Can you ever really understand Japan? Pico Iyer offers help
Despite living in the country for over 30 years, Pico Iyer is a self-described "Japan beginner." His new book, "A Beginner's Guide to Japan," is full of often contradictory musings and vignettes that invite readers to expand or refute.
Is Nara's future tied to a proposed maglev shinkansen route?
Although Nara has become a favorite of international tourists in recent years, the city, which served as the nation's ancient capital from 710 to 784, has historically been a bit off the beaten path. Heijokyo, or Heijo Palace, as Nara was then known, was the ...
Deer population in Nara Park at record size despite deaths from illness, accidents and plastic
The deer population in Nara Park, a popular tourist attraction, has increased for the third straight year to a record 1,388, a local organization said Monday. The figure was the highest since record-keeping began in the 1950s. The Nara Deer Preservation Foundation said the latest annual ...
Japanese artist's plagiarism claim over goldfish-filled phone booth rejected by Nara court
A court has rejected a plagiarism claim by an artist who argued a merchants' association in Nara Prefecture had copied one of his artworks featuring a telephone booth filled with water and dozens of goldfish. Nobuki Yamamoto, 63, a contemporary artist, filed a damages suit ...
Emperor visits tomb of predecessor Jimmu, Japan's legendary first leader, before abdication
Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko on Tuesday visited the mausoleum of Japan's legendary first leader Emperor Jimmu in Nara Prefecture to pay respects before his abdication on April 30. The visit to the ancient grave dedicated to the first emperor, who is said to have ...
As injuries hit record high, 80% of those hurt by deer in Nara Park are non-Japanese
The number of people injured by wild deer at Nara Park, a major tourist attraction in the city of Nara, has hit a record high of 200 in the current fiscal year, with non-Japanese, many of them tourists, accounting for some 80 percent of ...
Police say about 40 dogs died in a fire that broke out at a breeding facility in Katsuragi, Nara Prefecture.
Dignitaries from Japan and Australia commemorated the 25th anniversary of sister city relations between Nara and Canberra on Thursday. Nara City Mayor Gen Nakagawa traveled to the Australian capital to mark the silver anniversary at an event hosted by Japanese Ambassador Sumio Kusaka and attended ...
Six people died and two others were seriously injured in a motorcycle accident in the city of Nara early Friday, police said. Four of those killed were male residents of Nara between the ages of 14 and 18, and the other two have not yet ...
Nara steps up efforts to deal with record numbers of deer and tourists
It's getting ever more crowded in the ancient capital of Nara as record numbers of two-legged visitors encounter record numbers of four-legged residents, creating concerns about the health and safety of both groups. Last month, a survey by the Nara Deer Preservation Foundation, which looks ...
One of the many deer in the city of Nara has been found with a makeshift dart lodged in its neck, local authorities said Wednesday, prompting police to launch an investigation. The roughly 4-year-old, 36-kilogram doe appears to have suffered only a minor injury and ...
Prosecutors indicted an American man Wednesday for killing a woman in Osaka in February. According to the indictment, Yevgeniy Vasilievich Bayraktar, strangled 27-year-old Saki Kondo at a condominium rented out to tourists on Feb. 16. The prosecutors charged him with injury resulting in death, not murder, ...
