NEWSWORTHY
Japan's 'danchi': Public housing blocks highlight the complexity of interculturalism
Stroll through Shibazono Danchi in Kawaguchi, Saitama Prefecture, on a weekend and you will find children shrieking with glee. They run across its communal playground or splash about in the fountain of the public housing complex as elderly residents enjoy leisurely walks in the ...
Saitama starts recruiting homestay hosts for Tokyo 2020 athletes' families
The prefecture’s project is intended to help the families and others involved in the games secure lodging and offer opportunities for them to experience Japanese culture and cuisine.
A day in the life of Kurdish asylum-seekers in Tokyo
Tokyo offers an almost limitless variety of awe-inspiring tours but one recent addition guided visitors on a truly unique journey — into the settlements of Kurdish asylum-seekers. Port B, a theater art performance organization, is offering a collaborative refugee tour experience, giving participants firsthand insights ...
Saitama kabaddi club makes name for itself, hopes to spread sport in Japan
Fascinated by the contact sport of kabaddi, a middle school and a high school in Saitama Prefecture beat a succession of collegiate teams this year to win the national student championship after learning the rules and tactics from scratch. Seven years ago, Jiyunomori Gakuin Junior ...
Kawagoe: From Edo standout to tourist draw
Kawagoe, Saitama Prefecture, is less than an hour's train ride from central Tokyo. But in this city full of history, one would feel a sense of nostalgia in the streets thanks to a number of traditional Japanese kura warehouse buildings from the Edo Period ...
New facility showcasing shinkansen simulator opens at Saitama museum
Visitors to a railway museum in Saitama will get a chance to experience what it feels like to drive a shinkansen thanks to a simulator that is part of a new addition to the facility that opened Thursday. Exhibits in the new building offer hands-on ...
Japanese transgender professor to run for mayor in campaign focused on curbing child abuse
A University of Tokyo professor has decided to run for mayor in a city in Saitama Prefecture in July with her campaign focused on preventing child abuse. Ayumi Yasutomi, a 55-year-old professor at one of Japan's most prestigious universities, told Kyodo News on Monday she ...
City in Saitama Prefecture to tap into new revenue source with manhole cover ads
As the costs of operating its municipal sewer system rise, a city in Saitama Prefecture is hoping to cash in on the growing popularity of manhole cover designs with a plan to use the creative lids as an advertising medium. The Tokorozawa Municipal Government will ...
Tokyo High Court upholds ruling calling city of Saitama's refusal to publish pacifist haiku 'unfair'
The Tokyo High Court on Friday upheld a district court ruling that called "unfair" the city of Saitama's refusal to publish a haiku which referred to the Constitution and carried a pacifist message in its local newsletter . The high court ordered the city to ...
Owners of cellphones with TV capability obliged to pay NHK, high court rules
The Tokyo High Court overturns a lower court ruling and says the owner of a cellphone with a mobile TV function is obliged to pay the NHK subscription fee.
Court reduces sum of taxpayer money assembly members must repay for Australia trip
A high court Thursday drastically reduced the amount a lower court had ordered five city assembly members to repay following accusations that taxpayer money was wasted on sightseeing in Australia. The Tokyo High Court ordered Kunio Jinbo, the mayor of Toda in Saitama Prefecture, to ...
Saitama medical device makers fill vital health care niche
Saitama Prefecture has always been overshadowed by Tokyo, its bigger and glitzier neighbor to the south that is also the capital of Japan. But Saitama, sometimes referred to by its unflattering nickname Dasai-tama (dasai means uncool), is in fact home to a number of ...
