Japan braces for more quakes, authorities dismiss doomsday hype
Authorities on Friday evacuated some residents from remote islands close to the epicenter of a 5.5-magnitude quake off the tip of the southernmost main island of Kyushu.
That quake on Thursday, strong enough to make standing difficult, was one of more than 1,000 tremors in the islands of Kagoshima prefecture in the past two weeks that have fueled rumors stemming from a comic book prediction that a major disaster would befall the country this month.
'With our current scientific knowledge, it's difficult to predict the exact time, place or scale of an earthquake,' said Ayataka Ebita, director of the Japan Meteorological Agency's earthquake and tsunami monitoring division, after a 5.4-magnitude quake shook the area again on Saturday.
'We ask that people base their understanding on scientific evidence,' Ebita told a press conference.
The manga, which some have interpreted as predicting a catastrophic event on Saturday, has prompted some travelers to avoid Japan. Arrivals from Hong Kong, where the rumors have circulated widely, were down 11% in May from the same month last year, according to the latest data.
Japan has had record visitor numbers this year, with April setting an record monthly high of 3.9 million travelers.
Ryo Tatsuki, the artist behind the manga 'The Future I Saw,' first published in 1999 and re-released in 2021, said she was 'not a prophet,' in a statement issued by her publisher.
Earthquakes are common in Japan, one of the world's most seismically active areas. It accounts for about one-fifth of the world's earthquakes of magnitude 6 or greater.
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Japan's emperor begins a weeklong visit to Mongolia that will honor POWs
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The greater Tokyo metropolitan area spans over 5,000 square miles by some estimates. To put that in perspective, all five boroughs of New York City put together are only about 300 square miles. Needless to say, it's a lot of ground to cover. To help you make the most of a visit to this endless sprawl, I've distilled my experience from over 20 years of living here into a list of 15 unmissable experiences that will give you a feel for Tokyo's singular culture and style. Here are 15 of the top things to do in Tokyo, according to a local. View of Mt. Fuji at sunset. Jackyenjoyphotography/Getty Images Although it's two prefectures over, Japan's iconic mountain is visible from the capital in the right conditions. On a clear, low-humidity day, the solitary volcanic cone looms in the west, emerging as a stark evening silhouette when the sun dips behind its bulk. A few high rises in town offer a nice vantage point, including the free observatory at the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, but I prefer the swish lounge at Aman Tokyo, where you can appreciate Fuji-san with live koto music and a glass of Bollinger Champagne. Beer pouring into a mug in front of several dishes. Izakaya , often translated as Japanese pubs, are casual eateries with an emphasis on drinks and shareable plates of food. They run the gamut from ancient, beer-soaked venues with overturned sake crates for seats to sleek, modern gastropubs with elevated tapas and curated wine lists, but whatever the venue, the atmosphere when the room gets crowded and boozy is as raucous and chummy as Tokyo gets. 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More toward the rowdy end are the closet-sized bars of Shinjuku's Golden Gai, a warren of grungy alleys home to snug drinking holes with obscure themes and idiosyncratic bartender-owners. Small Residential and Shopping Street in Tokyo's Yanaka Neighbourhood. GrahamShitamachi is a term that's hard to define, but think of it as something like 'old town.' Most old towns are singular districts, but Tokyo's historic streetscape survives in disparate pockets, defined by narrow, winding alleys of two-story homes and workshops that lack gardens or other buffer zones between building and street. Even in these cramped circumstances, residents of the shitamachi create beauty, lining the curbs with flowerpots and other small decorations that make for atmospheric strolling. The shitamachi neighborhoods of Yanaka and Ningyocho are good places to immerse yourself in this retro atmosphere. Monjayaki being cooked on a judge a book by its cover here, because I've sometimes described monja's liquid mix of cabbage, dashi, and flour as looking like vomit on a hot plate. I swear it's actually quite tasty, and scooping it straight from the griddle to your mouth with the tiny metal spatula provided tickles the childish desire to play with your food. The island of Tsukishima in eastern Tokyo is the place to try this quirky dish as there are about 80 specialty restaurants clustered on one lantern-lit street. Venerable Moheji has four stores there, so you can nearly always find a seat for their signature mentaiko and mochi version. Interior of a public bath in Tokyo, Japan. Oleksandr Rupeta/NurPhoto via Getty Images Bathing culture is big in Japan, and before most houses had indoor plumbing, people got sudsy at the public bath or sento . 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Throat singing duo PIQSIQ celebrates Inuit culture at Japanese festival
Yellowknife-based throat singing duo PIQSIQ says performing for Japanese fans was a unique celebration of Inuit culture and finding similarities between Arctic and Japanese traditions. Sisters Inuksuk Mackay and Tiffany Ayalik performed in Osaka in June as part of the World Expo. "The culture is so generous and so respectful and open, and it just felt like we were able to talk about our culture and what it's like to be Inuk and living in the North, and a little bit about history in a way that was really celebrating," Ayalik said. "Sometimes when we talk about culture here, there's just like a different context in Canada, and it's always about reconciliation and it can be really heavy." The pair said that travelling to Japan is something they've dreamed of since childhood, and they got to share it with their family as well. Mackay's husband and sons travelled with PIQSIQ to perform demonstrations of Inuit games. Mackay said that some audience members had visited the Arctic or read up on Inuit culture and had lots of questions for them about life in the North. "So that was really cool to know that across the world, there were people who were really interested in culture," she said. Mackay said there were lots of commonalities between Inuit and Japanese cultures too, like respect for elders and children and the value they both place on culture itself. Beyond their performances, the sisters and their family spent time exploring a new country. They said visiting Nara, a city known in part for its temples and the deer that roam around, was one highlight. Ayalik says sharing that with family up North made her laugh. "I sent videos to other family in Nunavut and they're just like 'this food is just walking around,'" she said. The pair said the experience is one they won't soon forget. They hope one day to come back and travel to the north of Japan to collaborate with Ainu singers, a traditional Japanese music. And if it's up to her family, Mackay says that trip could happen before long. "My sons are already trying to learn Japanese on Duolingo," she said.
