fears that had hindered him before Previously afraid to delve into the depths of his abilities he now found the strength to face adversity head-on “He was everything you want a fighter to be on that one night He could go to his grave knowing that one night he was great.” said the coach let us delve into why Tyson believes he lost Initially, Mike Tyson downplayed the significance of his loss to Buster Douglas Tyson made a surprising revelation when pressed about his mindset before the fight He confessed to engaging in casual relationships with hotel maids in the days leading up to the bout admitting that he lacked the necessary focus Following the death of his coach and father figure 59488 07 Mike Tyson and Muhammad Ali at the Bellagio ll K-1 Tournament in Las Vegas on April 30 Photo by Steve Spatafore/ABACA Nevada PUBLICATIONxNOTxINxFRAxESPxUKxUSAxBELxPOL Copyright: xSpataforexSteve/ABACAx 59488_07 SpataforexSteve/ABACAx 59488_07 This lack of discipline became evident in his fights where he began relying solely on his power Tyson believed he could depend on his strength alone the Tokyo Dome bout became a reality check Read More: “I Was So Happy”: Drawing Parallels With Mike Tyson, Jai White Reveals Why He Was Delighted About Iron Mike Biting Evander Holyfield’s Ear Douglas seemed to be in his best form when fighting Tyson Both fighters had a different way of dealing with it Watch This Story: Gervonta Davis Makes Bold Remarks on Mike Tyson Comparison In a recent podcast interview that sent ripples through the boxing world, former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson dropped a bombshell: allegations of fixed fights and manipulated outcomes orchestrated by none other than the infamous promoter could shake the very foundations of the sport Don King is a figure that is synonymous with having a shady personality He was a notorious figure known to either make or break your career He is also single-handedly blamed for ruining Tyson’s career Tyson’s revelations center around his 1990 about against Buster Douglas in Tokyo a match infamous for a suspiciously extended 10-count after an eighth-round uppercut floored Douglas This night was labeled as Boxing’s Biggest Upset fans are posting scathing comments about what might have actually transpired that night Tyson stated that these questionable incidents were not isolated manipulating odds and colluding with referees to guarantee Tyson’s defeats sometimes without his opponents realizing they were part of a rigged match fans pointed out that it was mostly hearsay and Mike had spent the previous night partying One fan commented how despite “help” from the referee Buster still got up after a K.O.” And Mike still knocked Buster out  A skeptic pointed out that Mike Tyson’s training for that night was quite unusual Did Mike party all night before the fight? A fan sarcastically commented that things were rigged and it’s up to facts to determine whose favor they were in.“Yeah Another user pointed out that it was perhaps Buster’s prowess that set Mike up for a knockout “Douglas’s left jab set him up for a knockout this comment on what likely caused the infamous night to have such an infamous end.“Mike partied all night to early hours with Bobby Brown in Japan The implications of Tyson’s accusations are significant They cast a shadow over the integrity of countless boxing matches raising doubts about the authenticity of wins and losses in a sport that relies heavily on the honesty and fairness of its participants Tyson’s explosive accusations have ignited a fierce debate within the boxing community and fellow athletes demanding transparency and accountability The credibility of boxing as a sport hangs in the balance prompting governing bodies and regulatory authorities to address these allegations seriously According to Shadow League Mike Tyson made shocking allegations about fixed fights in boxing Tyson claimed that promoter Don King manipulated match outcomes by colluding with referees and manipulating odds He specifically pointed to his 1990 bout against Buster Douglas in Tokyo where a prolonged 10-count raised suspicions Tyson’s accusations have ignited a debate in the boxing community with calls for investigations into these claims to ensure fairness and transparency in the sport Tyson’s bold decision to publicly call him out adds a new dimension to the controversy Will Tyson’s accusations lead to a thorough cleaning of the sport ensuring fair play and transparency for future generations of fighters Or will they become another footnote in the controversial history of boxing leaving fans and participants alike disillusioned but one thing is certain: Tyson’s claims have unleashed a storm that could reshape the sport’s landscape forcing it to confront its demons and emerge stronger and truly worthy of the admiration it commands Watch This Story: Revisiting Mike Tyson’s Infamous Street Fight 35 Years Down The Road Link Copied!via Getty The first-round knockout of the Puerto Rican Hector Mercedes on March 6, 1985, forced the world to check out the new Heavyweight prospect. Born and raised in the troubled hoods of Brooklyn, the fighter inside Mike Tyson got the chance to let himself loose inside the ring well aided by the skills learned at the famed Cus D’Amato school Tyson defeated Jamaican Trevor Berbick at Las Vegas Hilton to win his first world title He became the youngest Heavyweight champion in history of which twenty-five came through knockouts He added the WBA Heavyweight title the following year after defeating James Smith Mike Tyson would rule the division with an iron hand as the undisputed champion It proved that even mighty Mike Tyson was not an exception to the adage that ‘all good things come to an end.‘ Mike Tyson met James ‘Buster’ Douglas on February 11 Ohio-born Douglas had challenged Tyson for the WBA American boxer Mike Tyson loses to James “Buster” Douglas by knockout at the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo As one of the commentators mentioned famously it was apparent that Douglas came to Tokyo to fight the Ohioan skillfully nullified Tyson’s attempts at attacks and kept him subdued With some ten seconds left for the eighth round to get over a right uppercut from Tyson had sent Douglas to the canvas though he tried his level best to regain lost ground and the world champion barely had any answers to the former’s questions after landing a few jabs in the tenth round Douglas connected with an uppercut that sent Tyson’s head flying head skyward But Douglas landed four punches on Tyson’s head sending him down to the canvas for the first time in his professional career It was one of the biggest upsets in the history of boxing So what could have been the reason behind ‘Iron’ Mike’s terrible loss to James ‘Buster’ Douglas What went wrong that day on February 11 at Tokyo Dome had passed away some twenty-three days before the fight his son’s mother had suffered from a severe kidney problem and he ran flu just a day before the battle two familiar narratives often come up as reasons for his loss According to HBO’s analyst and well-acclaimed sportswriter Larry Merchant the primary reason for Mike Tyson’s lackadaisical performance in Tokyo Dome is parting ways with long-time trainer Kevin Rooney The trainer who took over Tyson’s training after Cus D’Amato passed away in 1985 has long been accredited with his incredible success they went their separate ways after the fight against former champion Michael Spinks in 1988 The opinion has been shared by other personalities such as promoter Butch Lewis and sports journalist Jerry Izenberg who in the documentary Mike Tyson – The Fallen Champ famously remarked about Tyson’s new corner “They assemble a corner for that fight which looks like it was picked up out of the semi-finals of the Intercity Golden Gloves.” According to an article published on Marca “We used to do crazy sh*t…but there was a time when we partied in Japan right before his fight with Buster Douglas There must have been two dozen girls in the room with me and Mike and I was trying to tell him to get some sleep Many believe the loss at Tokyo Dome in 1990 marked Mike Tyson’s downfall His personal life also started grabbing headlines The Desiree Washington case resulted in him receiving a prison sentence he once again became the WBC Heavyweight champion Vs. Evander Holyfield I It was Tyson’s WBA Heavyweight title defense after taking it from Bruce Seldon in September of that year The fight lasted till the eleventh round when the referee convinced that Tyson could not take any more punishments stopped it handing over a technical victory to Holyfield the fight is remembered infamously as ‘The Bite Fight’ It was a rematch between Tyson and Holyfield the former bit-off chunks of Holyfield’s right ear A subsequent decision by the Nevada State Athletic Commission saw him banned from boxing It wasn’t until 1999 that Mike Tyson could return to the ring beißt Evander Holyfield beide USA ein Teil des Ohres ab – PUBLICATION ONLY FOR GERMAN Vs. Lennox Lewis 2002 – The Lennox Lewis – Mike Tyson match was called ‘Lewis–Tyson: Is On’ It was to be Tyson’s last attempt at winning world titles he couldn’t succeed as Lewis’ heavy right cross sent him to the canvas in the eighth round 2004 – Mike Tyson met British boxer Danny Williams at Louisville Williams surprisingly knocked him out in the fourth round It was later revealed that his knee injury prevented Tyson from performing to his full potential 2005 – Mike Tyson’s last professional fight occurred at Washington D.C.’s MCI Center The bout against the Irish boxer Kevin McBride ended as Tyson retired after the sixth round He eventually called it quits on the sport forever Read More: ‘Always Felt Tyson Was Drugged’: Fans Go Berserk as Mike Tyson’s ‘Most Painful’ Moment Goes Viral Which is your favorite Mike Tyson fight of all time