NEWSWORTHY
200-year-old Mie puppet's neck on the line as whaling ban makes crucial part scarce
Onyudo is a giant kimono-clad, long-necked puppet that has been preserved by residents of the Nakanaya area of Yokkaichi, Mie Prefecture, for more than 200 years. The puppet, regarded as a symbol of Yokkaichi, appears on a float in the annual Grand Yokkaichi Festival, showing ...
Japan's traditional festivals struggling with financial difficulties
Traditional festivals are having a more difficult time securing financing for their events these days. In the city of Tokushima, famed for its traditional Awa Odori folk dance festival, attendance hit a record low this year, partly due to confusion over financing. And similar stories ...
South Korea approved a rare screening of North Korean movies at a local film festival on Tuesday, as a diplomatic thaw gains pace following two landmark summits between their leaders. The two countries technically remain in conflict after the 1950-53 Korean War ended without a ...
Filipino Catholics honor John the Baptist at annual 'mud people' festival
More than a thousand Filipinos at a Catholic festival on Sunday slathered their bodies in mud to show devotion and humility. The annual tradition forms part of a joyous religious festival honoring a saint whom they believed saved residents from execution by Japanese soldiers during ...
Over 9,000 people gather at Britain's ancient Stonehenge to greet longest day of the year
Wrapped in jackets and blankets, thousands of people gathered at Britain's Stonehenge for the summer solstice, watching the sun rise over the Neolithic monument and welcoming the longest day of the year. Revellers of all ages, including druids and pagans performing rituals, clapped and cheered ...
Compared to other imported festivals, Easter in Japan has never really taken off. But why?
Dancing and chanting in Swahili at a crocodile shrine outside Karachi, hundreds of Pakistani Sheedis swayed barefoot to the rhythm of a language they no longer speak — the celebration offering a rare chance to connect with their African roots. For many Sheedis, the swampy ...
Chinese fishermen seek divine intervention as fish stocks dwindle
"Possessed" by local gods, elaborately dressed villagers in a fishing community in eastern China are carried into the surf to ensure an abundant catch — a centuries-old rite needed now more than ever as fish stocks decline. Staged in the village of Fuye on Nanri ...
Japanese director's pro-whaling documentary wins award at London film festival
A 2015 documentary on local supporters of Japan’s traditions of whaling and dolphin-hunting won an international film festival award Saturday in London.
Launch a tourist-friendly Seto Inland Sea ferry system and they will come
The 250 or so inhabited islands scattered like pebbles between Honshu and Shikoku have been unfairly relegated to guidebook sidebars labeled "Off the beaten track."
What the world needs right now is more Kwanzaa
Although the celebration was designed as a Pan-African affair, its seven principles could benefit every one of us.
Shibuya preps for Halloween throng with multilingual cops and automated speakers
Polyglot police officers and automated multilingual speakers will be deployed in Shibuya this year to control the growing mob of Halloween revelers converging on Tokyo.
