NEWSWORTHY
Sapporo: Famous for its snow, but a delight in green
Sapporo balances a vibrant city feel with the quieter reprieves of lush parks, dense forests and meandering trails that speak to Hokkaido's nature-centric reputation. One minute you're fighting crowds at a fish market and the next you're listening to birds chirping in the Japanese ...
There's no business like snow business
A few weeks ago I had things to do in Tokyo and Yokohama, so I had a ticket booked for a late-afternoon train from Nagano on Jan. 22. Then that morning my manager in Tokyo phoned to tell me I should come early ...
Following the deaths of eight people in an avalanche last week, winter mountaineering practices and competitions involving high school students are being held in at least seven of Japan’s 47 prefectures.
Agepizza: a deep-fried substitute for the real deal to warm your cockles in winter
During the coldest stretch of winter, a warm snack helps to make the low temperatures a bit more tolerable. Convenience store chain Ministop's new Agepizza (deep-fried pizza) offers just that, and at a reasonable price. This item (¥180) comes in two flavors: margherita and Thai-style ...
12 refugees found drowned on Turkish shore; hypothermia claims trio who reached Lesbos
Twelve bodies were found on Turkey's western coast and 26 people were rescued on Tuesday after a boat carrying migrants bound for Greece capsized, the Turkish coast guard said in a statement. Responding to a distress signal sent in the early morning near Izmir, the ...
Harsh winter bears down on migrants stuck near Dunkirk who didn't reach Calais 'jungle' camp
As thousands of migrants prepare for falling temperatures in the "jungle" of Calais on France's north coast, refugees in another makeshift camp just 35 km away are coping with even more squalid conditions as the winter freeze sets in. In Grande-Synthe, a small town adjacent ...
Switzerland has kept records for 150 years and this December clocks in as the warmest
Switzerland will mark its warmest December since the country that founded winter tourism began keeping records 150 years ago. Clear skies and dry ground have seen the Alpine nation end the year 3.4 degrees Celsius above the long-term historical average for December, a climatologist for ...
A German-operated cargo ship and crew have been stuck at anchor outside the Lake Superior port of Duluth for close to a month for unspecified environmental violations, with no resolution in sight despite the upcoming closure of the St. Lawrence Seaway for winter, officials ...
Winter offers a wake-up call for local revitalization drive
Kansai's corporate titans gathered in Kyoto earlier this month for their annual retreat, formally known as the Kansai Economic Forum. While there was no shortage of the usual slightly daft old men with slightly daft ideas, this year saw two important, positive changes. The first ...
Natural strategies to cope with winter
Jan. 19 is officially the coldest day of winter. Called daikan (major cold), the day coincided with some truly bitter weather in northern Japan this year. The mercury plummeted to minus 27.3 in Furano, central Hokkaido, and minus 31.3 in Esashi in the southwest, ...
The government said Friday it wants households and companies in Hokkaido to cut electricity usage by more than 6 percent from the fiscal 2010 level to ride out another winter without nuclear power. It is the first time since the 2011 Fukushima nuclear crisis started ...
