Anime movies and TV shows have inspired fans from all around the world to make "holy pilgrimages" to Japan, where many of the locations referenced in the stories can be found, per the Japan Times Since Japan lifted its Covid-19 border controls fans have been traveling to locations featured in recent massive hits such as "The First Slam Dunk" and "Suzume no Tojimari," per the Japan Times The coming-of-age story follows the two protagonists as they travel across Japan on a perilous mission to save the country from supernatural forces Their journey begins on the island of Kyushu in the southern region of Japan Here's where you can find seven of the locations in "Suzume no Tojimari" in real-life Warning: Minor spoilers ahead if you haven't seen "Suzume no Tojimari" One of the most important scenes in the film was when Suzume first helped Souta shut a supernatural door setting off the duo's journey across Japan Set in an old abandoned corner of the city where Suzume lives with her aunt the setting resembles the Bungo Mori Roundhouse located in Kusu The Bungo Mori Roundhouse is the only railway roundhouse left in Kyushu and was registered as a Nationally Designated Tangible Cultural Asset in 2012, per ANA banishes Souta's soul into Suzume's childhood three-legged chair which led them onto a ferry headed for Yawatahama port Yawatahama Port is located in Yawatahama, Ehime prefecture, and serves as one of the ports linking the two southern islands, Shikoku and Kyushu, per JapanTravel Suzume and Souta wait for the train at Yawatahama Station.  Yawatahama Station is a passenger railway station located in Yawatahama As Suzume wanders around carrying Souta in the form of a chair she bumps into Chika on a road along a pond that resembles the Otani Pond the third supernatural door that the protagonists encounter together is found in an abandoned theme park in Kobe The theme park happens to resemble the Kobe Fruit and Flower Park located in the same city As the pair set off towards their next destination Suzume bids goodbye to Rumi — a bar hostess who housed the duo — at Shin-Kobe Station.  In one of the most gripping moments of the film Suzume leaps off a bridge in Tokyo to save Souta.  The bridge featured is the Hijiri-bashi Bridge located in Chiyoda city Researchers at the Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology and Shikoku Electric Power Co are conducting an experimental project exploring the potential of soil microbes for use in fuel cells amid expectations that they could serve as a clean Microbial fuel cells are devices that generate electricity using bacteria that release electrons as they consume organic materials are said to be present in nearly all types of soil on Earth Although it was discovered over 100 years ago that microorganisms in soil release electrons low power output has remained a key challenge in advancing the technology toward practical application which began in September at two citrus fields in Ehime Prefecture in western Japan The team plans to study how seasonal and climatic changes impact electricity output The project aims to use microbial fuel cells to power thermal sensors and cameras in agricultural fields and other locations The fuel cell used in the experiment is a 7-centimeter-high box filled with soil from the fields The team buried 12 such boxes at a depth of about 30 cm covering them with soil in each of the two fields in Yawatahama and Ikata The electricity output will be small and will be used once a sufficient amount has been stored Microbial fuel cells "can be installed anywhere and don't need to be replaced with new ones regularly," said Keisuke Matsumura a specially appointed assistant professor at the university in the Japanese capital "They can become an alternative power source to solar power and dry cells." If the electricity can be used to power cameras for monitoring fields and thermal sensors it will help reduce the burden on farmers in a country struggling with a declining farming population electrons released by the microbes are first collected at the anode embedded in the soil before moving to the cathode The flow of electrons through the circuit generates power We may be able to provide (electricity) at a reasonable price," said Hiroyuki Mishima of Shikoku Electric based in Ehime Prefecture To have the latest news and stories delivered to your inbox Simply enter your email address below and an email will be sent through which to complete your subscription Please check your inbox for a confirmation email Thank you for reaching out to us.We will get back to you as soon as possible Focus features two in-depth reviews each month of fine art architecture and design exhibitions and events at art museums galleries and alternative spaces around Japan The contributors are non-Japanese art critics living in Japan These are just some of the more than 40 citrus varieties produced by the western Japan prefecture of Ehime which proudly calls itself the "Citrus Kingdom." Three businesswomen who sell award-winning marmalades made using Ehime's citrus fruits are determined to further raise the fruits' profile abroad while also helping revitalize their hometowns comes from the next town of Yawatahama -- both small coastal communities surrounded by citrus farms citrus fruits are cultivated on terraced fields lining mountainsides as there is little flat land which plays a key role in setting the domestic price for mikan boasts that "three kinds of sunlight" bless its fruits -- direct sunlight reflected light from the sea and reflected light from the stone steps of the terraces "Ehime's citrus fruits are truly delicious," said Seiko Ninomiya as she and her sister explained how they built their marmalade business from the ground up eight years ago "We want people the world over to know about them and eat them." Making marmalade began as a hobby when the two returned home after careers in the airline industry Welcomed with mounds of citrus fruit from friends and neighbors the sisters used them to make marmalade that they then gave away as gifts Having grown up on their mother's handmade marmalade in an area defined by an abundance of citrus it seemed only natural to take the plunge into the marmalade business they started selling locally and saw their reputation spread overseas as they began winning awards at the Dalemain World Marmalade Awards and Festival near Penrith in Cumbria they won the coveted "double gold" -- the most prestigious award in the artisan category -- for their "Yuzu & Ginger Marmalade." (Undated photo shows terraced citrus groves in Yawatahama Ehime Prefecture.)[Photo courtesy of Yawatahama City] That success has allowed the sisters the opportunity to fulfill a dream and sell their marmalade at Fortnum & Mason has also won awards at the Dalemain international festival over the years She is a proponent of encouraging the local citrus industry to utilize "sixth-sector industrialization," or activities where farms go beyond production adding value to their operation by integrating the processing as well as the distribution of their products "There is citrus fruit all year round here which creates an attitude that farmers don't need to think about creating products to sell despite a waning mikan industry," said Kokubu "They sell only citrus fruit that has no scratches," throwing away pieces that can still be put to good use as processed materials Kokubu founded her business Atrium around six years ago using products made with Ehime citrus fruits She began selling marmalade in 2016 when she realized that it was wasteful to use only citrus peels from which she extracted oil It takes the Ninomiya sisters about five to six days to make a batch of marmalade and they repeat the process around five times a month "Even if it's the same amount of the same type of fruit and the same amount of sugar the product is always different," said Yoriko Website: http://ninosconfiture.com/english/ They may be using the same type of citrus fruit but depending on the season or the farm the fruit came from the hardness of the peels and the amount of juice differ at times disagreeing over the amount of sugar to add They have written a confiture recipe book but Marmalade can be enjoyed in a variety of ways based on taste and color: the Ninomiyas recommend it as a topping for congee or ice cream has the right texture and a pleasant aroma with an "exquisite taste" of "different layers of ingredients," said Jane Hasell-McCosh founder of the Dalemain World Marmalade Awards and Festival which has taken place annually since 2005 and received over 3,000 entries from over 40 countries this year (Jars of marmalade submitted as contest entries at the inaugural Dalemain World Marmalade Awards and Festival in Yawatahama Making marmalade with fresh fruit is a must The marmalade-making season begins in late November with the production of yuzu and jabara marmalade and ends around June and July with marmalade made from kawachibankan "The joy of Japan is that all the fruit is fresh...So you get this incredible vividness of taste," Hasell-McCosh said during her visit in May to Ikata and Yawatahama Dalemain's first sister event in Japan and received around 1,600 entries from five countries The Ninomiya sisters also played a crucial role in a related event in Ikata to promote local citrus fruit and relations with Britain "Marmalade has the magic power to connect people," said Hasell-McCosh "It's a gentle way of being friends and for everyone to feel good." 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The page may not be displayed properly if the JavaScript is deactivated on your browser Japanese version ILONGGA rider Ariana Dormitorio improved 30 notches in the latest UCI World rankings after ruling the 2019 Yawatahama International Cross Country race last month in Yawatahama Based on the latest UCI mountain bike ranking released on Tuesday the Iloilo City native Dormitorio moved from 154th to 124th with a total of 287 UCI points who is eyeing to qualify to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics is hoping to continue to improve her ranking if her PH National Championship result Dormitorio remains in rigid training in preparations for the Olympic Qualifying Asian MTB Championship set this July in Lebanon where the gold medalist automatically qualifies to the Tokyo Games “This will be a very crucial year because all of the things that we’ve really worked hard for We’re really looking forward to the Olympic qualifying,” Dormitorio said “I’m confident naman din that somehow I really have a fighting chance to win the gold in the upcoming Asian Continental Championship,” added the 23-year-old rider who has also trained in the UCI Training Center in Switzerland will also be competing in the 2019 Southeast Asian Games here where she is favored to win a gold medal./PN and website in this browser for the next time I comment Yawatahama has a high level of seismic activity Based on data from the past 55 years and our earthquake archive back to 1900 there are about 1,600 quakes on average per year in or near Yawatahama Yawatahama has had at least 9 quakes above magnitude 6 since 1900 which suggests that larger earthquakes of this size occur infrequently probably on average approximately every 10 to 15 years The last earthquake in Yawatahama occurred 1 hour and 19 minutes ago and had a magnitude of 1.0: Mag. 1.0 earthquake Inland Sea - Yamaguchi, Japan - writeAge(1746486420)A light magnitude 1.0 earthquake occurred in the Inland Sea near Heigun-to island The quake had a shallow depth of 48 km (30 mi) and was too small to be felt by people Yawatahama has had 1 quake of magnitude 2.7 There were also 14 quakes below magnitude 2.0 which people don't normally feel The quake had a shallow depth of 46 km (29 mi) and was not felt (or at least not reported so).