A ferry connecting Uno Port in Okayama Prefecture and Takamatsu Port in Kagawa Prefecture has ceased services after 109 years. The ferry completed its last trip across the Seto Inland Sea on Sunday night after a long-term decrease in passengers led to the deterioration of ...
Police instructor stabbed officer with knife in training exercise that went wrong
A police school instructor in western Japan accidently stabbed an officer with a survival knife during a role-playing exercise in December, and left him hospitalized for days, police officials admitted Wednesday. While the instructor at the Okayama Prefecture training college has said he did not ...
One year after floods, hard-hit area of Okayama Prefecture sees spike in thefts targeting victims
A town in western Japan hit by flooding caused by torrential rain a year ago is now struggling with thefts targeting disaster victims who are working to rebuild their lives. Police have called on people in the Mabicho district of Kurashiki, Okayama Prefecture, to "ensure ...
Western Japan marks first anniversary of deadly mudslides and flooding that killed 275
Memorial services were held Saturday to mark the first anniversary of flooding and mudslides triggered by torrential rains in western Japan that claimed the lives of 275 people. The worst rain disaster in decades killed 137 people in Hiroshima Prefecture, 79 in Okayama Prefecture and ...
Special celebrations planned for newlyweds on auspicious first day of Japan's new Reiwa era
Local governments are planning something special for those who register their marriage on the first day of the new era, including gifts and commemorative photos, as they prepare for a spike in the number of couples tying the knot on May 1. The start of ...
Okayama Prefecture in the Chugoku region is a transport hub of western Japan that enjoys a yearlong mild climate thanks to its location on the Seto Inland Sea. The city of Okayama, the venue of the Health Ministers' Meeting on Oct. 19 and 20, is ...
On a farm employing a sophisticated technique to develop special bananas in Okayama Prefecture, people with disabilities play a major role in the routine work of watering, fertilizing and removing yellowing leaves from the plants. Every morning, several mentally disabled workers come to the banana ...
Celebrating New Year's the island way
On the small island where I live in the middle of Japan's Seto Inland Sea, new year celebrations are stalwart traditional. Preparations start a week before when the holiday spirit wafts in on sea breezes tinted with chilling temperatures. The island holds a community ...
Study finds 80% of rescue hashtags were unrelated to emergencies during July deluge
A vast majority of uses of the hashtag #kyūjo — which means rescue in Japanese — posted on Twitter during the deadly flooding last summer were unrelated to calls for help.
Emperor and Empress visit those affected by July rains in Okayama
Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko made a one-day trip to Okayama Prefecture on Friday and met people affected by the deadly downpours in western Japan in July. The Imperial Couple visited areas hit by torrential rains, which caused widespread landslides and flooding that killed more ...
Wooden housing that sheltered Fukushima displaced now relocated for use in rain-hit western Japan
Purpose-built wooden emergency homes constructed using a traditional nail-less building technique and used by people displaced by the 2011 Fukushima nuclear crisis have been relocated to Soja, Okayama Prefecture, which was recently hit by torrential rains. In early August, carpenters in Soja began putting together ...
Mobile bookstore donates used books to those affected by west Japan rain disasters
A mobile bookstore, dubbed the "Book Bus" and operated by Value Books, spent three days from Tuesday visiting areas of western Japan that were ravaged by torrential rains last month, and provided free books to those affected by the rain disasters who are now ...
