Saitama shiitake farmer looks to build on her mushrooming success
For Kaori Nukui, who grows Japanese tea and log-grown shiitake mushrooms, farming is a creative endeavor that allows her to turn her agricultural yield into unique products with a playful twist. Two of the products created by the 41-year-old former public relations consultant from Saitama ...
Election for Saitama governor seen as two-horse race pitting coalition against opposition forces
The race for Saitama governor began Thursday with five candidates in the running. The Aug. 25 election was called after the incumbent decided to step down after serving a fourth four-year term. The race is widely seen as a duel between Motohiro Ono, 55, a former ...
First engine-powered aircraft to ever fly in Japan returns to Tokorozawa in Saitama
An exhibition featuring the first engine-powered aircraft to fly in Japan opened at an aviation museum in Tokorozawa on Thursday, marking its return to the city in Saitama Prefecture after 74 years. The French-made Henri Farman biplane, whose fabric-covered wings have a span of about ...
Tomorrow's film legends descend on Saitama
Launched in 2004 to promote digital cinema, the Skip City International D-Cinema Festival (July 13-21) in Kawaguchi, Saitama Prefecture, has become a showcase for emerging filmmakers. Among the Skip City alumni who have gone on to thriving careers are Cannes Palme d'Or winner Nuri ...
Saitama student, 14, arrested over alleged murder had spoken to school about problems with victim
City education board officials said Monday that a 14-year-old boy charged with the fatal stabbing of a classmate in Tokorozawa, Saitama Prefecture, on Friday, had been consulting with junior high school staff about issues with the victim — a reversal of an earlier explanation ...
UNESCO lists Kobushi mountains spanning Tokyo and three other prefectures as biosphere reserve
UNESCO on Wednesday added the Kobushi mountain region, which straddles part of Tokyo and three other prefectures, to its list of biosphere reserves, Japanese officials said. As of July last year, 686 areas in 122 countries have been designated as biosphere reserves — areas for ...
Kyoto team retains its seat in 'Isu-1' office chair grand prix
The rattle of tiny plastic wheels echoed through the normally sleepy streets of Hanyu, Saitama Prefecture, on Sunday morning as the small city about 60 kilometers (37 miles) north of Tokyo played host to the Japan office chair "Isu-1" Grand Prix. Founded 10 years ago ...
It was around 3 p.m. on a chilly day in December. The sky was overcast and the scent of rain hung in the air when Rina Kambayashi happened upon a creature she had never seen before. Opening the front door to her family's gracefully ...
Job seekers in their 70s could become Japan's new normal
At the age of 75, Mikiko Kuzuno found herself recently laid off and applying for a job at a factory near Tokyo. She insisted on making the application in person. "I asked them to please take a look at me," she said. "I wanted to ...
Japanese police officer quits after being busted for driving patrol cars without license
A police officer resigned Friday after it was revealed that she'd been driving patrol cars around the city of Kawagoe since November despite the fact she didn't have a driving license. "I thought I'd be forced to resign from the Criminal Investigations Bureau if I ...
A woman was arrested Monday for attempted murder over the abandonment of a newborn baby in a toilet bowl, after giving birth in a convenience-store bathroom in Saitama Prefecture, police said. Yuria Moriizumi, 24, delivered the baby girl in the bathroom of the store in ...
'Running Again': Solving problems with a good run
Running scenes have been a staple since the start of the movies, but in the silent days the fleet-footed hero was usually trying to outrun the police. Now, competitive running in its various forms, from the ekiden relay to the marathon, has become a ...
