Magazine faces 'Big Issue dilemma' as Japan's homeless ranks shrink
Teruo Irishima, a homeless man from Nara Prefecture, earns a living by selling The Big Issue Japan, a magazine published around the world to give people in situations like his a leg up in life. Irishima, 56, started selling the magazine around 10 years ago. ...
Kansai businesses suffer as COVID-19 alarm hurts tourism
The Japanese expression "kankodori ga naku" (literally, "the cuckoo sings") is frequently used to describe a business slump. "Kankodori" appears in a headline in Flash (Feb. 18) concerning Nara Park. Not only are visitor numbers to this destination way down, but the famous deer that ...
After devastating Shuri Castle fire, World Heritage temple in Nara holds drill
A fire drill was held Monday at the World Heritage-listed Yakushiji temple in the city of Nara. The practice was held following a blaze that destroyed several buildings at Shuri Castle in Naha, Okinawa Prefecture, last year. Ahead of the country's Cultural Property Fire Prevention Day, ...
Japan expands swine fever vaccinations to seven more prefectures
The government said Friday it will expand vaccinations of pigs against hog cholera to cover Tokyo and seven prefectures adjacent to the 12 prefectures with confirmed cases of the deadly virus. The vaccinations may start later this month in Tokyo, Kanagawa, Niigata, Kyoto and Nara, ...
Japan Times 1944: Kamikaze Attack Corps lives up to its name
Determined to follow in the footsteps of the First Special Kamikaze Attack Corps, the men of the Second Special Kamikaze Attack Corps hopped off from their base at 10 a.m. on Oct. 27 and successfully fulfilled their glorious mission of crash-diving on the enemy ...
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.
